How to Collect Every Card in Pokémon Pocket Without Paying

Did you know Pokémon Pocket is only blocked in two countries - the Netherlands and Belgium? Since I live in the Netherlands, I can’t download the app or pay for a subscription. Still, I’ve managed to collect every tradable card. Here’s the strategy I use.

Log in daily

Open the app at least once a day to claim your free shop tickets and four hourglasses. You’ll get them by opening a pack and doing a wonder pick or battle. Since you can open a pack every 12 hours, that’s two free packs a day.

Opening packs

Keep opening your daily packs and use hourglasses to open more until the chance of pulling a new card drops below about 20%. At that point, stick to the two free daily packs and save your hourglasses for the next expansion.

Focus on diamond and one-star rarities, since those are tradable. Our site’s overview page shows which packs are best for your missing cards. And don’t worry about which pack you pick in the carousel or which wonder pick you choose. The app decides your cards in advance to prevent tampering.

Pack points

Opening packs also gives you Pack Points. Don’t spend them right away. Early in a season, you still have good chances of pulling new cards through packs and wonder picks. I save all my Pack Points until the very end of the season, then use them to pick up the cheapest missing cards first and work my way up. Avoid spending them on EX or star cards, since those usually cost nearly an entire season’s worth of Pack Points for just one card.

Wonder picks

Save all wonder hourglasses for the monthly “sneak peek” event, which usually lasts a week. During this event you get an extra card to choose from, doubling your odds of picking something new.

For regular wonder picks, choose the packs where you’re missing more than one card. When that’s not possible, focus on EX and one-star cards. They’re harder to trade, so getting them directly saves time later.

Shop

Each month, buy all the hourglasses available with shop tickets. To keep a steady flow of tickets, maintain a big friends list (around 90+) and keep your showcase updated so people can like it. Battles are another good way to earn tickets. I also clear out friends that are low level, which means they are likely inactive and no longer give likes.

Solo battles

Every new expansion brings new solo battles. Beat each opponent once to earn hourglasses. I usually let my strongest deck auto-play in the background while doing something else (like write this blog post).

Ranked matches

Ranked battles can also reward you with hourglasses. At the end of the month, your tier determines the bonus. I usually aim for Great Ball rank 4 or Ultra Ball rank 1, which earns around 65–75 hourglasses. Not too shabby!

Missions

Missions reward tokens, hourglasses, or rental decks. Some missions are hidden in the app until you complete them, but you can see the full list on our site by filtering an expansion and checking the missions tab. Most missions unlock naturally as you collect cards, but sometimes you’ll need duplicates, so keep that in mind before trading extras.

Trading

When a season ends, use the site’s forum to trade for any missing cards from the last expansion. There are many incredible friendly people eager to trade with you.