Pokémon TCG Pocket Now Has Shiny Pokémon, But One Card Requires Players To Pay Up

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pockethas officially launched its newest set Shining Revelry, but one new Shiny Pokémon card will require players to shell-out a fair amount of cash. Yesterday, Pokémon TCG Pocket launched a new update for players, providing tons of small but notable quality-of-life improvements. However, that update was a precursor to the launch of two new features, one of which is officially available now. Also launched were several new paid bundles, including one that contains a rare promo card.

Today, Shining Revelry introduced Shiny Pokémon cards to Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket. However, in order to get a Shiny Mewtwo trading card, players will have to spend $25 on a special bundle that includes PokéGold and other premium items. While other Pokémon cards have been "locked" behind the game's $10 premium pass, this marks the first time that a player has to spend money to collect a specific Pokémon card via a bundle. The bundle appears to be a limited-time bundle, although no end date was announced for the set.

What Cards Are Available In Shining Revelry?

Highlights Include Charizard Ex, Giratina Ex, And Team Rocket Grunts

Shining Revelry is the newest set for Pokémon TCG Pocket and contains 72 cards, plus a whopping forty secret rare cards. Among those secret rare cards are 15 different shiny Pokémon cards, which have their own rarity symbol and digital foil background. Players have a 4% chance of finding a Shiny Pokémon cards in packs, meaning they have slightly better odds of pulling a Shiny card than a card with a Gold Star rarity or higher. The new set also includes Pokémon from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, making their debut in the game for the first time along with Red, the protagonist of the original Pokémon games.

Volcanion in Pokemon GO next to an Arceus card from Pokemon TCG Pocket

Pokémon TCG Pocket's New Trading Change Gives It A Big Step Up On Pokémon GO

Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket announced major new changes to its trading system, highlighting one of the ways it differs from Pokemon Go for fans.

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Two of the strongest Pokémon cards in the new set are Charizard ex and Giratina ex. Charizard ex (the second Charizard ex in the game) can deal 150 damage with its Steam Artillery attack. While the move costs 5 energy to use, the Stoke move allows players to add 3 Fire Energy to Charizard, meaning that it can use Steam Artillery in just two turns. Giratina ex also has an energy acceleration ability called Broken-Space Bellow that allows a player to place a Psychic Energy on the card at the cost of ending their turn. However, this move can bypass the first-turn restriction on playing energy, making it a potential first-turn play.

Our Take: Hiding Cards Behind A Paid Bundle Is Not Cool

A Rare Miss For Pokémon TCG Pocket

Locking a card behind a $25 bundle is no way to engender goodwill among fans. While we've had other promo cards "locked" behind the premium pass, that $10/month purchase comes with a lot more value than the $25 bundle that includes the Shiny Mewtwo card. Hopefully, there will eventually be a way to get this Pokémon TCG Pocket card without spending the $25. More importantly, let's hope this doesn't become a trend for Pokémon TCG Pocket, which has largely been a fan-friendly game experience to date.