Pokerarityby godpack.io

Collector’s guide

Pokémon card rarity symbols, explained

Every Pokémon card has a small rarity symbol on the front. Here’s what each one means in today’s sets, how to tell if a card is rare in a few seconds, and why the rarest card isn’t always the most valuable.

Updated November 12, 2026

Where to find the rarity symbol

Look along the bottom of the card. On Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution cards, the rarity symbol sits in the bottom-left corner, next to the set code and the collector number. Black symbols mark the everyday rarities. Silver, gold and colored stars mark the special cards.

Pokémon card rarity chart

SymbolRarityWhat it marks
CommonThe most common cards in a set, like many Basic Pokémon and Trainer cards.
UncommonA step up: often evolved Pokémon and stronger Trainer cards.
RareEvery booster pack has at least one card of this rarity or higher. Since Scarlet & Violet, every Rare is a holofoil card.
Double RareRegular-art Pokémon ex.
Ultra RareFull-art Pokémon ex and full-art Supporter cards.
Illustration RareFull-art illustrations of regular (non-ex) Pokémon.
Special Illustration RareFull-art Pokémon ex and Supporters with special artwork. Often the chase cards of a set.
Hyper RareGold-etched cards with gold borders and accents.
ACE SPEC RarePowerful Trainer and Special Energy cards. A deck can hold only one ACE SPEC card in total.
Shiny RareShiny Pokémon, introduced in Paldean Fates.
Shiny Ultra RareFull-art shiny Pokémon ex, introduced in Paldean Fates.
Mega Attack RareMega Evolution era: pop-art Mega Pokémon ex with their big attack written across the art. Introduced in Ascended Heroes.
Mega Hyper RareMega Evolution era: gold-etched Mega Pokémon ex with gold backgrounds and alternate artwork. Introduced in the Mega Evolution set.

The chart covers English Scarlet & Violet (2023 to 2025) and Mega Evolution (2025 onward) sets. A few special sets add rarities of their own, like Black White Rare in Black Bolt and White Flare.

How to tell if a Pokémon card is rare

  1. Check the symbol. A circle is Common and a diamond is Uncommon. One black star is Rare. More stars, or colored ones, mean one of the higher rarities in the chart.
  2. Check the collector number. If it’s higher than the set total, like 212/091, it’s a secret rare from beyond the main set.
  3. Look at the finish. Textured full-art cards, gold etching and artwork that runs to the edges are the special rarities. A reverse holo, with a shiny card around flat artwork, has the same rarity as its regular version.
  4. Look for a promo star. A black star with the word PROMO means the card came from a product or event, not from a booster pack’s rarity slots.
  5. Reading Japanese cards? They print letter codes instead of symbols, like RR (Double Rare), AR (Illustration Rare), SR (Ultra Rare), SAR (Special Illustration Rare) and UR (Hyper Rare).

Rarity isn’t the same as value

The symbol tells you how a card was printed and packed, not what it’s worth. Prices come from demand: the Pokémon, the artwork, how popular the set is and the card’s condition. A Special Illustration Rare of a fan favorite can sell for more than a Hyper Rare from the same set.

Rarity, the Pokerarity way

Pokerarity turns rarity into a daily quiz. Instead of a symbol printed on a card, rarity comes from your answers: name a Pokémon everyone thinks of and you pull a Common. Name one most fans forget and you pull a God Pull.

  1. Common10 pts
  2. Uncommon20 pts
  3. Rare35 pts
  4. Holo55 pts
  5. Ultra80 pts
  6. God Pull100 pts

Want the real thing? godpack.io opens real TCG packs online, with every pack’s pull rates shown up front (18+).

Questions

What is the rarest Pokémon card rarity right now?

In current English sets, the top rarities are Mega Hyper Rare, Mega Attack Rare, Hyper Rare (three gold stars) and Special Illustration Rare (two gold stars). Which is hardest to pull, and which is worth the most, changes from set to set.

What do two gold stars mean on a Pokémon card?

Two gold stars mark a Special Illustration Rare: a full-art Pokémon ex or Supporter card with special artwork.

What does a black star mean on a Pokémon card?

A single black star marks a Rare. Since Scarlet & Violet, every Rare is a holofoil card. A black star with the word PROMO on it marks a promo card instead.

What is a secret rare Pokémon card?

A secret rare has a collector number higher than the set’s printed total, such as 212/091. These cards sit beyond the main set list and are usually full-art or gold.

Is a reverse holo rare?

A reverse holo has the same rarity as the regular version of the card. Only the finish is different: the shine is on the card around the artwork instead of on it.

Source: Bulbapedia’s rarity guide. Pokémon and the Pokémon Trading Card Game are trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures and GAME FREAK.