Pokemon TCG Live brings good news to players on a budget
The Pokemon CompanyPokemon TCG Live is set to release soon and according to a creator that was given early access to the game, players on a budget will be happy to hear that the game is free-to-play — with plenty of ways to build your deck.
Originally announced in September 2021, Pokemon TCG Live instantly garnered the attention of the community as it teased many long-awaited features like ranked play and support for Android and iPhone.
Although the game was supposed to release before the end of the year, it was met with a delay just two months later. The company was silent on updates until February 16, 2022, when they announced the Canadian limited beta.
Now, Chip ‘TrainerChip’ Richey has revealed on ChannelFireball that the company gave him a sneak peek into the game — revealing that it’s entirely free-to-play.
The Pokemon CompanyPokemon TCG Live features
The game includes three different types of currency, all of which can be earned by playing games — leveling up the battle pass as you go. The three currencies — coins, credits, and crystals — all have their own purpose inside of TCG Live.
In the old TCG app, players would have to trade highly sought-after cards or packs of the latest expansion to build competitive-level decks. The level of interest in those cards caused the trade value to skyrocket.
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Say that the trade value for Rapid Strike Urshifu V was 10 packs of the latest expansion. That would, at minimum, require you to purchase 10 code cards from a site like Potownstore for at least 40 cents each
At that price, you’re paying $4 for a single copy, or $16 for four copies that most decks require — and that’s not counting any other cards you would need to finish the 60 card deck.
The Pokemon CompanyHowever, with Pokemon TCG Live – you are able to “grind” the game by playing matches in either casual or ranked modes to earn credits. Those credits then can be used to craft the cards you need, making it free to acquire the same cards that used to cost players money.
If you open packs on TCGL and pull a card that you already have four copies of, the game automatically converts it into credits which allow players to craft more cards that they would need.
Not only does the game offer all of this for players, but those who have an existing account on TCGO also have the ability to migrate their collection over to TCGL — giving them a head start with credits and crystals without having to grind the game.
The long-awaited Pokemon TCG Live is available now as a limited beta for Canadian players, with a global launch hopefully arriving soon.