The Pokemon Trading Card Game is Coming to iPad

Watch out Hearthstone, Pokemon is right on your heels.

The Pokemon trading card game is a game that many look back on with fond memories, and still has a very active competitive scene today. Perhaps spurred on by Blizzard’s digitization efforts with Hearthstone, the Pokemon TCG has slowly been making its way into the digital future. A PC/Mac version of the game has been available for quite some time, and now, an iPad version has hit the Apple store.

Canadian and European gamers can go ahead and download the free app right now, but I’m afraid American users will have to wait until tomorrow. Cards and decks will transfer between the iPad and PC/Mac versions of the games, so you won’t have to build your whole deck up again before battling it out on your tablet.

“The iPad version of the Pokemon TCG Online makes it even easier for fans to pick up the game and begin playing immediately,” The Pokemon Company director of consumer marketing J.C. Smith said. “We want to provide players with various access points to play and enjoy the Pokemon TCG, whether it’s the traditional tabletop game, PC and Mac version, or the iPad and iPad Mini app.”

While it app itself is free, trainers must shell out some cash to get themselves “gems,” a currency that can be used to purchase booster packs for the game. Of course, purchasing real-world Pokemon cards will net you a code which you can be used to redeem additional cards in the online game.

Source: The Pokemon Company