One of the biggest draws when collecting Pokemon cards as a kid in the late 90's was trading with friends. It was only a matter of time before the beloved pastime made its way to the extremely popular Pokemon TCG Pocket mobile game, and today is that day. So let's take a look at trading in Pokemon TCG Pocket and how exactly it works.
Gathering the Right Resources
Like all other features in Pokemon TCG Pocket aside from battling, trading takes 2 new resources.
The first resource is straightforward. Trade stamina, like wonder trade and pack stamina, builds up over time and can be replenished manually by spending Trade Hourglasses. You can have a max of 5 regular trade stamina slots and 3 bonus slots. Each trade, no matter the rarity of the card, will only expend a single trade stamina.
The second resource needed to make a trade in Pokemon TCG Pocket, Trade Tokens, was a bit harder to figure out. It turns out that the only way to obtain trade tokens is by browsing your collection for cards with a rarity of 3 diamonds or higher, selecting one, clicking "Obtain Items" and choosing to obtain Trade Tokens by swapping your card for them.
The rarer the card, the more trade tokens you will receive for them. Once you have your stamina and tokens, it's time to find a dance partner.
The Mechanics of the Trade
Your next step is to choose a person to trade with. These are people from your friends list and are displayed when you select the trade button on the main trade screen. A list of your friends will be displayed and you may choose one to propose a trade to.
Your next decision is which card you would like to part with. You can trade cards with a rarity of one diamond to one star with 3-diamond, 4-diamond, and 1-star cards requiring trade tokens to swap. 4-diamond EX Pokemon are the most expensive to trade and will cost 500 tokens. 1-star full art cards cost 400 tokens, and 3-diamond rare cards will run you 120 tokens to complete the trade. You can also add flair to the card you are trading before locking it in if that is your thing.
If you propose a trade that is not accepted you will not expend any resources and will be free to propose another trade. Only one trade may be processed at a time.
Once the trade is in flight you can check the status of it through the main trade screen and can terminate it at any time without losing resources. There is no daily limit on the amount of trade you can do, as long as you have the stamina and willing partners you may trade to your heart's content.
You may also opt out of receiving trade requests through the app settings.
Trading in Pokemon TCG Pocket: Final Thoughts
Trading in Pokemon TCG Pocket was a much-needed feature. What has been implemented as a first pass is well thought out, easy to use once you understand resources, and pretty fun.
Over time they will unlock trades at higher rarities and I fully expect some trade-related events to pop up in the near future. Oh, and if you are looking for a trade partner I have dropped my friend code above!
What do you think of the new trade feature? Leave a comment below!
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