Pokémon Cards by Rarity

Evolution of Pokémon Card Rarity

Over the years, various new rarities have been added to the initial ones. Initially, Rare Holos, like the Charizard from the Base Set, were the rarest cards. Later, various subcategories of Rare cards were introduced. In conjunction with card types such as VMAX and EX cards, Ultra Rares were added. Secret Rares are cards outside of a set's official numbering. Mew ex from the 151 Set, for example, has the number 193/165, making it a Secret Rare. With Scarlet & Violet, further Rares were introduced, such as Double Rares with two stars instead of just one.

The Different Rarities

Rarity is one of the main characteristics of Pokémon cards, usually
indicated by a symbol or abbreviation at the bottom left of the card.

Rarity types and symbols may vary depending on the cycle and language.

As with most trading card games, there are Common, Uncommon, and Rare cards in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

• Common ➜ are the most frequently occurring cards (Circle Symbol)
• Uncommon ➜ are slightly less common (Diamond Symbol)
• Rare ➜ are the rarest among the usual cards (Black Star)

Beyond these, there are various rarer categories, which are collectively referred to as Rare+ across all games in the Sammelfieber Shop. Among others, the following rarities exist (updated according to Pokémon Scarlet & Violet):

• Double Rare ➜ Regular ex Pokémon (from Scarlet & Violet) (2 Black Stars)
• Ultra Rare* ➜ Full Art Pokémon and Trainers (2 White Stars)
• Illustration Rare* ➜ Alternate Art regular Pokémon (Gold Star)
• Special Illustration Rare* ➜ Alternate Art Pokémon ex and Trainers (2 Gold Stars)
• Hyper Rare* ➜ Gold Cards (3 Gold Stars)
• Promo ➜ are special cards from promotion sets (Promo Star)
• Secret Rare ➜ Cards outside of the official numbering.

* These cards are also always Secret Rare

Other Factors

In addition to rarity, cards can be sorted by game mechanics, such as Pokémon-ex, or by Holo and Reverse Holo (Parallel Foil) cards. While before the Scarlet & Violet cycle Rare cards could be Holo or not, now all Rare cards are Holo.