New fan-made Pokemon TCG simulator lets you play expanded formats from over 10 years ago
A player-run Pokemon TCG simulator is now live, allowing players to battle in the last decade of expanded formats.
Comparable to early fan-made Pokemon VG simulators, like Cathy Fitzpatrick’s Shoddy Battle, this new sim pulls out all of the stops. Like a chess simulator, the desktop application allows users to input decklists and play 1-player and 2-player games.
The simulator supports Pokemon TCG formats up until Paradox Rift and spans back to the 2011-12 Pokemon World Championships.
PTCG Simulator gives fans a way to play expanded
The software was developed by Michael Long and can be found at PTCGsim.online, and you can learn how to play via the team’s YouTube channel.
Although official simulators such as Pokemon TCG Live offer a real-life experience, some players prefer the stripped-back feel of simulators. They’re not as resource-intensive and can run on school computers and your phone.
Handily, the application allows players to simply input a decklist, which gets rid of the need for PTCG code cards, thereby making playtesting decks a whole lot simpler.
One commenter described the software as being “Buggy as f**k, but really really cool!!”
Another X/Twitter user was grateful as they could only play up to the Sword & Shield Pokemon TCG expansion in his country. “This is almost the only way we can use reset stamp and practice with friends, thanks a lot! All my teammates love it!” they said.
Long said that he had written the application using “Vanilla js + express/node.js/socket.io”. Many X users were wondering if the source code was on GitHub, speaking to the helpful nature of Pokemon players everywhere.
The most exciting aspect of the new simulator for many players is its ease of access. Players otherwise tend to proxy print decks and play via webcam to test their skills.