![]() Its three currencies (Coins for cosmetics, Credits for crafting, and Crystals for extra rewards and perks) are all earned by playing the game and claiming them from daily missions, the Battle Pass, and the like. PTCGL touts itself as a completely free-to-play game with no microtransactions. Gone are the days of being forced to trade 30 packs for Mew VMAX on the day of release–and thank Arceus for that. That’s right, there’s no more trading between players like there was with PTCGO, but this is a most welcome change because now all cards are easily obtainable through crafting regardless of popularity. More cards can be obtained through various methods, including the Battle Pass, booster packs, and the new crafting system. When starting PTCGL, players will be given a handful of ready-to-use, 60-card decks to play with. It currently lacks a numbered ranking system upon reaching the top level, so it’s unclear what will motivate players to continue playing after reaching the top of the ladder. Ranked Mode allows you to advance to new tiers of competitive play, earning rewards along the way. PTCGL offers both a Casual Mode (Standard Format with Expanded coming soon) and Ranked Mode (Standard only), the latter of which is a new, long-awaited feature for online Pokémon card players. Again, Pokémon features a cast of numerous iconic characters each with their own signature outfits–have you seen Cynthia’s eye-catching, all-black battle lewk?–but you wouldn’t know that from the simple sweaters and shirts on the rack in PTCGL. ![]() The same could be said for the player avatars, which have a decent amount of fun customizable options but come off a bit odd with their overly smooth features, exaggerated smiles, and empty eyes. Pokémon Trading Card Game Live game board. Pokémon is a franchise bursting with substance and flair, but as far as this demo is concerned, little of it is on display in PTCGL. When comparing the PTCGL game board to other digital TCG games such as Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel or Magic: The Gathering Arena, the lack of style is even more apparent. PTCGL offers improved visuals over PTCGO, to be sure, but so far it doesn’t feel like it pushed its innovations far enough. The presentation is flashy and clean, but also sparse and basic. Pokémon cards rise into the air to deliver attacks, and the board lights up with a neat flourish corresponding to the Pokémon’s elemental type. Though we didn’t get to try it out ourselves, playing cards seemed easy and fluid. ![]() Cards are played by dragging and dropping them to their appropriate place on the board, with highlighted prompts helping to guide your hand.
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