Pokémon Card Rarity Symbols Explained

Every Pokémon card carries a small symbol in its bottom corner, next to the set number, that tells you how rare it is. Learn to read it and you can spot a bulk common from a chase card at a glance. Here is every Pokémon TCG rarity symbol, from the classic circle-diamond-star to the modern Illustration Rares, and what each one means for a card's value and how often you'll pull it.

Where to find the rarity symbol

Flip to the bottom of any card. Next to the collector number (like 25/198) you'll see a small mark, that's the rarity. A few early promos and vintage cards have none, but from the Base era onward almost every card has one.

The three classics: circle, diamond, star

For most of the game's history three symbols did all the work, and they still form the backbone of every set today:

●

Circle — CommonThe bulk of a pack: basic Pokémon, Energy, everyday Trainers. Usually worth cents.

◆

Diamond — UncommonA step up: many Stage 1 Pokémon, Items and Tools. Still common, still cheap.

★

Star — RareThe guaranteed "rare slot" in every pack. In modern sets these are holofoil by default.

Holo and Reverse Holo

Two words you'll hear constantly. Holofoil (“holo”) means the artwork itself shimmers, a Rare Holo is a star-rarity card with a holographic picture, the classic shiny-Charizard look. Reverse Holo is different: it's any card where everything except the artwork is foil. Reverse holo isn't its own rarity symbol, it's a foil variant, and modern packs include one reverse-holo card every time.

The modern Scarlet & Violet rarities

Starting with the Scarlet & Violet era in 2023, The Pokémon Company added new symbols so the fancier cards are easier to tell apart. The classics stayed the same; these sit above them:

★★

Two black stars — Double RareThe base version of an ex Pokémon, the entry point to a set's chase cards.

★★

Two silver stars — Ultra RareFull-art ex Pokémon and full-art Supporters, the character takes over the whole card.

★

Illustration Rare (IR)Alternate-art versions of ordinary Pokémon drawn into gorgeous full-art scenes. Some of the most-loved cards in the hobby.

★★

Special Illustration Rare (SIR)The alt-art treatment applied to ex Pokémon and Supporters, usually the headline chase cards of a set.

★★★

Three gold stars — Hyper RareThe gold, gilded-border "secret" cards. The rarest pulls in a modern pack.

Secret Rares

A Secret Rare is any card whose number goes beyond the printed set total. If a set has 198 cards and you pull #201/198, that's a secret rare, printed in tiny quantities and usually sitting at the top of a set's value chart. Today's Hyper Rares are the modern form of the secret rare.

A quick tour of special rarities over the years

Beyond the core symbols, Pokémon has introduced dozens of special rarities across the generations. You'll still find these in older sets (and on Holobrook):

EX, GX, V, VMAX, VSTAR — the powerful "rule box" Pokémon that headlined each era, usually Ultra Rare or higher.
Radiant & Shiny — special shiny-Pokémon cards with their own subsets and treatments.
ACE SPEC — powerful one-per-deck Trainer cards, each with a distinctive rarity of their own.
Amazing Rare, Prism Star, BREAK, LEGEND, Level-X — era-specific mechanics, each with a unique look.

Why rarity matters: value and pull rates

Rarity drives the two things collectors care about most: what a card is worth and how often you'll pull it. A common might be worth a few cents; a Special Illustration Rare of a popular Pokémon can be worth hundreds. And the rarer the symbol, the longer the odds, top chase cards can be one in dozens of packs or worse.

On Holobrook you can see it for yourself: rip real booster packs with community-estimated pull rates, and every card shows its rarity and market value. It's the free way to chase the cards you love and learn the rarities as you go.

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