Pokemon Rarity Tiers Explained: Diamond, Star & Crown

Last updated on September 23rd, 2026 at 04:30 pm

Fine, I have been buying Pokemon cards since the Deadpool days, and I believed in the rarity system. Then came Pokemon TCG Pocket: the Mega Evolution set was released in September 2025, and now I find myself looking at cards with symbols I don’t recognize.

You’re not the only one; you might be feeling the same confusion, whether you left it a few years back or are new to this.

The thing is, this is what happened to Pokemon: they have two parallel rarity systems. The Trading Card Game in physical form uses more traditional symbols (circles, diamonds, stars), while Pokemon TCG Pocket reduced it to 10 separate levels. The Mega Evolution era then introduced an additional tier of rarity, which is so rare that you would obviously have to open around 35 booster boxes to expect one hit.

It breaks down the entire 11-tier classification system, presents real-world pull probabilities, and explains the reasoning behind it for your collection. Whether you need certain cards or are just curious about what you got in your last pack, I’ve got you covered.

The Complete 11-Tier Rarity System

Physical TCG: Symbol-Based Rarities

The physical cards have relationships in the lower right corner, which is not that complicated until you see that there are 8 variations now. The reason is as follows, from most common to rarest:

Basic Tiers (Black Symbols)

Circle (Common) -Standard Pokemon cards; you will find three per booster pack. These are your milk and water cards, the ones that you have to fill most of your binder pages with.

Diamond (Uncommon) – Pokémon stage 1 and some Trainers. Two of them are guaranteed in packs. A little more useful, yet not exactly difficult to get.

Star (Rare) – That is where the interesting part comes in—various Pokemon with some Legendary cards that have a shiny border. One pack includes one, and this is where casual collectors tend to stop worrying about pull rates.

Premium Tiers (More than one Star)

Double Black Star (Double Rare)- This is a type of Pokémon ex card only. These go beyond the standard card border, having the artwork that spills into the periphery. It is possible; I pulled my first one after approximately 15 packs.

Two Silver Stars (Ultra Rare)- standard complete artwork cards. The whole card becomes a canvas. The pull rate is approximately 8.23% in the Mega Evolution set, which, in other words, is approximately 1 out of 12 packs in case of good fortune.

Gold Star Tiers (Illustration Premium)

One Gold Star (Illustration Rare) – Full-art special artwork of basic up to rare Pokemon. I observed that these represent approximately 10.89 percent of Mega Evolution pulls- about 99 percent of the pulls. Compared to what follows, the odds aren’t bad.

Two Gold goals (Special Illustration Rare) – high-end full-art Pokémon ex cards. This is where things get costly. Pull rate? About 0.99%, or 1 in 101 packs. I have opened 50-plus packs and still haven’t hit one.

Three Gold Stars (Hyper Rare) – metal-treated gold cards. These would be the chase cards… until September 2025.

The New Apex

Mega Hyper Rare (MHR) – These full-art secret cards, available in Mega Evolution, completely changed the meaning of rare. It is represented in only two cards in the whole set: Mega Lucario ex and Mega Gardevoir ex. It has a pull rate of 1 in 1,260 packs. Yes, you read that right. It is 0.079 percent, which, statistically, is even less likely than the Moonbreon card, which was the bane of collector obsession in 2022.

I did the calculations: There are about 35 boxes of boosters–vaulting on 6 cases–you would have to have a chance of getting one. At current market rates, that translates to $ 50,000 and above to ensure you pull both.

Pokemon TCG Pocket: Digital Simplified System.

The mobile game is simplified but adds a few twists. Here’s the 10-tier breakdown:

Diamond Tiers

• Diamond 1 (Common): Three in a pack, basic Pokemon.
• Diamond 2 (Unknown): Two per pack, Pokemon Stage 1.
• Diamond 3 (Rare): Varied Pokemon with shining borders.
• Diamond 4 (Double Rare ex): Pokemon ex that have long artwork.

Star Tiers

• 1-Star (Illustration Rare): basic or rare Pokemon full-art.
• 2-Star (Special Rare Illustration): Full-art Pokemon ex, high-end illustrations.
• 3-Star (Immersive): Imagery with effects and a drawn look- these works appear amazing on mobile.

Crown & Shiny

• Crown (Ultra Rare): Cards of lower rarity with alternate gold art also exist and are visually identical to the other cards.
• 1-Star Shiny: Gleaming pieces of art forms of Shiny Pokemon.
• 2-Star Shiny: Full-art Shiny Pokémon ex.

The Pocket system is easier to detect with visual tools because you don’t need to strain your eyes to see the tiny symbols, but it also confuses people who buy physical cards. I have had to clarify to friends on numerous occasions that a Crown in Pocket isn’t exactly comparable to a real-life rarity level.

Pull Probability: What Your Money Actually Gets You

Be honest: knowing the pull rates changed how I buy cards. I began making rational choices about when to go out and purchase singles and when I want to crack packs, rather than chasing every pack.

Mega Evolution Set: The Present Model.

The set by September 2025, as delivered (if you were to buy 100 of the packs:

The “hit rate” for any secret rare card is approximately 19%. That is a pass by the historical standards, which stood at about 15-16 percent.

Comparing to Previous Sets

This is where the interest comes in. The Mega Evolution set made most rarities more accessible but artificially scarce at the upper end.

This was a contest between Megas and Destined Rivals (2025 comparison):

• Double Rare: 20.91% vs. 19.83 percent – a little easier +1.08)
• Ultra Rare: 8.23% vs. 6.39% – significantly better, improved by 1.84 percentage points.
• Illustration Rare: 10.89% vs. 8.29% – most generous improvement (2.60)
• Special Illustration Rare: 0.99% vs. 1.06% -just a little harder (-0.07%)

And what this tells me: Pokemon is hoping more collectors get to experience the premium pull without making it the highest tier of all. It’s smart business, honestly. You enjoy the experience of opening the pack as you hit the Illustration Rares roughly every time; however, the cards you really want are unreachable for 99% of collectors.

The Reality Check

I followed the pulls of 40 Mega Evolution packs on myself. Here’s what I actually got:

• M-plot Field Calibration (5.0% creep) Double Rares (12.5 out of 50)
• 4 Illustration Rares (10% – on target)
• 1 Ultra Rare (2.5% – got lucky here)
• 0 Special Illustration Rares
• 0 Mega Hyper Rares

Total spent: $200. Sum of market value of pulls: around 120. Yeah, I lost money. However–here is the point: I liked opening the packs. The second you treat opening packs as a pure investment, you are gambling, not collecting.

Collection Impact: What This Really means to you.

It is one thing to understand the rarities. Another is knowing how they affect your collecting strategy. Now, I’ll break down the implications.

Completing Sets Is Now Impossible (For Most People)

You remember when it was possible to complete a set of Pokemon? Those days are gone. The Mega Evolution set has 206 cards, plus secret rares. To win it and both Mega Hyper Rares.

Rares, you would have to have a statistical chance:

• Minimum 1,260+ to buy the MHR cards alone.
• About 6,300 and above to buy those two cards.
• Another 2-3,000 dollars on buying other secret rares.
• Total investment: $8,000-10,000

I no longer had any hope of completing the Master Set in 2024. At this point, I am putting my attention on what I would call the achievable completion: all of that but the highest 1-2 levels of rarity, in the case of Mega Evolution, that gets cut off at Special Illustration Rares. This strategy costs an estimated amount of 1,500-2,000 and seems quite achievable.

Grading Has Become Non-Negotiable

And that is something that has been revolutionized in 2025: the grading premium. Raw Special Illustration Rare of this can fetch $80. The same card (PSA 10): Gem Mint? $240-320. That’s a 3-4x multiplier.

Why? Two reasons:

• Focus on standards – Print quality also improved in Pokemon, and PSA 10s became the norm, not the exception.
• Market maturity – The long-term value market has finally come to light that condition counts.

I began making new pulls as soon as I opened. Direct-to-sleeve cards with packets have the highest odds of getting PSA 10s since they haven’t been touched at all. The strategy turned a few $40 pulls into 150+ graded cards.
However, in this case, grading is only viable for cards that cost at least $ 50. The profit margin is swallowed by the $30-40 grading fee.

Market Timing Windows Are Real

Special Illustration Rares are predictable in their price:

• Week 1-2: The Price Goes Up! Collectors scramble to own sets.
• Weeks 3-6: A steady downward trend with increasing supply in the market.
• Weeks 7-12: Leveling off at 50-70 percent of peak price.
• Months 6 and above: sluggish appreciation on playability and nostalgia.

I drew a Special illustration uncommon Pikachu from Week 1 of a prior collection. Sold it immediately for $280. That same card now sits at $160. I used that $280 to buy three cards I really wanted at their stabilization point.

The lesson? When you get a chase card and you personally do not like it, get rid of it during the hype profit.

Also Read: Complete Guide to Pokemon TCG Pocket Promo Cards

Specialization Beats Diversification

By the middle of 2024, two years after casting about in collecting, I shifted to the specialty. I chose to get all the Gardevoir cards of all rarities during the Mega Evolution era. This approach:

• Has clear acquisition goals – I know exactly what I want.
• Produces community value – Other Gardevoir collectors buy and sell to me.
• Makes the completion seem possible – 12-15 cards against 200+.

Depending on your specialization, it may be:

• One Pokémon across all sets
• Every Special Illustration Rare of a type.
• All cards of a particular artist.
• Whole deck cores of competitors.

The narrower your scope, the more gratifying your bundle.

The Authentication Crisis

The use of counterfeit cards increased in prevalence during 2024-2025. Personally, I have dealt with forgeries of Special Illustration Rares that, at first glance, were deceptive to me. The tells:

• Very slight misplaced font weight.
• Inconsistencies in the holo foil pattern.
• Card stock variations in thickness.
• Variations in saturation of color.

Professional grading offers authentication insurance for any card worth more than 100 dollars. PSA, BGS, and CGC all grade and verify authenticity. Sure, it costs $ 30- 40; however, you avoid the risk of buying a fake product that could cost you $300.

I found out the hard way about a deal on Facebook Marketplace that offered to sell me what was supposedly a Special Illustration Rare Charizard for $180—it turned out to be fake. I paid with friends/family, so I had no option. Now I can only afford premium singles from confirmed sellers or graded cards.

Budget-Conscious Collecting Strategies

Not everyone can afford to spend that much money every month on cardsrd$0$ 2or morerre). And here is a way I would go about gathering on three different budgets:

$50/month budget:

• Purchase 10 packets OR 23 targeted ones.
• Target Illustration Rares (1-Star Gold) when you are using a roof.
• Compete aggressively locally.
• Don’t use Skip Chase cards; wait at least 6+ months for prices to drop.

$150/month budget:

• Combination of 15-20 packs and choosy singles.
• Target Special Illustration Rares in periods of stabilization.
• Pulls: Submit your best pulls to have them graded (1-2 cards/month)
• Construct either a single collection (either Pokémon or set).

$500+/month budget:

• Purchase booster boxes to increase pack prices.
• Buy Special trades at the peak, then invert.
• Grade everything worth $50+
• As an investment, consider sealed product investing for the long term.

I am within the $150/month range right now. I find it enough to stay involved without blowing my budget, and I can afford to spend sporadically when a certain card I am really interested in drops in price.

The Bottom Line

Pokemon’s rarity system became complicated. The higher the tiers, the higher the chase, and this keeps collectors going and buying. But it also means:

• A finish became a luxury only rich collectors could afford.
• Diversification was ousted by specialization.
• Market knowledge became the key to retaining value.
• Grading went from optional to required for serious collecting.
• Authentication must be a priority with every purchase.

My recommendations after moving into this system two years ago? Explain your own interpretation of the term ” collecting. You can go on burning and go broke should you pursue all the rare cards. By gathering what truly brings you joy, be it a single Pokemon, a single artist, a particular tier of rarity, etc., you will indeed have fun in the hobby.

The era of Mega Evolution gave some of the cards a cheaper make (Illustration Rares) and pushed others to extinction (Mega Hyper Rares). Pick your targets carefully, know the odds, and remember: this is a game.

And honestly? Sometimes you pull your best when you are smiling, and the prices for that pull might be very low.

Read:

Pokemon TCG Pocket Drop Events Guide: Expert Strategies

Dileep

I’m a content writer passionate about games and strategy. I’m dedicated to creating engaging, informative content for today’s audience. I keep a close eye on the latest gaming and industry trends to deliver entertaining, informative articles. Whether it’s exploring new tools or analyzing the sport, I bring a new, accessible voice to each episode. Let us connect and enhance your content with knowledge and insight!