Shining Revelry, a recent extension to Pokemon TCG Pocket, fell this week. And while fans enjoy a new lineup of shiny Pokemon cards in all the colors of the rainbow, there are some that are causing several divisions.
What’s going on: Mewtwo Ex is a card that already exists in the game in several formats. Added to the first set, Genetic Apex. This included a “regular” version, a “immersive rare” version where Mewtwo burst from containment, and a “gold crown” version of Mewtwo against the gold background. All three versions have exactly the same movement and power levels, so if they match, it doesn’t matter which one you use. But they are all of varying degrees, so to speak, it’s important to track all three.
The Mewtwo Ex in question is another version of the same card with the same effect. The difference is cosmetics. This Mewtwo original is “shiny”, so it is green rather than pinkish, with a different background. However, it will take up another slot in the new Shining Revelry expansion’s card collection. This means that if the collector wants to complete the collection 100%, you will need a collector.
Here he is in all his shiny glory:
Unfortunately, this card can only be used in one way. By paying $22.99 for a shop bundle that includes PokeGold, other Mewtwo-themed cosmetic items (coins, playmats, etc.), and a shop bundle that includes the card itself. There’s no way to get it, not through packs or mysterious picks.
Some players are not responding well to the news.
Their frustration is understandable. Pokemon TCG Pocket has been on sale for several months and has experienced four different expansions in various sizes and multiple events. A real paying player had a certain advantage in terms of how quickly they could grow their collections and other cosmetic rewards, but this is the first time a card has been locked behind a gold bundle paywall. Plus, it’s probably a bundle that’s much more valuable than a card, as it contains other items such as currency.
That said, some fans have turned a bit of attention to the controversy. It points out that the card is purely cosmetic. It’s not different from other Mewtwo exes you can get. Also, unless you switch specific options in your settings, you won’t be able to even do what your collection lacks. Others have pointed out that certain other promotional cards have been locked behind having premium memberships in the past.
But perhaps the biggest concern from players is all the slippery slopes. If Pokemon TCG Pocket is willing to gate a gate to Mewtwo this way, will it gate other cards? What happens if the game finally starts locking a brand new card with a new effect behind the paywall and requires that particular effect in the deck, what happens if you need to pay the player? There are no signs of what’s happening yet, but over time, some people are worried that it might be.
Passthecontroller contacted the Pokémon Company to comment on the changes, criticisms and the possibility that future cards are behind the paywall.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter at Passthecontroller. You can find her posts at Bluesky @Duckvalentine.bsky.social. Do you have any tips for the story? Send to [email protected].
