Gaming Pokémon Strumfest

Snowjoe said:
Its total bullshit tbh, from people I see selling its just full of people trying to make money but as a result everything is stupidly expensive. It's no fun at all and I've totally avoided the recent sets. I hope they flood the market and feck them all over.
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Yeah, although I think Pokemon themselves have kind of shot fans a little. Pokemon Center exclusive products, and now 'enhanced' booster boxes that are limited to Local Game Stores and Pokemon Center... They are creating things that are more desirable and limited, which the scalpers will capitlise on :lol: what's more is that I have seen people who had their Prismatic Evolutions PC ETBs arrive and decided to sell them because pull rates are so bad and they can get £200 for something they paid £50 for immediately.

All Pokemon can do is continue to print, but they bought one of the main printing facilities and still can't meet the demand. But reprints of old sets are less and less likely to happen, at least in the form that people want (boxes), because of the increased demand on upcoming sets. I was holding out for more 151 for ages and thought we'd get it as it's easy money, but at this point I would be surprised to see a big restock bar the Venusaur/Blastoise boxes coming next month, because they need to make more Prismatic, Journey Together, and future sets that not only impact collectors but players.
 
For me it was pocket that gave me the final push after thinking about getting into it for a bit of time. I imagine for others seeing 151 and surging sparks sets plastered with nostalgia definitely had an impact.

My main issue is that it is just about money - watching any streamer/youtuber it is always about card value and never really appreciating the cards. Maybe that comes from already having a good personal collection and/or content making. Scalpers with their bulk buys and people actually paying the prices. News of reprints should help with that, but only if storedls are more sensible with how they sell their stock (limits on pre-orders/purchases in store)
 
Yeah, I think the quality of product (or at least illusion of quality with good marketing) for 151, Surging Sparks, and Prismatic Evolutions in particular has definitely compounded things. Even Journey Together is the first modern booster box to feature trainers (people characters) on the booster box and pack art which is a throwback to the vintage Gym Challenge/Heroes etc. But it has to be Pocket, maybe some manufacturing issues in terms of supply/faults, or shipping problems again. I guess it really is just a combination of a lot of things at once, but I'll keep saying it, it's a surprise that things feel worse than they did in the pandemic when they had periods of time where they physically couldn't make cards or ship them out, on top of the influencer stuff and vintage boom.

I do still fear a bit for the rest of this year, as while Journey Together is pulling on those heartstrings of Trainer's Pokemon, there will be a Rocket themed set that will do that again for that further taste of nostalgia from the first few sets. They don't even have to go all crazy with the marketing, just a plain black ETB with a red R on it is going to be a killer. I'm sure it'll be just as hard to get as any other set.

In other news!

Pocket has had the next set announced for January 29/30 - Space-Time Smackdown.

  • 2 Pack Arts - Dialga & Palkia
  • Over 140 new cards
  • Dialga ex, Palkia ex, Pachirisu ex
  • Pokemon Tool cards
Trading also confirmed to go live on January 28. It will use the Stamina method, but unsure about the other specifics yet.
 
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Havak said:
Yeah, I think the quality of product (or at least illusion of quality with good marketing) for 151, Surging Sparks, and Prismatic Evolutions in particular has definitely compounded things. Even Journey Together is the first modern booster box to feature trainers (people characters) on the booster box and pack art which is a throwback to the vintage Gym Challenge/Heroes etc. But it has to be Pocket, maybe some manufacturing issues in terms of supply/faults, or shipping problems again. I guess it really is just a combination of a lot of things at once, but I'll keep saying it, it's a surprise that things feel worse than they did in the pandemic when they had periods of time where they physically couldn't make cards or ship them out, on top of the influencer stuff and vintage boom.

I do still fear a bit for the rest of this year, as while Journey Together is pulling on those heartstrings of Trainer's Pokemon, there will be a Rocket themed set that will do that again for that further taste of nostalgia from the first few sets. They don't even have to go all crazy with the marketing, just a plain black ETB with a red R on it is going to be a killer. I'm sure it'll be just as hard to get as any other set.

In other news!

Pocket has had the next set announced for January 29/30 - Space-Time Smackdown.

  • 2 Pack Arts - Dialga & Palkia
  • Over 140 new cards
  • Dialga ex, Palkia ex, Pachirisu ex
  • Pokemon Tool cards
Trading also confirmed to go live on January 28. It will use the Stamina method, but unsure about the other specifics yet.
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Looking forward to this although still not completed Genetic Apex, missing around 12 cards but recently finished the Mew mini set. Always had a Soft spot for Gen 4.
 
TrustInOle said:
Looking forward to this although still not completed Genetic Apex, missing around 12 cards but recently finished the Mew mini set. Always had a Soft spot for Gen 4.
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Yeah, same. Gen 4 was nice, I enjoyed it Gen 4 too as it was the first time we were able to compete in more regular, official in-person tournaments.

I'm just about ready for a new set, having saved up 300 Hourglasses come today. Should get a few more just from regular play before rollout. I might have preferred trading to come just a few more days earlier and leave the next set until Friday but it won't matter. I still need a few Diamond Rarity Cards from the first two sets, hoping to arrange some trades if I can't get them done within my friend group:

Mythical Island:

Gyarados ex

Apex:

Moltres ex
Articuno
Zapdos
Eelektross
Snorlax

Hopefully I can get these done as trades, but my pack points are in the range of 500-600 for both sets which is actually going to end up kind of useless to me thinking about it. Maybe once I have what I need from Space-Time I'll go back and open a few more to try and hit the big cards, but I'll be having to open so many different packs that achieving full collections is impossible (at least form 2-star and above). Thankfully, I actually enjoy playing this game more than collecting the digital library so the fancy arts are just a nice bonus I guess!

Edit: I do actually need the Diglett art card still, so want to try and trade for that to get the last mission done that I can in Genetic Apex. I think the only other mission I won't be getting any time soon is the Legendary Bird one.
 
Wal2Fra said:
For me it was pocket that gave me the final push after thinking about getting into it for a bit of time. I imagine for others seeing 151 and surging sparks sets plastered with nostalgia definitely had an impact.

My main issue is that it is just about money - watching any streamer/youtuber it is always about card value and never really appreciating the cards. Maybe that comes from already having a good personal collection and/or content making. Scalpers with their bulk buys and people actually paying the prices. News of reprints should help with that, but only if storedls are more sensible with how they sell their stock (limits on pre-orders/purchases in store)
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The funny thing is there's not even a lot of cards that have any real value, certainly not considering the cost of buying as many packs as you need to for it to be worthwhile. For example, in Surging Sparks it's only the Pikachu Rainbow, Latias and Milotic that fetch over £50 but then people chase those cards and propel everyone into a frenzy about them through low supply. The new prismatic set has a few more admittedly but it'll be interesting to see if the value drops over time.

Streamers, sadly, do a lot of uplifting in terms of hyping people (kids?) to buy the product. They're working as advertisers and get rewarded through close ties with distributors who give them cheap deals on sets. Normal people don't have this advantage and the reality is that it's 99/100 it's more costly to try and pull a card you're after than buy it individually. I would like to think people coming into the hobby will work this out eventually.
 
Just stumbled on this looking for cards on Vinted. PSA 10 is wild.

Screenshot-2025-01-27-134933.png
 
The new Umbreon is also going for a similar amount.
 
Trading should be here soonish. Copied from Era.

Pokemon TCG Pocket trading rules:

- Only diamond and 1* cards allowed
- Cards must be traded for another of the same rarity
- Trades must be done between friends
- Only Genetic Apex and Mythical Island cards for now, so the new expansion is out
- Two consumable currencies must be used

(my additional assumption is you can only trade cards you have more than 2 copies of)

Have:
Card Name (Set #)SetRaritySpare CopiesClaimed By
Butterfree (007)Genetic Apex3 Diamond2
Charizard (035)Genetic Apex3 Diamond3
Arcanine EX (041)Genetic Apex4 Diamond2
Vaporeon (080)Genetic Apex3 Diamond1
Jolteon (102)Genetic Apex3 Diamond1
Marowak EX (153)Genetic Apex4 Diamond1
Squirtle (232)Genetic Apex1 Star1
Gyarados (233)Genetic Apex1 Star1
Serperior (006)Mythical Island3 Diamond1
Volcarona (014)Mythical Island3 Diamond3
Gyarados EX (018)Mythical Island4 Diamond1
Vaporeon (019)Mythical Island3 Diamond1
Raichu (026)Mythical Island3 Diamond2
Mew EX (032)Mythical Island4 Diamond2
Golem (045)Mythical Island3 Diamond1
Aerodactyl EX (046)Mythical Island4 Diamond3
Marshadow (047)Mythical Island3 Diamond3
Tauros (060)Mythical Island3 Diamond1
Salandit (071)Mythical Island1 Star1
Vaporeon (072)Mythical Island1 Star4
Marshadow (074)Mythical Island1 Star4

Need:

Card Name (Set #)SetRarityTrading With
Venusaur (003)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Charizard EX (036)Genetic Apex4 Diamond
Arcanine (040)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Articuno (083)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Articuno EX (084)Genetic Apex4 Diamond
Zapdos EX (104)Genetic Apex4 Diamond
Eelektross (109)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Hypno (125)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Kangaskhan (203)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Ditto (205)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Aerodactyl (210)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Pinsir (229)Genetic Apex1 Star
Rapidash (231)Genetic Apex1 Star
Lapras (234)Genetic Apex1 Star
Slowpoke (237)Genetic Apex1 Star
Nidoking (241)Genetic Apex1 Star
Pidgeot (245)Genetic Apex1 Star
Ditto (247)Genetic Apex1 Star
Exeggutor (069)Mythical Island1 Star
Serperior (070)Mythical Island1 Star

Friend ID:
7819-8985-9125-8864 (Name: Damien, Lv. 30)

Please reply to this post or message me directly, newbies included if you're interested.

My priorities are the following for Immersive Mew quest
Any Hypno
Any Kangaskhan
Any Ditto
Any Aerodactyl
 
Need:
  • Zapdos Ex
  • Articuno

Have:
  • Maybe what you need. DM me hun x

Edit: I don't have any of what Damo needs, sorry.
 
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@Damien I have a couple of spare Articuno EX
@Vidyoyo I have a spare Zapdos Ex

Need:
Jolteon
Gengar EX
Mewtwo
Machamp
Wigglytuff EX
Lickytung
(All Apex)

Doudy: 4337573481937572
 
Damien said:
Trading should be here soonish. Copied from Era.

Pokemon TCG Pocket trading rules:

- Only diamond and 1* cards allowed
- Cards must be traded for another of the same rarity
- Trades must be done between friends
- Only Genetic Apex and Mythical Island cards for now, so the new expansion is out
- Two consumable currencies must be used

(my additional assumption is you can only trade cards you have more than 2 copies of)

Have:
Card Name (Set #)SetRaritySpare CopiesClaimed By
Butterfree (007)Genetic Apex3 Diamond2
Charizard (035)Genetic Apex3 Diamond3
Arcanine EX (041)Genetic Apex4 Diamond2
Vaporeon (080)Genetic Apex3 Diamond1
Jolteon (102)Genetic Apex3 Diamond1
Marowak EX (153)Genetic Apex4 Diamond1
Squirtle (232)Genetic Apex1 Star1
Gyarados (233)Genetic Apex1 Star1
Serperior (006)Mythical Island3 Diamond1
Volcarona (014)Mythical Island3 Diamond3
Gyarados EX (018)Mythical Island4 Diamond1
Vaporeon (019)Mythical Island3 Diamond1
Raichu (026)Mythical Island3 Diamond2
Mew EX (032)Mythical Island4 Diamond2
Golem (045)Mythical Island3 Diamond1
Aerodactyl EX (046)Mythical Island4 Diamond3
Marshadow (047)Mythical Island3 Diamond3
Tauros (060)Mythical Island3 Diamond1
Salandit (071)Mythical Island1 Star1
Vaporeon (072)Mythical Island1 Star4
Marshadow (074)Mythical Island1 Star4

Need:

Card Name (Set #)SetRarityTrading With
Venusaur (003)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Charizard EX (036)Genetic Apex4 Diamond
Arcanine (040)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Articuno (083)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Articuno EX (084)Genetic Apex4 Diamond
Zapdos EX (104)Genetic Apex4 Diamond
Eelektross (109)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Hypno (125)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Kangaskhan (203)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Ditto (205)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Aerodactyl (210)Genetic Apex3 Diamond
Pinsir (229)Genetic Apex1 Star
Rapidash (231)Genetic Apex1 Star
Lapras (234)Genetic Apex1 Star
Slowpoke (237)Genetic Apex1 Star
Nidoking (241)Genetic Apex1 Star
Pidgeot (245)Genetic Apex1 Star
Ditto (247)Genetic Apex1 Star
Exeggutor (069)Mythical Island1 Star
Serperior (070)Mythical Island1 Star

Friend ID:
7819-8985-9125-8864 (Name: Damien, Lv. 30)

Please reply to this post or message me directly, newbies included if you're interested.

My priorities are the following for Immersive Mew quest
Any Hypno
Any Kangaskhan
Any Ditto
Any Aerodactyl
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I have spare

036
125
241

I also have singles of a bunch of others , I assume it stays in your deck even if you trade out the singles? If so i don’t mind trading the ones I don’t use in decks.
 
When is the next expansion put? Have saved like 250 hour glass for it.
 
Just to get in on the trading...

Looking for mainly another Venusaur ex, Exeggutor ex... Two normal Pidgeots.

I'll look now and see what spares I have
 
Robindinho said:
Just to get in on the trading...

Looking for mainly another Venusaur ex, Exeggutor ex... Two normal Pidgeots.

I'll look now and see what spares I have
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Liam: 5997-9740-5048-4032

Selection of spares (assuming it's only for more than 2 copies);

1* Rapidash x2
1* Weezing
Arcanine ex
Mex ex
Pidgeot ex
Venusaur x3
Blastoise x2
 
I need Mew Ex, Blastoise Ex, Alakazam (Normal), Golem (Normal), Kangaskhan (Normal) and Machamp (Normal).
 
So what I have seen to obtain trade tokens in exchange for your cards (minimum 3 of the same card to exchange for tokens):
3 star = 300 trade tokens
2 star = 300
1 star = 100
4 diamond = 125
3 diamond = 25
No exchange on cards lower.

To trade:
1 star card requires 400 tokens
4 diamond = 500
3 diamond = 120
No tokens required for lower and no possibility on cards 2 star or above (atleast not on the cards I own)
 
Wal2Fra said:
So what I have seen to obtain trade tokens in exchange for your cards (minimum 3 of the same card to exchange for tokens):
3 star = 300 trade tokens
2 star = 300
1 star = 100
4 diamond = 125
3 diamond = 25
No exchange on cards lower.

To trade:
1 star card requires 400 tokens
4 diamond = 500
3 diamond = 120
No tokens required for lower and no possibility on cards 2 star or above (atleast not on the cards I own)
Click to expand...

I'll have to dig deeper into my collection to see how many tokens I can get but in theory it doesn't sound terrible if you want to finish off sets and own a lot already
 
There are always strings attached to features with mobile games like these.
 
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Wal2Fra said:
So what I have seen to obtain trade tokens in exchange for your cards (minimum 3 of the same card to exchange for tokens):
3 star = 300 trade tokens
2 star = 300
1 star = 100
4 diamond = 125
3 diamond = 25
No exchange on cards lower.

To trade:
1 star card requires 400 tokens
4 diamond = 500
3 diamond = 120
No tokens required for lower and no possibility on cards 2 star or above (atleast not on the cards I own)
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Ah damn, too prohibitive for me. Thanks for the offer for Articuno EX. Only card you want that I have spare is Jolteon and that is a different rarity so wouldn't work anyway
 
Trading is a core tenet of the trading card game since it's debut in 1998 shame on them doing this but I guess it was to be expected (if they had it their way there would be no trading at all)
 
New set is live.

Opened 28 packs with all the hourglasses I hoarded and only pulled 3 full arts and 1 Ex. Feck this game!
 
MiceOnMeth said:
New set is live.

Opened 28 packs with all the hourglasses I hoarded and only pulled 3 full arts and 1 Ex. Feck this game!
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Ouch!

Will open a bunch with my son later and let you know how i get on.
 
Vidyoyo said:
This sounds about on par with opening packs in real life
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It's kind of crazy that they've made opening the least fun it's been in ages and yet you still can't get hold of packs. I stopped collecting like 18 months ago and I see the scalper situation now and I'm not even tempted to start again. It's crazy that even Pokemon can't simply out print the scalper demands, and even crazier that people are actually paying scalper prices rather than just waiting.
 
Turnip said:
It's kind of crazy that they've made opening the least fun it's been in ages and yet you still can't get hold of packs. I stopped collecting like 18 months ago and I see the scalper situation now and I'm not even tempted to start again. It's crazy that even Pokemon can't simply out print the scalper demands, and even crazier that people are actually paying scalper prices rather than just waiting.
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Yeah, you kinda have to be online all day to beat the scalpers. I find packs and deals very easily but I imagine it's difficult for people with responsibilities who don't WFH
 
It really is quite hard to have a chance at building good decks in Pocket without spending money. I know it's designed this way to entice those with less willpower, or those who are so into the game that it's their main thing, but it still feels far too hard to get regular ex cards and even 3-diamond cards so you can build the fundamental decks.

I have gotten incredibly fortunate in that I pulled Palkia ex and Palkia ex special art, so I can build a Palkia deck (but it may be the case that Palkia actually isn't that good :lol:) - However, I never pulled the regular Gyarados ex and only ever got one Celebi ex in Mythical Island, so I was never able to try those meta options.

Also, 300+ Hourglasses get used up quick! Didn't get as many good cards as I thought I would - only other ex was Infernape. I'll try and find time to grind through the Solo Tasks across the rest of the week for some more Hourglasses.

As for Trading, I think it is way over-costed as others have pointed out. When I first saw the Token Bar, I was OK with it before I realized that once you save up 500 Tokens, you still have to use all 500 Tokens for one ex trade. My assumption was that you'd have to be sitting at over 500 as like a taper to be able to initiate an ex trade, and then it would cost about 50 Tokens and 3-5 Hourglasses to do the trade. Eg. You have 600 Tokens, you can do 3 ex level trades (4-diamond) costing 50 each, but then you're at 450 Tokens and need to use resource / obtain Tokens through events to get to 500+ be able to do an ex trade again. It just feels way too much to have to generate all of that and then spend them all on one trade. There's no way they can keep this system in place if/when they expand to allow all rarity of cards to be traded. They would have to allow us to convert 1-2 diamond rarity cards into Trade Tokens, obviously at a much lower rate of literally say 1-2 Tokens each, if we're to assume it would take 1250-2500 Tokens etc. Also, once they have ironed out this feature, they definitely need to add a bulk option for converting. It's painful to go through the animation so many times. Of course, they will need to do events as well or just add Trade Tokens & Hourglasses to Solo Missions as well to help people out, particularly F2P players.
 
Vidyoyo said:
@Havak you make a good point but I can't personally beyond the idea that the battling part of the game is already so crap, and limited to a select few meta decks, that it hardly matters.

TCG Live, which is admittedly a much older game, doesn't have anywhere near the same problem because one of the default packs (The Zard one) is essentially a meta deck. It's usable by noobs and countered well by more established players, bit it's by no means a dead cert in terms of who wins.

This game was a mess with genetic because of the Starmie and Pikachu decks dominating everything, and continued to be a mess with mythical with the Celebi deck.
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I've actually enjoyed this as a game more than collecting - I can't get behind collecting digital cards so I guess that's where some people will just differ. Don't get me wrong, I like seeing the cool artwork, but I'd rather they were real cards to collect.

The game of course has its niggles, and the meta has been a bit limited, but I do see different playstyles working and while it is mainly Mewtwo, Gyarados, Celebi, and Pikachu that are the best, it's something that will hopefully be remedied with more cards and ways to play. I like that it's usually quite quick games, and that there isn't so much card searching through your deck like the real TCG (drives me insane, I find it unplayable now). I do think it is quite common for 4-5 decks (or less) to rise to the top though! If they can start making it so 5+ decks are viable I'll enjoy it.

I fully expect them to try and add this game to the Organized Play circuit alongside the TCG, Video Game, Pokemon Go and Unite. They'll probably do a creator invite only tournament to kick off the World Championship in August and test the waters if they can start running tournaments for it.
 
Havak said:
I've actually enjoyed this as a game more than collecting - I can't get behind collecting digital cards so I guess that's where some people will just differ. Don't get me wrong, I like seeing the cool artwork, but I'd rather they were real cards to collect.

The game of course has its niggles, and the meta has been a bit limited, but I do see different playstyles working and while it is mainly Mewtwo, Gyarados, Celebi, and Pikachu that are the best, it's something that will hopefully be remedied with more cards and ways to play. I like that it's usually quite quick games, and that there isn't so much card searching through your deck like the real TCG (drives me insane, I find it unplayable now). I do think it is quite common for 4-5 decks (or less) to rise to the top though! If they can start making it so 5+ decks are viable I'll enjoy it.

I fully expect them to try and add this game to the Organized Play circuit alongside the TCG, Video Game, Pokemon Go and Unite. They'll probably do a creator invite only tournament to kick off the World Championship in August and test the waters if they can start running tournaments for it.
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Glad you're enjoying it. I know many are and despite what I said I'm sure I'll probably end up returning when the decks get a little more varied. It's not a bad game by any stretch and I think more cards will only improve the experience.

I've seen a few local tournaments already doing the new format so I think it's going that way. It's probably a good introduction to the series for people who find the main game a little too involved and get a lot of younger people into the series.

PS I deleted my post because I thought I was having a proper rant not related to your point but I guess you saw it :)
 
Friend ID: 8265356785844103

You can see in my trade binder what I have available. I'll update this post later with what I'm missing to complete the A1 collection.
 
Feeling overwhelmed by packs now! Too many cards to collect and RNG not nice enough to give me the few I need. Posted up there what I still need from Genetic and Mythical Island. Mew Ex would be nice if anyone still has a spare!
 
SilentWitness said:
Feeling overwhelmed by packs now! Too many cards to collect and RNG not nice enough to give me the few I need. Posted up there what I still need from Genetic and Mythical Island. Mew Ex would be nice if anyone still has a spare!
Click to expand...

I have a mew EX going spare. Looking for a wigglytuff or gengar EX if possible?
 
SilentWitness said:
Feeling overwhelmed by packs now! Too many cards to collect and RNG not nice enough to give me the few I need. Posted up there what I still need from Genetic and Mythical Island. Mew Ex would be nice if anyone still has a spare!
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Same boat with the new ones - never even heard of most of them :lol:

I've one.
 
SilentWitness said:
Feeling overwhelmed by packs now! Too many cards to collect and RNG not nice enough to give me the few I need. Posted up there what I still need from Genetic and Mythical Island. Mew Ex would be nice if anyone still has a spare!
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'd feel for anyone who starts the game now rather than being in from the start. The cost to get enough packs open and to trade is way too high as the card library grows - I think it might turn people off even starting the game now, or definitely after we get the next set if they stick to the same release schedule throughout.

Some form of balancing needs to happen with doing more content that allows F2P to get more Hourglasses than they currently do, Trade cost being reduced, Pack Point cost being reduced, and generally just how often you pull a 3-Diamond or 4-Diamond card being increased. It will either need to be a combination of all of these things, or maybe even just one or two if they are done to an extreme level (reducing/increasing by 50% or more).

I think a lot of players are happy to just complete the 1-4 Diamond Rarity and then aim for maybe the 1-Star cards with any 2-Star+ being a bonus. That's how I'm approaching the game as a collector, but I'm more focused on playing and building decks. Although, that still requires a lot of the 3- and 4- Diamond cards so the main points still stand.
 
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