I wasn't going to play Pokemon TCG Pocket for long, but then I got the rarest card in my first few hours – and now I can't put it down

GamesAdventurePokemonPokemon Trading Card Game PocketI wasn’t going to play Pokemon TCG Pocket for long, but then I got the rarest card in my first few hours – and now I can’t put it downWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesAdventurePokemonPokemon Trading Card Game PocketI wasn’t going to play Pokemon TCG Pocket for long, but then I got the rarest card in my first few hours – and now I can’t put it downWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: The Pokemon Company) It should’ve been so simple. When Pokemon TCG Pocket came out, the latest in a string of attempts to translate the Pokemon card game to mobile gaming, I picked it up as a rubbernecker, a window shopper, a self-confessed casual observer. But a week later, I’m researching the meta, working out the optimized time to open packs around my sleep schedule, cursing every time the staring coin flip forces me to go first in a battle, and desperately trying to convince my editors to let me write about the game so I can write up the micropayments as a business expense.But I wasn’t supposed to get hooked. It’s all gone horribly wrong somewhere, and it’s due to the fact that I had a moment of uncharacteristic good luck on my very first day playing… and managed to get the rarest card in the game out of nowhere. Pokemon, gold version (Image credit: The Pokemon Company) Make your own Mewtwo deck!(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)Did you draw the same great card as me? Find out how to use it and make your ownPokemon TCG Pocket Mewtwo ex deckhere! Make your own Mewtwo deck! (Image credit: The Pokemon Company)Did you draw the same great card as me? Find out how to use it and make your ownPokemon TCG Pocket Mewtwo ex deckhere! (Image credit: The Pokemon Company) Did you draw the same great card as me? Find out how to use it and make your ownPokemon TCG Pocket Mewtwo ex deckhere! Of all therarest cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket, the joint rarest are gold foil variants of the three mascots for the current Genetic Apex packs: Charizard, Pikachu and Mewtwo. And just hours after I’d downloaded TCGP, a gold “Mewtwo ex” suddenly materialized in my hand as part of one of the game’s special rare packs, as seen above. For context, when you open a pack you have a 0.053% chance of getting the same card.Suddenly, I couldn’t walk away. I’d been given an undeserved leg-up the likes of which most players would bitterly envy. Maybe it’s the old gambler’s fallacy, or maybe I should’ve just put the phone down and run to buy a fistful of lottery tickets while my luck still held out, but I tell you now – it’s far easier to walk away from something when you’re losing.I’ve seen other variants of that Mewtwo ex in a lot of matches since then (it’s a card that’s pretty prevalent in the meta) but out of the dozens of battles I’ve played, I’ve yet to see more than one or two people rocking the gold model. Sounds like a brag, but I’d probably be more proud if I’d actually done anything to deserve it in the first place. Still, I always find it reassuring when good things happen to bad people. Pack tactics (Image credit: The Pokemon Company) Even past that lucky start, I do think Pocket is a pretty fun game – though it’s been pretty unnerving to see the pavlovian way it trains the audience to wait for new packs. Still, it’s accessible in design, presented well enough, the nostalgia isn’t excessive and the obsessive realism in the pack-opening feels somehow both endearing and a little bit intense, like somebody who’s really,reallyinto model trains.It’s also been interesting seeing how the battles differ from those in the core games. Here there’s much more of an emphasis on tactically swapping Pokemon around, dragging a critter back the moment you realize it’s doomed so you can tag in an eager and raring Machoke off the bench. When victory eventually comes for one player or another, it’s usually pretty fast how the match can go from zero-all to a sudden upset. It’s less dominos falling and more seeing whose house of cards will suddenly collapse first. (Image credit: The Pokemon Company) Whether it will hold attention long-term – both mine and other people’s – is probably largely down to the developers at this point. The fact that the meta seems to have already formed so tightly into four or five of what are commonly recognized as thebest decks in Pokemon TCG Pocketsuggests that a broader pool of cards will do a lot to help longevity, and I do wonder how long the appeal of hungrily watching a timer slow tick down to the next pack can actually last.Still, for now, it’s a pretty solid experience, even if it’s offering itself out in dribs and drabs a little too much for my liking. Not to mention I’ve yet to have any moment quite as fortunate as that first-day draw. If I get another gold card over the weekend though, my first response will be to go sprinting towards the local casino, life savings in hand. I can take a hint. It’s been promised both in and out of the game, butPokemon TCG Pocket still has yet to add its most revolutionary feature. 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REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”