A Pokémon TCG Pocket pack contains five cards, but they do not all have the same chance of appearing. Understanding rarities tells you what to expect from an opening, which cards are really useful in battle, and which ones are purely for collecting.
Rarities at a glance
| Symbol | Name | What it is |
|---|---|---|
 | 1 diamond | Common cards: Basic Pokémon and first evolutions. |
 | 2 diamonds | Uncommon: evolutions, Trainer cards. |
 | 3 diamonds | Rare: important evolved Pokémon, key Supporters. |
 | 4 diamonds | Pokémon ex and Mega Pokémon ex, in their normal version. |
 | 1 star | Illustrated cards: a Pokémon in a full-card scene. |
 | 2 stars | Special versions of Pokémon ex and Supporters. |
 | 3 stars | Immersive cards: the artwork comes alive and can be explored. |
| ✦ | Shiny | Shiny Pokémon (since Shining Revelry). |
| ✦✦ | Double shiny | Shiny Pokémon ex. |
 | Crown | Golden versions, the rarest cards in the game. |
How a pack is made up
In a standard pack, the first three cards are always ♦. The fourth and fifth can be rarer, with the fifth having the best chances. The cards appear in a random order: the most beautiful one is not necessarily last.
According to Poképédia’s data for Genetic Apex, the fourth card is a ♦♦ 90% of the time, and the fifth 60% of the time. A ★ card or better appears in fifth position about one time in seven.
| Rarity | 4th card | 5th card |
|---|---|---|
| 90% | 60% |
| 5% | 20% |
| 1.67% | 6.67% |
| 2.57% | 10.29% |
| 0.50% | 2.00% |
| 0.22% | 0.89% |
| 0.04% | 0.16% |
Rates for a standard Genetic Apex pack, according to Poképédia. Newer expansions follow the same pattern; the exact rates for each pack can be viewed in the game.
The rare pack
About one pack in 2,000 (0.05%) is a rare pack: all five of its cards are of ★ rarity or higher. Opening one comes with a special animation. In Genetic Apex, each card in a rare pack has about a 40% chance of being a ★, 50% a ★★, and 5% a ★★★ or a crown.The pack with a bonus card
Since Mega Rising, about one pack in twenty (5.24%) contains a sixth card, always shiny: two times out of three a single shiny card, otherwise a double shiny. These cards can only appear this way.Choosing your pack
Some expansions offer several packs, such as Genetic Apex (Charizard, Mewtwo, Pikachu) or Mega Rising (Mega Gyarados, Mega Blaziken, Mega Altaria). All of their cards belong to the same expansion, but each pack contains only part of the list. Cards that appear in only one pack are indicated in the Card Dex.- To build a deck: open the pack that contains the Pokémon ex you are after.
- To complete a collection: alternate between packs, then use pack points for the last missing card.
- For a new expansion: open it as soon as it is released, since the events and missions that come with it reward it.
