Letter to the Community - November 5, 2024
Hello, Pokémon TCG Live Community,
We’re thrilled to share some exciting updates with you today! Not only will Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks release this week in Pokémon Trading Card Game Live, but we’re also taking our first step toward improvements in how players experience the game’s progression and economy by making changes to the currency, Ladder, and Battle Pass systems intended to level-set players for these and future updates.
The first change you’ll notice when Scarlet & Violet—Surging Sparks launches on Thursday, November 7, is the all-new Battle Pass screen!
We’ve combined the previous two Battle Passes—the Battle Pass and Premium Pass—into one streamlined experience and extended the Battle Pass up to level 74 (raised from the previous max of level 50). You’ll continue to earn rewards for every tier, including a Battle Pass–exclusive Pikachu ex deck upon expansion release and another featuring Archaludon ex at Level 34.
Moving forward, this singular Battle Pass will be one of the primary ways for Trainers to unlock rewards in Pokémon TCG Live. In addition, unlocking this new Battle Pass no longer requires Crystals, and Trainers will level up through the Battle Pass more quickly. We’ll be monitoring these latest changes to make sure that Battle Pass progression stays rewarding for each expansion.
Another smaller change we’ve made is lowering the total Match Time from 25 minutes to 20 minutes. Most games are decided long before 25 minutes have passed, and we’ll be looking at other ways to make sure more time is spent playing the Pokémon TCG, and less time is spent not.
The team also made a few tweaks to the Ranked Ladder. Upon a Ladder reset each month, players who end the season in any League above Quick League will reset to Poké League for the next season. Not only have we made changes that give more Rank Points than in the past, but we’ve also introduced win streaks! After your second consecutive win, you’ll earn bonus Rank Points as you climb the ranks to the Arceus League. Here, you’ll continue accumulating Rank Points, but an upcoming system will be implemented for the most dedicated Trainers. We’ll have more details to share on this system in a future update—stay tuned!
On December 3, another change to the in-game economy system will be released, intended to streamline game currencies and set the baseline for these and future economy and progression updates. All Coins will be removed from Pokémon TCG Live, and current allotments of Coins will be converted into Crystals at a 4:1 ratio, up to a maximum of 5,000 Coins. For example, if a Trainer has 6,000 Coins in their account, they’ll receive 1,250 Crystals with this update. In addition, all Avatar cosmetic items will be granted to Trainers at no cost beginning December 3. Deck cosmetics—such as sleeves, deck boxes, and coins—will cost Crystals going forward, so we recommend spending any Coins over the 5,000 limit on these items before the update.
We appreciate your ongoing support for Pokémon TCG Live as we continue to work toward more improvements. Expect to hear more from us in the coming months, and please feel free to share your feedback here in the forums. We value your feedback and are excited to be on this journey with you as we continue to evolve Pokémon TCG Live.
Thank you,
The Pokémon TCG Live Development Team