Pokémon TCG
Full Art Pokémon Cards
A full art card puts the artwork across the whole front, with the text printed over it. They started with Reshiram and Zekrom in 2011 and now come in several styles with names that are easy to mix up. Here is how to tell them apart and what each is worth.
The short answer
A full art Pokémon card is one where the artwork fills the whole front of the card and the name, attacks and text sit on top of it, with no picture frame. Full arts are foil or textured and rarer than the regular printing of the same card, and in the current sets the full art Pokémon ex and Supporters are the Ultra Rares. They play exactly like the regular card.
Four styles of full-card art
Several kinds of card now put art across the whole front, and The Pokémon Company names each one:
Sword & Shield also had Trainer Gallery cards, starting in Brilliant Stars in 2022, which show a Pokémon alongside its Trainer across the whole card. Every rarity and its symbol →
Gengar ex
Temporal Forces #193
Ultra Rare, Temporal Forces. A full art.
Magikarp
Paldea Evolved #203
Illustration Rare, Paldea Evolved.
Umbreon ex
Prismatic Evolutions #161
Special Illustration Rare, Prismatic Evolutions.
Umbreon VMAX
Brilliant Stars Trainer Gallery #TG23
Trainer Gallery, Brilliant Stars.
Full art vs. alt art
The difference is the background. A full art shows the Pokémon large on a plain or patterned field. An alternate art draws a whole scene the Pokémon lives in, by an artist with more freedom. Evolving Skies printed both for Umbreon V, and collectors priced them very differently on October 2, 2026:
Umbreon V
Evolving Skies #188
The full art. $56.90.
Umbreon V
Evolving Skies #189
The alternate art. $381.59.
Since 2023 the scene style has its own official names, Illustration Rare and Special Illustration Rare, and the full art keeps its look as the Ultra Rare. When a collector says "alt art" about a current card, they usually mean a Special Illustration Rare.
Where full arts came from
English full arts began in Black & White, in April 2011, with full art Reshiram and Zekrom. Noble Victories that November added a full art N, one of the earliest full art Supporters, and Next Destinies in February 2012 made full arts the high-rarity version of the new Pokémon-EX. Every era since has carried them: full art Pokémon-EX in XY, Pokémon-GX in Sun & Moon, Pokémon V in Sword & Shield, and Pokémon ex in Scarlet & Violet and the Mega Evolution sets.
Full art Supporters
Full art Supporters, which show a character from the games across the whole card, are some of the most collected cards in the game, and players use them in decks too. Many Supporters in a current set get a full art Ultra Rare, and the most popular get a Special Illustration Rare as well. Lillie's Determination, a staple of current decks, shows the range in one set, Mega Evolution, on October 2, 2026:
What full arts are worth
A full art is usually worth more than the regular printing, and less than the same card's Special Illustration Rare or alternate art. Popularity decides most of the rest: a full art of a favorite Pokémon or Supporter holds value, while one of a Pokémon few people collect can sell for a few dollars. Textured full arts also show wear and print lines, so condition matters more than on a regular card. How to check a card's value →
TurnZero HQ tracks each printing as its own card, so a full art and an alternate art of the same Pokémon are counted and priced separately, and set completion lists the secret rare full arts apart from the main set. How set completion counts →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a full art Pokémon card?
A card whose artwork covers the whole front, with the name, attacks and text printed over it instead of inside a frame. Full arts are usually foil or textured, and they are higher rarities than the regular printing of the same card. In current sets the full art Pokémon ex and Supporters are the Ultra Rares.
What is the difference between full art and alt art?
A full art shows the Pokémon, often on a plain or patterned background, across the whole card. An alternate art, the collectors' name for a style from the Sword & Shield sets, puts the Pokémon in a full illustrated scene. In current sets that scene style is the Special Illustration Rare, and alt arts usually sell for much more than full arts.
Are full art Pokémon cards rare?
Yes. A full art is printed as a secret rare or near the top of a set's rarities, and it lands in the rare or reverse holo slot of a pack far less often than the regular card. Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares are full-card art too, and Special Illustration Rares are rarer still.
Are full art Pokémon cards worth anything?
Most are worth more than the regular version of the same card, and the range is wide: from a few dollars for a full art of a less popular Pokémon to hundreds for a popular Pokémon or Supporter, especially in alternate art or Special Illustration Rare style. Check the price of the exact printing.
Can you play full art cards in tournaments?
Yes. A full art is the same card as its regular printing, with the same rules text, so it is legal wherever that card is. Many players use full art Supporters in their decks for the look.
Track every full art you own.
TurnZero HQ prices each Pokémon printing separately from daily TCGplayer prices. Free to start.
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