Pokémon TCG Pocket attracted not only players who wanted to duel against other users, many fans played the game mainly for the collecting aspect known from the main series. The latest set makes this incredibly difficult, almost impossible for F2P players.
What is this new set? Since September 29, 2025, there is a new booster pack in the game called the Deluxepack ex, which is special:
- One pack contains only 4 cards, but one card is guaranteed to have the ♦♦♦♦ rarity or higher.
- The pack contains 353 regular cards, but they consist of cards from previous sets.
- Unlike the other sets, the Deluxepack ex is only available until October 30, 2025, at 06:59 AM, making it time-limited.
Even though the set is a good opportunity to get old cards needed for decks, the time limitation especially causes frustration among F2P players, who simply want to complete sets.
Complete collecting seems impossible, especially if you do not want to spend money
What is the problem with the set? On Reddit, user SuperPapernick published a lengthy thread about the new set. He is a player who has been trying to complete sets as a F2P player since the first set, without spending money, and also progress in the ranked mode to open even more packs with hourglasses.
He criticizes the new set, especially from the perspective of a F2P player. One issue is the time limitation. Unlike the other sets, you cannot simply complete the collection later. Combined with the extremely high number of 353 regular cards, it makes collecting almost impossible by the end of October.
As GamePro reports, it is almost impossible to do so without spending money. As a user noted, one can receive a maximum of 70 packs for free in 30 days. If you don’t get duplicates, you would only have collected 42% of the set (via Reddit). So if you don’t happen to have many hourglasses on hand, you will inevitably have to spend money if you want to complete the Deluxepack ex.
Additionally, there is another problem that SuperPapernick describes: cards from old sets that you pull in the new set only count towards the collection of the new set, so you cannot complete the old sets even if you receive the old cards you need.
The situation becomes even more absurd with pack points. When you open many packs, you accumulate points that you can use to create cards. On x.com, Pokémon TCG Pocket explained that the points do not expire when a set disappears. However, it is unclear how you can redeem the points if the set is gone, or if you can only redeem them again if the set possibly returns.
SuperPapernick currently has 2420 upvotes and over 540 comments on his thread, but there are also people who see advantages in the new set.
How does the community view the user’s criticisms? While many users agree with him, there are some who do not find the set so bad.
User Mixeygoat (via Reddit) understands the player’s frustration, but his approach is to completely ignore the completion as a F2P player. reedyxxbug (via Reddit) sees it differently and believes the new set is good for returning players because there are many cards in one set. alexno_x is a new player and likes the new set very much, as he gets special cards guaranteed.
How useful is the new set really? If you haven’t played for a long time, you can get many new cards that you can use for various decks. However, if you want to create a specific deck, it is better to draw from the other sets, as there are fewer cards in the pool that you can draw from.
If you focus heavily on collecting, you should probably ignore the set, especially as a F2P player, and only use the daily packs. You cannot complete the collection without spending money, and the cards are also useless for the other sets. Additionally, a Pokémon rival wants to dedicate itself to a card game: Pokémon TCG Pocket gets a new rival that was already a competitor as an anime on RTL2
