Pokemon TCG Pocket players are banning EX cards in Battle to have more fun

Pokemon TCG Pocket players have created their own NOEX Battle format by banning any EX cards from gameplay.

Pokemon TCG Pocket has taken the world by storm. The newest experience from the beloved franchise combines the classic card game experience with the likes of Pokemon Go to great success. 

The game has already generated over $120 million in revenue in less than three weeks, and these numbers show no signs of slowing down; in fact, they are growing every week.

Pokemon TCG Pocket allows players to open booster packs, curate the perfect deck and then put their cards to the test in battles against friends or strangers across the globe.

Naturally, some cards are rarer and pack a bigger punch than others, with EX Pokemon cards being the best of the bunch. 

The Pokemon Company/Dexerto

These highly sought-after cards, such as Venasaur EX, Pikachu EX, and more, have increased health and devastating attack stats. The only downside to these cards is that when defeated, they award the attacking players with two destruction points rather than one.

With the meta for the game now taking shape, you’d be hard-pressed to go into battle, and not have an EX card or two pop up during your fight, making things slightly tedious when the same cards are showing up over and over again.

However, the community has taken matters into its own hands and created a new Battle format that bans players from using EX cards in a game mode dubbed NOEX.

How to join NOEX battles in Pokemon TCG Pocket

For those eager to give this community-made battle format a go, the process is simple.

You must select “Private Match” in the battle menu and type in “NOEX” as the password.

From there, you will be paired up against an opponent who should hopefully not have any EX Pokemon in their deck. However, NOEX does rely on players being honest and is ultimately an honor system.

On Reddit, some Pokemon TCG Pocket players have called out people for not abiding by the NOEX rule and ruining the spirit of the game. Other than the few who have not been following the rules, the Pokemon TCG Pocket community has been loving this new Battle Format and praising it heavily online.

“Holy sh*t, just played my first game that was awesome! Lasted 21 turns and came down to two coin flips at the very end lmao,” wrote one Pocket player in a new Reddit thread. 

Another added, “Seven Battles into NOEX and I’m addicted. Will be only queueing this until new content drops, and then probably most of the time after. Whoever came up with this idea, THANK YOU!”

With major updates rumored to be on the way from Pokemon TCG Pocket, there’s always a chance that these types of Battle Formats become a mainstay for the game and even get an official makeover.