Pokemon TCG Pocket fans upset with latest pack, claims “DeNA continues to treat the playerbase as cash cows”

The latest release of Pokemon TCG Pocket Deluxe Pack ex [A4b] has created frustration among players, with many accusing DeNA, the developers, of aggressively prioritizing monetization. The new set contains 379 cards - the largest single drop so far - with players having only a month to collect them before the set disappears.

Reddit user u/BrightNothing9027 highlighted that repeated cards from older sets don’t even count toward the new collection unless they re-pulled.

The frustration doesn’t stop there. Instead of maintaining the previous pack structure, DeNA has reduced the number of cards per pack to four, making completion for this pack an even steeper challenge. Even under the hypothetical scenario of pulling every unique card without duplicates, it would take around 89 packs to complete the set.

Given that players only receive 60 free packs per month, finishing the collection without spending money is impossible.

While the guaranteed 4-Diamond cards in every pack and strong card designs were initially praised, the overall sentiment post release has made players feel the set heavily relies on fear of missing out (FOMO) to push players toward spending.

All of this funnels down to that the free-to-play users may have no chance of completing the set before the set vanishes.

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The community response has been overwhelmingly critical. u/King_Dictator summed up much of the anger, arguing that DeNA continues to treat players as “cash cows”.

u/SmithyLK, pointed out that the possibility of pulling multiple rarer cards in one go is gonw with the reduction for pulls being fours cards per pack.

"Keep in mind that, of those 4 cards, one of them is guaranteed to be an ex, and the slot that has a chance of rarer cards has the odds of the 4th and 5th slots of a normal pack combined, which means the odds don't change. The only thing that's maybe different is that you can't get 2 fullarts per pack."

This subtle change makes the packs feel less rewarding overall.

Given the circumstances, not everyone is aiming for completion this time. u/maxdragonxiii admitted that they typically collect every card, but with this set, they plan otherwise.

"yeah im normally a collector of every card, but im not expecting to even diamond this one at all, just be happy with having more EXs to trade with as a basic minimum, and only use my daily pack opening for it so I have more EXs to trade for, and complete the other sets I missed by trading."

For them, the system has made the chase less exciting and more about making do with minimal goals.

On a broader note, u/gugus295 argued that the issue goes beyond DeNA.

In their view, this monetization strategy persists because fans continue to unknowingly, or knowingly, support it, regardless of quality concerns.

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Pokemon TCG Pocket Deluxe Pack ex [A4b] follows a familiar pattern seen across the franchise

New rare cards from the latest Pokemon TCG Pocket set (Image via The Pokemon Company)

What’s happening with Pokemon TCG Pocket is not a new incident, it’s part of a larger pattern within the Pokemon franchise. From mainline games to merchandise, the series has consistently leaned on its brand power to secure profits, often ignoring community feedback.

Each new release still generates record-breaking sales, even when the content is criticized for being repetitive or unfinished.

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