The Pokémon GO trading card set is adding an amazing transforming Ditto mechanic straight from the game.
When opening a pack of the new Pokémon GO cards, players should be on the lookout for a special Ditto symbol in the bottom left that can be found on basic Pokémon such as Bidoof.
As shown in an official Pokémon TCG Instagram post (below), the unassuming Bidoof card (and presumably a handful of other Pokémon) will actually turn out to be a sticker, and can actually be peeled away to reveal a Ditto card behind it.
In Pokémon GO itself, Ditto also hides in plain sight behind a rotating cast of Pokémon including Bidoof, Pidgey, Ekans, and so on, and only once you catch one does “Oh?” appear on the screen – before revealing that you actually just caught a Ditto.
Pretty impressively, the Pokémon TCG has managed to recreate this perfectly in the new set of cards, as the Bidoof used as an example is just a common card from the set that can be encountered normally.
The Pokémon GO set was announced for the trading card game in March but fans eager to get their hands on a special Ditto will have to wait a little longer, as it doesn’t release until July 1.
Pokémon cards continue to grow in popularity 25 years after the original set was released, as evidenced, among other things, by the number of people trying to steal them.
An independent gaming store in Minnesota reportedly had around $250,000 worth of Pokémon merchandise stolen in February while in March a man was arrested in Tokyo for allegedly launching a literal heist in order to steal the treasured cards.
Also in March, a Georgia man didn’t steal Pokémon cards directly but instead misused money from the government to buy one, using a COVID-19 relief payment to buy a rare, shiny Charizard.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
