Pokémon TCG Pocket Issues Warning Against Cheating Ahead of Trading Feature Launch

Pokémon TCG Pocket is warning players of the consequences for cheating, just ahead of the expected release of in-game trading later this week.

In an announcement pushed to the app yesterday, players were warned about violations of the Terms of Service that specifically relate to cheating:

“We are aware that some players have engaged in data tampering, real money trading, and other behaviors that violate the Terms of Use,” reads the in-game notice. “If we confirm that a player has engaged in behavior that violates the Terms of Use, we will warn them, suspend their account, or take other action.”

No further details were offered as to what behaviors, specifically, are being targeted. Players on r/PTCGP have been speculating that this warning is related to a few different behaviors. One of these, referred to as Wonder Pick Farming, is a practice where individuals mass-create new accounts to take advantage of the many free packs available for new players, and try to roll a “god pack,” or a super rare pack of cards with five very rare cards. Then, they offer their friend code to others for money, so that buyers can add them as friends and then see the “god pack” in the game’s Wonder Pick function and be guaranteed a very rare card.

Another behavior speculated to be the target of a crackdown is a practice where players will grind accounts to level 50 with plenty of banked currency by participating in PvP battles over and over, using the game’s timeout function to stall games until the opponent concedes so they can win repeatedly.

Beyond that, it’s possible that the warning was simply published because of the game’s upcoming trading feature release, which could potentially kickstart a new wave of inappropriate behavior, especially where “real money trading” is concerned. The trading feature, which was panned by fans upon announcement, allows players to trade cards of one star rarity and below with friends. Players have expressed frustration with both the rarity limit on trading, as well as the need to spend some sort of currency to make the trade happen in the first place.

The feature is planned to go live later this week on January 29, alongside the new expansion Space-Time Smackdown.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.