Pokemon TCG Pocket: What to do with duplicate cards

Pokemon TCG Pocket has finally released, and users worldwide have begun their new collections of trading cards. One issue many users will encounter is duplicate cards pulled from booster packs. Some players may be wondering if they can do anything with these duplicates other than keeping them for trades with other users.

Thankfully, Pokemon TCG Pocket has a system designed for players to collect as many duplicates as they can. This is thanks to the new resource, Shinedust, that players can use to enhance their cards with special cosmetic effects. Here is everything you need to know about collecting duplicate cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket.

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Getting Shinedust and duplicates in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Players need Shinedust and duplicates to make custom effects for their cards (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Shinedust is a resource that accumulates through a couple of different methods. It is one of the many milestone rewards players can earn on their account, like collecting a certain amount of different cards. It can also be gained whenever users pull a card they already have in their collection from a booster pack. The copy is sent to their collection, but they gain a differing amount of Shinedust.

The amount of Shinedust players gain from pulling a duplicate card scales with the amount of duplicates they have in their collection. As such, it would be smart for users to save their duplicates until they can fully upgrade a card's flair so they can effectively farm Shinedust.

Obtaining duplicates can be very easy to do. They can be pulled from booster packs, which are given to users for free every 12 hours. Duplicates can also be received from Wonder Picks and trades. Not only do these duplicates affect the amount of Shinedust a player receives, but they are also consumed to level up a card's flair.

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What is Shinedust used for in Pokemon TCG Pocket

As mentioned previously, Shinedust is also used to duplicate copies of a given card to unlock flairs. Flairs are special cosmetic effects that can be leveled up at the cost of more resources. There are currently 4 levels to flairs, with the cost getting more expensive with each tier, alongside the rarity of the base card.

While the cost of Shinedust scales up with the rarity of the card users want to unlock or upgrade the flair for, the amount of duplicate cards required actually decreases. Starting at a three-diamond rarity, cards will only require one duplicate to unlock their flair. This should make unlocking every flair easier for casual players who enjoy the experience of collecting the new virtual trading cards.

Unfortunately, this is the only purpose for Shinedust as of writing. That said, Pokemon TCG Pocket is still a new game and the developers may add a store in the future where players can spend their Shinedust, or there may be more customization options for flairs down the line.