The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has just rolled out its latest update, bringing with it the exciting Space Time Smackdown expansion, themed around Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. This new set introduces 207 cards, split into two booster packs themed after the legendary Pokémon Dialga and Palkia. While this is smaller than the previous Genetic Apex set with its 286 cards, Space Time Smackdown boasts a higher percentage of rare cards, featuring 52 alternate art, Star, and Crown rarity cards compared to Genetic Apex's 60.
Every Alternate Art 'Secret' Card in Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space Time Smackdown
52 Images
The official card count for Space Time Smackdown stands at 155, excluding the alternate art cards. This set introduces 10 ex Pokémon: Yanmega, Infernape, Palkia, Pacharisu, Mismagius, Gallade, Weavile, Darkrai, Dialga, and Lickilicky. Every Pokémon type, except for Dragon, has a new ex Pokémon, with the Darkness type receiving two.
One of the biggest additions in Space Time Smackdown is the introduction of Pokémon Tool cards. These cards can be attached to the active Pokémon to enhance its abilities in battle. The new set includes three such tools: Giant Cape, which boosts the Pokémon's Hit Points by 20; Rocky Helmet, which inflicts 20 HP damage to the opponent's Pokémon when the active trainer takes damage; and Lum Berry, which removes conditions like Poison from the Pokémon.
Battles
With the release of Space Time Smackdown, new Solo Battles have been added to Pokémon TCG Pocket across different tiers. The Intermediate tier now has eight new battles, the Advanced tier has nine, and the Expert tier has eight, while the Beginner tier remains unchanged. These battles focus on Pokémon from the set, including Dialga ex and Palkia ex, as well as other notable cards like Togekiss, Bastiodon, Glacion, Magmortar, Magnezone, Rampardos, and Tortrerra.
In multiplayer, the meta may see significant shifts due to the powerful cards introduced in Space Time Smackdown. For instance, Infernape ex can deal 140 damage with just two Fire Energy, albeit discarding them upon impact. Palkia ex, reminiscent of Mewtwo ex, deals 150 damage for four Energy and also inflicts 20 damage to each benched Pokémon, at the cost of losing three total Energy. Weavile ex has a one Energy attack that does 30 damage, or 70 if the defending Pokémon is already damaged. Steel type decks are set to receive a boost with the inclusion of Dialga ex and other supportive cards.
Missions and Rewards
Alongside Space Time Smackdown, a variety of new missions have been added to Pokémon TCG Pocket. These missions follow familiar structures, such as collecting signature cards to unlock rental decks, and completing the set to earn Dialga and Palkia icons. Museum missions are back, challenging players to collect 1 Star and full art 2 Star cards. The secret mission, Champion of the Sinnoh Region, rewards players for collecting the full art Cynthia card and 1 Star cards of her key Pokémon: Gastrodon, Lucario, Spiritomb, and Garchomp.
Completing missions will earn players Pack Hourglasses, Wonder Hourglasses, Emblem Tickets for the shop, and other rewards, though notably, no Trading Tokens. To celebrate the addition of trading, Creatures Inc. has gifted players 500 Trading Tokens. New items available in the shop include Dialga and Palkia album covers and the Lovely Hearts backdrop, with a new Poké Gold bundle focusing on Cynthia replacing the previous Gardevoir bundle.
Trading
The recent trading update has stirred controversy, with Creatures Inc. yet to comment on the feedback. The "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" included 500 Trade Tokens and 120 Trade Hourglasses, enough to trade one ex Pokémon. The controversy centers around Trade Tokens, which are necessary for trading cards of 3 Diamonds or higher. Trading a 3 Diamond card requires 120 Trade Tokens, a 1 Star card requires 400, and a 4 Diamond card (an ex Pokémon) requires 500.
Trade Tokens can only be acquired by selling cards from a player's collection. Selling a 3 Diamond card yields 25 Trade Tokens, a 1 Star card yields 100, a 4 Diamond card yields 125, a 2 Star card yields 300, a 3 Star immersive card yields 300, and a Crown gold card yields 1500. Lower rarity cards are essentially worthless in this system but do not require Trade Tokens to trade.
This means players must sell multiple high-value cards to trade just one, such as selling five ex Pokémon to trade one ex Pokémon. Selling one Crown rarity card, which is extremely rare, only provides enough tokens to trade three ex Pokémon. The community has expressed strong dissatisfaction, labeling the system as "hilariously toxic" and a "monumental failure," criticizing the laborious nature of trading and the missed opportunity for a more community-friendly feature.
