Pokemon TCG Pocket’s innovative rule changes are taking over the real card game
The Pokemon CompanyPokemon TCG Pocket is a simplified version of the tabletop card game, with rules that fans are now using over the source game.
There have been digital methods of playing the Pokemon TCG for years, but none of them have grabbed the public’s attention more than Pokemon TCG Pocket. This scaled-down iteration of the Pokemon TCG on mobile devices helped make the franchise Japan’s most recognizable entertainment brand in 2024.
The innovative changes the game makes to the TCG rules are being adapted to the tabletop version by players worldwide, as shown by users on the PTCGP Reddit. This has led to a much quicker and less complicated play experience.
How to change Pokemon TCG to Pocket rules
On the surface, changing the Pokemon TCG rules to Pocket is simple. First, remove all Energy cards from the deck and bundle them into a separate deck called the Energy Zone, which you draw from once per turn (except the first.) The deck itself can only contain twenty cards, with a maximum of two of each card.
Instead of using Prize Cards, players simply keep track of KO’s and earn a Point for each one, with a Pokemon ex counting as two KO’s. The first person to reach three Points is declared the winner.
The play area also has a single Active spot and three places on the Bench. While the Pokemon TCG has things like Stadium cards, they’re not in Pokemon Pocket yet, so it’s up to the player whether they wish to use them and create a dedicated spot on the battlefield.
While there are cards that are specific to Pokemon Pocket, it’s easy to use existing ones as substitutes. Some of the more powerful Supporter or Item cards that wouldn’t work in the mobile game (like Rare Candy) can simply be treated as a Professor’s Research or Poke Ball.
All of these changes combined make for a game that’s quicker to play and tones down some of the frustrating RNG aspects of the original game. There’s no more waiting for Energy cards or losing a powerful Pokemon to the Prize Cards.
Chances are, players won’t have to adapt the real cards to the Pokemon Pocket rules for long, as the runaway success of the mobile game means we’ll almost certainly see a cardboard adaptation of it in the future.
For the time being, it’s easy enough for players who are used to Pokemon Pocket to play using real cards while adapting them to the rules they’re familiar with. Then, if they’re ready for something bigger, they can graduate to the more complicated and in-depth Pokemon TCG.