Pokémon TCG Pocket quickly gained attention for its exclusive full-art cards, which many fans wish were available in the regular TCG. This sentiment only grew after the reveal of Sabrina and Articuno during last weekend’s demo at the World Championships. It confirmed what many suspected: as in the traditional TCG, the type of artwork is linked to the card’s rarity, and the pattern mirrors that of the TCG. Let’s explore the different types of rarities and artworks available in TCG Pocket based on the current spoilers.
Rarity Overview
On the bottom left corner of the cards, you can notice symbols that define the rarities of the cards
From what we can guess, the scale would be :
♢ : common · ♢♢ : uncommon · ♢♢♢ : rare · ♢♢♢♢ : ultra rare.
More precisely, so far the spread of cards in each ◊ rarity looks like this:
◊ cards = Weaker Basic Pokémon + weaker Stage 1 + Basic Trainers
◊◊ cards = ◊ cards + stronger Basic Pokémon + Stage 1 + Supporters
◊◊◊ cards = ◊◊ cards + strongest Basic Pokémon + stronger Stage 1 + Stage 2
◊◊◊◊ cards = EX cards
♢ (Diamond) and ☆ (Star) rarities are on a different scale, with ☆ rarities being rarer. Each ☆ card also exists in ♢ : just like in the TCG, the game could be rather accessible, rare arts being more of a premium. The spread of cards in each ☆ rarity looks like this:
☆ cards = full art of a Pokémon
☆☆ cards = full art of a Pokémon ex + Supporters
☆☆☆ cards = immersive art
☆☆☆☆ cards = “crown rares”, gold art
In the binder, these cards are sorted separately.
There’s also a 🜲 (Crown) rarity, shrouded in mystery.
In Genetic Apex, the first set of the game, we can see in the trailer that there’s a total of 226 ♢ cards and since the expansion totals 286 cards, it means that there’s 60 ☆ cards. We also know that ☆ cards can only be obtained from a specific pack within a set : for instance, Pikachu ex ☆☆☆ could only be found in Pikachu-themed booster packs. It is therefore very likely that each booster pack variant totals 20 exclusive ☆ cards.
Now let’s look at the outstanding art types in the game.
Ex art (♢♢♢♢)
Pokémon ex, which we covered in another article, are special, stronger versions of regular Pokémon, unique to the TCG. Their artwork extends beyond the borders of the regular frame to make them more recognizable and majestic, but unlike full-art cards, they still retain the main card frames. This feature first appeared with Pokémon Star in the TCG.
In TCG Pocket, it appears that the four-diamond rarity is reserved for Pokémon ex, as seen with Charizard ex and Pikachu ex. These cards can be tilted to reveal additional effects like flames or electricity.
Full art (☆ - ☆☆)
Full-art cards feature illustrations that cover the entire card, removing the usual box that separates the artwork from other elements to highlight the depicted character or Pokémon. These cards are fan favorites, with some being highly sought after by collectors (think “Moon Umbreon”). In TCG Pocket, full-art cards will be exclusive to star-rarity cards. They will be alternative prints of certain diamond-rarity cards, regardless of the number of diamonds they have. We can expect all Pokémon ex cards to have full-art counterparts, just as in the traditional TCG.
Immersive art (☆☆☆)
Immersive arts are a subset of full-art cards that include an exclusive animation, adding a narrative and bringing the scene to life. So far, we know of two: Pikachu ex, which plays and sleeps around in a forest with other cute Pokémon, and the more intense Mewtwo ex, caught in a terrifying trance as it breaks out of a building, shattering the glass of a shadowy DNA lab—a detail provided by Pokémon TCG Pocket itself.
Pull rates in a booster pack
We currently don’t know the pull rates for each type of rarity. In the TCG, a booster pack of 10 cards guarantees at least one Rare card; however, based on the first TCG Pocket trailer, in which one pack contained 3 ♢ cards and 2 ♢♢ cards, it seems this guarantee does not apply. For reference, in the TCG, the highest possible rarity has an estimated pull rate of 1 in 51 packs. TCG Pocket might use a similar pull rate for immersive cards, though this has yet to be confirmed.
