Since its launch, Pokémon TCG Pocket has captivated fans with its mobile-friendly card pulls and gorgeous animations. However, one growing frustration threatens to overshadow the game’s success: the controversial Pack Points system. Many players are voicing their disappointment over what they consider a restrictive and unfriendly mechanic, especially for free-to-play users.
A Substitute for Pity That Falls Short
Unlike traditional gacha games that use a soft or hard pity system—guaranteeing a rare pull after a certain number of tries—Pokémon TCG Pocket uses Pack Points instead. Each time a player opens a booster pack, they earn Pack Points which can be redeemed to unlock specific cards. In theory, this should offer more control than random drops.
However, the system comes with one major flaw: Pack Points are locked to each set. This means players can’t use points from one expansion to redeem cards from another. For example, a player who accumulates 500 points in Set A cannot apply those toward a card in Set B, even if Set B is the current meta.
Community Frustration Reaches a Boiling Point
On platforms like Reddit, the frustration is growing. In a highly upvoted thread titled “Pack Points Needs Changing”, fans call out the system for punishing loyal players who’ve stuck with the game across multiple expansions.
“I have hundreds of points stuck in old sets that I’ll never use again. It feels like wasted time,” one user wrote.
Adding fuel to the fire is the steep cost of rare cards. Crafting ultra-rare Pokémon or meta-relevant Trainers often requires an enormous amount of Pack Points, making them nearly inaccessible without heavy investment. Free-to-play users, in particular, are feeling left out.
Why the System Needs to Change
Here are the core problems players have identified with Pokémon TCG Pocket’s Pack Points system:
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No pity system means bad luck is never balanced out.
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Points are tied to individual sets, leading to wasted currency.
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High crafting costs make it difficult to unlock rare or meta cards.
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No way to convert or merge points between sets.
A potential solution, according to fans, would be to introduce a universal point pool, or allow players to transfer unused points into newer expansions. Without such improvements, the system feels outdated and unfair.
While Pokémon TCG Pocket has made digital card collecting more accessible, its monetization model is beginning to wear thin. As the fanbase continues to grow, so does the pressure on DeNA to revise the Pack Points system and provide a more player-friendly experience.
Unless changes are made, the Pokémon TCG Pocket Pack Points complaint may become the game’s defining controversy—and a reason for players to walk away.