I have been playing Pokemon TCG Pocket since the day it released and I largely have loved it. The process of collecting hundreds of different cards and assembling different decks to take on players from around the globe is something that I have enjoyed far more than I would have ever anticipated. Despite this, there is still one flaw with the battles in Pokemon TCG Pocket that hasn’t yet been tweaked and I cannot figure out why.
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As anyone who has played Pokemon TCG Pocket in a competitive manner for a long enough period of time, it’s clear that the early rounds matches are pretty lopsided. Specifically, this has to do with what the game allows players to do in their respective first turns. While those who are able to go first to begin a match of Pokemon TCG Pocket can play any cards in their hands, they can’t use any Energy tokens, and in turn, attack their opponent. This means that in every game, the player who goes second gets first dibs at not only attaching Energy to their Pokemon, but they can then lobby the first strike.
Generally speaking, I understand why those who go first shouldn’t be allowed to attack right away. This advantage is one that would be far too favorable to those who are lucky to land a Heads on the opening coin flip. However, being unable to even use Energy as the person going first is something that doesn’t sit right with me. This allows the user going second to not only begin the opening attack, but also can more rapidly start stacking Energy to their Pokemon. It’s this stacking of Energy that is often the biggest determining factor of who ends up being the winner or loser in Pokemon TCG Pocket, especially with decks centered around Pokemon like Pikachu EX that hit quick power spikes.
While this might not seem like a huge deal, I have played dozens (if not hundreds) of matches in Pokemon TCG Pocket where I’ve retraced my moves to find that the only reason I was lost is because I went first. This sentiment is one held by a vast majority of the Pokemon TCG Pocket player base, which has led many to say that they’ll sometimes surrender right away when they see Heads come up to start a game.
The only time in which going first can actually prove to be broken in its own right is if you’re running a Water-based deck. In this case, if you happen to draw an Articuno and a Misty trainer card in your opening hand, you have the chance to power up your Legendary bird and end the match before it even begins. Situations like this are extremely rare, but I have pulled it off once or twice.
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Moving forward, I feel like developer DeNA and Creatures Inc. have to make some sort of tweak to how the first two turns of Pokemon TCG Pocket matches play out. As it is, the game doesn’t feel remotely balanced. I’m fine with so much of Pokemon TCG Pocket centering around coin flips, but when I end up losing the majority of games where I end up going first, then there’s a clear problem.
