Pokémon TCG Pocket Datamine Alludes to Expansion Set in January

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket players may want to get cracking Genetic Apex packs as quickly as possible as a datamine of the mobile game has alluded to expansion sets arriving in December and January.

X/Twitter user @CentroLeaks revealed an event scheduled in the backend of the digital TCG that references A2 and is therefore seemingly linked to a new card drop. Genetic Apex, the first Pokémon TCG Pocket set and the only one currently available, is labelled as A1 in the game, so A2 is presumably the second full set.

The event is listed as beginning October 29 (the game’s global release date) and running until January 29. It’s dubbed “Period A1 to A2 (After Global Release) and therefore appears to indicate the end date of Genetic Apex being the main set in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

Interestingly, another scheduled event could indicate a supplementary set or expansion to Genetic Apex coming in December. “Period A1 to A1a” is similarly listed as already begun but ends December 16, so players should perhaps expect a smaller card drop then.

This is far from an official announcement, of course, and no further details will be available until developer Creatures Inc. shares them itself. But a full release every three months lines up with the proper Pokémon TCG schedule and standard card game practice in general.

The December event is more mysterious, as Genetic Apex already includes 226 standard numbered cards and 60 super rare alternate arts. Collecting all of these will take upwards of a year, so it’s perhaps unlikely Creatures Inc. will expand the set even further.

The event may point to a special event for Genetic Apex instead, where more packs become available, or perhaps even a new bumper booster pack that contains more cards. Doing something like this is fairly common practice in games, with the larger, more expensive packs usually only available by spending real money.

Only time will tell what these events actually are, but fans can enjoy the myriad existing events already added by Creatures Inc. in the meantime. One offers players a free Wonder Pick with the chance of pulling either a Meowth or Chansey alongside event tickets and Wonder Hourglasses, with its second part currently active.

A solo battle event lets players take on a handful of water themed decks for the chance of winning new promo cards including Lapras ex, and a PVP event puts badges on the line in true Pokémon fashion. Mewtwo and Charizard are naturally dominating the meta so far, but one outlier comes via Misty, whose heads or tails effect is driving many up the wall.

On the collecting front, some players are focused on a conspiracy theory about crinkled corners while most are swooning over mythical god packs that award five alternate art cards in one go. There’s also a secret Mew card hidden in the game that’s not super difficult to get.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.