The recent release of Pokémon TCG set Battle Partners [SV9] made headlines for various reasons; however, one of these reasons was one which many might not have expected. Certain copies of the set’s Ultra Rare (UR) N’s Zoroark ex card showed up misprinted.

The misprint in question? The UR version of N’s Zoroark ex contained certain features that would ordinarily be found on the Special Art Rare (SAR) version of the card. Ironically, this misprint actually significantly elevated the value of such misprinted cards as not all UR copies of N’s Zoroark ex had it, making misprinted UR versions of N’s Zoroark ex the most expensive of all Battle Partners [SV9] cards.

Of course, none of this would’ve happened if those who noticed the issue hadn’t known about the main differences between UR and SAR Pokémon TCG cards. Now, we’d like to explain to you what each rarity is as well as the specific features of cards of both rarities.

Ultra Rare (UR) Pokémon Cards

Ultra Rare (UR) is the second-highest rarity in the Pokémon TCG. It was introduced in 2010 in Black Collection [BW1] and White Collection [BW1], the dual set that marked the beginning of the Pokémon TCG’s fifth generation. At the time, UR was the highest rarity in the Pokémon TCG but has since been surpassed by SAR.

In the English version of the Pokémon TCG, the UR rarity is known as “hyper rare”*. These English cards have three gold stars in their respective bottom-left corners as their rarity symbol in the same position that the Japanese cards have “UR” placed.

Note: The English rarity of “hyper rare” is NOT to be confused with the Hyper Rare (HR) rarity which has now been discontinued from the Japanese version.

Above: UR versions of Nest Ball, Miraidon ex, and Rare Candy from Scarlet ex [SV1S] and Violet ex [SV1V]

Creatures Inc. revamped the design of UR cards at the commencement of Gen 9; Scarlet ex [SV1S] and Violet ex [SV1V], the dual set that kicked off the ninth generation, debuted the new UR cards. Present-day UR cards are gilded cards with Full Art illustrations typified by their gold background as well as the gold outline around the subject of the card. They also include an additional layer of glitter foil which cards of no other rarity have.

Thus far, all Gen 9 UR cards have either been gilded holographic versions of standout cards from the same set or versions of selected Energy or Item cards. In the latter case, the Energy or Item cards in question can either be from the same set or a previous one. To date, there have been a total of 58 different cards which have received a version in the UR rarity since the beginning of Gen 9 when the rarity scale was changed to its current iteration.

Special Art Rare (SAR) Pokémon Cards

Special Art Rare (SAR) is the Pokémon TCG’s highest rarity. It was introduced in 2022 with the launch of VSTAR Universe [S12a], the last set of Gen 8. Today, the vast majority of the most expensive and sought-after Pokémon TCG released since then are cards of the SAR rarity.

In the English version of the Pokémon TCG, SAR cards are referred to as “special illustration rare” cards. In Crown Zenith, the English version of VSTAR Universe [S12a], SAR cards had “★GGU” as their rarity symbol; all English special illustration rare cards since then have had two gold stars in their respective bottom-left corners to denote their rarity just as Japanese cards have “SAR” in that same spot.

Above: SAR versions of Hatterene VMAX, Gardenia’s Vigor, and Zeraora VSTAR from VSTAR Universe [S12a]

Illustrations of SAR cards depict Pokémon or human characters in a day-to-day setting; the image shown is intended to capture an ordinary moment in the Pokémon’s or human character’s life. All Pokémon featured on an SAR card are either Pokémon-ex or, in VSTAR Universe [S12a], Pokémon V, VSTAR, or VMAX. All other SAR cards are Supporter cards. Every SAR card is covered with an additional layer of glitter foil.

Thus far, a total of 145 different cards have been printed in an SAR version. Of these cards, 35 of them were from VSTAR Universe [S12a]; the SAR cards from VSTAR Universe [S12a] are also referred to as being part of the “Galarian Gallery” cards. Trainer Gallery cards are sometimes incorrectly classed as SAR cards; such is not the case because most Trainer Gallery cards either had the rarity of Character Rare (CHR) or Character Secret Rare (CSR). Both the CHR and CSR rarities have since been discontinued from the Pokémon TCG. The few Trainer Gallery cards which didn’t have those rarities are also not to be classed as SAR cards.

To sum up the points thus far on UR and SAR cards’ visual elements, here are the following from left to right: the aforementioned N’s Zoroark card in UR without the misprint, the card with the misprint, and the SAR card.

Price Differences Between UR and SAR Cards

The most important difference between UR and SAR cards is unquestionably their respective positions on the rarity hierarchy. Since SAR cards are the rarest of all while UR cards rank second, SAR cards are almost always more expensive than their UR counterparts.

The exceptions are when the UR version of a certain card happens to have a specific feature that the SAR version doesn’t have—such as the aforementioned N’s Zoroark ex card—or when for whatever reason, the SAR card just doesn’t land with the community.

Above: Amarys (SAR) from Terastal Festival ex [SV8a]

A recent example of a card with the SAR rarity which barely accumulated any demand at all was the Amarys card from Terastal Festival ex [SV8a]. Despite being a card of the highest possible rarity—and one with a Full Art illustration of a female character at that—there was next to no interest whatsoever in the Amarys card, causing its price to plummet to one below not only UR cards, but even Super Rare (SR), ACE SPEC, Art Rare (AR), and Double Rare (RR) cards. (We could discuss why this was the case for this specific card, but we’ll just say “you probably know why” and leave it at that.)

Finding the UR Sweet Spot: Value Meets Potential

However, though in most cases UR cards might not enjoy quite the same level of prestige as SAR cards, this actually becomes a green flag for the more budget-conscious collectors out there. On occasion, one or more cards from a given ascend become major standouts, attract countless buyers, and see their prices skyrocket accordingly.

In addition, since it’s often the case that at least one of a set’s UR cards also has a version that comes in SAR, purchasing the UR version can be a way for one to obtain a version of the desired card without shelling out the large amount of money that buying the SAR version might sometimes require.

Now that you’re aware of the key traits of and differences between UR and SAR Pokémon TCG cards, why not browse our selection of UR and SAR cards on the SNKRDUNK App? No matter the exact rarity of the card(s) you choose to purchase, we’re sure that you’ll be more than satisfied with what you have picked up.

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