Pokemon TCG Pocket players demand ranked mode as meta decks “ruin” PvP battles

Pokemon TCG Pocket players are calling for a ranked mode after Beginner PvP battles are filled with meta decks. 

Pokemon TCG Pocket’s PvP mode is a great way to earn free rewards and XP. After all, getting your hands on free packs will help you fill out your collection and get your hands on the rarest cards. There’s even a secret Mew card players can get by completing a hidden mission. 

So, as you can imagine, battling is a popular way to rank up. However, players queuing up for matches in the Beginner pool are quickly realizing how difficult it is to win. This is largely down to the mode being populated with meta archetypes. 

Currently, there is no incentive for high-rank players to leave beginner PvP battles as they only get experience from winning battles. So, the tougher the opponent, the less likely you are to win. 

“The game is actively encouraging you to farm actual beginners,” responded one player. “If you got more exp by winning in the experienced queue it’d be a different story, but as it stands there is no reason to do it other than getting reps in against meta decks.”

However, a large portion of the community believes the Beginner matches shouldn’t be filled with meta decks as it ruins the fun. 

“As soon as someone pulls out a Mewtwo or Ralts, I just bail. F*ck it lol it’s not fun. And no I’m not thanking you for pulling out stacked, sweaty decks against beginner level three players.”

The Pokemon Company

Pokemon TCG Pocket beginner battles are filled with meta decks.

Even if the devs did decide to bring out a ranked mode, some players were keen to highlight that it would do very little in terms of creating fresh meta archetypes. 

“It’s a shame. As a CCG, it’s wonderful. The cards are gorgeous. But as a multiplayer card game, without an overhaul to the format, it seems doomed to fail.” 

This is largely down to the 20-card deck limit, which gives players little room for any large-scale strategies. There’s a reason why Trainer Cards like Professor’s Research, Poke Ball, Sabrina, and Misty are present in most top-tier decks. 

With the above, you’ll be consistently pulling your main Ex Pokemon and setting up those quick game-winning sweeps. 

“20 card decks are too consistent for meaningful strategies,” agreed one commenter. “If every player is playing their strategy consistently with a card pool this limited, one archetype will inevitably be strongest.”

It’s currently unknown whether a ranked mode will ever come to Pokemon TCG Pocket, but it’s clear the community is eager for some changes to the way PvP works.