TCG Card Type Guide

Card Guide

Listed below, we have provided a guide to several sets and rarities within Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh. This includes some of the older and more difficult to distinguish sets, along with listing the differences between each to help you tell them apart. Please use this guide to help with submitting buylists and orders correctly, or to just find out what you have in your home collection!
If you have any questions please feel free to email us at: buyer@capefeargames.com, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

If you are looking for CFG's grading scale, please visit our Condition Guide

Rarity

Common

Uncommon

Rare

Mythic

Sets

Alpha

Larger Corners
Black Border with Beveled Frame
Only Illustrator Copyright at Bottom

Beta

Normal Corners
Black Border with Beveled Frame
Only Illustrator Copyright at Bottom

Unlimited

White Border
Beveled Frame
Only Illustrator Copyright at Bottom

Revised/3rd Ed.

White Border
Solid Black Line Around Frame, No Bevel
Only Illustrator Copyright at Bottom

Fourth Ed.

White Border
Beveled Frame
1995 Copyright at Bottem Left

Fifth Ed.

White Border
Beveled Frame
1997 Copyright at Bottem Left

Anthologies

White Border
Beveled Frame
Set Symbols Vary
1993-1998 Copyright at Bottom Center or Left

Chronicles

White Border
Beveled Frame
1995 Copyright in Bottom Left
Set Symbols: The Dark , Legends , Antiquities , and Arabian Nights

Battle Royale

White Border
Beveled Frame
No Collection Number
Set Symbols Vary
1993-1999 Copyright at Bottom Center

Mystery Booster/
The List

White Planeswalker symbol found at the bottom left

Extended Art

Extended Art cards have the same art as the regular version, but it extends past the card frame on the left and right sides of the image.

Showcase

Showcase cards have alternate arts and alternate card frames.
Frame and art styles vary greatly between different sets.

Borderless

Has an alternate art to the regular version.
No card frame around entire card.

Rarity

Common

Uncommon

Rare

Sets

Base Set 1st Edition

All 1st Edition Pokemon cards are easily discernable by the 1st Edition logo → stamped in the middle of the left side of the card.

1st Edition cards from Base Set cards will have no drop-shadow on the right side of the image, just like Shadowless cards. In the dates at the bottom, you will find the year 1999 printed twice. Once as "99" and again as "1999". Base Set's collection number will always be out of 102 (ex: XXX/102), located on the bottom right of the card.

Base Set Shadowless

Shadowless cards are the exact same as 1st Edition Base Set, except they do not have a 1st Edition Logo. These cards do not have a drop-shadow behind the right side of the image on the card. The year 1999 is printed twice in the copyright line at the bottom of the card. Shadowless cards have the same collection numbers as 1st Edition Base Set.

Base Set Unlimited

Unlimited Cards look similar to Shadowless cards, but include a drop shadow behind the image and only have one printing of the year "1999" in the copyright at the bottom.

Classic Collection

Classic Collection is part of the 25 year anniversary set Celebrations. All Celebrations cards include a 25 Year Pikachu stamp located somewhere on the card. The Classic Collection cards are only distinguishable from its past counterpart by the stamp and the unique foiling and texture on the card.

Jungle Missing Set Symbol

Jungle was the only set to receive a printing without a set symbol after Base Set. These cards will always have a collection number of 64 (ex: 00/64) and look the exact same as regular cards from Jungle, but without the set symbol on the right side of the card.

Common

Nothing special done to them

Rare

Silver or Black holofoiling to the card name only

Super Rare

Only card art is printed in holofoil

Ultra Rare

Have both holofoiled card name and card art
Card name is gold instead of silver or black

Ultimate Rare

Card art, borders, attribute icon, and level stars all have an embossed foil on them
Card name is printed in gold

Secret Rare

Both card name and card art are foiled
Card name is holographic silver
Card art has polarized foiling, giving it a diagonal cross-hatched effect

Prismatic Secret Rare

Card art has horizontal and vertical cross-hatch pattern instead of diagonal
Card name contains multiple speckled holofoil colors instead of one solid holofoil color

Parallel Rare

No foil image or card name
Has a coating on the front face that makes the surface reflective

Starfoil Rare

Have an outer-space foil pattern over the entire card

Starlight Rare

Same horizontal holographic foil pattern as Prismatic Secret Rare, but applied to the whole card rather than only the card art

Ghost Rare

Card name is printed in silver lettering
The card art is foiled, but is much more pale (ghostly) and the monster displayed seems to look split, giving it a 3D effect