The Game-Design Behind Pokémon TCG Pocket

Pokémon TCG Pocket is a new way to play the Pokémon TCG on mobile devices, developed by The Pokémon Company, DeNA Co Ltd, and Creatures Inc—the card designers for both this game and the physical card game. It features a unique, completely isolated format, and slightly modified game-rules. Who is this app for, why did they change the game-rules, what are they doing differently with … Continue reading The Game-Design Behind Pokémon TCG Pocket

Power Creep, and Its History in the Pokemon TCG

Power creep: A term often thrown around in discussions of card game design. Broadly, it describes the phenomenon of cards becoming gradually more ‘powerful’ over long periods of time. In my view, the way most people talk about power creep is superficial. Discussions I’ve seen only focus on the surface and elude anything worth being concerned over from a player’s perspective. What I’ll be exploring throughout … Continue reading Power Creep, and Its History in the Pokemon TCG

How Likely Am I to Win a Tournament?

Hello, Cut or Tap readers! I’m Jake Gearhart, and if you’ve read anything from me in the past— whether on Twitter, or in any articles I’ve written elsewhere— you’ll know that I love talking about a different side of Pokémon from what most people tend to spend time on. Sometimes that’s critiquing game-design, or poking holes in the game’s most complicated rulings, but the topic … Continue reading How Likely Am I to Win a Tournament?