Pokémon TCG
How to Read a Pokémon Card
The top half of a Pokémon card tells you how it plays. The line of small print along the bottom tells you exactly which card it is, which is what you need to price it, sell it or add it to a collection. Here's every part, top to bottom.
The top: stage, name, HP and type
Stage, top left, says how the Pokémon gets into play. A Basic Pokémon can be played straight from your hand. A Stage 1 evolves from the Basic named on the card ("Evolves from Charmander"), and a Stage 2 evolves from that Stage 1.
The name sometimes carries a suffix such as ex, V, VMAX or VSTAR. Those are rule box Pokémon: stronger than a regular card, with a printed drawback that your opponent takes extra Prize cards when one is Knocked Out. Pokémon V and most Pokémon ex give up two Prizes; VMAX and Mega Evolution Pokémon ex give up three.
Charmander
151 #4
Basic: played straight from your hand.
Charmeleon
151 #5
Stage 1: evolves from Charmander.
Charizard ex
151 #6
Stage 2 and an ex, with its rule box at the bottom.
HP, top right, is how much damage the Pokémon can take before it's Knocked Out, and the symbol beside it is its type: Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Psychic, Fighting, Darkness, Metal, Dragon or Colorless on modern cards. The type matters for weakness and resistance on the other side of the table.
The middle: abilities and attacks
Under the artwork, an Ability (labeled as one, usually in red) is an effect you can use without attacking, often once a turn. Below that are the attacks. Each one reads left to right:
Weakness, resistance and retreat cost
Near the bottom of every Pokémon are three numbers that come up in almost every game. Weakness names a type that deals extra damage to this Pokémon, doubling it on modern cards. Resistance names a type that deals less, usually 30 less on modern cards. Retreat cost is how many Energy you discard from this Pokémon to switch it out of the Active Spot.
The bottom: the collector line
The small print along the bottom edge is what identifies the card. The same Pokémon can be printed dozens of times with different art, attacks and value, but this line is printed on one card only. On a card from Scarlet & Violet onward it reads something like G SVI EN 025/198:
Older cards leave some of this out. Cards from before Sword & Shield have no regulation mark, and cards from before Scarlet & Violet have no set code, only a set symbol and the number over the set's printed total, like 58/102. Subsets carry a prefix on the number instead, such as TG01/TG30 for a Trainer Gallery card.
This line is exactly what TurnZero HQ's scanner reads: the set code and number first, the name only to break a tie. How the Pokémon scanner works →
Rarity symbols
The symbol beside the collector number says how often the card turns up in packs. The first three have been used for most of the game's history; the rest are how the Scarlet & Violet sets mark their higher rarities. Later sets add rarities of their own.
Pikachu
151 #25
Common
Ultra Ball
Scarlet & Violet #196
Uncommon
Gardevoir ex
Scarlet & Violet #86
Double Rare
Bulbasaur
151 #166
Illustration Rare
Charizard ex
151 #199
Special Illustration Rare
Mew ex
151 #205
Hyper Rare
Rarity is not the same thing as the foil treatment. A common can come as a reverse holofoil, and the same card number can be worth very different amounts depending on which version you have. Holo vs. reverse holo → How to spot a fake card →
Trainer and Energy cards
Not every card is a Pokémon. Trainer cards are labeled with their kind across the top: an Item can be played as many times a turn as you like, a Supporter only once a turn, a Stadium stays in play for both players, and a Pokémon Tool attaches to one of your Pokémon. Energy cards power attacks: Basic Energy provides one Energy of its type, and Special Energy does something extra, described on the card. Trainer and Energy cards carry the same collector line along the bottom as a Pokémon.
Card versions
The card above is a Pokémon ex. Regular Pokémon, special art rarities and Trainers are laid out differently, and the differences are what tell you what you have. These four cards from 30th Celebration are marked up for what's different about each.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the set on a Pokémon card?
Along the bottom. Cards from Scarlet & Violet onward print a short set code, like SVI for Scarlet & Violet base or PAF for Paldean Fates, next to the language code and collector number. Older cards print a small set symbol instead, near the number or beside the artwork, so you match the icon to its set.
What does the number at the bottom of a Pokémon card mean?
It's the collector number over the set's printed total, so 025/198 is card 25 of a 198-card set. A number higher than the total, like 199/198, marks a secret rare printed beyond the main set. Subsets use their own prefix, such as TG01/TG30 for a Trainer Gallery card.
What is the regulation mark on a Pokémon card?
The single letter in a small box near the bottom left, printed on cards since the Sword & Shield era. Standard format legality is decided by regulation mark: each year's rotation removes the oldest marks, so the letter tells you at a glance whether a card is still Standard-legal under the current rotation.
What do the circle, diamond and star mean on a Pokémon card?
They're rarity symbols. A circle is Common, a diamond is Uncommon and a star is Rare. The Scarlet & Violet sets add more: two black stars for a Double Rare, two silver stars for an Ultra Rare, and one, two or three gold stars for Illustration Rare, Special Illustration Rare and Hyper Rare.
What does ex or V after a Pokémon's name mean?
It marks a rule box Pokémon, a stronger card with a drawback printed in a box on the card: when it's Knocked Out, your opponent takes more Prize cards. Pokémon V and most Pokémon ex give up two Prizes, while Pokémon VMAX and Mega Evolution Pokémon ex give up three.
How can you tell a Special Illustration Rare from a regular Pokémon ex?
Three things. The art covers the whole card instead of sitting in a frame, the collector number is higher than the set's printed total, and the rarity symbol is two gold stars instead of two black ones. In 30th Celebration, Mew ex is 066/128 as a Double Rare and 152/128 as a Special Illustration Rare. The name, HP, attacks and rule box are the same, so the two play identically.
Found the number? Add the card.
Type the set code and number, or scan it, and TurnZero HQ adds it to your Pokémon collection with its price. Free to start.
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