New Pokémon TCG Pocket Expansion Gives Team Rocket A Shot

An official press release revealed Team Rocket's Ambition will be released on Aug. 26 at 6 p.m. PDT. The themed booster pack will highlight the Pokémon and trainers of the nefarious Team Rocket. Each card features new art, with certain cards highlighting the team's signature R mark. Covers and backdrops featuring Giovanni and his Persian will also be available.

The Team Rocket's Ambition expansion will come with a series of new events. Of particular interest are the new Special Assignments, in which players will obtain Shady Tickets by completing missions and then try to find where the new currency can be spent in-game during the event period. This is the first time The Pokémon Company has introduced an event like this in Pokémon TCG Pocket, and it may breathe some fresh air into the mobile title. The Special Assignments will run from the start of Team Rocket's Ambition through Sept. 28.

There will be an Emblem event that runs until Sept. 9 in which players can obtain themed emblems to put on their profile based on how many battles they have won against other players. From Sept. 9 through Sept. 19, winning special solo battles in the Lapras Drop event will earn B Series promo packs vol. 12. During the Wonder Pick event from Sept. 18 through Sept. 28, promo cards featuring Fennekin and Meowstic will appear in wonder picks. There will also be missions that allow players to obtain an event shop ticket, which can be exchanged for a promo card in the Shop.

The Pokémon Company has also teased The Great Puzzle Challenge as part of Team Rocket's Ambition. By solving puzzles on a website during the campaign period, players will obtain serial codes that will allow them to claim pack hourglasses in-game. More details will be provided closer to the expansion's release.

Earlier this month, co-developer DeNA revealed that there had been a roughly 41% player drop off for Pokémon TCG Pocket since last year. To address that, DeNA said it would focus on new initiatives that get players logging in more frequently to improve retention and encourage more activity. The unique events in Team Rocket's Ambition seem to be part of that plan.

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