A Complete Guide to Pokémon Rarity Symbols

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Pokémon gaming and collectibles expert Emchompite explains rarity symbols and what they mean

Co-authored by Emchompite and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: November 26, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Rarity Symbols
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• TCG Pocket Rarities
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• Checking Rarity
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• Rare Card Value
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• Finding Rare Cards
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• Video

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Are you wondering if you have a rare or valuable Pokémon card in your collection? Even since the first booster packs were sold, the trading card game included rarity symbols to mark which cards were more exclusive. Keep reading, and we’ll cover what all the rarity symbols look like in the TCG and on TCG Pocket. We also spoke with Pokémon experts and card collectors to break down what each rarity means and how to get rare cards.

Pokémon Rarity Symbols Explained

Pokémon gaming and collectibles expert Emchompite says rarity symbols are small shapes near the bottom of the card. Each rarity has a unique shape, like a black circle for Common, a diamond for Uncommon, and a star for a base Rare.

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Section 1 of 5:

Pokémon TCG Rarity Symbols

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   Common: black circle Emchompite notes that the tiny black circle at the bottom of the card signifies it has a common rarity. These cards appear the most frequently in packs and are usually used for Basic Pokémon with standard illustrations.

   • Japanese rarity symbol: C
   • Some common cards are reverse holographic, so the background will appear shiny and reflective, but the art appears normal.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Emchompite is a Pokémon Gaming and Collectibles Expert who has been sharing informative content about card collecting since 2022.

   Shivam Patel is a High-End Collectibles Expert with over 6 years in the collector’s space. He collects all things Pokémon.

   ThePokéRaf is a Pokémon and Anime Expert who creates content about Pokémon games for his YouTube channel.

   Chris Frey is a Sports Card and Memorabilia Collector and Vice President of 528 Collectibles in Long Island, NY.
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   Uncommon: black diamond Uncommon cards are either Trainer cards or they feature unevolved and evolved Pokémon. Many booster packs contain at least 3 Uncommon cards.

   • Japanese rarity symbol: U
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   Rare: black star Rare cards usually feature fully evolved Pokémon or legendaries. They can be normal or have holographic foil features. In a booster pack, you’re always guaranteed at least 1 Rare card.

   • Japanese rarity symbol: R
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   Double Rare: 2 black stars According to Emchompite, Double Rare cards have Pokémon EX as well as Pokémon-V from the Sword and Shield expansions.

   • Japanese rarity symbol: RR
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   Ultra Rare: 2 gray stars Emchompite says Ultra Rare cards have full-art of Pokémon or Trainers. She notes that when you open a pack, there’s a small chance you’ll get an Ultra Rare instead of a regular Rare card.

   • Japanese rarity symbol: SR
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   Illustration Rare: yellow star Emchompite notes that Illustration Rare cards are alternate art versions of common, uncommon, and rare cards. The art fills the entire front of the card and has holographic foil.

   • Japanese rarity symbol: AR
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   Special Illustration Rare: 2 yellow stars Special Illustration Rare cards are Pokémon EX or Supporter cards that have alternate art that fills the card. The cards also have holographic foil that matches the Pokémon’s environment or the character’s traits.

   • Japanese rarity symbol: SAR
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   Hyper Rare: 3 yellow stars High-end collectibles expert Shivam Patel notes that Hyper Rare cards are also known as “Rainbow cards” because of their multicolor artwork. Emchompite adds that Hyper Rare cards have a gold background.

   • Japanese rarity symbol: UR
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   Mega Hyper Rare: 1 4-pointed star Emchompite says that the newly-introduced Mega Hyper Rares have solid gold coloration and feature a portrait of a mega-evolved Pokémon. Because they’re so new and only a few cards have this rarity, they’re really desirable.

   • Japanese rarity symbol: MUR
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    ACE SPEC Rare: pink star ACE SPEC cards are bright magenta Trainer cards that have textured, holographic art. These cards usually feature powerful abilities you can activate on your turn, so they’re pretty rare to find in a pack.

    • Japanese rarity symbol: ACE
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    Shiny Rare: hollow yellow star Shiny Rares feature Pokémon that have an alternate color scheme and gold stars surrounding them. These cards also have holographic art to make the different colors stand out even more.

    • Japanese rarity symbol: S
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    Shiny Ultra Rare: 2 hollow yellow stars Shiny Ultra Rares are shiny versions of the full-art Pokémon EX cards. The Pokémon will have an alternate shiny color scheme, and gold hollow stars appear somewhere in the artwork.

    • Japanese rarity symbol: SSR
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    Promo: black star with “PROMO” Instead of appearing in sets or booster packs, Promo cards are only available as special releases, such as tournaments or tie-ins with products. They usually have holographic features, special art, or powerful abilities. Because there’s only a limited quantity available, Promos can end up being pretty rare.

    • Japanese rarity symbol: black box with “PROMO”
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    Secret Rare: no symbol Secret Rare cards usually have the same name as another card in the set, but they aren’t listed in the print run. They usually feature different artwork that makes them more desirable to collectors. Instead of having a symbol on the card, the listed card number will be higher than the set size, such as 102/100.

    • Japanese rarity symbol: none
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Section 2 of 5:

Pokémon TCG Pocket Rarity Symbols

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1. 
   Pokémon TCG Pocket uses different rarity symbols in the app. Even though some of the cards in TCG Pocket are based on cards from real life, they’re marked with new symbols to show how rare they are. Rarer cards tend to have full art or special illustrations, and they appear less frequently when you’re opening packs. Pokémon and anime expert ThePokéRaf notes that “shiny cards are very hard to get and they’re the rarest cards.”

   • The rarities in order from most common to rarest and their matching symbols are:
     • Common: 1 diamond
     • Uncommon: 2 diamonds
     • Rare: 3 diamonds
     • Double Rare: 4 diamonds
     • Illustration Rare: 1 yellow star
     • Special Illustration Rare: 2 yellow stars
     • Immersive Rare: 3 yellow stars
     • Shiny Rare: 1 rainbow star
     • Shiny Double Rare: 2 rainbow stars
     • Crown Rare: 1 gold crown
     • Promo: square Poké Ball badge

Section 3 of 5:

How do you check Pokémon card rarity?

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1. 
   Look for the rarity symbol in the bottom-left or bottom-right corner. Most Pokémon cards have the rarity symbol next to the card number in the bottom-left corner. Some older cards, however, have the symbol in the bottom-right corner instead.

   • Some older Promo cards have the symbol stamped on the right side of the card next to the art.
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Section 4 of 5:

Are rare Pokémon cards valuable?

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1. 
   Rarer cards tend to be more valuable than commons. Sports card and memorabilia collector Chris Frey says that each Pokémon set “will have 3 or 4 special edition cards” with different art and illustrations that people chase after. He mentions, “those cards will set the tone of how much they are, and the [value of] the rest trickle down from there.”

   • If you want to check the value of your Pokémon cards, Patel recommends “checking market value for cards through eBay” by clicking on the “Sold and Completed” filters and browsing the latest sale prices.

Section 5 of 5:

How to Get Rare Pokémon Cards

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   Buy rare cards that you want on their own. Emchompite says, “If you're chasing down a card and you're trying to collect on a budget, I would highly recommend just buying the card that you're looking for.” She explains that you’d spend more money trying to get rare cards in packs yourself, so it’s best to shop at local card shops or online at TCG Player or eBay.
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   Expect at least 1 rare card whenever you open a pack. According to Emchompite, a Pokémon card booster pack contains “4 commons, 3 uncommons, 2 reverse holos that can be rare and up, 1 guaranteed rare holo,” 1 Energy, and a code card. While you can always check which cards are released in each set, you won’t know what rare card you got until you open the pack.

   • Emchompite notes, “Opening Pokémon cards is a gamble,” and the cards you get are random, so finding a specific one you want is based on luck.
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