I've been complaining about the lack of meaningful content in Pokemon TCG Pocket lately because I've completed all of the introductory missions and am now stumped. I log in daily to get my free packs and maybe a Wonder Pick or two, but there's little else for me to do.
Maybe that's just the nature of a collecting game. There are no endless goals or interactive elements provided. You open packs, you share your pulls, you look at the amazing 3D effects, you close the app, you open Pokemon Go.
But if that were the case, why fight at all?
Battles are made much easier in Pokemon TCG Pocket. Your deck consists of only 20 cards, there are no energy cards, you automatically draw a basic Pokémon into your starting hand, the list goes on. This is not a competitive card game. This is not a balanced deck of cards. But that doesn't stop the fun.
My favorite deck contains two Zapdos Ex cards and 18 trainers. That's it. I'm guaranteed to draw a Zapdos in my opening hand, I can easily look for a Zapdos or thin my deck enough to draw the second one, and the rest of my deck is designed to thwart my opponent's plans. The only problem is the Zapdos attack.
Thundering Hurricane is a slot machine. It requires three lightning energies to use, flips four coins, and deals 50 damage per head. In my experience this means you either deal 200 damage or nothing at all. Luckily, 200 damage is enough to take down any Pokémon in the game, including Ex-Pokémon. So if I hit enough heads, I always take two prize cards and take a good lead.
I don't mind buying a ticket for the Zapdos lottery. I think it's funny. It's just as good a feeling when you do a flip and fail to take out a Blastoise Ex with only 30 HP as it is when you take out a Mewtwo Ex with immersive art as soon as it hits the field. But I want my opponent to know that I enjoy it too.
I can't think of anything worse than my opponent thinking I'm sitting on the other end of our wireless connection, seething with anger that my Zapdos couldn't take home the win. I'm not going to be upset about a non-competitive casual game mode using one of my favorite Pokemon. But I want you to know this.
This is why Pokemon needs TCG Pocket Emotes. What's funnier than turning four tails to completely take your turn and lose the game? Do this and then drop a Shocked Pikachu meme emote or pull a tongue at Gengar.
Marvel Snap has perfected these emotes. There was just enough sass, but not too much salt, to make each emote funny, whether you were using it or whether it was being used against you. A Shang-Chi punch in the final round feels good, but combining it with a Ms. Marvel thumbs-up emote feels better. And if you're on the receiving end, a battered Deadpool or an honest punch shows your opponent that you took the L in good faith.
This level of player interaction is perfect. Marvel Snap's emotes convey the complex emotions of an RNG-based card game while offering the openness to be interpreted in different ways depending on the context.
Pokemon is the perfect vehicle for emotes. Aside from the existing memes (Shocked Pikachu sells), many of the mascots are firm favorites. I can see Charmander winking or giving a thumbs up. Snorlax could wait for a clever attack if your opponent takes too long. Mewtwo is analogous to Thanos.
There is so much room for creativity; Just look at Pokemon Go stickers for inspiration. They're also a quick way to share an idea with a friend. Pokémon has already turned its monsters into mascots, Pocket just needs to give them character and turn them into emotes.
This one change would make the fights a little more exciting. It doesn't seem like I'm playing against bot after bot after brainless bot. I could send self-deprecating jokes about my meme-like, random-based deck and my opponent could laugh back. Pokemon TCG Pocket lacks the interaction that is so important to Pokemon at the moment. Without sharing or communicating with friends other than the lottery of Wonder Picks, laughing with friends doesn't feel like a real Pokémon experience. Sending emotes to strangers would go a long way in alleviating this feeling.
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Pokemon pocket players are screen recording wonder tips that you can play back in slow motion
However, the player base is divided on whether the tactic actually works.
