Pokemon TCG Pocket players slam “ridiculous” lack of multicolor deck support
The Pokemon Company/DexertoPokemon TCG Pocket players are growing increasingly frustrated with the mechanics behind multicolored decks.
Don’t get it twisted, Pokemon TCG Pocket is insanely popular having captured over 30 million players in a few short days. That massive player count has translated into a massive $120 million in revenue after only three weeks of availability.
Players have been hooked by the prospect of collecting the rarest possible cards and building out powerful meta decks for the game’s battle modes. Unfortunately, the deck-building options are somewhat limited and it is starting to get on the nerves of some players.
Over on the Pokemon TCG Pocket Subreddit, there have been a few complaints about the struggles of building a multicolor deck. That’s a deck that relies on more than one type of Pokemon and Energy, and the game’s current Energy mechanics make them a little frustrating to use.
In Pokemon TCG Pocket, when you set more than one type of Energy for a deck, your energy pool becomes randomized which means you have a 50/50 chance to pull an Energy of either color. It sounds relatively fair but in the frustrating instance that you pull six of the same type of Energy in a row when all you need is one of the other, it can be a little frustrating.
“I can’t control how much energy is in the Deck in order to control the probability of the right color,” one disgruntled player explained. “I spend 3-4 even 5 turns in a row only with Water energy and needed thunder energy.” The biggest culprit for situations like these is Dragonite which actually requires two different colored Energies to attack. Without them, it’s useless.
In the standard Pokemon TCG, cards that require multiple energy types to attack, or whole decks centered around multiple Pokemon types are common and effective. Of course, in the physical TCG, you decide how much of each type of Energy is in your deck so you have a chance to game the system a little. Couple that with certain cards that let you search for specific energy types and you’re rarely in danger.
Pokemon TCG Pocket players are lashing out at the game for the lack of similar features but they do have some suggestions. “I don’t understand why they don’t let you set the energy percentage of your decks,” one player put forward. “Another option would be one of each energy every turn in order, not random,” another offered.
The Pokemon CompanyMore options to strengthen multicolored decks would be fantastic to see in Pokemon TCG Pocket but it’s important to remember that the game is in its infancy. Its pared-down version of the physical TCG’s mechanics is a great onboarding tool for new players but there’s plenty of room for more complexity as it evolves.
Given the limited card pool of its current iteration, it’s likely going to be some time before more options for multicolor support are available; but it’s certainly not outside of the realm of possibility.