Pokemon TCG Fixes Its Original Sin With New App

02/28/2024 09:12 pm EST

The Pokemon Trading Card Game is fixing a visual issue that has haunted the game since its earliest days. Earlier this week, The Pokemon Company announced Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, a new digital card app meant for experiencing the Pokemon Trading Card Game in a new format. The new card app will feature a mix of modern, classic, and brand new cards, along with updated visual elements. One such element is a new back for the digital Pokemon cards, which features a subtle but noticeable difference – namely, the Poke Ball on the back of the card opens the correct way.

On the back of Pokemon cards, fans may notice that the Poke Ball button is attached to the bottom half of the ball. However, in every physical recreation and Pokemon media, the button is attached to the top half of the ball. Although this was fixed on the back of Japanese Pokemon cards way back in 2001, the art has remained "wrong" on the back of international cards for 25 years. 

The new cards featured in Pokemon Trading Card Game: Pocket uses a new card back design, which mimics the Japanese card back design and more importantly features a mechanically correct Poke Ball. Noted Twitter user TAHK0 was one of the first to spot the difference in a now-viral tweet (seen below). 

The new Pokemon Trading Card Game: Pocket game appears to focus more on collecting Pokemon cards, with new "immersive" cards that features expanded digital artwork. Players can open two card packs for free per day, with the ability to trade cards with other users. Players will be able to play the Pokemon Trading Card Game, using a streamlined ruleset. The new digital card app will be released later this year. 

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