On July 29, just before the anticipated A4 card set release, Pokemon TCG Pocket will implement a significant update to revitalize its problematic trading system. Since its January 2025 introduction, the trading feature has been one of the mobile game's most criticized aspects, frustrating players with its restrictive mechanics and poor user experience.

The original trading implementation faced immediate backlash from the Pokemon TCG community. Players found the system overly restrictive, limiting trades primarily to common cards while requiring a rare currency. Additionally, the lack of communication tools made coordinating trades needlessly difficult. After six months of player feedback, developer DeNA is finally delivering on its promise to overhaul the feature.

The July 29 update brings several major improvements:

• Replacement of Trade Tokens with Shinedust currency
• Ability to display three desired cards on player profiles
• Doubled Shinedust rewards from duplicate card pulls
• Conversion of existing Trade Tokens into Shinedust and Pack Hourglasses

These changes address three core issues with the current system. First, the new wanted card display will finally allow purposeful trading rather than random exchanges. Second, eliminating the unpopular Trade Tokens removes a major pain point. Third, the increased Shinedust availability makes trading more accessible to all players.

The current trading experience often feels like blindly exchanging cards with strangers, hoping for favorable outcomes. The update's wanted card feature should create more meaningful interactions, letting players specify exactly which cards they're seeking to complete their collections.