There’s now a new way to catch ‘em all, and it’s off to a great start. At the end of October, The Pokémon Company launched Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, a mobile version of the Pokémon TCG that’s been around since the ‘90s. It’s been, to put it mildly, an enormous success, immediately raking in millions of dollars and launching multiple limited-time events based around battling. But like the physical card game it’s based on, it’s totally possible to have a good time in Pokémon TCG Pocket without using a single tackle or vine whip.
To be clear, the way the new mobile game translates card battles to its digital format is pretty great. Like in every other version of Pokémon, battling means each player sends out a ‘mon to duke it out in turn-based fights. Pokémon TCG Pocket uses the physical card game as its basis, but introduces a host of rule changes to make sure matches flow more quickly and easily. If you’re already a Pokémon master, you’ll probably have an easier time climbing the ranks, but even total newbies shouldn’t be lost. Best of all, this variant of the card game whittles its battles — which can be painfully drawn out in the original version — down to just a few minutes each.
