Rumored Trade Restrictions in Pokemon TCG Pocket: A Potentially Necessary Move

One significant element that Pokemon TCG Pocket has been missing is the card trading feature among players. It’s quite unexpected for a game titled “Trading Card Game” to go without such a function long after its launch. Thankfully, the developers have announced that this much-awaited feature will finally debut later this month. Yet, if recent rumors are accurate, it might not be exactly what players have envisioned.

Rumor has it that when trading becomes available, players may only be able to trade diamond and one-star cards. This restriction means that some of the game’s rarest cards, like the full-art Ex cards, might remain off-limits. This could be a letdown for collectors hoping to complete their decks through trades. However, this decision might be more tactical than it seems, as it could deter players from abusing the system for personal gain.

This news has not been officially confirmed by DeNA or The Pokemon Company. Yet, it aligns with earlier hints from the developers indicating that only select cards would be tradeable upon the feature’s introduction, anticipated for January 2025. Considering how the physical Pokemon TCG card market has fluctuated recently, it’s reasonable for Pokemon TCG Pocket to put safeguards in place to prevent players from gaming the system for an unfair advantage—like creating multiple accounts to hoard rare cards into a single profile.

Moreover, allowing trades for the rarest cards could lead to the rise of third-party sites selling these digital cards. We’ve seen massive in-game economies in games like World of Warcraft and Path of Exile 2 face similar challenges, with players buying top items without developers receiving any profit. Given the popularity of Pokemon TCG, it’s likely that The Pokemon Company aims to avoid such a scenario with TCG Pocket’s trading mechanics.

Nintendo is well-acquainted with third-party trading sites forming around its games. Take, for example, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which spawned the unofficial Nookazon website. There, players could buy and sell various in-game items or even villagers. While platforms like Nookazon began as harmless trading hubs, they transformed into virtual marketplaces, with players spending real money on top villagers like Raymond through outlets like eBay—drifting far from the in-game trading intentions.

Evidently, a trading system that lets Pokemon TCG Pocket players exchange its rarest cards might soon turn into players paying real-world money to third-party sellers. Although Pokemon TCG Pocket could ease their trading restrictions after the feature is tried and tested, it seems unlikely they’d allow the rarest cards to be exchanged to prevent such commercial scenarios. While this limitation might create hurdles for players keen on completing their collections, it might just be necessary to keep unwanted third-party trading websites in check.