AlthoughPokémon Trading Card Game Pockethas made some notable changes to the original game, one pervasive issue is still readily apparent in the newest version of the TCG.Pokemon TCG Pocketstreamlines several of the original’s mechanics, allowing for a far more compact experience overall. However, it has also preserved one aspect of thePokémon TCGwhich has been a cause for frustration amongst players for decades now.
Early downloads show thatPokémon TCG Pocket’s launch has been very successful, with millions now collecting its new digital card set and battling others from around the world. As the word ‘pocket’ implies, the game is significantly less time intensive than the mainPokémon TCG, with 20-card decks and winning based on a three-point system rather than the original six Prize Cards. But although many ofPokémon TCG Pocket’s top cardsare also unique to the title, many of their mechanics are drawn directly from the original tabletop game, for better and for worse.
Why Fossil Pokémon Cards Are A Problem In The TCG
Fossil Pokémon Are Very Difficult For Players To Use
The signature gimmick of Fossil Pokémon cards makes them notably difficult to play, which has been an issue for as long as they’ve been a part of thePokémon TCG. What would normally be Basic Pokémon are instead Stage 1 Pokemon, and evolve from an appropriate Fossil Trainer card.
These Item cards can be played as if they were Pokémon and have HP, but cannot retreat or attack, making them nearly useless until they evolve. Although with that being said, Fossils can be discarded from play at any time, a sacrifice which helpfully does not count as a Knock Out.
Fossil Pokémon were first introduced to thePokémon TCGin the 1999Fossilexpansion, which revolved strongly around the concept and included the Trainer card Mysterious Fossil as a precursor to Kabuto, Omanyte, and Aerodactyl (the latter even being one of themost valuableFossilset cards today). Later Fossil cards also became Items when the Trainer card subtype was introduced. It is also worth noting that some cards have also had Abilities to expand their utility, typically based around lowering damage, although the most recent cards once again lack this feature.
The most recent variant of these Item Cards, Antique Fossils, were introduced in the151set. They are each based on a specific fossil from the video games, and evolve into that fossil’s related species of Pokémon alone.
Notably, it is not just the fact that Fossil Pokémon are often little more than shields which can be frustrating for people when attempting to build decks around them. Because they are still Items until played,card effects that specifically target Pokémon cannot be used to get Fossils into play. For example, the Poké Ball card, which puts a Basic Pokémon into the player’s hand, cannot be used to search a deck for a Fossil.
Stage 1 Fossil Pokémon Are Still An Issue In TCG Pocket
The Mobile Game Changes Nothing About The Mechanic
Despite the many other changes,the mechanics behind Fossil Pokémon are the same as they have always been inPokémon TCG Pocket. While the game does put a strong focus on Kanto and the original 151 Pokémon, including some card designs pulled from the originalBase Set, it would have been extremely simple for Kabuto, Omanyte, and Aerodactyl to have been designated as Basic Pokémon. Instead, however, each Pokémon still has its own dedicated Fossil Item card as a Base Stage, cards which once again have no way to defend themselves.
Naturally, this means thatPokémon TCG Pocket’s own Poké Ball card cannot pull these effective Base Pokémon from the deck. As a result, the otherwise popular Trainer card is almost useless in a deck intended to focus on Fossil Pokémon. Although Fossil Pokémon are notthe strongestGenetic Apexcards,it is a disappointment that their usage has been limited in such a strong waywhen compared to all other cards in the game.
Even the game’s official Kanto Fossils Deck reflects this issue, cutting the Trainer card completely and relying only on two copies of Professor’s Research to draw additional cards. The mechanics involved also mean that this deck’s success is heavily reliant on luck even before considering the effects of coin flips in attacks. It seems that the deck is only designed to show off its core gimmick, and will struggle to win matches against more powerful decks (especially without any Fossil Pokémon ex available in the game).
Pokémon TCG’s Fossil Cards Probably Won’t Ever Be Fixed
The TCG Has Ignored Multiple Opportunities To Do So
Even before the debut ofPokémon TCG Pocket, the start of theScarlet and VioletSeries offered a perfect chance to fix the problems with Fossil Pokémon cards. However, although these expansions have seenthe return of Pokémon exand, more recently, the debut of Tera Pokémon, Fossil Trainer cards have continued to be a part of the game. Moreover, the fact thatPokémon TCG Pockethas only continued to keep the mechanic relevant, despite its simplification of the game in general, means it seems less likely than ever that the mechanic will ever be retired.
Pokémon TCG Pocket Makes Me Want To Play The Real Deal (And That’s Exactly The Point)
The Pokémon TCG Pocket app is introducing a whole new audience to the game in the hopes of getting new card game fans, and it’s working.
While the concept of ‘reviving’ Fossil Pokémon in the TCG as they are in the original games is interesting, in practice the mechanic has always been relatively clunky. It would have made perfect sense forPokémon Trading Card Game Pocketto remove the problem of Fossil Pokémon relying on Trainer cards, but this did not come to pass. Instead, it has only spread the issue to the newest iteration of the game, where it will no doubt frustrate countless people, many of which may well be experiencing the TCG for the first time.
Source:Official Pokémon Channel/YouTube
Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is a mobile adaptation that reimagines the classic TCG experience for iOS and Android devices.
