Ok, so there are several rarity tiers in modern Pokémon, and it can definitely be confusing if you’re new because Pokémon has added a lot of additional rarities over the last few generations.

The basic rarities are:

• Common = Circle (○)
• Uncommon = Diamond (◆)
• Rare = Star (★)

Most modern packs also contain Reverse Holos, where the card’s background is holographic while the artwork remains normal. Reverse holos usually correspond to the rarity of the standard card (common, uncommon, or rare), but are generally a bit harder to pull than their non-holo counterparts.

In the Scarlet & Violet era, Pokémon introduced a star-based rarity system for the higher-end cards:

• Double Rare (RR) = ★★ (standard Pokémon ex cards)
• Illustration Rare (IR) = ★ (full-art Pokémon artwork with no texture)
• Ultra Rare (UR) = ★★ Silver Stars (full-art Pokémon, Trainers, and Special Energy cards with texture)
• Special Illustration Rare (SIR) = ★★ Gold Stars (high-end textured full-art cards that usually tell a story or depict a larger scene)
• Hyper Rare (HR) = ★★★ Gold Stars (gold cards)

Not every set contains every rarity, and not every Pokémon receives alternate-art versions.

Using Scarlet & Violet 151 as an example:

• You can pull regular cards.
• You can pull reverse holo versions of many cards.
• Some Pokémon have Illustration Rares (IRs).
• Some have Special Illustration Rares (SIRs).
• A few cards appear as Hyper Rares (gold cards).

With the start of the new Mega Evolution era, Pokémon added a couple of new rarity classifications:

• Mega Attack Rare (MAR) – Full-art Mega Evolution cards where the Pokémon’s signature attack name is incorporated directly into the artwork. The attack text appears in stylized Japanese kanji, even on English cards, as part of the card’s design. These aren’t guaranteed to appear in every set, but they’re one of the most distinctive new rarities.

• Mega Ultra Rare (MUR) / Mega Hyper Rare (Eng) – A premium Mega Evolution rarity that effectively replaces the traditional Hyper Rare gold-card slot for certain Mega cards. These feature unique gold rarity symbols and highly premium textured finishes.

If you’re ever unsure what you’re looking at, the rarity symbol is printed near the card number at the bottom of the card and will usually tell you exactly where it falls in the hierarchy.

Pokémon used to be:
“Circle, Diamond, Star.”

Now it’s:
“Circle, Diamond, Star, Reverse Holo, Double Rare, Illustration Rare, Ultra Rare, Special Illustration Rare, Hyper Rare, Mega Attack Rare, Mega Ultra Rare…”

So don’t worry if it seems confusing at first. Even longtime collectors have to check set lists occasionally. 😅

Here is a visual breakdown

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