It’s only been a month since Pokémon TCG Pocket’s Diamond and Pearl-inspired Space-Time Smackdown expansion released, and it looks like the mobile card game’s next set of cards is already here. A promo for a set called Triumphant Light, starring the god Pokémon Arceus, appeared to leak overnight. Now fans with unfinished collections are already freaking out about all of the new cards they’ll need to collect.
That anxiety is a natural part of Pokémon TCG Pocket, a game with battle and trading mechanics that remains predominantly focused on the joy and frustration of opening digital card packs to complete full sets. I was personally feeling pretty good in early December when I had most of the Genetic Apex launch set finished, outside of some super rare cards. Then Mythical Island dropped later that month, followed by Space-Time Smackdown in late January. My virtual card binder is now full of holes, and Triumphant Light will only make that worse.
The set was referenced in a now-deleted promotional video on TikTok that showed a new Arceus EX card with 140HP and the abilities Fabled Luster and Ultimate Force. The god Pokémon was at the center of 2022's Pokémon Legends: Arceus and the rest of the set will seemingly take inspiration from the Hisui region’s past. We’ll know better once the set is likely revealed in full during the February 27 Pokémon Day showcase.
“I’m hoping this fake cause ppl need time to get the cards from other sets still,” wrote one player on X. It definitely doesn’t seem fake, but I share the rest of the sentiment. I’ve fallen off Pokémon TCG Pocket pretty hard in recent weeks, in part because it feels like my pulls in Space-Time Smackdown have been demonstrably worse on average than when the game first came out. I’m not getting as many of those dopamine bursts from finding rare cards, and my list of Wonder Picks to choose from has been pretty garbage too.
Maybe a better battle meta can fix some of that malaise. In addition to the new set, one leaker is also claiming that a ranked mode is coming in March. Competitive play has been requested since launch, and it would certainly give players something new to grind for, especially if there are decent rewards for hitting new ranks besides just bragging rights or trophy emblems. Though some players are already cracking jokes. “Competitive coin flipping,” wrote one fans. “What a time to be alive.”
One thing we do know is that Pokémon TCG Pocket will not be part of the Pokémon World Championship anytime soon. “At this time there are no plans for Pokémon Pocket to join, but we’re always looking at things,” director of esports for the franchise Chris Brown said in an interview last week.
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