‘Promising’ Pokémon TCG Pocket changes have players hopeful for future of divisive mechanic

The trade system is the most frequently discussed of all the features in Pokémon TCG Pocket. Players were demanding to see the feature as soon as the game came out—but when trading did become available, people weren’t pleased with how it was implemented.

The Pocket team has developed a positive reputation for responding quickly to fan complaints and concerns through social media, and a March 14 update about trading left the player base feeling optimistic about the future of this currently divisive feature.

The update post thanked players for their feedback and listed a number of upcoming changes that would be implemented to improve the trading experience.

Notably, Trade Tokens will be removed with the alternative being Shinedust, with the team looking into ways to boost the amount of the latter resource available throughout the game so players can use it for both flair and trading.

The post promises that the updates will be “implemented by the end of autumn 2025,” meaning players still have a while to wait before getting stuck into the new trading format.

Despite the wait, many Pocket players were pleasantly surprised by the update, jumping into the discussion to share their thoughts.

One player praised the changes as “outstanding,” before thanking the Pocket team for taking the community’s feedback to heart. Others agreed, saying that the changes were “promising” and that they were excited to see them in action.

A reader declared that it was a “W update,” but they hoped the new trading system wouldn’t require a huge amount of Shinedust for trades.

Another agreed, adding that it was “A positive change! Just as long as it’s not 50,000 Shinedust or something to trade an EX card then I’m happy!”

The final section of the update post—which mentioned an additional feature currently in the works, allowing players to display cards they’re looking to trade for—got a lot of positive feedback, with many getting excited about how this ISO feature could look in practice.

One player celebrated the additional feature, saying, “omg the ISO feature is such a great idea,” while another suggested that it could fit into the binder tab nicely.

Not everyone was sold on the upcoming changes, though, with one of the main sticking points being the autumn 2025 time period. Some players felt these changes shouldn’t take long to implement, with others asking for further changes to the eligible card pool and resources.

One frustrated player asked, “Why autumn? This isn’t rocket science and it’s not like you’re adding some massive 20 GB update. Not trying to be ungrateful, but this is legit a slap to the face.”

Another questioned why a resource was needed to trade at all, pointing out that in-person trades for the standard Pokémon Trading Card Game didn’t require any sort of payment or currency—the only necessary components are two collectors who want to trade their unwanted cards.

While the upcoming changes might not have hit the mark for everyone in the community, the consistent communication and commitment to change from the Pocket team has gone down well with fans. It’s set to be a busy year for the mobile game, and we’ll be sure to update if any further changes are announced about the divisive trading mechanic.