The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) Pocket continues to attract players all over the world with its wide variety of cards and mechanisms. The latest updates focus on two major components: enhanced the trade feature and the introduction of the highly anticipated A2 card packs.
These changes are set to create new strategies and possibilities for players both casual and professional. In this post, we'll dive deep into these new features and give you more details!
Table contents
The Trade Feature
Brief Introduction
The trade feature is going online! On Jan 17, the official rules have been announced below:
As you can see, the trade feature is open for the cards from the Genetic Apex and Mythical Island, with the rarity of the cards ranging from ♢1 to ♢4 and ⭐1.
Although the highly rare cards are not yet available for trading, the game will gradually expand the range of trading in the subsequent update, let's look forward to it!
More Notes
According to the famous blogger of Pokémon, we need to pay extra attention to the following when trading:
- The cards used for trade must be at least three cards.
This is due to the fact that the maximum number of same cards that can be placed in a deck is two, so you need more than two duplicate cards to be able to trade.
- Dust is required to trade.
The items mentioned in the official announcement are most likely to be the Dust! Depending on the rarity of the card, the amount of Dust required will vary. You can save up your Dust now!
- Only friends can trade, and trading will increase your friendship value.
The higher the friendship value, the fewer items you need to trade cards!
The trading function will greatly satisfy the needs of the collection, call your friends to come and play with you!
The A2 Card Packs
In addition to the trade feature, another major update to the Pokémon TCG is the introduction of A2 card packs. It will be released on January 29th.
These special booster packs are designed to offer a more unique, high-value collecting experience. Get your hands on the new high-rarity cards and save more on Poke Gold at LDShop – spend less and get more value!
New Pokémon of A2 Card Packs
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New Pokémon Cards:
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Pachirisu EX: Electric-type Pokémon. Its attack deals 40 damage (80 damage if the Pokémon holds an item). This may drive new Electric-type deck strategies.
- Dialga and Palkia: The two very important mythical beast cards in the A2 card pack can be seen here for detailed analysis.
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Leafeon: Grass-type Pokémon. Its high-damage skill (90 HP) requires skipping a turn after use, suitable for tactical rotation.
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Honchkrow: Dark-type Pokémon with 100 HP. Its attack deals 50 damage, though target range (active or benched Pokémon) depends on existing card rules.
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Garchomp and its pre-evolution Gible: Dragon-type. Gible has 60 HP, while Garchomp may serve as a high-damage core.
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Cresselia: Psychic-type Pokémon with 110 HP, combining damage and self-healing abilities.
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New Trainer Cards:
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Cynthia (Sinnoh Champion): Supports Garchomp and Togekiss, providing a +50 damage boost per turn to their attacks. Likely to enhance multi-attribute deck strategies.
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New Mechanics & Items:
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Pokémon Tools: A2 introduces a new tool system. Each Pokémon can hold only one tool, boosting specific skills (e.g., Pachirisu EX’s damage).
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Card Trading Expansion: Future updates may allow A2 card trades, though currently limited to A1 series.
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Meta Impact:
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Palkia EX: Water-type Legendary with 150 HP. Its attack discards 3 Water Energy but deals 150 damage + 20 splash damage to benched Pokémon. May rely on A2 support cards (e.g., Energy recovery Trainers).
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Fighting-Type Synergy: Lucario’s "Battle Guidance" ability adds +20 damage to Fighting-type attacks, potentially elevating Fighting decks with A2 synergies.
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Additional Content:
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Gen 4 Starters: Base forms (Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup) are included, with evolved forms hinted for future expansions.
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Summary: The A2 pack emphasizes multi-attribute strategies through new Pokémon (e.g., Pachirisu EX, Garchomp), Trainers (Cynthia), and tool mechanics. Cover Legendaries (Dialga, Palkia) and A2 support cards may reshape the meta, while Electric and Fighting types gain momentum. Final viability depends on post-launch testing.
As these changes roll out, you can expect a deeper, more engaging experience that will test your tactical prowess and ignite your passion for collecting! Don't forget that you can get high discounts on Pokemon TCG Pocket top up! LDShop is a safe and reliable top-up platform that helps you get the new A2 card packs!