Unbiased Beta Review - Pros & Cons, things I like/don't like, & misc. feedback!
I've played PTCG for years now, with on and off play using the PTCGO client throughout. My recent dive back into the game has had me intrigued in the new client (PTCGL) - I migrated my account after a few weeks of playing PTCGO onto PTCGL and overall my experience has been good; however, there are definitely things that need to be addressed, and things I think can enhance the overall experience of the game. Below I outline Pros, Cons, Changes, and overall feedback of the client in its current state.
Pros: 1) Recommend for beginners and casual players (example: my wife was almost brand new to the game). You start the game with a plethora of watered down meta decks that are capable of holding their own against "the field." However, you'll want to use your credits on a deck you want to play to upgrade them so you fair better as you play more. 2) Gameplay is fairly smooth. I've seen a lot of complaints regarding bugs performance and the like. I primarily play on computer, but have dabbled on mobile - both of which my experience has been very positive and have experienced minimal to no bugs (none of which have impacted the gameplay or a match's outcome. 3) Credit system is a great incorporation to this (and any online card game), collecting cards past the usable amount turns those cards into some amount of credits which can be used to craft those cards you're looking to finish out a deck with or fix a collection - a very strong addition to the game and prevents a secondary market in the game itself, which is good for the player base in being able to get what they want.
Cons: 1) Grinding is incredibly cumbersome and... grindy. It is very hard to get a decent amount of resources to interact with the shop or crafting unless you already had a big collection (like myself) when first logging into the game or throw a bunch of codes at the game (which I do recognize the game is free and this is likely their way to pay for it). The system is great as far as what their resource functions are, but there needs to be a better way to get these resources in their hands other than buying hundreds of irl booster/booster codes - players will stop playing if they feel no meaningful advancement in their experience. That said, compared to something like MTG Arena, this client is far from the extreme, but something should be done. 2) There are bugs. They are there and they do happen - I've had a good experience, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. It's a beta, so until the final product comes out my critiques for bugs is minimal. 3) Wait times are abysmal. I'm not sure if it's the lack of players, a SBMM (skill based match making) of sorts, log in time frames, or some combo of the 3... but wait times are extremely high when finding a match. 4) Coins mean nothing. They buy avatar cosmetics and that's it, I'm sitting on over 3k coins and want nothing in the shops, but feel obligated to use it because... well... what else can I use it on? nothing.
Changes that would turn my Cons into Pros: 1) The Battle Pass is a great way to encourage people to play the game. However, the rewards (outside of the booster packs) are extremely lacking. Buff up the ability to get Crystals and Credits through playing the game - win streak rewards, better battle pass rewards, more daily challenges than the 2, ranked, to name a few) - it doesn't have to be anything crazy, but unlocking a battle tier and getting 50 credits feels bad. 2) Bug fixes - these will come. I'm not concerned. It's a beta, but I would expect the final product to have very few to none or fast response to fixing them. 3) Wait times as more people play will get better, but I'd almost rather see a prompt after a couple minutes telling you to re-queue. I don't quite know of other ways to help that, but hopefully they get better. 4) Make the coins do something other than buy cosmetics, or perhaps provide significantly more options to use your coins that are for your avatar - i.e. knock down cost of Hyper Rare crafting to Credits AND Coins, boosters, exchange rate for crystals or credits. It doesn't necessarily matter how this is accomplished, but something needs to happen... otherwise the currency will be irrelevant as you play more. 5) This might be off the table given how PTCGO and L have operated thus far, but booster codes are a fantastic way to collect IRL AND in game... but some people don't want to do both. With inflation and the secondary market creating a barrier to get boosters let alone the cost of them and those precious codes... there's got to be a way around that. My solution would be to corporate some sort of monetary shop for crystals (not credits because you should be encouraged to collect & play before getting the credits). It can be a fraction of what a normal booster costs, similar to how people sell the code cards now in the secondary market... PTCGL can do the same thing, but just in game. An inexpensive way to "pay-to-play/win," but still have the barrier to entry be relatively accessible. Again I go back to MTG Arena - what they're doing is predatory and bad for the game. Pokemon can learn from that and their successes and find that middle ground.
That's my essay/thread/review of my experience with PTCGL. Overall, the client is sweet, the gameplay is fluid, and the things already in the game are a good foundation - but like with any foundation... they're meant to be built upon if they want to truly be unlocked to their full potential. The Cons are there, but I hope TPC can learn from the feedback provided and incorporate positive change into what I think can be an even greater way to spread the best trading card game to more parts of the community and world!