Pokémon Card Rarity Symbols Explained (Plus One Piece and Riftbound)
What the circle, diamond and star symbols on Pokémon cards mean — from Common to Special Illustration Rare, Hyper Rare and the new Mega rarities — plus One Piece rarity codes and Riftbound gems.
Key takeaways
- The rarity symbol is printed at the bottom of a Pokémon card, next to the card number.
- Circle = Common, diamond = Uncommon, black star = Rare, two black stars = Double Rare (regular ex).
- Silver and gold stars mark the chase cards: two silver = Ultra Rare, one gold = Illustration Rare, two gold = Special Illustration Rare, three gold = Hyper Rare.
- Mega Evolution-era sets add Mega Attack Rare (pink and green stars) and Mega Hyper Rare (black-bordered gold star).
- A card number above the set total (for example 199/165) is a secret rare.
Where to find the rarity symbol
Look at the bottom of the card, next to the card number (for example 199/165). The small symbol there — a circle, diamond or one or more stars — is the card’s rarity. From the Scarlet & Violet series onward, English sets use the same rarity scale as Japanese sets but keep these symbols instead of printing letter codes.
Pokémon rarity symbols (Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution)
| Symbol | Rarity | What it usually is |
|---|---|---|
| ● Circle | Common | Basic Pokémon and Trainers; bulk. |
| ◆ Diamond | Uncommon | Evolutions and Trainers; bulk. |
| ★ One black star | Rare | From Scarlet & Violet, every Rare in a pack is holofoil. |
| ★★ Two black stars | Double Rare | Regular Pokémon ex (Japanese “RR”). |
| ★★ Two silver stars | Ultra Rare | Full-art Pokémon ex and full-art Supporters. |
| ★ One gold star | Illustration Rare | Full-art illustrations of regular Pokémon (Japanese “AR”). |
| ★★ Two gold stars | Special Illustration Rare | Full-art illustrated ex and Supporters — the main chase cards (Japanese “SAR”). |
| ★★★ Three gold stars | Hyper Rare | Gold-etched cards (Japanese “UR”). |
| Pink star | ACE SPEC Rare | Powerful one-per-deck Trainer cards. |
| Hollow gold star | Shiny Rare | Shiny Pokémon (Paldean Fates). |
| Two hollow gold stars | Shiny Ultra Rare | Shiny full-art Pokémon ex (Paldean Fates). |
| Pastel pink and green stars | Mega Attack Rare | Pop-art Mega ex cards with the attack name in big letters (Japanese “MA”). |
| Gold star with black border | Mega Hyper Rare | Top chase rarity introduced in the Mega Evolution series (Japanese “MUR”). |
Secret rares: check the card number
Every card shows number/total, where the total is the set’s advertised size. Cards numbered above that total are secret rares. In recent sets those slots are filled by Illustration Rares, Special Illustration Rares and Hyper Rares — the cards most collectors open packs for. For example, 199/165 is the Charizard ex Special Illustration Rare from Pokémon Card 151.
How rare is each rarity?
Rarity symbols tell you the category; pull rates tell you the odds. TCGplayer’s Authentication Center has opened thousands of packs per set to measure them. In its studies of recent sets, a pack contained:
- a Double Rare about 1 in 5 packs (1 in 6–8 in older Scarlet & Violet sets),
- an Illustration Rare about 1 in 9 to 1 in 13,
- an Ultra Rare about 1 in 12 to 1 in 21,
- a Special Illustration Rare about 1 in 70 to 1 in 100 in Mega Evolution-era sets — but closer to 1 in 32 in 151 and the Scarlet & Violet base set,
- a Mega Hyper Rare roughly 1 in 500 to 1 in 1,700.
The exact odds differ per set. Our pull-rate pages list them set by set with the average price of each rarity — see Perfect Order, Phantasmal Flames or the booster box value ranking across all measured sets.
Rarity vs value
Rarity sets the odds, demand sets the price. Within the same rarity, popular Pokémon — Charizard, Pikachu, Umbreon, Mew, Gengar — usually sell for far more than others. Condition matters too: a Special Illustration Rare with whitened edges sells for well under a clean copy. To see what your card is actually worth, look it up by set and number on a card list or follow our guide on checking a card’s value.
One Piece Card Game rarity codes
One Piece cards print a rarity code next to the card number (for example OP01-120 | SEC, the Shanks Secret Rare from Romance Dawn). The codes on the official card list are:
| Code | Rarity |
|---|---|
| C | Common |
| UC | Uncommon |
| R | Rare |
| SR | Super Rare |
| SEC | Secret Rare |
| L | Leader |
| P | Promo |
| TR | Treasure Rare (seen in OP-13) |
The card number tells you the product: OP for booster sets, ST for starter decks, EB for extra boosters and PRB for premium boosters. Alternate-art (parallel) versions keep the same number and rarity code as the base card but are priced separately — check both on our One Piece card lists.
Riftbound rarity gems
Riftbound, the League of Legends TCG, marks rarity with a gem shape, as described by Riot for the Origins set:
- Common — round gem, bronze frame.
- Uncommon — triangle gem, silver frame.
- Rare — square gem, foil.
- Epic — pentagon gem, foil; about one per four packs.
- Alternate art — hexagon gem.
Origins has 298 cards; overnumbered cards numbered 299 and above show up about once per three boxes, and about one in ten of those is an artist-signed version. Browse current values on our Riftbound card lists.
Frequently asked questions
What does the star on a Pokémon card mean?
A star marks a rare or better card. One black star is a Rare, two black stars a Double Rare, two silver stars an Ultra Rare, one gold star an Illustration Rare, two gold stars a Special Illustration Rare and three gold stars a Hyper Rare.
What is the rarest Pokémon card symbol?
In current sets, the gold-star rarities are the hardest to pull — Special Illustration Rare (two gold stars), Hyper Rare (three gold stars) and, in Mega Evolution-era sets, Mega Hyper Rare (a gold star with a black border). In TCGplayer’s pull-rate studies of recent sets, Mega Hyper Rares turned up in roughly 1 in 500 to 1 in 1,700 packs.
What is a secret rare Pokémon card?
A card whose number is higher than the set’s printed total, such as 199/165 — the Charizard ex special illustration rare from Pokémon Card 151. Secret rares are usually the most valuable cards in a set.
Does rarity decide how much a card is worth?
Rarity sets the odds of pulling a card, but price depends on demand too. A Special Illustration Rare of a popular Pokémon can be worth many times one of a less popular Pokémon from the same set. Always check the specific card’s market price.
What do SR and SEC mean on One Piece cards?
They are One Piece Card Game rarity codes printed on the card: SR is Super Rare and SEC is Secret Rare. Other codes include C (Common), UC (Uncommon), R (Rare), L (Leader) and P (Promo).