Pokemon TCG Pocket needs Gym Challenge format to improve online battles

Pokemon TCG Pocket is facing balancing issues that can be resolved by offering the popular fan-made Gym Challenge format from the tabletop game.

Right now, Pokemon Pocket is facing an issue with EX Pokemon. Not only are they incredibly powerful and hard to KO, but the reduced win condition in Pocket (3 KOs versus 6 Prize cards) means they can provide an overwhelming advantage.

Fans are so sick of EX cards that they’ve created special lobbies that ban them. This is done via Pocket’s Private Match function and it’s seeing traction amongst people who are sick of certain cards ruining the game.

Pokemon Pocket fans are eliminating EX cards in same way as unofficial format

What Pocket fans might not realize is that there’s already a real-life equivalent to banning EX cards in the Pokemon TCG, albeit an unofficial one.

The Gym Challenge format prevents the use of any “Rules Box” cards, which are cards with extra text explaining specific changes, such as EX cards providing extra Prize cards.

Additionally, it locks players into using a single elemental type, like the Gym Leaders from the mainline Pokemon games. Players can only use one of each card and Pokemon type in their deck, save for Basic Energy.

Users on the Pokemon Pocket Reddit have been expressing their love for the NOEX format, discussing how much more strategic and fun it is to play without needing to worry about overpowered cards.

This has a lot in common with Magic: The Gathering’s Commander format, to the point where it’s even recognized by The Pokemon Company on the official Pokemon website.

What makes the format so much fun is that it forces players to think outside the box and use every tool in their deck, rather than blitzing through their cube in search of one or two overpowered cards.

In Pocket, a Gym Challenge that bans EX cards would be a great way to freshen up the game, as it presents two drastically different ways of playing.

More importantly, it offers a way for people to stay engaged in future formats when more powerful EX and similar Rules Box cards are introduced.

Pocket hasn’t been available for long, but it has already attracted a dedicated audience. The game isn’t exactly balanced, so more formats with tighter restrictions on cards could be what it needs in the short term.