Talent in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket allows players to add different effects to their cards, showing them both in the display panels and in battle. They can range from golden sparkles to light blue bubbles for Water types or trails of flame for Fire types. While these cosmetics are a fun addition to the mobile game, the high price to obtain talent is limiting, especially for free-to-play players.
Since its launch on October 30, 2024, Pokémon TCG Pocket It’s been a huge success, although that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. The game’s Flair system highlights a growing problem – is astronomically expensive. Therefore, this may make budget-conscious players have difficulty enjoying the feature without spending real money.
The high cost of creating talent and achieving brilliance
Shinedust’s routine is harder than it looks
In order for players to add these effects to their cards, they need two things in abundance – a currency called Shinedust and duplicate cards. Players can obtain Shinedust by completing missions and opening card packs. For example, to acquire the basic golden talent on Charmander, the player will need to exchange three duplicate cards and 50 Shinedust. This price can increase drastically with rarer cards, with Purple Bursts Flair for Mewtwo ex costing a duplicate and 18,000 Shinedust.
Since Shinedust and duplicates are not easy to find, there is a high barrier to entry. This flow of resources can be frustrating for players who want to beautify their deck with different aesthetic effects. Flair offers no competitive advantage in battles, further limiting his appeal. For this to be worthwhile, either the cost of adding these elements needs to decrease or Shinedust needs to be easier to obtain. Due to its cost, Flair seems like a missed opportunity This could have offered all players another level of card collecting freedom and excitement.
Why Flair Isn’t Worth the Cost for Free Players
Flair fails to add value beyond aesthetics
For free-to-play players, getting Flair for cards can seem daunting and time-consuming due to its high cost. Without spending money, Shinedust’s routine is far from an easy taskas most of the currency players will earn will be through packs. With only two packages available every 24 hours, this can be a time-consuming task. While this can be sped up by using hourglasses to reset the package timers, hourglasses are equally difficult to obtain without paying.
Players who subscribe to the Pokémon Gold Premium Pass can open an extra pack daily and purchase more packs using premium currency, all for $9.99 per month. This will drastically increase the number of duplicate and Shinedust cards acquired. For players who don’t want to pay that price, an extreme amount of patience will need to be exercised to eventually be able to personalize your cards.
Considering the effort required, free-to-play players may find that focusing on building stronger decks is a better use of their time rather than grinding for cosmetics. The Flair system is completely unrewarding, and the significant investment of time and resources cannot justify the aesthetic benefits of Flair in Pokémon TCG Pocket.