The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has just rolled out its latest update, introducing the highly anticipated Space Time Smackdown expansion, themed around Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. This new set, which is now available, features two booster packs—one themed around Dialga and the other around Palkia. With a total of 207 cards, Space Time Smackdown is slightly smaller than its predecessor, Genetic Apex, which had 286 cards. However, it boasts a higher percentage of rare cards, with 52 alternate art, Star, and Crown rarity cards compared to Genetic Apex's 60.
Every Alternate Art 'Secret' Card in Pokémon TCG Pocket: Space Time Smackdown
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The official card count for Space Time Smackdown stands at 155, excluding the alternate art cards. This set introduces 10 ex Pokémon: Yanmega, Infernape, Palkia, Pacharisu, Mismagius, Gallade, Weavile, Darkrai, Dialga, and Lickilicky. Notably, every Pokémon type now has a new ex Pokémon, except for Dragon, and the Darkness type has gained two new additions.
A significant addition to the game with Space Time Smackdown is the introduction of Pokémon Tool cards. These items can be attached to the active Pokémon to provide extra benefits during battles. The new set includes three such tools: Giant Cape, which adds 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 like Poison from the Pokémon.
Battles
With the release of Space Time Smackdown, new Solo Battles have been added to Pokémon TCG Pocket. Players can now engage in eight new battles in the Intermediate tier, nine in the Advanced tier, and eight in the Expert tier. These battles focus on Pokémon introduced in the set, such as Dialga ex and Palkia ex, as well as other notable Pokémon like Togekiss, Bastiodon, Glacion, Magmortar, Magnezone, Rampardos, and Tortrerra.
In multiplayer, the impact of Space Time Smackdown cards on the meta is yet to be fully understood. However, cards like Infernape ex, which can deal 140 damage for just two Fire Energy, and Palkia ex, which mirrors Mewtwo ex's capabilities, are poised to shake things up. Weavile ex's one Energy attack, which does 30 damage or 70 if the defending Pokémon is already damaged, also shows great potential. Steel type decks are expected to receive a significant boost with the addition of Dialga ex and other supportive cards.
Missions and Rewards
Alongside Space Time Smackdown, numerous new missions have been added to Pokémon TCG Pocket. These missions follow a familiar structure, with collecting signature cards unlocking rental decks and completing the entire set unlocking Dialga and Palkia icons. Museum missions are back, offering rewards for collecting 1 Star and full art 2 Star cards. The secret mission, Champion of the Sinnoh Region, is awarded for collecting the full art Cynthia card and 1 Star cards of her key Pokémon: Gastrodon, Lucario, Spiritomb, and Garchomp.
Completing missions will earn players Pack Hourglasses, Wonder Hourglasses, Emblem Tickets for the shop, and other rewards, though no Trading Tokens are included. To celebrate the addition of trading to the game, developer Creatures Inc. has given players a free 500 Trading Tokens. New items available in the shop include Dialga and Palkia album covers and the Lovely Hearts backdrop, with a new Poké Gold bundle focusing on Cynthia replacing the previous Gardevoir bundle.
Trading
Since the controversial trading update was released, Creatures Inc. has remained silent on the matter, focusing instead on promoting Space Time Smackdown. The "Trade Feature Celebration Gift" included 500 Trade Tokens and 120 Trade Hourglasses, enough to trade a single ex Pokémon. However, the requirement of Trade Tokens for trading cards at 3 Diamonds or higher has sparked significant backlash. Trading a 3 Diamond card requires 120 Trade Tokens, a 1 Star card requires 400, and a 4 Diamond card (an ex Pokémon) requires 500.
Trade Tokens can only be obtained by selling cards from a player's collection. For instance, selling a 3 Diamond card yields 25 Trade Tokens, a 1 Star card yields 100, a 4 Diamond card yields 125, a 2 Star card yields 300, a 3 Star immersive card yields 300, and a Crown gold card yields 1500. Lower rarity cards are worthless in this system but require no Trade Tokens to trade.
This means players must sell multiple high-value cards to trade just one, leading to widespread criticism. Fans have described the system as "hilariously toxic" and a "monumental failure," expressing frustration over the cumbersome nature of trading and the loss of a more community-friendly feature.
