Pokémon TCG Pocket pack picking mechanics all an illusion, fan suggests
Peek at you.
Fans believe that whatever you pick in Pokémon TCG Pocket's pack opening carousel, you'll get the same cards regardless.
That's right: carefully choosing the booster pack you want to open from the game's carousel doesn't matter.
Whether you're looking for a bent corner, crossing your fingers or dropping lots of real-world money on the game versus playing for free, the cards are all the same - and actually pre-determined. Choice is an illusion!
Where's the evidence? Well, YouTuber Rustywolf has come up with this convincing video where he shows a script he's authored that sniffs data packets sent by Pokémon TCG Pocket to the game's servers.
Behind the scenes, you can see that pack opening data is determined as soon as a pack is purchased, before the user picks the on-screen booster they want to open or sees any of its cards.
The video below shows this all in action, with card IDs received from the game's server and able to be cross-referenced with the game's card database - revealing the cards you'll get whatever pack you pick before you've even picked it.
Eurogamer previously reported on the various Pokémon TCG Pocket conspiracy theories being passed around the game's playerbase for how to "hack" or "glitch" the game to get better cards.
Pokémon TCG Pocket looks to be off to a great start, with $12m earned over the game's first four days and more than 30m downloads after a week. Looking to get ahead of the game's first expansion, expected in January? Here's our Pokémon TCG Pocket tier list for the best Pokémon cards, Trainer cards, rental decks and decks.