theyre pumped out by the millions on cheap cardboard with JUST ENOUGH quality in the printing to fool grandma into thinking theyre real
Here's a simple framework for Scarlet & Violet era cards: Check the star colour first Black stars are lower value, silver stars are mid-tier, gold stars are premium Count the stars More stars generally means rarer, but colour trumps count Feel for texture Etched ridges indicate Ultra Rares, SIRs, Mega Attack Rares, or Hyper Rares If it has gold stars , it's a Hyper Rare the highest standard tier If it has pink/green stars , it's a Mega Attack Rare featuring Mega Pokmon ex If the artwork tells a story with gold stars , it's a Special Illustration Rare If it has no star at all but an opalescent, colour-shifting finish , it's a Futuristic Rare 30th Celebration's YOSHIROTTEN-illustrated debut tier A critical mistake many new collectors make is assuming all two-star cards are equal
Its main goal is to reach 20 Lore by stacking Ambers team-focused quests with Emeralds evasive glimmers, which sneak past defenses to score points quickly
That is why the step from a 9 to a 10 is usually the steepest jump on the ladder, while 8 to 9 is often modest
Certain series' worth waxes and wanes based on the release, top chase cards, and even shortages