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Pokemon TCG Pocket Space-Time Smackdown release date and details

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The new expansion set for PTCGP is out now, and includes Dialga and Palkia among over 140 new cards

Pokemon TCG Pocket Space-Time Smackdown expansion
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)
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The new Pokemon TCG Pocket Space-Time Smackdown expansion set is out now, which means there's another influx of cards to get collecting. The theme for this set is the Sinnoh Pokedex starting at Gen 4, with legendary Pokemon Dialga ex and Palkia ex headlining the arrival of well over a hundred fresh cards. With so many new Pokemon entering circulation, this expansion is bound to have an effect on the best decks meta, while the addition of the long-awaited trading feature could also change the playing field for many. For the latest details, here's everything you need to know about the Space-Time Smackdown expansion for Pokemon TCGP, with all of the details revealed so far.

Release date and details for Space-Time Smackdown in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Pokemon TCG Pocket Space-Time Smackdown expansion

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Here are all the major details we've seen about the Pokemon TCGP Space-Time Smackdown expansion set.

  • Release date: January 30, 2025 (out now!)
  • Number of Cards: 140+
  • New Booster Packs: 2 (Dialga / Palkia)
  • Theme: The Sinnoh Region (Generation 4)
  • Noteworthy features: Trading (goes live January 29, 2025) and Pokemon Tools

This is a far larger expansion than the prior Pokemon TCG Pocket Mythical Island set that was released back in December 2024, nearly twice the size in terms of how many cards players will be able to collect.

Below, we'll go into more detail on all the most exciting features that have been noted so far, so players know what to expect.

Best cards in Space-Time Smackdown

Pokemon TCG Pocket Space-Time Smackdown expansion

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

We've seen multiple cards in the promotional trailer for the Space-Time Smackdown, which revealed the existence of all the following new Pokemon cards:

  • Dialga ex (Steel)
  • Palkia ex (Water)
  • Pachirisu ex (Electric)
  • Turtwig (Grass)
  • Chimchar (Fire)
  • Piplup (Water)
  • Leafeon (Grass)
  • Honchkrow (Dark)
  • Cresselia (Unknown)
  • Togekiss (Unknown)
  • Lucario (Fighting)
  • Gible (Dragon)
  • Garchomp (Dragon)
  • Cynthia (Trainer Card)

We can also make some educated guesses about what other cards might be added - the evolutions of certain cards, for example.

Pokemon TCG Pocket Space-Time Smackdown expansion

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Of all the cards revealed, early glimpses make it look as though the best card in Space-Time Smackdown so far is Palkia ex. This is a 150 HP water-type Basic ex card, with two attacks: a 1-energy Slash for 30 damage and a 4-energy Dimensional Storm, which does 150 damage and 20 to each of the opponent's benched Pokemon, but does force you to discard three Water energy when used.

The continued existence of Misty, a card which can rapidly supercharge Water-type cards, is responsible for several of the Pokemon TCG Pocket best decks in play right now. And considering that Palkia ex is also durable and can immediately come out swinging with a 1-energy attack… yeah, it's clearly going to be a strong contender, even if it doesn't emerge as the best card.

Pokemon Tools in Space-Time Smackdown

Pokemon TCG Pocket Space-Time Smackdown expansion

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

While we haven't seen them yet, the flavour text for Pachirisu ex mentions and confirms the existence of Pokemon Tools being added to Pokemon TCG Pocket. These are special cards that have yet to be added to the game, in which you can add them to a benched or active Pokemon card on your team for a benefit. Assuming they work the same way as they do in the physical game, a Pokemon can only have one tool at a time, and you cannot un-attach them afterwards. In that degree, they are the equivalent of "Held Items" from the Pokemon video games.

Trading

Pokemon TCG Pocket trading

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

The long-promised Pokemon TCG Pocket trading feature went live the day before Space-Time Smackdown. Our guide goes into more detail on that feature, but the following was confirmed in advance about trading:

"Releasing on Jan. 29, 2025, the new trade feature will allow players to trade their digital Pokémon cards with friends, broadening options for growing card collections in Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket. Players will need to use two new items, trade hourglasses and trade tokens, in order to trade cards with a rarity of ♦1-4 and ★1 with cards of the same rarity. Upon release of the new feature, players will be able to trade certain cards from the Genetic Apex and Mythical Island expansions, with plans currently in place to expand the lineup of tradeable cards in future updates."

This means that players actually won't be able to trade cards from the Space-Time Smackdown expansion when it launches, and will instead have to wait for that option. It also means that all the Pokemon TCG Pocket rarest cards can't be traded, so if you wanted somebody's gold Mewtwo ex, you won't get it.

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Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.

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