Ranked rewards and matches in Pokemon TCG Pocket explained

Pokemon TCG Pocket best decks
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Pokemon TCG Pocket ranked rewards and matches lead you up through a ladder that can earn you pack hourglasses and new emblems that commemorate your victories! Ranked matches in PTCGP are mostly had against players of equal skill - and occasionally bots - with multiple ranks for players to strive for before the season ends and the rewards are distributed accordingly. If that interests you, here's everything you need to know about ranked matches and ranked rewards in Pokemon TCG Pocket now that the competitive ladder and first season has gone live!

All Ranked rewards in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Pokemon TCG Pocket Ranks

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

At the end of a season of ranked matches in Pokemon TCG Pocket, players get a Final Rank Reward based on the highest rank they achieved during that season. There are 17 Ranks in total (with players then competing to be best in the highest rank, Master Ball), and each one of which comes with a unique Emblem (as shown above), as well as numerous Pack Hourglasses.

  • Beginner
    • Rank 1: Beginner Emblem + 10 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 2: Beginner Emblem + 15 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 3: Beginner Emblem + 20 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 4: Beginner Emblem + 25 Pack Hourglasses
  • Poke Ball
    • Rank 1: Poke Ball Emblem + 30 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 2: Poke Ball Emblem + 35 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 3: Poke Ball Emblem + 40 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 4: Poke Ball Emblem + 45 Pack Hourglasses
  • Great Ball
    • Rank 1: Great Ball Emblem + 50 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 2: Great Ball Emblem + 55 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 3: Great Ball Emblem + 60 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 4: Great Ball Emblem + 65 Pack Hourglasses
  • Ultra Ball
    • Rank 1: Ultra Ball Emblem + 75 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 2: Ultra Ball Emblem + 80 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 3: Ultra Ball Emblem + 85 Pack Hourglasses
    • Rank 4: Ultra Ball Emblem + 90 Pack Hourglasses
  • Master Ball
    • (Unranked / #10,000+): Master Ball Emblem + 95 Pack Hourglasses
    • #5,001 - #10,000: "Top 10000" Master Ball Emblem + 100 Pack Hourglasses
    • #1,001 - #5,000: "Top 5000" Master Ball Emblem + 100 Pack Hourglasses
    • #1 - #1,001: "Top 1000" Master Ball Emblem + 100 Pack Hourglasses

Each of these emblems is tagged with a serial number marking the Season you earned it from, such as the most recent being "A2b", the same as the Shining Revelry booster set.

It will also be marked with a second number tagging what Rank you achieved - if you got to Ultra Ball Rank 2, for example, you'd get the Ultra Ball emblem with a little "2" at the bottom.

How ranked matches in Pokemon TCG Pocket work

Pokemon TCG Pocket Ranks

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

To ascend through PTCGP Ranked matches, you simply need to win games in ranked mode! Every win will earn you points towards your next rank, and consecutive wins will grant a bonus. Players you encounter will be of a similar rank to you, ensuring a tiered challenge that scales to your skill level. For the best possible chance at victory, you should look at our Pokemon TCG Pocket best decks page.

When do ranked seasons change in PTCGP?

Pokemon TCG Pocket Ranks

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Ranked seasons reset every month, and if the serial numbers are any indication, will be timed with new card expansions accordingly. You can get a specific indicator of when a current season ends by doing the following:

  1. Select Ranked Matches under the Versus Battle Menu
  2. Press the Question Mark in the top right
  3. Select "Event Details"

This will tell you the duration of the current season. In this case, Season A2b will end on April 27, 2025, with Results and Rewards going live on April 30.

Pokemon TCG Pocket ranked bots

Pokemon TCG Pocket Space-Time Smackdown expansion

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

Ranked Matches in PTCGP pocket will often put you against bots if it's struggling to find a match for you. The game won't tell you if it has, but there's some pretty obvious signifiers that can give it away:

  • They have a generic username like "Tom" or "Alice"
  • They don't have any emblems
  • They have multi-type decks without any real strategic coherence

There's no way to ensure ranked matches against bots, but ultimately it's always to the benefit of the player, as bots tend to be incredibly easy. If you come up against one, you're very likely to get a win. However, be sure that it is a bot and don't let your guard down - it might be a cunning player with a build you haven't seen yet.

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Joel Franey
Guides Writer

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. 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 USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.

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