It has been a while since the last Icebox review, but not long enough to have missed the release of a new mobile game which I believe deserves all of your attention. It is free to play, easy to learn and already very well-known at a global level. The game was released a day before Halloween and is called “Pokémon TCG Pocket.”

If you aren’t familiar with Pokémon TCG, it’s one of the leading reasons for the popularity of Pokémon. “TCG” stands for “trading card game” and like its name involves trading, collecting and battling Pokémon cards. It is one of the best ways to get into deck building games and learning how to synergize cards effectively.

A lot of players collect and trade to build the best deck, while some only do the collecting because there is joy in that as well. The Pokémon card market is actually impressive. However, the basic idea of TCG is to take something as popular as Pokémon and put it into a format that is more physical and interactive. One can play against people through the platform called “Pokémon TCG Online.”

“Pokémon TCG Pocket” is essentially a simplified version of “Pokémon TCG Online,” where turns are faster and mechanics are at a more basic level. The game begins with a helpful tutorial for collecting and battling. The interface is fairly simple and shares a resemblance to “Pokémon Go.” There are already numerous mobile titles created by GameFreak for Pokémon which all share the same thematic interface and have options to link apps to each other.

The first thing to notice about “Pocket” is that collecting cards is very easy and generous. Players can open two booster packs, each containing five cards, every twelve hours that they log in. There are also booster packs associated with completing missions and participating in limited events. A lot of the events even hand out free cards specific to the theme. There are also items which allow you to skip the twelve-hour waiting period in an instant, and said items are easy to obtain in large amounts. 

I have yet to discover the use of microtransactions in this app, or if they increase after the game picks up more players. As of now, it is significantly more generous than games such as Marvel SNAP, which uses money for collection, and Clash Royale, which uses money for winning.

Deck building in this game is quite simple. First, choose which energy will generate during a match for your deck. The energy that you choose should ideally match the required energy types of your cards. For example, a deck focused around evolving Squirtle would need a lot of water type energy. You can, however, choose multiple types of energy to generate, which appear in random order.

After deciding which energy to use, the next step would be to build a deck that is mostly the same type. At least four or five basic cards would be needed, and some of those should be able to evolve. Basic cards are the lowest level Pokémon cards, which must be played first in order for higher level cards to be put into play. I would not be able to play Wartortle unless I had first played Squirtle. This is due to the fact that Wartortle is level one while Squirtle is basic. Additionally, Squirtle needs to evolve into Wartortle for it to be played. Evolution can only occur at least one turn after a card’s initial reveal.

During gameplay, a player can have up to seven cards in their hand at once. Each turn they draw or discard a card from their hand. There can only be one attacker in play at a time, called the Active Pokémon. There are also three Benched Pokémon, who are interchangeable with the Active Pokémon each turn for a small cost of energy.

One last thing to note about attacking is that Pokémon types have weaknesses and resistances to other types. This could be a reason for a game to turn out very differently than planned. As players take turns attacking, they may also have to flip a coin to determine how much damage, if at all, an attack will do. 

Pocket was designed to be simple and inviting. Playing it feels rewarding in a unique way. Eventually, I will have a deck that focuses on the likes of Greninja and Lucario, who are my favorite Pokémon. When that happens, I may bring “Pocket” back into the Icebox.