Pokémon TCG Pocket is starting to feel more stressful than fun…

Actually got a laugh out of this, because it perfectly epitomized what every single match in this game is like.

Im 1000% confident battling against someone in pokeball rank (non-AI) and battling someone in masterball rank looks identical.

“Play 4 turns, someone concedes.”

After the Mythical Island pack, thats what 96% of my games looked like, the remaining 4% was the other person just leaving me to wait out the clock. I virtually never had a match go through to someone getting 3+ points

So, I find the implication that reaching masterball rank taking any real skill, strategy, or thought, hard to believe, and frankly, laughable. The only thing to “preserve” through is playing hundreds of mindless matches against the same decks.
I do not find masterball rank impressive, i see it as a badge that shouts “look at how dedicated i am to wasting time”

I have better things to do with my time.

“I have better things to do with my time”

….like writing that?

playing anything can be viewed as a waste of time. But why try to shame others? We all do more important things with our lives, but it’s ok to play whatever is fun during downtime.

LOL
Really have to laugh at:

….like writing that?

I would consider community engagement a better use of time, yes. Much more so than some 200 matches a day for multiple days.

Also, typing messages is not a time consuming task by any means, and, get this, can even be done while doing other things.

Also also, If me typing that message was a poor use of time, as you seem to be implying, then your reply is arguably a poorer use of time. No worse waste of time than wasting your own time on someone else's waste of time, while simultaneously not contributing anything to the actual discussion topic.

And finally, the intention is not to “shame” anyone for obtaining MBall rank, but simply point out that beating your head against a brick wall for days is not some impressive feat. at least not in this context, when 99% of matches (in my experience) are not determined by any amount of skill or even competency, but is determined overwhelmingly by luck.

I really enjoy battles. Building and testing strategies is a huge part of the fun—and yes, luck will always play a role. But it has become frustrating when some matches feel like they’re decided before the first turn. I’ll have a few matches where things go great, followed by others where it’s obvious from the opening hand that the outcome is basically set in stone. When that happens, it starts to feel like I’m just pressing buttons while the game plays itself.

Then there are the coin flips. Don’t get me started on the coin flips. I’ve had runs where I can’t hit heads to save my life, or where I watch my opponent flip six or more heads in a single turn. Everyone jokes about them, but when they swing games that hard, it makes you wonder if the randomness is truly balanced—or just erratic enough to throw off any real consistency.

When matches feel out of your control from the start—or like your opponent never even had a chance—it takes away from both the joy and the honor of competing. Win or lose, I want each game to feel like I had a chance to influence the outcome. That’s what keeps it fun and meaningful.