As with other trading card games, thePokémon Trading Card Gameassigns each of its cards a rarity, with each card’s availability in booster packs decreasing as its rarity rises. Over time, thePokémon TCG’s rarity system has evolved to become more complicated, which can leave some people confused about the specific rarities of given cards and what they mean. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to discover the rarity of anyPokémoncard, and the system as it stands today can likewise still be fully explained with little issue.
Rarity dictates much of how a collection ofPokémoncards grows, with rarer cards naturally being much harder to obtain without trading or purchasing them directly on the secondary market. Moreover, it is far from coincidence that even the mostrecentPokémon TCGsets’ must-have cardsgenerally consist of rarer cards, with that higher rarity often being tied to both more impressive artwork and more powerful gameplay potential. As such, a lot of time and effort can be put into building amaster collection ofPokémon TCGcards, particularly as more and more exclusive cards are released.
Every Rarity In The Pokémon TCG
From Common To Hyper Rare
The lower end of thePokémon TCG’s rarity scale is also the most straightforward, beginning with Common cards.Common cards make up a large portion of any set, depicting most basic Pokémon. Uncommon cards introduce evolved Pokémon and Trainer cards, while Rare cards feature particularly notable Pokémon, like Legendaries. However, there are many further subcategories of Rare cards, each with its own defining characteristics. Such cards are usually among a given set’s most powerful cards, feature variant artwork, or both. The full list of current rarities is as follows:
Evolved Pokémon and most Trainer cards
Powerful but non-variant Pokémon cards, including Legendaries
Pokémon ex
Full Art Pokémon cards
Ultra Rare
Full Art Pokémon ex and Supporter cards, or a unique mechanic like Pokémon V
Otherwise normal cards featuring Shiny Pokémon
Even rarer versions of some Pokémon ex and Supporters
Hyper Rare
Golden versions of a variety of cards, excluding Supporters
Every booster pack guarantees a card of at least basic Rare rarity, meaning that the Rare subcategories (which can replace a booster pack’s Rare or Reverse Holo cards) are arguably the true prizes of any collection. The last six of these subcategories are Secret Rare cards, and exceed their expansion’s official number of cards. For example, if a set numbered its cards out of 100, the list of Secret Rares would begin at card number 101. It should also be noted thatthe two Shiny rarities are currently exclusive to thePaldean Fatesexpansion.
There are also some cards that fall outside the standard rarity scale. For example, Basic Energy cards have no rarity assigned to them. Additionally,Black Star Promos are promotional cards that exist separately from an expansionand follow their own numbering system as a result. Nevertheless, they are released alongside expansions and are typically included as bonus cards for purchasing somePokémon TCGproducts. Notably, these exclusive cards can themselves vary greatly, from cards that are nearly indistinguishable from regular cards to impressive Full Art cards.
How Card Rarity Has Changed Over The Years
More Rarities Have Been Introduced Over Time
Originally, thePokémon TCG’s rarity system was much more concise. Cards in the originalBase Setcould be Common, Uncommon, Rare, or Holofoil Rare. Cards with a holofoil treatment were naturally rarer than standard Rare cards, although as of thePokémon Scarlet & VioletSeries making all Rare cards Holos, this is naturally no longer the case. The introduction of subcategories of Rare cards is also heavily related to the introduction of more powerful Pokémon variants, most notably thePokémon TCG’s various forms of Pokémon V.
It should be noted thatcards with their own signature mechanics have had their own special designated rarities in the past, much like thePokémon TCG’s current series of ACE SPEC cardsdo. While all Pokémon V can be considered Ultra Rares, for example, they are more technically Holo Rare V, Holo Rare VMAX, and so forth. With the standardization of holographic Rare cards, thePokémon Scarlet & Violetseries simplified this into the current Ultra Rare rarity, as well as making several other alterations.
Radiant Pokémon, introduced in the 2022Astral Radianceset, are another Ultra Rare card variant with their own specific rarity designation: Radiant Rare.
As the latest era of thePokémon TCG,theScarlet & VioletSeries has brought the English version’s rarity scale more in line with the original Japanese version. Notably, Ultra Rare cards have been changed from denoting non-standard mechanics to the current range of Full Art Pokémon and Supporter cards. At the same time, the Double Rare rarity was also introduced to denote more basic, non-Full Art Pokémon ex cards, which would previously have fallen under the Ultra Rare category as it was treated in theSword & Shieldseries.
Does Rarity Affect How Much Cards Are Worth?
Many Factors Determine A Pokémon Card’s Value
Naturally, a card’s rarity can play a strong role in its value, with the most expensivePokémoncards typically also being among the rarest in any given set. Secret Rares in particular can be easily expected to fetch a higher price than other cards, with prices typically scaling in response to precisely how rare that particular card is. However, some cards have higher prices not just because of their rarity, but because of their subject; for example, the fan-favorite PokémonCharizard is featured on many valuable cards.
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Ultimately,a card’s official rarity isn’t always a perfect indicator of how expensive it ison the secondary market. From appealing subjects to older cards disappearing over time and even printing errors, there are many factors involved in determining which are thevery rarestPokémoncards, which in turn can greatly affect their value. Nevertheless, a card’s official Rarity can always provide a baseline for determining value, particularly for recent expansions that have yet to experience the effects of time.
How To Tell The Rarity On Your Pokémon Card
Clearly Visible Symbols Make Determining Rarity Easy
The rarity of aPokémon TCGcard can be easily distinguished by the rarity symbol found at the bottom of the card, to the right of the card’s set number. The precise position of this symbol has changed over time, originally being found in the bottom right. However, on modern cards, it can be found alongside other identifying information in the card’s bottom-left corner. Notably, in the case of promotional cards, this symbol is replaced with a black star overlaid with the word “PROMO.” All other current rarity symbols are as follows:
Black circle
Black diamond
Black star
Two black stars
Magenta star
Gold star
Two silver stars, or a white star prior toScarlet & Violetsets
Hollow gold star
Two hollow gold stars
Two gold stars
Three gold stars
Of course, just as the rarity scale has changed over time, so too have the symbols used. Most notably,before theScarlet and VioletSeries, Ultra Rare cards (such as Pokémon V) were denoted by white stars instead of the current two silver stars. However, this rarity symbol is not in use on new cards, and so as the TCG moves forward, these older cards and their associated rarities will slowly rotate out from use in competitive settings.
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The card rarities of thePokémon Trading Card Gameare far more numerous than they were at the game’s debut, and the rarity system has been altered multiple times throughout the years. However, the basics of the TCG’s rarities are as easy to understand as they have ever been, with a scaling level of rarity accompanied by clear defining symbols. As a result, identifying the rarity of any card in any set is very simple, to the point that people can tell when a card is a lucky find with just a glance.
