Pokemon TCG Pocket Has Fixed One of Its Biggest Problems

30/10/2025 2 Views

Pokemon TCG Pocket has moved shiny Pokemon to the sixth slot in booster packs. While this makes them rarer to find, fans seem to be glad the developer made this change. Shiny variants were first introduced with the Shining Revelry expansion back in March 2025, and while these cards have always been popular, the way they appeared in Pokemon TCG Pocket packs had long been a source of controversy.

For those unfamiliar, Pokemon TCG Pocket uses a rarity system similar to the physical Pokemon TCG. However, it also features unique drop rates that decide what types of cards appear in each slot of a booster pack. Previously, shiny cards were more common in the fourth and fifth slots, which are also where other rare cards and EX Pokemon usually appear. Developer DeNA has now adjusted this to better balance card acquisition.

Pokemon TCG Pocket Pushes Shiny Cards to the Sixth Slot

With the latest expansion, Pokemon TCG Pocket released a patch that addressed the game’s shiny card issue. These sparkling cards now only appear in the final slot of a six-card booster pack. These special packs are distributed randomly, with about an 8% chance of appearing among regular five-card packs. Before the update, the sixth slot in Pokemon TCG Pocket packs was often filled with baby Pokemon, but now shiny cards can also appear there. While this change makes shinies rarer than before, fans seem pleased that DeNA stopped them from ruining other cards’ drop rates.

One reason many players disliked shiny cards was that they often took the slots of more valuable rare cards, especially EX Pokemon, which are crucial for deck-building in Pokemon TCG Pocket. Shiny cards were also fairly common in god packs, which many saw as disappointing since these rare boosters are meant to feature the most exclusive cards, like crowns, not shinies that aren’t as sought after by collectors. The recent update fixes this by ensuring shiny cards no longer interfere with other rare drops, making them the cosmetic pulls many felt they should have been from the start.

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According to the updated drop rates, “shiny one” cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s Mega Rising expansion now have a 6.818% chance of being pulled from six-card packs. The drop rate for “shiny two” cards is 7.955%.

Fortunately for fans, the October update also brings several quality-of-life improvements. The level cap has been raised to 60, a long-requested change from the community. The deck limit has increased from 20 to 25, and players can now choose which booster packs from the game’s growing lineup appear on the home screen. With these updates, and shiny cards no longer interfering with competitive collectors, the overall sentiment toward the game has noticeably improved. It remains to be seen whether DeNA can build on this momentum and bring more fans back to Pokemon TCG Pocket‘s shrinking player base.