Rarity Symbol Decoder
The rarity symbol sits at the bottom of the card next to the card number: a black circle is Common, a black diamond Uncommon and one black star Rare. Since Scarlet & Violet (March 31, 2023), two black stars mean Double Rare, one gold star Illustration Rare, two gold stars Special Illustration Rare and three gold stars Hyper Rare; two silver stars mark a full-art Ultra Rare. A card number above the set total (238/191) means a secret rare in any era.
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Rarity Symbol Decoder
What the symbol looks like
What it means
You described two gold stars on a card from 2023 on.
Match
- Counted as a hit
Special Illustration Rare
Two gold stars
Full-art Pokémon ex and Supporters with scene-style special art — usually a set's most sought-after cards.
- Era
- Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)
- Since
- Scarlet & Violet (2023)
- Japanese code
- SAR
- Pack slot
- Replaces the second Reverse Holo
Easy to confuse with
- Shiny Ultra RareTwo hollow gold stars
- Illustration RareOne gold star
- Hyper RareThree gold stars
- Shiny RareOne hollow gold star
How it was matched
- 01Matched shape, count, colour and fill: two gold stars.
- 02Era: Scarlet & Violet on (2023–).
- Hit
- our label, not an odds figure
- Pull rates
- not published — none shown
How many of each rarity is in a set
| Rarity | Cards |
|---|---|
| Common | 68 |
| Rare | 18 |
| Double Rare | 12 |
| Illustration Rare | 18 |
| Special Illustration Rare(your symbol) | 10 |
| Futuristic Rare | 2 |
| Pikachu Rare | 30 |
Every card in 30th Celebration is holofoil, and each pack holds one of the 30 Pikachu Rares. The 30-card Classic Collection subset is counted separately.
How 30th Celebration's 158 cards add up
Released Sept 16, 2026. How often each rarity turns up in a pack has never been published by The Pokémon Company, so we don’t estimate it.
Worked example
Two gold stars on a card numbered 238/191
The symbol: two gold stars on a grey-bordered card is a Special Illustration Rare (SAR in Japanese sets). This one is Pikachu ex from Surging Sparks (Nov 8, 2024).
The number: 238 is above the printed total of 191, so it’s one of the set’s secret cards. Surging Sparks has 191 + 61 = 252 cards; its 11 Special Illustration Rares are numbered 236 to 246 and its 6 Hyper Rares (three gold stars) 247 to 252 (TCGdex).
What it isn’t: two black stars would be a Double Rare — the regular Pokémon ex that takes the Rare slot. Two silver stars would be a full-art Ultra Rare. Colour is the whole difference, so check it under good light.
Reference
Every rarity symbol, and what it means
| Rarity | Symbol | What it is | Era / since | JP code | Hit? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Black circle | Mostly basic, unevolved Pokémon. Four per Scarlet & Violet–era pack. | Every eraBase Set (1999) | C | No |
| Uncommon | Black diamond | Evolved Pokémon and most Trainer cards. Three per pack. | Every eraBase Set (1999) | U | No |
| Rare | One black star | The guaranteed rare in every pack. Since Scarlet & Violet, every Rare pulled from a pack is holofoil. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)Base Set (1999) | R | No |
| Double Rare | Two black stars | Regular (non-full-art) Pokémon ex. Replaces the Rare in the pack. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)Scarlet & Violet (2023) | RR | Yes |
| Ultra Rare | Two silver stars | Full-art Pokémon ex and full-art Supporters (from Mega Evolution, full-art Items, Tools and Stadiums too). Numbered above the set's printed total. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)Scarlet & Violet (2023) in this form | — | Yes |
| Illustration Rare | One gold star | Full-art illustrations of Pokémon that aren't ex — the art runs edge to edge. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)Scarlet & Violet (2023) | AR | Yes |
| Special Illustration Rare | Two gold stars | Full-art Pokémon ex and Supporters with scene-style special art — usually a set's most sought-after cards. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)Scarlet & Violet (2023) | SAR | Yes |
| Hyper Rare | Three gold stars | Gold cards of any type except Supporters, numbered at the very end of Scarlet & Violet–series sets. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)Scarlet & Violet (2023) | UR | Yes |
| Mega Hyper Rare | One gold four-point star with a black border | Mega Evolution Pokémon ex in gold — one or two in each main Mega Evolution–series set, numbered last. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)Mega Evolution (Sept 2025) | MUR | Yes |
| Mega Attack Rare | Two stars, one pastel pink and one pastel green | Pop-art Mega Evolution Pokémon ex with the attack name written large — in Japanese on English cards. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)English promos first; 7 in Ascended Heroes (Jan 2026) | MA | Yes |
| ACE SPEC Rare | One pink (magenta) star | Powerful Trainer or Special Energy cards limited to one ACE SPEC per deck. In packs from Temporal Forces to Prismatic Evolutions. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)Temporal Forces (2024); ACE SPEC cards first appeared in Boundaries Crossed (2012) with a different symbol | — | Yes |
| Shiny Rare | One hollow gold star | Shiny-coloured Pokémon from the Paldean Fates shiny subset. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)Paldean Fates (Jan 2024) in this form | — | Yes |
| Shiny Ultra Rare | Two hollow gold stars | Shiny versions of cards that would otherwise be Ultra Rare. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)Paldean Fates (Jan 2024) | — | Yes |
| Black White Rare | Two stars, one black and one white | Black-and-white artwork (Victini's is red): Victini and Zekrom ex in Black Bolt, Victini and Reshiram ex in White Flare. Only in those two sets. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)Black Bolt & White Flare (July 2025) | BWR | Yes |
| Futuristic Rare | One star, half teal and half purple | Mewtwo ex and Mew ex illustrated by YOSHIROTTEN (157/128 and 158/128), plus a few promos. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)30th Celebration (Sept 2026) | FUR | Yes |
| Pikachu Rare | A special 30th-anniversary Pikachu icon instead of a shape | One of 30 different Pikachu cards with their own holofoil pattern. Every 30th Celebration pack has one, so it isn't a hit on its own. | Scarlet & Violet on (2023–)30th Celebration (Sept 2026) | — | No |
| Rare / Holo Rare (before 2023) | One black star | Before Scarlet & Violet a black star covered non-holo Rares, Holo Rares and many ultra rares. The holofoil art box and the card's design (ex, LV.X, EX, GX, V) are what tell them apart. | Before Scarlet & Violet (1999–2023)Base Set (1999) | — | No |
| Ultra Rare / Secret Rare (before 2023) | One outlined (white) star | Pokémon V, VMAX and VSTAR, GX, full arts, rainbow and gold cards. A number above the set total (for example 201/185) marks a secret rare in any era. | Before Scarlet & Violet (1999–2023)Used on many Ultra and Secret Rares before Scarlet & Violet | — | Yes |
| Shiny Rare (Shining Fates, 2021) | One black star; hollow star on Shiny V and VMAX | The Shiny Vault subset, numbered SV001 to SV122 in its own series. Shiny Pokémon V and VMAX use a hollow version of the star. | Before Scarlet & Violet (1999–2023)Shining Fates (Feb 2021) | — | Yes |
| Promo | Black star with the word PROMO over it | Cards from tins, boxes, events and prerelease kits. Numbered in their own promo series (SVP, MEP and so on) instead of a set. | Every eraWizards Black Star Promos (1999); still used | — | No |
| Trainer Kit card | Silhouette of the kit's main Pokémon instead of a rarity | Cards from a Trainer Kit or half deck. They have no rarity; the silhouette shows which deck they came from. | Every eraTrainer Kits and half decks | — | No |
What’s in a Scarlet & Violet–era pack
| Cards | Slot |
|---|---|
| 4 | Common |
| 3 | Uncommon |
| 1 | Reverse Holo — or a Shiny Rare / Shiny Ultra Rare (Paldean Fates) or ACE SPEC Rare (Temporal Forces to Prismatic Evolutions) |
| 1 | Reverse Holo — or an Illustration Rare, Special Illustration Rare or Hyper Rare (Mega Hyper / Mega Attack Rare in the Mega Evolution series) |
| 1 | Rare — or a Double Rare or Ultra Rare |
| 1 | Basic Energy card (not counted in the 10) |
| 1 | Pokémon TCG Live code card (not counted in the 10) |
The Pokémon Company has never published how often each rarity appears, so this page gives no odds.
How to use it
In 5 steps
- 1Find the symbol at the bottom of the card, beside the card number.
- 2Pick its shape, then how many stars, the colour and whether it's filled or just an outline.
- 3Say whether the card has a grey border or a code like PAL EN (2023 on) or a yellow border (older) — one black star means different things in each.
- 4Read the match, then check the card number: above the set total means a secret rare.
- 5Pick a set in the lower panel to see how many cards of each rarity it has.
Why the same star can mean two things
For most of the game’s history a single black star covered everything from a plain non-holo Rare to a holofoil Pokémon-EX. The design of the card — holofoil art, an ex or GX in the name, a full-art layout — told you more than the symbol did. Many Ultra and Secret Rares from before 2023 carry an outlined white star instead.
Scarlet & Violet (March 31, 2023) brought the English symbols in line with Japan’s rarity scale: every Rare in a pack became holofoil, and new symbols arrived for the cards above it. That’s why the decoder asks which kind of card you have. The Mega Evolution series (from September 2025) added the Mega Hyper Rare, and 2025–26 special sets brought one-off marks: the Black White Rare, the Futuristic Rare and the Pikachu Rare.
A symbol tells you where a card sits in its set, not what it sells for. Condition, demand and the exact printing decide that — run it through the price check and look at sold listings, or find the card first with the card finder.
FAQ
Rarity symbols: questions
What does one black star mean on a Pokémon card?
It means Rare. On cards from Scarlet & Violet (March 31, 2023) and later, every Rare pulled from a booster pack is holofoil. On older cards the same black star covered non-holo Rares, Holo Rares and many ultra rares, so look at whether the picture is holofoil and at the card's design.
What do two gold stars mean?
Two gold stars mark a Special Illustration Rare (SAR in Japanese sets): a full-art Pokémon ex or Supporter with scene-style artwork. One gold star is an Illustration Rare and three gold stars are a Hyper Rare.
What's the difference between two black stars and two silver stars?
Two black stars are a Double Rare — a regular Pokémon ex that takes the Rare slot. Two silver stars are an Ultra Rare — a full-art Pokémon ex or Supporter, numbered above the set's printed total.
What is the white (outlined) star on older Pokémon cards?
Before Scarlet & Violet, many Ultra Rares and Secret Rares — Pokémon V, VMAX, VSTAR and GX, full arts, rainbow and gold cards — carried an outlined white star instead of the solid black one.
How do I know if a Pokémon card is a secret rare?
Look at the card number. If it's higher than the set total printed after the slash, such as 238/191, it's a secret rare. That works in every era, whatever the symbol.
Are there published pull rates for each rarity?
No. The Pokémon Company has never published odds for ultra rare cards, so any pull rate you see online is an estimate from people opening packs.
Not answered here? Ask us — a photo of the card helps.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
- [1]Bulbapedia, “Rarity” (Pokémon TCG) (opens in a new tab)Every symbol's shape and colour, the Japanese letter codes (RR, AR, SAR, UR, MUR, MA), when each was introduced and which pack slot it can take. Read Sept 22, 2026.
- [2]Bulbapedia, “Scarlet & Violet (TCG)” (opens in a new tab)Released March 31, 2023; every Rare in a pack is holofoil; yellow borders became grey; symbols replaced by set codes. Read Sept 22, 2026.
- [3]Bulbapedia, “Booster pack (TCG)” (opens in a new tab)The Scarlet & Violet–era pack (4 Common, 3 Uncommon, 2 Reverse Holo slots, 1 Rare slot, plus Energy and code card) and that ultra-rare odds have never been officially published. Read Sept 22, 2026.
- [4]Bulbapedia, “Black White rare (TCG)” (opens in a new tab)Two stars, one black and one white (BWR); only in Black Bolt and White Flare. Read Sept 22, 2026.
- [5]Bulbapedia, “Futuristic rare card (TCG)” (opens in a new tab)A star coloured half teal and half purple (FUR); Mewtwo ex and Mew ex in 30th Celebration. Read Sept 22, 2026.
- [6]Bulbapedia, “Pikachu rare card (TCG)” (opens in a new tab)30 Pikachu cards with a special icon; one guaranteed in each 30th Celebration pack. Read Sept 22, 2026.
- [7]Bulbapedia, “Mega attack rare card (TCG)” and “Ascended Heroes (TCG)” (opens in a new tab)Pastel pink and green stars (MA); English MA cards were promos until Ascended Heroes (Jan 30, 2026), which has 7. Read Sept 22, 2026.
- [8]PokeGuardian, “Japanese Scarlet & Violet Pokémon Card Rarities List” (updated Apr 19, 2024) (opens in a new tab)Japanese letters SR (Super Rare) and ACE (ACE SPEC) for the English Ultra Rare and ACE SPEC Rare, which Bulbapedia's table doesn't give. Read Sept 22, 2026.
- [9]TCGplayer Help Center, “What are the rarities of Pokémon TCG cards?” (opens in a new tab)Promo cards carry a black star with PROMO over it; secret rares are numbered above the set total. Read Sept 22, 2026.
- [10]PSA, “Pokémon Collecting Basics Guide” (opens in a new tab)Holofoil vs. reverse holofoil, and the secret-rare definition. Read Sept 22, 2026.
- [11]TCGdex card database (snapshot Sept 22, 2026) (opens in a new tab)Rarity counts per set in the decoder's set panel. MIT-licensed community data, not affiliated with The Pokémon Company.
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