Pokemon Patents System For Tracking TCG Cards

The world of competitive Pokemon TCG is about to change…at least for the viewer. A new patent filed by The Pokemon Company International will incorporate an RFID tagging system. This will let viewers of livestreams and other TCG events actively track cards. No more guessing if that’s a Squirtle or Piplup hiding in a player’s hand.

According to PokeBeach, this new technology will have Pokemon cards inserted into a sleeve that has an RFID tag embedded into it. As cards are added to the sleeve, a camera will photograph them and then search for its identity. Now, that sleeve will be mapped to a virtual copy of the inserted card.

Once that is done, the RFID reader will be able to determine which cards remain in a player’s deck after one has been drawn. This will let the movement of cards be easily tracked during a match. While this may seem like an unnecessarily complicated step for a Pokemon TCG event, it will make watching a match much more enjoyable for the viewer and allow for more honest playing.

Plus, being able to track the cards would eliminate the need for elaborate camera set-ups for events. No more trying to get the right angle on someone's hand to see if that is a Pikachu or Pichu peeping out.

In the official filing for the patent, the inspiration for the invention seems to stem from a lack of real-time information in card games. While commentators can give an analysis after a card is played, this will allow them to offer more accurate information in real-time. Plus, it will make the commentary provided in such matches much more enjoyable. Knowing which cards are on the table to be played allows for more in-depth analysis from both audience and commentator.

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