Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space Time Smackdown Expansion Launches Today - Full Details

The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has just rolled out a thrilling update with its first complete set since launch: the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl-themed Space Time Smackdown expansion. Now available for eager collectors and players, this set introduces a fresh wave of excitement and strategy to the game.

Space Time Smackdown is available in two booster packs themed around the legendary Pokémon Dialga and Palkia. With a total of 207 cards, this set is slightly smaller compared to the previous Genetic Apex set which boasted 286 cards. However, it makes up for this with a higher concentration of rare cards. Out of the 207 cards, 52 are the highly sought-after alternate art, Star, and Crown rarity cards. This is a notable increase in percentage compared to Genetic Apex's 60 rare cards.

Every Alternate Art 'Secret' Card in Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space Time Smackdown

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The official card count for Space Time Smackdown comes to 155 cards, excluding the alternate arts. This set includes 10 ex Pokémon cards: Yanmega, Infernape, Palkia, Pacharisu, Mismagius, Gallade, Weavile, Darkrai, Dialga, and Lickilicky. With this addition, every Pokémon type except Dragon now has a new ex Pokémon, with the Darkness type gaining two.

One of the most significant additions to Space Time Smackdown is the introduction of Pokémon Tool cards. These items can be attached to active Pokémon to provide extra benefits during battles. The set includes three new tools: Giant Cape, which adds an extra 20 Hit Points to the Pokémon; Rocky Helmet, which inflicts 20 HP damage to the opponent's Pokémon whenever the active trainer takes damage; and Lum Berry, which removes conditions such as Poison from the Pokémon.

Battles

With the release of Space Time Smackdown, new Solo Battles have been added to Pokémon TCG Pocket. The update brings eight new battles to the Intermediate tier, nine to the Advanced tier, and eight to the Expert tier, while the Beginner tier remains unchanged. These battles focus on Pokémon from the new set, including Dialga ex, Palkia ex, Togekiss, Bastiodon, Glacion, Magmortar, Magnezone, Rampardos, Tortrerra, and more.

In terms of multiplayer, it's still early to predict the exact impact on the meta, but several cards from Space Time Smackdown show great potential. For instance, Infernape ex can deliver 140 damage for just two Fire Energy, a move potent enough to knock out most ex Pokémon in one hit, despite discarding the energy used. Palkia ex, resembling Mewtwo ex, can do 150 damage for four Energy and additionally deals 20 damage to each benched Pokémon, though at the cost of losing three Energy. Weavile ex offers a one Energy attack dealing 30 damage or 70 if the defending Pokémon is already damaged. Steel type decks might see a significant boost with the addition of Dialga ex and other cards complementing existing strong options like Melmetal and Bisharp.

Missions and Rewards

Alongside Space Time Smackdown, Pokémon TCG Pocket introduces a variety of new missions. These missions follow familiar structures, such as collecting signature cards to unlock rental decks and completing the set to earn Dialga and Palkia icons. The return of Museum missions includes tasks for collecting 1 Star cards and full art 2 Star cards. A secret mission, "Champion of the Sinnoh Region," rewards players for collecting the full art Cynthia card and 1 Star cards of her key Pokémon: Gastrodon, Lucario, Spiritomb, and Garchomp.

Completing missions earns players Pack Hourglasses, Wonder Hourglasses, and Emblem Tickets for the shop, but notably, no controversial Trading Tokens are included. However, to celebrate the addition of trading, Creatures Inc. gifted players 500 Trading Tokens.

Players can now use their rewards to unlock new items in the shop, including Dialga and Palkia album covers and the Lovely Hearts backdrop. A new Poké Gold bundle, this time themed around Cynthia, has replaced the previous Gardevoir bundle.

Trading

The trading feature remains a hot topic among the Pokémon TCG Pocket community. Since its recent introduction, Creatures Inc. has yet to address the controversy surrounding the trading update, focusing instead on promoting Space Time Smackdown. The "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" included 500 Trade Tokens and 120 Trade Hourglasses, enough to trade one ex Pokémon.

Trade Tokens are at the heart of the controversy, as they are required to trade cards of 3 Diamonds or higher rarity. The cost is 120 Trade Tokens for a 3 Diamond card, 400 for a 1 Star card, and 500 for a 4 Diamond card, which includes ex Pokémon. Players can obtain these tokens by "selling" cards from their collection, with values ranging from 25 Trade Tokens for a 3 Diamond card to 1500 for a Crown gold card. Lower rarity cards have no trade value but also require no Trade Tokens to trade.

This system has been met with significant backlash, with fans describing it as "hilariously toxic" and a "monumental failure." The community feels that a more straightforward way to connect and trade has been replaced by a cumbersome process, leading to widespread dissatisfaction.