Pokémon Rarity Symbols Explained: From Circle/Diamond/Star to SIR and Japanese R/RR
That little symbol in the bottom corner tells you a card's rarity — once you can read it. Here's the classic set (circle/diamond/star), the modern rares that confuse everyone (SIR, SAR, ACE SPEC), and how Japanese rarity codes map over, so you stop guessing what you pulled.
The classic three
For most of the game's history, the corner symbol is one of three: a circle = Common, a diamond = Uncommon, a star = Rare. That covers the bulk of any older set.
Above 'star': the chase rarities
Modern sets stack extra tiers above Rare, usually shown by holo treatment and card type rather than a simple symbol:
- Double Rare (ex cards) — the modern 'big' Pokémon, often two black stars.
- Ultra Rare — full-art Pokémon and Trainers.
- Illustration Rare (IR) and Special Illustration Rare (SIR/SAR) — the highly sought full-art-scene cards; SIR/SAR are top chase cards.
- Hyper Rare — the 'gold' cards, typically the rarest pulls in a set.
- ACE SPEC — special powerful Trainer cards, one per deck, with their own marking.
Japanese rarity codes
Japanese cards print a letter code instead: C (common), U (uncommon), R (rare), RR (double rare, ex), RRR, plus AR/SR/SAR/UR for the art and ultra rares. They roughly map to the English tiers above — SAR and UR are the Japanese chase cards.
Watch the gotchasCommunity-reported
Two cards can share a Pokémon and a name but differ hugely in value by rarity (a regular ex vs. its SIR). And promos use a black star with no rarity letter. When value matters, identify the exact rarity and set, not just the Pokémon — then check the real price.
Use search to pull up the exact card and its market value once you've identified the rarity.