• The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has announced significant updates to its trading system.
• Trading Tokens are being completely removed and replaced with Shinedust.
• Additional changes to Shinedust are planned for the future, along with other improvements.

The launch of Pokémon TCG Pocket was met with excitement, but its trading feature quickly became a point of frustration. Originally, trading was limited by a hard-to-earn currency and numerous restrictions on which cards could be traded and with whom. A new update aims to resolve these issues.

Starting with the update, Trade Tokens will be completely eliminated. Players will no longer need to spend cards to acquire trading currency. Instead, trading cards of three-diamond, four-diamond, and one-star rarity will require Shinedust—a resource earned when opening a booster pack and receiving a duplicate card already registered in your Card Dex.

Existing Trade Tokens can be converted into Shinedust. Since Shinedust is also used to obtain flair items, further adjustments are in development. Another upcoming update will introduce an in-game feature that lets you share which cards you are willing to trade.

As discussed previously, the initial implementation of trading felt somewhat incomplete. The challenge—and the solution—lies in creating a fair digital trading environment. Unlike physical trading, the in-game system requires more safeguards to prevent exploitation.

However, these adjustments aren’t expected until autumn, and with spring just underway, it may feel like the development team is addressing player concerns at a slower pace than many would like.

If you’re not ready to dive back into Pokémon TCG Pocket just yet, consider exploring some of the other new mobile games featured in our weekly roundup of top releases.