In short: Read the name first: silver or gold foil text marks Rare and above. Then read the artwork: a holofoil picture marks Super Rare and above. Secret Rares shimmer diagonally, Ultimate Rares are textured, Ghost Rares are pale and ghostly, Starlight Rares are rainbow, and Quarter Century Secret Rares carry the 25th-anniversary foil. Combine the rarity with the set code and the 1st Edition stamp and you have the print that has a price.
Where the rarity shows
Two places tell you the rarity: the card name and the artwork. A Common has plain black name text and a plain picture. A Rare has silver foil name text and a plain picture. From Super Rare upward the picture is holofoil, and the name text and the pattern of the foil separate the higher tiers.
Tilt the card under a lamp. The foil patterns that separate Secret, Ultimate, Ghost, Starlight, and Quarter Century are obvious in moving light and invisible in a flat photo.
The rarity ladder
The TCG has added tiers over twenty years. These are the ones you will meet in a modern collection.
| Rarity | Name text | Artwork | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Black | Plain | Most of every set |
| Rare | Silver foil | Plain | One per pack in older sets |
| Super Rare | Black | Holofoil | Picture shines, name does not |
| Ultra Rare | Gold foil | Holofoil | The classic chase rarity |
| Secret Rare | Silver holofoil | Diagonal shimmer holofoil | Rainbow diagonal pattern across the picture |
| Ultimate Rare | Gold foil | Textured, embossed holofoil | Raised texture on art and frame, older sets |
| Ghost Rare | Silver, faint | Pale, ghostly holofoil | Whole picture looks washed out until tilted |
| Starlight Rare | Rainbow foil | Rainbow holofoil across the full card | Introduced 2019; reported at roughly one per case or rarer |
| Collector's Rare | Rainbow foil | Full-card rainbow foil with texture | Distinct from Starlight by its patterned finish |
| Platinum Secret Rare | Platinum foil | Platinum-toned foil | Alternate of Secret and Quarter Century slots in recent reprint sets |
| Quarter Century Secret Rare | Silver holofoil | Anniversary foil with a 25th logo | 2023 to 2025 for the 25th anniversary, retired when Starlight Rare returned |
The same card in three rarities
Konami often prints one card slot in more than one rarity: Ultra and Ultimate in the mid-2000s, and Ultra or Secret with a Starlight or Quarter Century Secret Rare version in recent sets. The set code is identical across all of them. Only the foil differs, and the prices can differ by ten times or more.
Read the foil before you trust a price; the set code alone will point you at the wrong rarity half the time.
Set code and edition complete the picture
Under the artwork on the right sits the set code, like LOB-001, which names the set and the card's number in it. The earliest print run of a set carries 1st Edition text, under the left edge of the artwork on cards printed before 2014 and beside the passcode in the bottom-left corner on cards since; later runs carry no edition text and are Unlimited; promos and prize cards read Limited Edition. Rarity, set code, and edition together name one print.
The eight-digit passcode in the bottom-left corner is the same on every print of a card and does not help with identification.
OCG rarities
Cards printed for Japan and Asia belong to the OCG, with their own rarity names and foils: 20th Secret Rare, Holographic Rare, and others. They use OCG set codes and are collected in their own market. The set code on a scan tells you which pool a card belongs to.
Which rarities carry the value
For vintage sets the money is in 1st Edition Ultra Rares and Secret Rares of iconic monsters, and in Ultimate and Ghost Rares from the mid-2000s. For modern sets the chase tier is the Starlight Rare, followed by Quarter Century Secret Rares of popular cards from the 2023 to 2025 anniversary sets and Collector's Rares. Super Rares and Rares are inexpensive unless the card is played competitively. Commons are bulk.
Prize cards from championships sit above all of it and are their own market.
Read it from a photo
CardLens reads the set code, the foil, and the edition text from a photo, matches the print, and shows a value range built on recent eBay sales of that rarity. Point it at a Blue-Eyes under the lamp and it will tell you whether you are holding the Ultra, the Secret, or the Starlight.
What each rarity does to the price
Sources: Yugipedia: Starlight Rare, Yugipedia: Quarter Century Secret Rare, Yugipedia: Edition
Questions collectors ask
How can I tell what rarity a Yu-Gi-Oh! card is?
Look at the name text and the artwork under a lamp. Plain name and plain art is Common, silver name is Rare, holofoil art is Super Rare, gold name with holofoil art is Ultra Rare, and the higher tiers are told apart by their foil patterns.
What is the rarest Yu-Gi-Oh! rarity?
Starlight Rare is the scarcest rarity in modern booster sets, reported at roughly one per case or rarer. Championship prize cards are rarer still but are not a booster rarity.
What is a Quarter Century Secret Rare?
A Secret Rare variant printed from 2023 to 2025 for the game's 25th anniversary, with a distinctive foil and a 25th logo, retired when Starlight Rare returned. Popular cards in this rarity are among the most sought-after modern prints.
Is a Secret Rare worth more than an Ultra Rare?
Usually, for the same card in the same set, because fewer are printed. Compare sales of each rarity rather than assuming, since demand for a specific card can reverse the usual order.
How do I know if my Yu-Gi-Oh! card is valuable?
Check the rarity from the foil, the set code under the artwork, and whether it carries 1st Edition text. Early sets, high rarities, 1st Editions, and prize cards are where value lives, and a scan shows what copies of that print sold for.
Free on the App Store
Scan a Yu-Gi-Oh! card and see its rarity, set code, and value.
CardLens reads the foil and the set code from one photo and shows a value range with recent eBay sales behind it.