Pokémon card rarity symbols explained: circles, diamonds and stars

The small symbol in the bottom corner of a Pokémon card shows how rare it is. A circle is Common, a diamond Uncommon and a black star Rare. Two black stars mark a Double Rare, and gold stars mark the secret rares: one for an Illustration Rare, two for a Special Illustration Rare, three for a Hyper Rare.

Where is the rarity symbol?

On a modern English card, look at the thin strip along the bottom. You will find the set symbol, a regulation mark (a letter in a box, which decides when the card rotates out of the Standard format), the card number such as 045/217, and the rarity symbol next to that number. A card numbered higher than the set total, such as 230/217, is a secret rare. Its rarity symbol tells you which kind.

Rarity symbols changed with the Scarlet & Violet base set in 2023, when The Pokémon Company redesigned the card layout. The system below applies to Scarlet & Violet and Mega Evolution sets. Older Sword & Shield and Sun & Moon cards use a simpler circle, diamond and star, with rare types such as V, VMAX, rainbow and gold secrets shown by the card design rather than the symbol.

Every modern rarity symbol

Symbol	Rarity	What it usually is
Black circle	Common	Basic Pokémon and simple Trainers; four or so per pack
Black diamond	Uncommon	Evolutions, Items and Tools; three or so per pack
One black star	Rare	A holo rare, now always foil in English packs
Two black stars	Double Rare	A regular Pokémon ex (or Mega Evolution Pokémon ex)
Two silver stars	Ultra Rare	Full-art Pokémon ex and full-art Supporters
One gold star	Illustration Rare	Full-art scene of a regular Pokémon
Two gold stars	Special Illustration Rare	Full-art scene of a Pokémon ex or a Supporter; the chase cards
Three gold stars	Hyper Rare	Gold-foil cards at the very end of the set
Pink star	ACE SPEC Rare	Powerful Trainer cards limited to one per deck
One hollow gold star	Shiny Rare	Shiny-coloured Pokémon (Paldean Fates and similar special sets)
Two hollow gold stars	Shiny Ultra Rare	Shiny Pokémon ex

The exact colours can be hard to tell apart under poor light. Tilt the card under a lamp: gold stars have a metallic sheen that black and silver stars do not.

Double Rare vs Ultra Rare

Double Rare arrived with Scarlet & Violet in 2023. It covers the standard Pokémon ex, the version with the normal artwork frame, and it is the card most people mean when they say they "pulled an ex". An Ultra Rare (two silver stars) is the full-art version: textured, with the artwork covering the whole card. Full-art Supporters, such as a Trainer character like Lillie or Cynthia, are also Ultra Rares.

Illustration Rare, Special Illustration Rare and Hyper Rare

These are the three gold-star secret rares, and they are what most collectors are chasing.

• Illustration Rare (IR), one gold star: a regular, non-ex Pokémon drawn as a full scene that runs across the whole card. There are usually a dozen or more per set, and they are the most affordable way into full-art collecting.
• Special Illustration Rare (SIR), two gold stars: the same full-scene treatment for a Pokémon ex or a Supporter. There are usually only a handful per set, and the best-known SIRs are the most valuable modern cards, such as the Umbreon ex from Prismatic Evolutions.
• Hyper Rare, three gold stars: gold-foil versions of ex cards, Trainers or Energy, placed at the very end of the set list. Rarer than an SIR by number, but usually less valuable because the gold design is less popular.

ACE SPEC Rare

ACE SPEC cards are powerful Trainer cards with a strict limit: only one ACE SPEC card of any kind is allowed in a deck. They first appeared in the Black & White era and returned to English sets with Temporal Forces in 2024, now with their own pink-star rarity. They are prized by players more than collectors.

Shiny Rare and Shiny Ultra Rare

Paldean Fates (January 2024) brought shiny Pokémon back as a large subset, marked with hollow gold stars: one for a Shiny Rare and two for a Shiny Ultra Rare (a shiny Pokémon ex). They appear in special sets rather than every main expansion.

What new rarities came with the Mega Evolution era?

The Mega Evolution series, which began in 2025, keeps the Scarlet & Violet system and adds a few of its own:

• Mega Hyper Rare: a gold star with a black border, used for gold-etched alternate-art versions of Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, the rarest cards in the sets that have them.
• Black White Rare: used only in the Black Bolt and White Flare sets (2025), for the special Victini, Zekrom ex and Reshiram ex cards.
• Futuristic Rare: new in 30th Celebration (September 2026), with a colour-shifting finish. The first ones, Mew ex and Mewtwo ex, were illustrated by YOSHIROTTEN.

Some rarities exist only in Japanese sets. The Japanese Mega Attack Rare, for example, has not been confirmed for any English set. If you collect both languages, our guide to Japanese vs English Pokémon cards explains how the two differ.

Does rarity decide what a card is worth?

Only partly. Rarity decides how often a card is pulled; demand decides its price. A Special Illustration Rare of a popular Pokémon such as Charizard, Pikachu, Umbreon or Gengar will usually outsell a Hyper Rare of a less-loved one, even though the Hyper Rare is scarcer. Condition matters too: an SIR with whitened corners is worth far less than a clean copy, which is why collectors grade the best ones. Our guide to preparing cards for grading explains what graders look at.

The rarity symbol does not tell you whether a card is foil. That depends on its finish: normal, holo or reverse holo. See holo vs reverse holo Pokémon cards for that half of the picture.

Find a specific card

Every Pokémon single at Iconic Trading Cards is listed with its set, number and rarity, one product per card with a variant for each finish. Browse Mega Evolution singles, Scarlet & Violet singles or everything we have in stock right now in in-stock singles. Singles post anywhere in the UK for a flat £1.75.