Circle symbol

How to read it

The circle is one of three basic rarity symbols, with the diamond for uncommon and the star for rare. CGC, the card grading company, describes the rarity symbol as a small mark in the bottom right or bottom left corner, beside the set number, and calls it the easiest way to tell how rare a card is within its set. Wargamer gives the same four everyday symbols: the black circle, diamond and star, and the black star with PROMO written on it.

Also searched as: black circle on pokemon card, common rarity pokemon, dot on pokemon card, pokemon card circle symbol, pokemon common symbol.

Unchanged since 2023

When The Pokémon Company International revamped its rarity symbols for the Scarlet & Violet Series in 2023, it kept the solid black circle, diamond and star as they were, and said they would go on marking rarity on many kinds of card, parallel foil cards among them. A reverse holo copy of a common card still has the circle.

Look-alikes

On a Basic Energy card from the Scarlet & Violet Series on, a circle in the bottom right corner is not a rarity symbol: it is the card’s Energy symbol, which The Pokémon Company International added there in 2023 to make the type of Energy attached to each Pokémon clearer. The Energy type symbols page covers the 11 types.