Summary
SomePokemon TCG Pocketplayers have pointed out that the crafting prices for shiny cards don’t make much sense. Shiny Pokemon were introduced with the surprise launch of the Shining Revelry expansion in March 2025. At the time, the set and its glittering new cards were well-received by the community, with many fans welcoming the addition of a new rarity toPokemon TCG Pocket.
Before the Shining Revelry expansion,Pocketfeatured eight rarity categories, with the crown being the rarest. The game now includes ten distinct card types, thanks to the addition of one-star and two-star shiny Pokemon, which are also known as one-rainbow and two-rainbow rarities. Card rarities play a key role in the game’s ecosystem, as they directly affect the drop rates. In short, the higher the rarity, the lower the chances of the card appearing in a player’s booster packs.
To offset the extremely low drop rates of certain cards,Pokemon TCG Pocketintroduced Pack Points, a type of loyalty reward earned by opening packs. Players can use these points to craft cards they don’t have. However, a group of players recently took to the game’s subreddit to highlight a flaw in the Pack Points system when it comes to shiny cards. Reddit user MrPersona_Loner posted a thread titled “shiny cards cost too many Pack Points,” which quickly gained traction as many others upvoted or commented to share their frustration with the pricing.
TCG Pocket’s Shiny Cards Might Be ‘Overpriced’
Critics of the current pricing system argue that spending 1,000 Pack Points, equivalent to nearly $200, on a card that isn’t even a full-art variant feels unfair. To back up their claims, they point to one-star full-art cards, which cost just 400 Pack Points despite featuring a detailed alternate variant. According to these fans, a more reasonable price would be 600 Pack Points for one-star shiny cards and about 800 for two-star ones. On the other hand, some players have defended the system, noting thatcrafting prices inPokemon TCG Pocketare based on drop rates and rarity tiers, not artwork. Since shiny cards have a lower drop rate than some full-art cards, they argue, the higher Pack Point cost is justified.
Despite being one of the moreuseful features inPokemon TCG Pocket, Pack Points have been a source of controversy since the game’s launch. One long-standing criticism is that they’re tied to individual expansions, with many fans calling for a universal system that would let them spend points across any set. Critics argue that these so-called loyalty rewards feel largely pointless, as they often only grant access to common cards that most players already have. Supporters of the feature, however, see it as a helpful alternative for completing the Pokedex, especially for those who spend money on extra booster packs but still struggle to pull the cards they need.
Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience the fun of collecting Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) cards with Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, an upcoming game for iOS and Android devices from Creatures Inc., the original developers of the Pokémon TCG, and DeNA Co., Ltd. In this game, you will be able to open two booster packs every day at no cost. You can collect digital cards featuring nostalgic artwork from the past as well as brand-new cards that are exclusive to Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket.Be on the lookout for new “immersive cards,” which will make you feel as though you’ve leapt into the world of the card’s illustration.
