Pokémon rarity symbols explained: from the circle to the Mega sparkle

Every card prints its rarity at the bottom. What the mark means depends on the era, and Japanese cards print letters instead of symbols.

The basic rule dates back to the 1999 Base Set: circle means common, diamond uncommon, star rare. Up to XY the mark sits bottom right next to the card number, from Sun & Moon bottom left after the regulation mark and number. On dark cards the black marks are printed white, so a white circle or star there means nothing special.

Up to and including Sword & Shield, Rare and Holo Rare carry the same black star. Whether a card is holo only shows in the artwork. Last Sold therefore marks holos with a shimmering rim . From Scarlet & Violet every Rare is holo, so the question disappears.

From Black & White to Sword & Shield there is only one mark for everything above Rare: the white star with a dark rim . It appears on EX, GX, V, VMAX and VSTAR cards, Full Arts, Rainbow and Gold cards, Radiant cards, Trainer Gallery and Shiny Vault cards. What the card actually is only shows in its name or number: if the number exceeds the set size, such as 204/202, it is a Secret Rare.

Scarlet & Violet introduced a new system in 2023. Double Rare is two black stars , Ultra Rare two silver ones , Illustration Rare one gold star , Special Illustration Rare two gold and Hyper Rare three gold stars in a pyramid . Add ACE SPEC in magenta , the hollow gold stars of the Paldean Fates shiny cards and the Black White Rare from Black Bolt and White Flare, one grey and one white star .

Mega Evolution brings marks that are no longer stars at all. Mega Hyper Rare is a four-pointed gold sparkle , Mega Attack Rare a pink and a green star . In 2026 the 30th Celebration set adds the Futuristic Rare in teal and, for its three Mew cards, a circle of red, green and blue commas .

Older special marks: the Shining Pokémon from Neo carry three tiny stars . EX-era Gold Star cards have a hollow gold star with two dots . HeartGold SoulSilver LEGEND cards show a gold star with a dark rim , Sword & Shield Amazing Rares a rainbow burst with an “A” . Promo cards have no rarity but the Black Star Promo mark .

Since Black & White, Japanese cards print letters instead of symbols: C U R RR as in the West, plus AR for Illustration Rare, SAR for Special Illustration Rare, SR for the silver Ultra Rare and UR for the gold Hyper Rare. HR is the rainbow from Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield, CHR and CSR the Character cards, K the Radiant cards, MUR the Mega Hyper Rare. ACE is printed in magenta, BWR in grey. Chinese cards use the same system. Beware: many databases mislabel Japanese UR and HR cards.

Last Sold shows each card's printed mark for its era and lets you filter by it on set and search pages.

Sources

• Bulbapedia: Rarity (TCG)
• pokemon.com: Scarlet & Violet revamps the Pokémon TCG card aesthetic
• Sleeve No Card Behind: Every Pokémon Rarity Symbol Explained (YouTube)

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