Changes Coming to Pokémon TCG Online Code Redemptions

[TheDarkTwins]

Effective February, the only way to get booster credits will be from code cards in Black & White through Boundaries Crossed boosters. Booster credits will only be redeemable for HeartGold & SoulSilver through Boundaries Crossed digital boosters.

If you want Plasma Storm packs in the game, you'll need to use code cards from Plasma Storm boosters. This same process will apply to every set after Plasma Storm.

We're be completely phasing out booster credits before the end of 2014. This will be a multi-step transition, rather than an immediate change. As mentioned in the original news article, we'll announce the next step in the transition at least 30 days prior to the change. By the end of the process, code cards from all boosters will unlock digital boosters for the same set from which the code card came. This will include code cards from Black & White through Boundaries Crossed.

Doesn't this theoretically end the chances of adding older sets into the online client? I mean I know a lot of people would like to see those older sets, but by doing this, you are ending the chances of being able to do that, unless you have something unnamed in mind to add those sets.

Drew

 

[Mystery Thing]

I don't mind the change. Yes, it will sting for PSM and probably the next set after that, but in a few sets it will be the norm and it'll be fine. Besides, now people will actually have a reason to go and buy the "crap" sets. If anything, this change will likely increase the probability we see a system to acquire packs though some other means than code cards sooner rather than later.

Besides, you're complaining about something that is still free. Maybe the value added has a different dimension to it than it was before, but it's still free. (Yes, you have to buy the real cards, but we were doing that for YEARS prior to this and it wasn't a problem then, so functionally it is still something we aren't paying for. It's like prereleases; you buy the packs, and the card/box/code card is gravy.)

Doesn't this theoretically end the chances of adding older sets into the online client? I mean I know a lot of people would like to see those older sets, but by doing this, you are ending the chances of being able to do that, unless you have something unnamed in mind to add those sets.

Drew

I seriously doubt unlimited is popular enough to make it worth the while to code in all the old cards from all the old sets, along with their interactions with all of the current cards. I never play unlimited IRL, and I have even less interest than that to play it online.

 

[losjackal]

Doesn't this theoretically end the chances of adding older sets into the online client? I mean I know a lot of people would like to see those older sets, but by doing this, you are ending the chances of being able to do that, unless you have something unnamed in mind to add those sets.

Article said:

Booster packs from expansions that do not contain code cards but are available in the online game will be available by other means.

So, you will still be able to acquire new HGSS packs by some other means.
No mention as to whether they are going to add older sets like Diamond & Pearl, Platinum, etc.
It seems unlikely, given the amount of new card information they'd have to add into the client, for marginal benefit.
But if they did, you'd be able to acquire those packs by the same "other means".

 

[Slev]

Well this is a rather horrid decision from a consumer's stand point.

From a business standpoint makes tons of sense.

I think places like troll and toad are going to make the biggest killing though selling codes from specific hard to find/unneeded physical sets at later dates etc.

This just put a death clock on ptcgo for me. It will be good through Regionals and then I guess its right back to playtcg.

 

[losjackal]

To the point above and GodBlessAmerica's post, anything that isn't favorable to the player is looked down upon, right?

So let's look at the system at a higher level and with a long-term perspective. These thousands upon thousands of unredeemed booster codes.....that's a problem, right? I mean, why have people been stockpiling codes? It's because they don't care to play PTCGO at the moment, and so they can use them for future sets. And there are so many of the codes that there is no shortage.

Using me and my son as an example, we have most of the cards we need online to build a couple of competitive decks, and still have 250+ unredeemed codes. If we redeemed or traded the rest, I'm sure our online collection would mirror the breadth of our collection in real life.

So going forward with Plasma Storm, that is the expectation: open a pack in real life, open a virtual pack too. The credit system helped get PTCGO off the ground and have enough card diversity so players could build the decks they need, but now its time for the system to change. I don't like the change either, but I understand it, and I don't get mad at TPC as a result and threaten to walk away. They are still delivering a fair entertainment value for a fair price.

 

[ApachePrime]

Oh, trading packs for cards will still remain. It's just that the Plasma Storm packs online will become that much more valuable, due to scarcity: you won't be able to obtain Plasma Storm virtual packs by redeeming any of the thousands of codes that are in circulation today. These packs will lose relative value. For instance: want to trade for a Ghetsis? Perhaps it will cost you 2 Plasma Storm packs, or 3 packs from Dark Explorers, or 5 packs from some other set. Something like that.

Furthermore, removing booster credits as the de facto currency on PTCGO opens the door for gems to have value.

From my understanding, there won't be Plasma Storm booster credits.

We're be completely phasing out booster credits before the end of 2014.

Meaning, you redeem a code, you open a booster.

 

[losjackal]

ApachePrime, are we interpreting it differently? PTCGO has 3 things today: Cards, Booster Packs, and Booster Credits. Beginning with Plasma Storm, when you redeem a code, you will not get a Booster Credit, and instead a Plasma Storm Booster Pack gets added to your Collection immediately. You can still choose to open the Booster Pack, or you can trade it away.

 

[Gamester2488]

They could always do what Magic Online does and make you pay via credit card for virtual cards with a ridiculous redemption method. Here, it's, buy physical cards, get virtual cards. On Magic Online its, buy Virtual Currency/Packs, get Virtual Cards. Nowhere do you get physical cards. IMO unless the online client ever changes to this system, nothing they can do is actually "bad" for the client.

 

[K2theAblaM]

Fantastic. Let's make it harder for new people to join PTCGO and play competitive decks... since they're going to have to open packs from SPECIFIC sets to get what they need. What a stupid idea. There are so many things that need fixing but THIS is what they have decided to "improve" upon? Bollocks.

 

[losjackal]

I don't see it as harder for new people, and here's why...

The new system (without booster credits) will be easier for newbies to understand: redeem a code card from Plasma Storm, get a virtual booster pack of Plasma Storm. By definition, newbies don't have previous code cards. Their virtual Plasma Storm booster packs will be in the most demand, and therefore they can still trade them away for older cards that they need (Darkrai EX, Mewtwo EX, Landorus EX, Professor Juniper, etc.)

 

[grassmaster239]

They could always do what Magic Online does and make you pay via credit card for virtual cards with a ridiculous redemption method. Here, it's, buy physical cards, get virtual cards. On Magic Online its, buy Virtual Currency/Packs, get Virtual Cards. Nowhere do you get physical cards. IMO unless the online client ever changes to this system, nothing they can do is actually "bad" for the client.

Except if you look at mtgo, it actually has value. The cards can be resold. And you can complete a set, and redeem it for physical cards. It has a much better, working system then ptcgo will ever have.

 

[Ditto]

A little sad by this. Means that you have to make the decision up front on which booster packs to get, rather than being able to wait and see what sets affect the metagame more. I'm still gonna work towards getting 4 of every card from every set, so it really shouldn't matter to me, but I doubt everyone is in that position.

For anyone that wants to redeem those codes quickly while you still can, check out the PTCGO Code Scanner app in my sig.

 

[losjackal]

Ditto...not sure what you mean? For all the booster codes we have now, nothing changes for the next 18 months....you can shop for any pack up thru Boundaries Crossed.

For Plasma Storm codes in February, there is no decision to be made: you get a Plasma Storm booster pack.

 

[Slev]

To the point above and GodBlessAmerica's post, anything that isn't favorable to the player is looked down upon, right?

So let's look at the system at a higher level and with a long-term perspective. These thousands upon thousands of unredeemed booster codes.....that's a problem, right? I mean, why have people been stockpiling codes? It's because they don't care to play PTCGO at the moment, and so they can use them for future sets. And there are so many of the codes that there is no shortage.

Using me and my son as an example, we have most of the cards we need online to build a couple of competitive decks, and still have 250+ unredeemed codes. If we redeemed or traded the rest, I'm sure our online collection would mirror the breadth of our collection in real life.

So going forward with Plasma Storm, that is the expectation: open a pack in real life, open a virtual pack too. The credit system helped get PTCGO off the ground and have enough card diversity so players could build the decks they need, but now its time for the system to change. I don't like the change either, but I understand it, and I don't get mad at TPC as a result and threaten to walk away. They are still delivering a fair entertainment value for a fair price.

Your arguement against stockpiling doesn't make sense. People didn't stockpile because they werent playing the ptcgo. People stockpiled more than they needed. They redeemed what they needed to get the cards they wanted for testing. Users then stockpiled more codes in order to have viable materials for testing in the future. I play the ptcgo frequently for testing purposes. I have 1000+ codes available that I was going to use to get new sets in order to continue testing. Stockpiling has no valid correlation with whether a person is playing or not.

Your arguement that this now will do a better job to create a mirror of your phyiscal collection doesn't seem that relevant. If we wanted to mirror our physical collection why not just have every card come with a code on it? That way ptcgo would identically mirror our physical collection.

The purpose of this change is simpley for TPC to make more money on booster sales. I don't blame them for doing this. It is business and all, but I do have every right to express my dislike of the change, and to walk away from a system that no longer is favorable to me.

Your arguements that this is better for the player community are invalid. It isn't better and will drive players away from the ptcgo. At best it may increase booster sales and maybe increase prize support down the road(cynasism slev says no). << You didn't make this arguement, however.

 

[Ditto]

Ditto...not sure what you mean? For all the booster codes we have now, nothing changes for the next 18 months....you can shop for any pack up thru Boundaries Crossed.

For Plasma Storm codes in February, there is no decision to be made: you get a Plasma Storm booster pack.

Right. So I won't be able to see whether I want to open a bunch of virtual plasma storm packs (even though I bought real ones) or whether I'd rather use them for boundaries crossed. Maybe plasma storm is a horrible set and I don't want a ton of those boosters in the virtual game. Before I could find out after opening the real packs and playing with them, and then make better decisions online. Now I can't do that.

Also, if I don't redeem my credits now, they'll be locked into the packs they came from at the end of 2014. So might as well redeem them all now for the best sets IMO.

Also, I always hoped they would code in all the old sets sometime as well, and I could use the credits I have now to get those old packs too. That's why I stocked up so much, so that I would always have plenty of credits for whatever set I wanted at the time.

For reference, I get cases of each set, so I won't have a problem getting the cards, but it's certainly less flexible.

 

[losjackal]

Ah, I see what you're saying now, Ditto. Opening a Plasma Storm, you don't necessarily want a Plasma Storm booster. Maybe you wanted to code to get some EX's from earlier sets which suddenly became playable. I see. Yes, 18 months from now, that will be harder to do. But maybe then there will be a very healthy pack-for-pack trade offers appearing.

 

[losjackal]

Your arguement against stockpiling doesn't make sense. People didn't stockpile because they werent playing the ptcgo. People stockpiled more than they needed.

You're right. I meant to write "It's because they don't care to play PTCGO at the moment, OR so they can use them for future sets."

Your arguement that this now will do a better job to create a mirror of your phyiscal collection doesn't seem that relevant. If we wanted to mirror our physical collection why not just have every card come with a code on it? That way ptcgo would identically mirror our physical collection.

All I was predicting is that without incentive to stockpile codes, people will redeem the codes and either open the packs or trade the packs away for cards. Which means more cards in their online account, which means more like the volume of cards they likely have in real life.

Your arguements that this is better for the player community are invalid.

I never said that. It will change people's behavior, and I may counter someone who says it's bad but bases their statement on a bad premise IMO, but that's still very different from me championing this like it's an awesome change. It's a change, period.

 

[ShadowCard]

Your arguement that this now will do a better job to create a mirror of your phyiscal collection doesn't seem that relevant. If we wanted to mirror our physical collection why not just have every card come with a code on it? That way ptcgo would identically mirror our physical collection.

Every card used to have a code on it. A combination of letters and numbers. That was a long time ago.

 

[NinjaDeathStrike]

I don't see it as harder for new people, and here's why...

The new system (without booster credits) will be easier for newbies to understand: redeem a code card from Plasma Storm, get a virtual booster pack of Plasma Storm. By definition, newbies don't have previous code cards. Their virtual Plasma Storm booster packs will be in the most demand, and therefore they can still trade them away for older cards that they need (Darkrai EX, Mewtwo EX, Landorus EX, Professor Juniper, etc.)

I disagree. I think this decision will adversely affect a new player's ability to jump into the game. While it's true that the new player will have the most "in demand" packs available for trade, something they won't have is access to staples. They're not just going to need the big name cards from old sets, they're going to need everything including prevos, trainers, and supporters. The best way to acquire a playset of these more common cards is to....yep, open packs. Without the ability to choose older packs, it will be a very long and drawn out process to try and trade for all the cards they need. Ultimately I think it's clear that this decision doesn't have anything to do with the players though.

 

[GravyBeast]

i really dont understand why people are actively trying to defend this decision.

when a person buys a pack with a code card, tcgo already has made as much as they are going to make off of them. i know the site is free and they don't have to provide such a service but i personally would not be into ptcg irl at this moment if it wasn't for the site. that is how they need to view things as a marketing stand point. use a free site to get people hooked again or for the first time on irl cards.

ive read posts comparing this to mtg and some good points were made but its a different market than mtg being players are on average much younger and aren't going to have money to spend on cards. this is a terrible terrible decision they have made on so many levels. yes there are a few good points, but there are so many bad points that it just amazes me that they would actually consider this and then actually go through with it. its all about making them more money and that is a terrible thing to do with the majority of their player base being so young.

on the stockpiling codes comments, i have everything i need online and so do my friends/family. why should i enter more codes online at the moment? is it necessary to put my credits in and waste them on extra cards we don't need? i have so many codes that are just absolutely useless to me now that its not even funny. i'm talking over a thousand. is this a fair decision? if i had known they wouldn't be useful for future sets i wouldn't have traded for so many at local leagues or bought them up as i saw good deals.