"Pokémon TCG Pocket Expands with Space Time Smackdown Today"

The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has just rolled out its latest major update, introducing the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl-themed Space Time Smackdown expansion. This exciting new set, themed around Dialga and Palkia, is now available for fans to explore and collect.

Space Time Smackdown comes packed with 207 cards, spread across two themed booster packs. Although smaller than the previous set, Genetic Apex, which boasted 286 cards, Space Time Smackdown stands out with a higher percentage of rare cards. Out of the total, 52 cards are special alternate art, Star, and Crown rarity cards, compared to Genetic Apex's 60. This means collectors have a greater chance of snagging these coveted pieces.

Every Alternate Art 'Secret' Card in Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space Time Smackdown

52 Images

The official card count for Space Time Smackdown, excluding alternate arts, is 155 cards. This set introduces 10 new ex Pokémon cards, featuring Yanmega, Infernape, Palkia, Pacharisu, Mismagius, Gallade, Weavile, Darkrai, Dialga, and Lickilicky. Notably, every Pokémon type except Dragon now has a new ex Pokémon, with the Darkness type gaining two.

One of the most significant additions to the game comes in the form of Pokémon Tool cards. These new items can be attached to your active Pokémon to provide various combat advantages. Space Time Smackdown introduces three such tools: the Giant Cape, which boosts the Pokémon's Hit Points by 20; the Rocky Helmet, which inflicts 20 HP of damage to the opponent's Pokémon whenever your active trainer takes damage; and the Lum Berry, which can remove detrimental conditions like Poison from your Pokémon.

Battles

With the release of Space Time Smackdown, Pokémon TCG Pocket has added new Solo Battles across different difficulty tiers. The Intermediate tier now includes eight new battles, the Advanced tier features nine, and the Expert tier has eight new challenges. These battles focus on Pokémon from the new set, such as Dialga ex and Palkia ex, along with other notable entries like Togekiss, Bastiodon, Glaceon, Magmortar, Magnezone, Rampardos, and Torterra.

In the multiplayer arena, while it's too early to determine the full impact on the meta, cards from Space Time Smackdown show promising potential. For instance, Infernape ex can deliver a powerful 140 damage with just two Fire Energy, though it discards both energies upon impact. Palkia ex, reminiscent of Mewtwo ex, hits for 150 damage with four Energy and deals 20 damage to each benched Pokémon, albeit at the cost of losing three Energy. Weavile ex's one Energy attack does 30 damage, or 70 if the defending Pokémon is already damaged. Steel-type decks, bolstered by Dialga ex and other new cards, are poised to see significant enhancements alongside existing cards like Melmetal and Bisharp.

Missions and Rewards

Alongside Space Time Smackdown, Pokémon TCG Pocket has introduced numerous new missions that follow familiar structures. Collecting signature cards will unlock rental decks, while completing the full set will grant players Dialga and Palkia icons. The Museum missions have returned, with challenges to collect each 1 Star card and full art 2 Star card. The secret mission, Champion of the Sinnoh Region, requires players to collect the full art Cynthia card and 1 Star cards of her key Pokémon: Gastrodon, Lucario, Spiritomb, and Garchomp.

Completing missions rewards players with Pack Hourglasses, Wonder Hourglasses, Emblem Tickets for the shop, and more. Notably, the controversial Trading Tokens are absent from these rewards. However, to celebrate the addition of trading, developer Creatures Inc. has gifted players 500 Trading Tokens.

The in-game shop now features new items to purchase with rewards, including Dialga and Palkia album covers and the Lovely Hearts backdrop. A new Poké Gold bundle, themed around Cynthia, has replaced the previous Gardevoir bundle.

Trading

Since the trading update's release, Creatures Inc. has remained silent on social media and within the game, focusing mainly on the Space Time Smackdown expansion. The "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" included 500 Trade Tokens and 120 Trade Hourglasses, sufficient for one ex Pokémon trade. However, the trading system has sparked controversy due to the requirement of Trade Tokens for trading cards at 3 Diamonds or higher. Trading a 3 Diamond card requires 120 Trade Tokens, a 1 Star card needs 400, and a 4 Diamond card (an ex Pokémon) demands 500.

Players can only acquire Trade Tokens by selling cards from their collection. Selling a 3 Diamond card yields 25 Trade Tokens, a 1 Star card 100, a 4 Diamond card 125, a 2 Star card 300, a 3 Star immersive card 300, and a Crown gold card 1500. Lower rarity cards have no value but also require no Trade Tokens to trade.

This system has been criticized by fans, who argue that players must sell multiple high-value cards to trade even one. For example, selling five ex Pokémon is required to trade one ex Pokémon, or five 1 Star cards to trade one 1 Star card. Selling a single Crown rarity card, which is extremely rare, only provides enough tokens for three ex Pokémon trades. The community has labeled this system as "hilariously toxic" and a "monumental failure," lamenting the loss of a "safe way for the community to connect more" in favor of a laborious trading process.