As a fan of Mega Evolutions – keep them out of Pokémon Pocket

The release of Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution is creeping up slowly but surely, with September 26, 2025 on the horizon. This upcoming launch day for the standard TCG has some fans – myself included – wondering if Megas will ever pop up in Pokémon TCG Pocket.

While Mega Evolutions feature some of the best creature designs in the Pokémon world, I’m crossing my fingers that we don’t see them pop up in the mobile game, as I think they’d be more trouble than they’re worth. Here’s a deep-dive into why I think Mega Evolutions shouldn’t make an appearance in Pocket.

The Escapist recaps

• Mega Evolution is a fan-favorite game mechanic, for both VGC and TCG players, so the hype around the Mega Evolution TCG set is astronomical
• This upcoming launch has some players wondering if we’ll see Mega Evolutions appear in Pokémon TCG Pocket down the line
• While I think Megas work exceptionally in the standard TCG, I’m hoping we never see them in Pocket, due to concerns around purpose and scale
• There’s been no official mention of a Pocket set with Mega Evolutions – this is all based on fan speculation about the upcoming PTCG set

Megas are perfect for the standard TCG, not Pocket

As a long-time player of the standard Pokémon TCG, I initially turned my nose up at Pokémon TCG Pocket, thinking it was too simplified and not understanding why other fans were so entranced by the game. 

Almost a year later, I’m completely sold. Pocket’s beauty lies in its simplicity, leaving matches feeling moreish and making collecting digital cards feel rewarding. 

Based on this pared-back style of play, I’m hoping that the Pocket team doesn’t follow in the standard TCG’s footsteps, leaving Mega Evolutions alone. As much as I love designs like Mega Houndoom and Mega Gengar, I don’t think they’d feel at home in Pocket. 

I see two key issues with the potential introduction of battle mechanics like Mega Evolutions into Pocket – purpose and scale. 

I can see how some simplified versions of battle mechanics may work in Pocket, sure – perhaps Tera could be a temporary effect in battle, changing the Pokémon’s type for a turn via an Item or Pokémon Tool – but I can’t see a way for Mega Evolutions to be introduced in a meaningful, fun manner. 

Mega Pokémon are colossal in power and size. When they’re defeated in a standard TCG match, they reward three Prize Cards – but in Pocket, this would be an instant win, as three points signifies the end of a match.

Balancing the game with Mega ‘mons in the mix would be a challenge, to put it mildly. 

Mega Evolutions could, then, be introduced as standard ex cards rewarding two points instead, perhaps, but what would make them feel different to regular ex cards? To me, two-point Megas in Pocket would be mechanically identical to ex cards, just with bigger HP pools, leading to issues of power creeping.

This makes me wonder whether a Mega expansion set for Pocket would be worth it at all. If they weren’t simplified heavily, they’d be tricky to balance and would likely dominate the competitive meta, but if they were drastically scaled down, they wouldn’t feel like Megas. 

Introducing Megas would feel clunky at best

In the standard TCG, Pokémon GO, and the mainline Pokémon video games, new mechanics change the flow of battle.

I’d argue Terastallization has had the biggest impact on the VGC scene out of the past few generations, and Dynamaxing has added a new depth to GO – so I’d hope that a new mechanic in Pocket would feel just as fresh.

I just can’t see a way that Mega Evolutions would fill that void, though.

Getting a Mega onto the field in Pocket would be an uphill battle. The introduction of the Rare Candy Item with Celestial Guardians meant that evolving a ‘mon into a Stage Two is slightly less arduous, but it’s still a lengthy process – so imagine doing this with a Mega card.

Unless special Items were introduced to quickly evolve Megas or get them onto the field, playing these cards in Pocket would be counterintuitive in a game that features shorter matches and a snappier playstyle. 

I do adore the designs in the Mega Evolution roster, so I’d be over the moon if I was proven wrong about this. Nothing has been officially confirmed about Megas in Pocket, but if anything changes on this topic, I’ll be sure to update this article. 

While Mega Evolutions are undoubtedly one of the best Pokémon battle mechanics in the series, I don’t think they should debut in Pokémon Pocket. They’re set to rejoin the standard TCG in September, which feels like a much more natural fit for the mechanic, based on gameplay style and match formats.

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