In the gaming community Pokemon TCG Pocket, a peculiar theory has long been circulating: the idea that to get the best cards, you should look for packs with a folded corner. According to this belief, the presence of this peculiarity in packs suggested that they contained valuable or rare cards. This myth has captured the attention of players looking for any possible advantage in their quest to collect powerful and desired cards, however, a new analysis has cast doubt on the validity of this theory. A user, with great knowledge of the workings of the Pokémon TCG Pocket app, has revealed information that could definitively disprove this idea.
How the app works: debunking the myth
User Rustywolf has uploaded to his YouTube channel a explanatory video which shows the process of analyzing the data that the app sends and receives from its server. Using tools to monitor the communication between the app and the server, it has been shown that the cards in each pack are already predefined before the player selects them.
According to the information shared in the video, each pack shown in the app's interface is just a visual representation. The actual cards contained in a pack have already been predetermined by the server at the time the player opens the app and purchases the pack. This revelation completely changes the perception many players had about the possibility of manipulating the outcome by choosing packs with specific physical characteristics, such as the famous folded corner.
Data analysis that reveals everything
In the video, the user analyzes how the app sends requests to the server to get the card data. When comparing these responses with the contents of the pack the player chooses, it becomes clear that the cards that will appear are already assigned before the visual selection of the pack is made. This means that regardless of which one is chosen on screen – be it one with a folded corner or one without any particular characteristics – the result will be the same.
This discovery debunks the folded-corner envelope theory, a belief that had gained traction in part because, in real life, small physical details can suggest tampering or errors in production that indicate unusual content. But in the digital world of Pokemon TCG Pocket, the situation is different. The technology behind the app ensures that the cards are allocated fairly and that the choice of an envelope on the screen has no impact on the outcome.
Why did the bent corner theory emerge?
Theories about how to obtain better cards have always been present in collectible card games, as players look for any possible clue that might increase their odds of success. The bent corner theory in Pokémon TCG Pocket likely arose from the analogy with physical booster packs, where production or packaging details sometimes indicate unusual contents. The myth was further bolstered by anecdotes of players claiming to have obtained better cards from booster packs with damaged or bent corners. While this could have simply been a coincidence, in the digital realm this theory has proven to be unfounded.
What about choosing
The video debunking this theory has had a significant impact on the Pokémon TCG Pocket community. Many players who believed in the idea of the folded-corner booster pack have had to reevaluate their strategies and accept that, in the end, luck in obtaining rare cards is based on a system managed by server algorithms, and not on visual details of the user interface.
Discussions have been sparked on social media and gaming forums about the importance of understanding how the internal mechanics of digital card game apps work. This type of analysis helps players make more informed decisions and put aside myths that, while entertaining, do not provide any real benefits. So for now, everything is still based on statistics, and for greater accuracy, all you have to do, unfortunately, is open more and more packs.
Goodbye to the bent corner
Debunking the folded corner theory has implications beyond simply debunking a myth. It underscores the importance of transparency and education in the gaming community. Understanding that cards are already pre-selected by the server eliminates the idea that players can influence the contents of packs by observing details on the screen.
Developers of digital card games could use these kinds of moments to educate users about how their card allocation systems work. Not only would this strengthen confidence in the fairness of the game's mechanics, but it would also help prevent the spread of similar myths in the future. The video proves that the cards are pre-allocated, so it seems to have ended an era of speculation about the contents of packs. While there will always be new theories and assumptions in the community, this demonstration is a reminder that in digital games, the reality behind the code is often more complex (or simpler, depending on how you look at it) than what's seen on screen.
With the evidence presented, it appears that the folded-corner envelope theory has been dismissed once and for all.