A Newbies Guide to Card Rarities in Pokemon TCG Pocket

A Newbies Guide to Card Rarities in Pokemon TCG Pocket

As a longtime Pokémon Trainer and collector, I can confidently say that the card rarity system in Pokémon TCG Pocket is both fascinating and intriguing. The game’s unique approach to simplified gameplay while still incorporating rare cards has kept me engaged for hours on end.


Even if you’re a seasoned Pokemon Trading Card expert, the rarity system in the Pokemon TCG Pocket game might initially seem perplexing. The Pokemon Company has streamlined the card rarity mechanics to make the game more user-friendly for casual players. This means that both veterans and newcomers may find themselves questioning how card rarities work and what the new symbols and categories signify. If you’re one of those players, don’t fret—this guide will help you understand Pokemon Pocket’s rarity system and explain the changes from the original physical Pokemon TCG.

How to Identify Card Rarities in Pokemon Pocket

A Newbies Guide to Card Rarities in Pokemon TCG Pocket

In Pokemon Pocket, there are eight categories of rarity: one-diamond, two-diamond, three-diamond, four-diamond, one-star, two-star, three-star, and crown. As you move up the tiers, the card pool becomes smaller and the cards become increasingly rare. The crown cards are the hardest to find among all.

In the Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket, rarity is signified by three distinct symbols: a diamond, star, and crown. These emblems can be found beneath the illustrator’s name in the lower-left corner of each card. Additionally, unique art styles and borders, including full art, immersive art, and rainbow borders, serve to distinguish rarity as well.

Here’s what each rarity in Pokemon Pocket means:

  • One-diamond: Basic Pokemon
  • Two-diamond: Basic or Stage One Pokemon
  • Three-diamond: Stage One or Stage Two Pokemon
  • Four-diamond: ex Pokemon
  • One-star: A full art of a Basic, Stage One, or Stage Two Pokemon
  • Two-star: A full art of an ex Pokemon
  • Three-star: A special immersive card of an ex Pokemon
  • Crown: Gold edition of rare ex Pokemon

How Pokemon Pocket Rarities Compare to Pokemon TCG

A Newbies Guide to Card Rarities in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Ever since the 2023 update of Scarlet & Violet, the real-life version of the Pokemon TCG employs three main symbols to denote card rarity: Circles, Diamonds, and Stars. More rare cards, like Hyper Rare, are distinguished by different versions of these symbols (for instance, a triple star stamp at the bottom for Hyper Rare).

The Pokemon TCG Pocket version streamlines the system even more by doing away with the Circle symbol and types of rarity such as Shiny Rare or Shiny Ultra Rare. Although many card rarities in Pocket have counterparts in the physical game, not all physical rarities are present in Pocket.

The following table shows Pocket rarities’ counterparts in Pokemon TCG.

Pokemon Pocket RarityPokemon TCG Rarity
One-diamondCommon
Two-diamondUncommon
Three-diamondRare
Four-diamondDouble Rare or Ultra Rare
One-starIllustration Rare (Full-Art)
Two-starSpecial Illustration Rare
Three-starN/A
CrownHyper Rare

Pokemon Pocket’s Pack Rarities

In the Pokemon Pocket game, each expansion comes with three booster packs – Charizard, Pikachu, and Mewtwo being the current ones. Each pack can be either regular or rare. Regular packs typically hold five cards of any type, but there’s a slim chance they might include three-star or crown cards. In contrast, rare packs always contain at least one-star or superior cards, although the probability of obtaining a rare pack is just 0.05%.

Players may refer to rare packs as God Packs
, but they’re essentially the same thing.

Card Price Based on Rarities

A Newbies Guide to Card Rarities in Pokemon TCG Pocket

With Pokemon Pocket, gamers can buy cards in various rarities, given they have sufficient Pack Points. You accumulate these points by cracking open booster packs. Players who frequently open packs, known as ‘whales’, are ensured a method to collect rare cards due to this system.

Here’s the breakdown on how many packs to open and the actual cash required to buy a card of each rarity level.

RarityPack PointPriceF2P
One-diamond35 (7 packs)~ $54 days
Two-diamond70 (14 packs)~ $157 days
Three-diamond150 (30 packs)~ $2515 days
Four-diamond500 (100 packs)~ $9050 days
One-star400 (80 packs)~ $8040 days
Two-star1,250 (250 packs)~ $200125 days
Three-star1,500 (300 packs)~ $300150 days
Crown2,500 (500 packs)~ $500250 days

Every time you
open a booster pack
, you earn 5 Pack Points.

Card Drop Rates Based on Rarities

A Newbies Guide to Card Rarities in Pokemon TCG Pocket

In the game Pokemon Pocket, booster packs come with five cards. Each slot has a distinct probability for different rarities of cards. The cards towards the back of the pack, specifically slots four and five, offer the highest likelihood of receiving rare Pokemon cards. Conversely, the initial three slots usually contain common Pokemon cards.

Rarity/SlotSlot #1 to #3Slot #4Slot #5
One-diamond100%0%0%
Two-diamond0%90%60%
Three-diamond0%5%20%
Four-diamond0%1.6%6.66%
One-star0%2.572%10.288%
Two-star0%0.5%2%
Three-star0%0.222%0.888%
Crown0%0.040%0.16%

FAQs About Card Rarity in Pokemon TCG Pocket

A Newbies Guide to Card Rarities in Pokemon TCG Pocket

Here are the most frequently asked questions about card rarities in Pokemon Pocket:

Which Rarity Is Missing in Pokemon Pocket?

In the Pokemon TCG Pocket game, neither Shiny Rare nor Shiny Ultra Rare cards are available at this time. It’s uncertain if they will be introduced in the future, but considering the game emphasizes streamlined gameplay, it seems improbable. Instead, Shiny cards may potentially show up among the one- to three-star illustration cards, rather than as a distinct rarity level.

What’s the Rarest Card in Pokemon Pocket?

In the Pokemon TCG Pocket game, the most scarce cards are the four three-star Immersive cards and the trio of crown rarity cards – Golden Pikachu ex, Golden Charizard ex, and Golden Mewtwo ex. Though they’re incredibly hard to find in booster packs, you can acquire them from the Pack Point shop by spending 1,500 points for immersive cards or 2,500 points per golden edition crown card.

Are Promo Cards a Rarity in Pokemon Pocket?

In Pokemon Pocket, promo cards aren’t classified as rare items. Instead, you can get them by opening special one-card packs, usually distributed during temporary events. At present, there are 24 Promo cards in the Genetic Apex expansion, which can be recognized by the distinctive blue symbol located on the right side of their images.

Are There Secret Rare Cards in Pokemon Pocket?

Currently, only one secret rare character can be found in the Pokemon Pocket game, and that is Mew. Unlike the traditional Pokemon Trading Card Game, the Pokemon Pocket doesn’t have cards with numbers beyond the total count of its respective expansion set. However, this rule might be altered in the future.

Do Rarities Affect Card Power in Pokemon Pocket?

As a card’s rarity grows, its Health Points (HP), Attack Power (ATK), and special abilities might become more potent, but the type of rarity depicted on the card (one-star, two-star, three-star, or crown) only influences the card’s artwork; it does not affect the card’s actual statistics. These different rarities are just alternate art versions of standard Pokémon cards.

Read More

2024-11-15 17:55