Pokemon TCG Pocket has fixed one of its biggest problems

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

For those who don't know, Pokemon TCG Pocket uses a rarity system similar to the physical one Pokemon TCG. But it also has unique drop rates that determine the types of cards that appear in each slot in a booster pack. Previously, blank cards were more common in the fourth and fifth slot, which is also where other rare cards and EX Pokemon tend to appear. The developer DeNA has now adjusted this to get better balance cards.

Pokemon TCG Pocket pushes blank cards to the sixth slot

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

One reason many players disliked shiny cards was that they often took up space on more valuable rare cards, especially EX Pokémon, which are essential for building decks in Pokemon TCG Pocket. Shiny cards were also quite common in god packs, which many saw as a disappointment as these rare boosters are supposed to have the most exclusive cards, like crowns, not shinys which are not as sought after by collectors. The latest update fixes this by making sure shiny cards no longer interfere with other rare drops, making them the cosmetic moves that many felt they should have been in the first place.

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According to the updated drop rates, “shiny one” cards are coming in Pokemon TCG Pockets Mega Rising expansion now has a 6.818% chance to be drawn from six-card packs. The reduction rate for “blank 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 competing collectors, the overall feel of the game has noticeably improved. It remains to be seen if DeNA can build on this momentum and bring more fans back to Pokemon TCG Pockets shrinking player base.