The Pokemon TCG Pocket currencies and microtransactions include Poke Gold, Shop Tickets, Hourglasses, Shinedust, Pack Points and more besides. The game is at times an incredibly complex network of interconnected currencies that can be played against or to each other, and it's worth understanding how they all work. Some of these will recharge or can be earned for free, others can't, and there's one currency - the Advance Ticket - that doesn't do anything at all right now.
With that in mind, we'll explain all the different currencies in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket below, what they do, and how you can get them for yourself. It turns out that there's a peculiar amount of finance involved in becoming a Pokemon master.
All currencies in Pokemon TCG Pocket
The full list of currencies and microtransactions in Pokemon TCG Pocket (not including cards and packs themselves), is laid out below.
- Poke Gold
- Shop Tickets
- Special Shop Tickets
- Emblem Shop Tickets
- Event Shop Tickets
- Premium Shop Tickets
- Pack Points
- Shinedust
- Rewind Watches
- Pack Hourglasses
- Wonder Hourglasses
- Event Hourglasses
- Advance Tickets
Yes, there's a lot of them - probably too many, to be honest - but some aren't so important right now, while others are massively valuable. Event Hourglasses, for example, are tied to specific limited time events and disappear at the conclusion of those events.
Meanwhile, Gold Bars are, appropriately enough, the most valuable of the currencies, in a very literal sense - they're the one that costs money to obtain (at least in one method).
How to get Gold in Pokemon TCG Pocket
You can get gold bars (also called Poke Gold) by levelling up or by paying for it in the Shop with real money. Paying larger amounts for Gold tends to result in a greater discount as a whole.
Gold is used as a consumable that rapidly recharges Pack Stamina, Wonder Stamina and Event Stamina. It can also be used to pay for certain special items within the Shop, such as new accessories.
How to get Shop Tickets in Pokemon TCG Pocket
To get Shop Tickets, players have several options. You can get one for free every day from the Shop Complimentary Item Set, and from people liking your public Binders. You can also get a limited amount per day from players thanking you after battles and after using the Pokemon TCG Pocket Wonder Pick system, claiming them in your Gifts menu. There's also certain challenges and missions (like the Viridian Forest, or those in limited time events) that reward you with Shop Tickets.
Shop Tickets are, of course, spent in the Shop on certain items. With them, players can buy Pack Hourglasses, Wonder Hourglasses, Special Shop Tickets, Binder Covers, as well as some cards like Professor's Research.
How to get Special Shop Tickets in Pokemon TCG Pocket
To get Special Shop Tickets you have two options: either pay 300 regular Shop Tickets for one of them in the Shop itself, or go into your Binder and use the Pokemon TCG Pocket flair system to exchange duplicates of rare variant cards.
The Special Shop Tickets are used to buy elite accessories for your deck. Right now there's special black and gold versions of Coins, Playmats, Card Sleeves and more besides, and it's likely we'll see further rare, prestige items appear later on.
How to get Emblem Shop Tickets in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Emblem Shop Tickets are a specific type of ticket earned through very specific challenges: the "Dex" missions and "Themed Collection" missions. For example, getting all the fossil Pokemon cards or reaching 100 unique cards will earn you Emblem Shop Tickets.
Emblem Tickets are, unsurprisingly, redeemed in the shop for Emblems, the special medals that you can attach to your profile for other players to see before you battle. Right now there's only three available, featuring Pikachu, Mewtwo and Charizard, but there'll likely be more added in future updates.
How to get Event Shop Tickets in Pokemon TCG Pocket
To get Event Shop Tickets, players have to complete challenges or tasks associated with the limited time events. For example, in the Meowth/Chansey event that ended recently, Event Shop Tickets were earned as a special draw from the Wonder Picks that would periodically appear for players every couple of hours.
Event Shop Tickets are used to buy cosmetics and special event-related items from the store. They're event-specific too - the Tickets earned from the Meowth/Chansey event won't work on any other one.
How to get Premium Shop Tickets in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Premium Shop Tickets are tied to the Premium Pass, the special subscription battle pass that players can get by either paying a monthly payment or through the two-week trial. Having the Premium Pass unlocks certain special missions and quests that grant players the Tickets.
Premium Shop Tickets are used to buy various accessories in-game that are specific to the Premium Pass; with no other way to obtain them. Right now players can get a series of Mewtwo-themed options for their decks and binders.
How to get Pack Points in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Pack Points are a special currency that you get every time you open a normal card pack. You get five Pack Points every time you open a pack, as part of the regular rewards, guaranteed.
Pack Points are used in the Pack Points Exchange shop where you can swap them for any card in the game (with the exception of the Pokemon TCG Pocket Promo cards). The cost of cards escalates depending on their rarity - you'd have to open 300 Packs to get a single card of the highest "Crown" Rarity.
Of course, there's one other card you can't get this way - the mythical Mew card in Pokemon TCG Pocket. Our guide will show you how though!
How to get Shinedust in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Shinedust is one of the most common (and consequently least valuable) resources. You can get it every time you open a Pack, as well as for completing missions, and as a buyable resource during certain events, with players able to spend Event Tickets on them.
Shinedust is used as part of the payment to unlock new cosmetic flairs for your cards. You destroy a duplicate of the card and pay a certain amount of Shinedust to unlock a new cosmetic effect that is visible during battles on that card.
How to get Rewind Watches in Pokemon TCG Pocket
A Rewind Watch is obtained every time you level up - if there is another way to earn them, we haven't discovered it. Increasing your level gives you a single Rewind Watch.
Rewind Watches are used to restore expired Wonder Pick options. If you don't manage to get a Wonder Pick within the three-and-a-half hour window, it still remains on the list as an expired option for a short amount of time afterwards. If you pay the regular Stamina cost and a Rewind Watch during this time, you can make the pick as though it hadn't expired at all.
How to get Pack Hourglasses in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Pack Hourglasses are a reward when you level up, for which you get 12 every time. You can also buy them with regular Shop Tickets, and they come up in certain missions and rewards, especially those in events that you can only complete once.
A Pack Hourglass reduces the time it takes for you to open another Pack by 1 hour. That means that if you want to open one immediately after opening another, you'll need to spend 12 of them.
How to get Wonder Hourglasses in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Wonder Hourglasses, like Pack Hourglasses, are a levelling reward where you get 12 at a time, and again, are a reward for specific missions, challenges and events, as well as being purchasable with Shop Tickets.
Wonder Hourglasses reduce the time it takes for your Wonder Stamina to recharge so you can get back those gold hearts faster, and Wonder Pick more often. A single hourglass reduces the time by an hour (stamina hearts recharge at a rate of 1 per 12 hours).
How to get Event Hourglasses in Pokemon TCG Pocket
One of the rarest and most contextual items, Event Hourglasses have only shown up in the Pokemon TCG Pocket Lapras ex event so far, and were a one-time reward for completing certain challenges in that event.
These Event Hourglasses were used to recharge event stamina, the resource needed to play the special event matches through which players could get the unique rewards. Again, this blue stamina recharged at a rate of 1 per 12 hours, though these Hourglasses could be spent to immediately restore a single heart of stamina at a 1-to-1 cost.
How to get Advance Tickets in Pokemon TCG Pocket
So far the only way to get an Advance Ticket is to simply log into Pokemon TCGP, at which point it will be sent to your gifts by the developers. There's no other way to get them, meaning that right now nobody has more than 1.
More than that, the purpose of Advance Tickets has not yet been revealed. The description simply says "This Ticket cannot be used yet. Wait and see what it's for!" It's possible that these will be in some way linked to the as-yet unreleased Pokemon TCG Pocket trading mechanics, though that's speculative at this time.
Want to know about the nuances of PTCGP? We've got details on if there'll ever be a Pokemon TCG Pocket PC port here, or find out all the various Secret Missions in Pokemon TCG Pocket and what you can get for them!
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