So, let me start by saying this is pretty awkward; posting a Yu-Gi-Oh article on a Pokémon forum. Unfortunately I don’t know any Yu-Gi-Oh forums which are even remotely active. The last posts on the YGOrganization forum are from mid-2019; the Yu-Gi-Oh! Pojo forum has only a few posts each day at some sections; and the DuelistGroundz forum has a few posts each week. The most active social media for Yu-Gi-Oh is the /r/yugioh reddit, with on average a new post every 30 minutes. Unfortunately reddit doesn’t support inline pictures, and I personally don’t deem it useful to post articles in general. So, here we are, posting a Yu-Gi-Oh article on the Efour Pokémon forum. 
(I will post it on reddit as well when it’s done with links to the pictures, though.)
This article will showcase each Yu-Gi-Oh rarity available in the TCG, OCG (Japanese), and Korean sets combined, as well as misprinted rarities. (Almost) all these pictures will come from my personal collection. The cards in question are completely at random. I don’t care about which card it is; whether it’s 1st or unlimited edition; whether it’s English or German/Italian/Spanish/etc. (although my preference is English for TCG); whether it’s in the meta or hard to find or not (I prefer cheaper cards of course). The only thing that’s important is the used rarity on the cards.
Some of you who’ve collected Yu-Gi-Oh in the past might know the basic rarities, like Common; Rare; Super Rare; Ultra Rare; Secret Rare; Ultimate Rare; Gold Rare; Ghost Rare. And some more advanced collectors might also know the rarities Starfoil Rare; Shatterfoil Rare; Mosaic Rare; Prismatic Secret Rare; Parallel Rare; Duel Terminal Parallel Rare; Gold Secret Rare; Gold/Ghost Rare; or even OCG exclusive rarities like Collectors Rare; Extra Secret Rare; 20th Secret Rare; etc. etc. etc.
But let me tell you, all these are just the tip of the iceberg. I currently have (at time of writing) 143 TCG/OCG/Korean rarities and an additional 40+ misprinted rarities in my collection, and I know of a few more misprinted rarities (and one non-misprinted rarity) I’m still looking for.
So, let’s jump right into it:
**NOTE: Image-heavy, so don’t open the spoilers/image-links when browsing with limited internet (i.e. mobile)!!**Also, all these rarities will be in an order I thought was the best to explain things. So they are not chronological at all.
Officially released rarities:
Common:
This is the very basic card. Just a regular non-Holo card you can find in almost all sets, and in all languages.
It contains no holofoil whatsoever (except for the Eye of Anubis in the bottom-right corner). Normal Monster cards, Effect Monster cards, Ritual Monster cards, Fusion Monster cards, Synchro Monster cards, Pendulum Monster cards, Token cards, and the illegal Divine-Beast Monster cards will all have black names. Spell cards, Trap cards, Xyz Monster cards, Link Monster cards and Skill cards will all have white names. (Although there are at least three misprinted exceptions, which are the Japanese 301-026 Reaper on the Nightmare (Fusion Monster card with white name); the English DL4-001 Machine King (Effect Monster card with white name); and the LON-079 Dark Spirit of the Silent (Trap card with black name), which are a Common, Super Rare v1, and Super Rare v1 respectively.)
NOTE: This does include the so called ‘Normal Rare’ and Short Prints. They are still Commons, but their pull rates are different than the other Commons in the same sets.
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Rare:
Rare cards are still a very commonly known rarity. Some sets will always contain a Rare or other rarity in a pack, in which case the other rarities are more desirable. Earlier sets might only contain Commons without any other rarity. In general, Rare cards can be found in loads of sets again, and in all languages.
Rare cards will have an imprinted silver name in comparison to Commons, regardless of the card type.
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Black Rare:
Black Rares are a TCG exclusive rarity. They can only be found in the Battle Pack: Epic Dawn (BP01) set from May 24, 2012. The numbers in the ranges [001, 023] and [031,055] will be available as Black Rares.
Black Rares are very similar to Commons, except that their name is imprinted like a Rare. In addition, Spell and Trap cards which normally would have a white name, will also have a black imprinted name in this rarity. (Xyz Monster cards will have a white imprinted name, known as White Rare, mentioned below.)
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White Rare:
White Rares are similar as Black Rares. They are again a TCG exclusive rarity from the same Battle Pack: Epic Dawn (BP01) set of May 24, 2012. The numbers in the range [024,030] will be available in as White Rares, which are all Xyz Monster cards.
They will have a white imprinted name.
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Blue Rare:
Blue Rares are a TCG-exclusive rarity which can only be found on Duelist League participation cards between August 15, 2009 and June 27, 2014 in the sets: DL09; DL11; DL12; DL13; DL14; DL15; DL16; DL17; and DL18.
A Blue Rare has, as its name suggests, a blue imprinted name.
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**Red Rare:**Red Rare is just like Blue Rare a TCG exclusive which can be found in Duelist League participation sets. Unlike Blue Rare, the DL09 of August 15, 2009 won’t contain Red Rares, but the DL11 to and including DL18 sets of December 1, 2010 to June 27, 2014 do.
Red Rares will have a Red imprinted name.
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**Green Rare:**Green Rare is again TCG exclusive which can be found in Duelist League participation sets. Unlike Blue, the DL09 and DL18 sets won’t contain Green Rares, but the DL11 to and including DL17 sets of December 1, 2010 to December 13, 2013 do.
Green Rares will have a green imprinted name.
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**Purple Rare:**Purple Rare is again TCG exclusive which can be found in Duelist League participation sets. Unlike Blue, the DL09 and DL17 sets won’t contain Purple Rares, but the DL11 to and including DL16 sets of December 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013, as well as the DL18 set of June 27, 2014 do.
Purple Rares will have a purple imprinted name.
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**Bronze Rare:**Bronze Rare is again TCG exclusive which can be found in Duelist League participation sets. Unlike Blue Rares, the Bronze Rares can only be found in the DL09 of August 15, 2009.
Bronze Rares will have a bronze imprinted name.
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**Light Blue Rare:**Light Blue Rare is again TCG exclusive which can be found in Duelist League participation sets. Just like Bronze Rares, it can only be found in the DL09 set of August 15, 2009.
Light Blue Rares will have a light blue imprinted name.
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**Light Green Rare:**Light Rare is again TCG exclusive which can be found in Duelist League participation sets. Just like Bronze Rares, it can only be found in the DL09 set of August 15, 2009.
Light Green Rares will have a light green imprinted name.
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**Super Rare v1:**Super Rares are again a very well-known rarity which can be found in almost all sets. Super Rares can again be found in all languages. This first version of Super Rares can be found in the very first TCG sets, up to and including the Pendulum Evolution (PEVO) set from June 22, 2017. For the OCG it can be found up to and including the Structure Deck R: Tyranno’s Rage (SR04) from February 25, 2017. After that the Super Rares changed, which is mentioned at Super Rare v2 below.
Super Rares v1 will be rather similar as a Common card, but will have a regular Holofoil image.
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**Super Rare v2:**The second version of Super Rares started for the TCG with the Battles of Legend: Light’s Revenge (BLLR) set, released in July, 2017. And for the OCG with the Starter Deck 2017 (ST17) from March 25, 2017.
Super Rares v2 will have the same holofoil image as a Super Rare v1, but in addition the Attribute (or Spell/Trap symbol) and Level/Rank/Pendulum-arrows/Link-arrows will be holofoil as well.
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**Ultra Rare v1:**Ultra Rares are also a well-known rarity, but rarer than Super Rares. Just like the Super Rare v1, the Ultra Rare v1 can be found in the very first set up to and including the Pendulum Evolution (PEVO) set from June 22, 2017. For the OCG it can be found up to and including the Structure Deck R: Tyranno’s Rage (SR04) from February 25, 2017. After that the Super Rares changed, which is mentioned at Super Rare v2 below.
Just like Super Rares, Ultra Rare will have a holofoil image, but in addition they will also have a golden imprinted name.
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**Ultra Rare v2:**Just like the second version of the Super Rare, the Ultra Rare v2 started for the TCG with the Battles of Legend: Light’s Revenge (BLLR) set from July 22, 2017. And for the OCG with the Starter Deck 2017 (ST17) from March 25, 2017.
And just like the Super Rare v2, they will also have a holofoil Attribute and Level/Rank/Pendulum-arrows/Link-arrows.
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**Secret Rare v1:**Secret Rares are a TCG and Korean exclusive rarity. The OCG Secret Rares will be Prismatic Secret Rares instead (with the exception of the recently released Secret Rare v3 OCG mentioned below). The first Secret Rares up to and including the Ancient Sanctuary (AST) set from June, 2004, will be similar for all regions (here for example a picture of both a US and European LON-(E)125 Gaia the Dragon Champion; due to the lighting I’ve placed both cards at both the left and right, since it’s the pattern that’s the focus and the same here, not the lighting). From the Strike of Neos (STON) set from February, 2007 onward up to and including the Primal Origin (PRIO) set from May, 2014, the American Secret Rares changed, which is the Secret Rare v2 below. The Secret Rares within this set range which were released in Europe are still this version 1. TODO: Korean sets; I haven’t checked all Korean sets yet. Although most Korean sets will have a Prismatic Secret Rare pattern similar as the OCG, the Korean Secret Rares from the PGD, HA01, and HA02 sets will be similar as this Secret Rare v1.
Secret Rares will have a diagonal holofoil pattern that travels from the top-right to the bottom-left, and in addition a rainbow/mirror like silver name. This Secret Rare v1 will have loose pixels that are more scattered across the artwork when looking at the artwork on close-up.
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**Secret Rare v2:**As mentioned above, the American prints of the Secret Rares from the sets Strike of Neos (STON) of February 28, 2007 to and including Primal Origin (PRIO) of May 16, 2014 changed to this version 2. After that, the Secret Rares in all TCG languages became version 3 below, for which the artwork was similar as version 1.
Secret Rares v2 will have the diagonal lines more grouped together when looking up close. The name will still be similar.
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Below also a side-by-side comparison for the Secret Rares v1 and v2. Note that the card is from the exact same set, and both are also 1st edition. The one on the left is printed in Europe (in the factory in Belgium), and the one on the right is printed in the US.
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**Secret Rare v3 TCG:**From the Battles of Legend: Light’s Revenge (BLLR) from July, 2017 onward, both the European and American Secret Rares had the same artwork again, following the Secret Rare v1 type of Secret Rare holofoil.
Just like the Super Rare v2 and Ultra Rare v2, the Attribute as well as the Level/Rank/Pendulum-arrows/Link-arrows were holofoil (in the same top-right to bottom-left type of holofoil as the artwork).
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**Secret Rare v3 OCG:**Although almost all OCG Secret Rares are actually Prismatic Secret Rares, which we will discuss in a bit. There is a single OCG set containing Secret Rares with a diagonal pattern similar to the TCG Secret Rares. This set is the Extra Pack 2019 (EP19) from September 14, 2019, which contains five cards with this rarity.
It has a shattered silver imprinted name, similar as Prismatic Secret Rares we will discuss in a bit. In addition, the top-right to bottom-left diagonal Secret Rare pattern is rather similar as the US-exclusive Secret Rare v2 TCG (although when looking up close, it’s still slightly different, but let’s ignore that for now). Just like the Secret Rare v3 TCG it will also have a diagonal holofoil level/rank and attribute.
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**Secret Rare v3 Korean:**This Secret Rare version comes in the Korean version of the same set as the Secret Rare v3 OCG: the Extra Pack 2019 (EP19) from December 17, 2019.
It’s similar as the Secret Rare v3 from the OCG, but with a rainbow/mirror-like silver name like a regular Secret Rare TCG.
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Prismatic Secret Rare v1:
Prismatic Secret Rares are mostly used in the OCG and Korean cards. In the OCG, the default Secret Rare are similar as the Prismatic Secret Rares in the TCG. For the TCG, the DDS; FMR; VB5; EDS; DOR; SSD; TSC; TFK; PCY; WC4; DOD; PCK; ROD; and PCJ sets (all released between March 19, 2002 and June 29, 2004) will have this Prismatic Secret Rare v1. This sounds like a fair amount of sets, but most of these sets consists of three or less amount of cards, mostly video game promos.
Prismatic Secret Rares are the default Secret Rare rarity for the OCG. This rarity can therefore be found in a lot of sets, up to Maximum Crisis (MACR) of January 14, 2017. After that it changed to the Prismatic Secret Rare v2.
Prismatic Secret Rares will have a similar holofoil type as Secret Rares, but instead of diagonal, it will be both horizontal & vertical. Looking at the artworks up close, you can see the lines are either only horizontal focused, or only vertical focused. At first I was under the impression this horizontal vs vertical aspect was the same for all cards from a certain set/period depending on the TCG/OCG/Korean, but apparently it’s rather random to some extend. The TCG sets mentioned above for the v1 will all have vertical focused lines as far as I could find. But the OCG Prismatic Secret Rares will be either vertical or horizontal focused in a rather random fashion.
As for the name, the Prismatic Secret Rare v1 (and v2) will have a shattered silver imprinted name. Although also a silver imprinted name, it’s different than a regular Rare or Secret Rare name.
In addition, on some Prismatic Secret Rare cards (regardless of language or version) you can see distinct lines going through the card, as if the holofoil was placed on a grid.
Note how in the TCG and OCG Prismatic Secret Rares v1 pictures below, the TCG one is vertically focused, and the OCG one is horizontally focused in terms of its holofoil lines.
The last two (picture and gif) show a close-up of the crossroad of distinct lines, which can be seen near the center of the TCG card.
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Although almost all Prismatic Secret Rare v1 from the TCG are vertically focused and from the OCG are horizontally focused, there is at least one OCG exclusive set for which the cards can be found both horizontally and vertically focused: the Premium Pack 12 (PP12) from March 20, 2010.
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Prismatic Secret Rare v2:
This second version is an OCG exclusive. It can be found in the sets from Code of the Duelist (COTD) of April 15, 2017 onward.
It has a similar shattered silver name as the Prismatic Secret Rare v1. In addition to a horizontal & vertical holofoil artwork, it will also have a holofoil Attribute and Level/Rank/Pendulum-arrows/Link-arrows like the Super Rare v2 and Ultra Rare v2.
Although most of these OCG Prismatic Secret Rare v2 are horizontally focused, there are some which can be found as both horizontally and vertically focused. Note how the OCG cards below are from the same set, yet one is vertical focused (on the left) and one is horizontal focused (on the right).
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**Prismatic Secret Rare v3:**This third version is a TCG and Korean exclusive, and wasn’t released in the OCG. For the TCG it’s in the World Superstars (WSUP) set from April, 2015, and for the Korean sets it’s in loads of sets since this version is somewhat the standard Secret Rare of Korean cards, up to around mid/end 2017.
It’s similar as the Prismatic Secret Rare v1, but instead of a shattered silver imprinted name, it will have the same rainbow/mirror like silver name like the regular Secret Rares.
Note how both the Korean and TCG cards are horizontal focused (although the TCG cards after the Prismatic Secret Rare v1 sometimes look almost unfocused in comparison to their earlier vertically focused version, or the OCG / Korean Prismatic Secret Rare cards).
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Prismatic Secret Rare v4:
Prismatic Secret Rare v4 is again a TCG and Korean exclusive rarity. For the TCG this rarity is thus far only in the 2019 Gold Sarcophagus Tin (TN19) and the 2019 Gold Sarcophagus Tin Mega Pack (MP19) sets, both released on August 29, 2019. And for the Korean sets it became the new default Secret Rare card from around mid/end 2017; the oldest Korean Prismatic Secret Rare v4 I could find was from the Duelist Pack: Legend Duelist (DP18) set from September 2017, and all Korean Prismatic Secret Rares since then are this version 4.
The name of the Prismatic Secret Rare v4 is the same as the v3 (and therefore the same as a regular Secret Rare), but just like the Prismatic Secret Rare v2, Super Rare v2, and Ultra Rare v2 (among others), it has a holofoil Attribute and Level/Rank/Pendulum-arrows/Link-arrows.
SPOILER: Click to show
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Prismatic Secret Rare v5:
This is an OCG exclusive rarity that thus far is only released in the Rise of the Duelist (ROTD) set of April 18, 2020.
This rarity also has an horizontal and vertical holofoil pattern like the other Prismatic Secret Rares, but it’s covered on the entire card except of the description box. In addition, although it’s an OCG rarity, it has the same imprinted rainbow/mirror silver name like the TCG and Korean Prismatic Secret Rare versions.
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Extra Secret Rare TCG:
This is the only non-misprinted rarity I’m missing in my collection. It’s exclusively used for the TCG Trophy cards from 2015 and later: 2015-EN; 2016-EN; 2017-EN; 2018-EN; 2019-EN.
Extra Secret Rares will have the top-right to diagonal-left holofoil pattern like Secret Rares, but instead of just the artwork (and in later versions Attribute and Level/Rank/Pendulum-arrows/Link-arrows), the entire cards except for the description will be in that holofoil pattern. In addition, it will have a similar shattered silver name like the early or OCG Prismatic Secret Rares.
Here are pictures of all those Trophy cards for now. Hopefully it can one day be replaced with an TCG Extra Secret Rare in my own collection:
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Sources:
yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Yu-Gi-Oh!_Wikia (2015-2018)
yugiohprices.com/ (2019-EN001)
item.mercari.com/jp/m55439458948/ (2019-EN002)
**Extra Secret Rare OCG:**The OCG Extra Secret Rare is similar to the TCG. Only the type of Secret Rare foil used is different, kinda like the US vs European Secret Rares v1 and v2.
Cards with this rarity can be found mostly in the Extra Pack sets of 2013 onward: Extra Pack: Sword of Knights (EP13) (May 18th, 2013); Extra Pack: Knight of Order (EP14) (September 13th, 2014); EP15 (September 19th, 2015); EP16 (September 10th, 2016); EP17 (September 9th, 2017); EP18 (September 8th, 2018); EP19 (September 14th, 2019). But there are also some cards in other sets: DS14-JPLS and DS14-JPMS (both November 23rd, 2013); TRC1 (December 20th, 2014); VS15 (March 21st, 2015); LVB1 (December 23rd, 2017); RC02 (February 10th, 2018); and 20PP (February 22nd, 2020).
The name is just like the TCG Extra Secret Rare also shattered silver, and it also has top-right to bottom-left foil on the entire card except for the description. Whereas the TCG Extra Secret Rare foil is more like the Secret Rare v1 and v3, this OCG Extra Secret Rare is different (also different than the Secret Rare v2). It’s a bit hard to explain. They also have mostly loose pixels like the Secret Rare v1 and v3, but they are a lot smaller. This pattern on the OCG Extra Secret Rares are also hard to see from certain angles, making the foil almost seem evenly distributed instead of going in the diagonal pattern.
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**Extra Secret Rare Korean:**The Korean version is similar as the OCG Extra Secret Rare, but with a regular Secret Rare name.
Just like the OCG version, the Korean version can mostly be found in Extra Packs: EXP6 (October 5th, 2013); EP14 (December 17th, 2014); EP15 (January 21st, 2016); EP16 (February 3rd, 2017); EP17 (November 22nd, 2017); EP18 (December 12th, 2018); EP19 (December 17th, 2019). As well as: DS14-KRLS (December 20th, 2013); DS14-KRMS (January 15th, 2014); VS15-KRD (July 11th, 2015); CHBI-KRBS (February 12th, 2019); LEC1 (May 15th, 2019); 20CP and SP19 (vol. 1) (July 9th, 2019); CP19 (July 16th, 2019); SP19 (vol. 2) (October 23rd, 2019).
The foil is similar as the OCG Extra Secret Rare, but it has the same rainbow/mirror silver name like a regular TCG/Korean Secret Rare.
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**Platinum Secret Rare v1:**The Platinum Secret Rare is a TCG exclusive rarity. It’s very similar to the TCG Extra Secret Rare, except for some minor differences. The first version of the Platinum Secret Rare can only be found on the CT11-EN001 and CT11-EN002 2014 Mega Tin cards, released on August 28th, 2014.
Just like an TCG Extra Secret Rare, it has a shattered silver name and most of the card is covered in a top-right to bottom-left foil pattern. The main difference however, is that not only the description is non-holo, but the attribute is non-holo as well in this Platinum Secret Rare v1.
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**Platinum Secret Rare v2:**The second version of the Platinum Secret Rare is again an TCG exclusive rarity, which can be found on the CT12-EN001 and CT12-EN002 2015 Mega Tin cards, released on September 17th, 2015.
It’s very similar as the Platinum Secret Rare v1, but this time the Attribute is holofoil as well. It’s still different from the Extra Secret Rare however, since the Pendulum-arrows are non-holo as well.
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**Starlight Rare (a.k.a. Alternate Prismatic Secret Rare):**This is a pretty new rarity. When it was first released, it didn’t had an official name yet, so people started calling it Alternate Rare or Alternate Prismatic Secret Rare. Even though its official name is now Starlight Rare, the Alternate Prismatic Secret Rare still stuck with some people (like me), hence both names. This TCG exclusive rarity is thus far in the RIRA (July 25, 2019), CHIM (October 24, 2019), and IGAS (January 30, 2020).
Starlight Rares will have the same Prismatic Secret Rare holofoil on the entire card, except for the description box. In addition, it will have a similar name as a regular Secret Rare.
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20th Secret Rare:
The 20th Secret Rare is an OCG exclusive rarity that’s rather similar as the Starlight Rare. As its name suggests, it was a rarity released for the 20th anniversary of Yu-Gi-Oh. The first set with this rarity was CYHO, released on April 14, 2018. Some other sets that include this rarity are (in no particular order): SOFU, 2018, 20TH (all three), SAST, 20DS, 19PP, DANE, 20CP (all four), RIRA, CP19, CHIM, IGAS, YMAB, LGB1, DMMD, VP19.
The main difference with the Starlight Rare is that it has a red name, like a Red Rare. And in addition, an impressed watermark inside the description box, which reads: “YU-GI-OH! Official Card Game 20th Anniversary”.
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**10,000 Secret Rare:**The 10,000 Secret Rare is a special rarity that’s only available on a single card: IGAS-JP000, for this the Ignition Assault (IGAS) set was releasd on October 12, 2019. This commemorative rarity was released to promote surpassing the 10,000 cards mark for the OCG side of Yu-Gi-Oh. Some other interesting facts about this particular card:
- Its name is a very fitting Ten Thousand Dragon2. Its code at the bottom-left is 00010000.
- The tips of the dragon’s wings and breast plate in the artwork look like fountain pen tips. That is because in Japan, the fountain pen can be directly translated into 万年筆, which literally means “Ten Thousand Year Brush”.
- Its effect is: *Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by Tributing monsters you control whose combined ATK and DEF are 10000 or more. If this card is Special Summoned by this effect, this card’s ATK and DEF becomes 10000.*5. The artwork background below its tail is the same vortex that can be found at the back of every Yu-Gi-Oh card.
This rarity is the same as the 20th Secret Rare, except that the watermark is replaced with a 10000.
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**Ultra Secret Rare TCG:**This Ultra Secret Rare version is a TCG exclusive. Although this rarity can also be seen as misprint on the six Collectibles Tins 2004 cards from September 1, 2004, it’s officially only released on the GSE-EN001 Elemental HERO Wildheart from the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Special Edition of April 1, 2006, which all had this rarity. I’m still not 100% sure whether this rarity was intended like this, or misprinted, considering the blister package does mention just “Ultra Rare”.
This Ultra Secret Rare TCG will have a regular Super/Ultra Rare image, but TCG Secret Rare name.
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**Ultra Secret Rare OCG:**The Ultra Secret Rare rarity of the OCG wasn’t released on a lot of cards either. It can only be found on seventeen cards: the Duel Monsters II tournament meeting experience promotional card Aqua Madoor from April 29, 1999; the Official Guide Starter Book promotional Flame Swordsman from May 5, 1999; the nine cards of the Limited Edition set from June 1, 1999; and the six cards of the V Jump August 1999 Special Present sets A and B from June 21, 1999 (of which only 50 copies each were released).
This Ultra Secret Rare OCG will have a regular Super/Ultra Rare image, but OCG Prismatic Secret Rare name.
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Red Ultra Rare:
The Red Ultra Rare is an OCG exclusive rarity. It can be found in the V Jump Edition sets VE01; VE03; VE04; VE05; VE06; VE07; VE08; VE09; and VE10 from May 21, 2010 to January 11, 2014.
A Red Ultra Rare is like an Ultra Rare with a holofoil image, but as it’s name suggests with a red holofoil imprinted name (just like a Red Rare or 20th Secret Rare) instead of a golden one.
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Ultimate Rare v1:
Ultimate Rares can be found in loads of sets again and in any language. The rarity did change over time however. At time of writing, there are six different Ultimate Rares versions, each version dependent on their release date (and therefore the set it was released in). This first version was part of the following TCG sets, ranging from October 1, 2004 to February 18, 2006: SOD; RDS; FET; TLM; CRV; EEN; and SOI. In addition, it was partially part of the CDIP set from November 15, 2006. For some reason, this set contains both version 1 and 2 Ultimate Rares, even though two sets released between October 1, 2004 and November 15, 2006 will have all Ultimate Rares as version 2…
Ultimate Rare v1 will have a golden imprinted name like Ultra Rares. In addition, they’ll have an imprinted holofoil level, attribute, and artwork borders. The artwork itself will have partially imprinted holofoil, with some parts non-Holo.
In addition, loads of Ultimate Rares will have both a heavily ridged and barely ridged version available. On which card this happens is rather random, but it’s the difference between US and European printed Ultimate Rares. For the Ultimate Rares versions 1, 2, 3, and 6 both version can be found on loads of Ultimate Rare cards, but for the Ultimate Rare versions 4 and 5 I have yet to find Ultimate Rares with a difference as clearly as the other versions.
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**Ultimate Rare v2:**This second version of Ultimate Rares were part of the TCG sets between May 17, 2006 and July 23, 2010: EOJ; POTD; CDIP (partially as mentioned earlier); STON; FOTB; TAEV; GLAS; PTDN; LODT; TDGS; CSOC; CRMS; RGBT; ANPR; TU01; SOVR; TU02; ABPF; DPKB; TSHD; and TU03.
This Ultimate Rare version is similar as the first version, with the main difference that the entire artwork is imprinted holofoil, instead of only partial. Apart from that, it still has the same golden imprinted name, and imprinted holofoil level, attribute, and artwork borders.
It was a bit harder to find an Ultimate Rare both with and without ridges, but I did manage to find one in the end. I even have a third one which is somewhat in the middle of the versions that are fully ridged and with barely any ridges.
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**Ultimate Rare v3:**This Ultimate Rare version ranged from August 17, 2010 to January 20, 2012, for the TCG sets: DREV; STBL; TU04; STOR; TU05; EXVC; TU06; GENF; PHSW; TU07; and ORCS.
Just like the Ultimate Rare v2 this third version has a completely imprinted holofoil artwork; a golden imprinted name; and an imprinted holofoil level, attribute, and artwork borders. In addition, it also has an imprinted holofoil description border and card border.
I’m not entirely sure how easy it is to find both versions for the majority of the Ultimate Rares of this third version, because there is one very distinguished card where the European TCG (and Japanese OCG) versions will have a flat (non-ridged) cape, whereas this is completely ridged on the US TCG version:
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**Ultimate Rare v4:**The fourth version of Ultimate Rares ranged from May 11, 2012 to July 25, 2014 (and one additional set from December 5, 2014): GAOV; TU08; REDU; ABYR; AP01; CBLZ; ZTIN; AP02; LTGY; JOTL; AP03; SHSP; YSYR; YSKR; LVAL; AP04; PRIO; AP05; and AP06.
This Ultimate Rare version is similar as the version 3, except that it lacks an imprinted holofoil artwork border. It still has an imprinted golden name, and completely imprinted holofoil image, level/rank, attribute, description border, and card border.
For this version I haven’t been able to find a pair of examples for a difference in ridges in the artwork, and I’m not entirely sure whether there are any out there.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ultimate Rare v5:**The fifth version of Ultimate Rares ranged from August 14, 2014 to August 3, 2017, for the sets: DUEA; NECH; SECE; CROS; AP07; CORE; AP08; DOCS; OP01; OP02; OP03; OP04; and OP05.
This Ultimate Rare version is the same as the fourth version, except that the artwork is partially imprinted holofoil again like the version 1, instead of completely imprinted holofoil. It still has an imprinted golden name; and imprinted holofoil level/rank, attribute, description border, and card border.
Just like with the version 4, I haven’t really been able to find a good pair of cards for the difference in ridges. The ones I have below are mostly different in colors, as European vs US cards have pretty often, instead of ridges:
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ultimate Rare v6:**And finally the Ultimate Rare version 6, which started in December 7, 2017, and has been used as Ultimate Rare versions thus far (until the end of 2019 at least). TCG Ultimate Rares are only still printed in the OTS Tournament Packs: OP06; OP07; OP08; OP09; OP10; OP11; and OP12.
This latest Ultimate Rare version will have a golden imprinted name like all Ultimate Rare versions. In addition, it has a partially imprinted holofoil artwork like the versions 1 and 5, as well as an imprinted holofoil level/rank/pendulum-arrows/link-arrows, attribute, and card borders, and spell/trap type. So in comparison to the previous version 5, it no longer has an imprinted holofoil description border, but it now does have an imprinted holofoil spell/trap type.
This version can be found both with and without ridges again, with a very clear way of distinguishing them from one another, unlike the versions 4 and 5.
SPOILER: Click to show
Ultimate Rare v7:
The seventh Ultimate Rare versions is an OCG exclusive one, and thus far only released in the Rise of the Duelist (ROTD) set of April 18, 2020.
Just like the Prismatic Secret Rare v5 from the same set, the Ultimate Rare pattern covers the entire card except for the description box. The artwork itself is partially ridges holofoil and the name is imprinted golden as we also see in some of the previous versions, but the holofoil on the entire card is rough and looks like it contains a lot of ink bubblebaths/blobs covering the entire card.
SPOILER: Click to show
Collectors Rare v1:
Collectors Rares are an OCG exclusive rarity. They’re rather similar as Ultimate Rares, but still has a few key differences. The first Collectors Rare was released in the Collectors Pack: ZEXAL Version of August 10, 2013, which contained eleven Collector Rares of this first variety.
Collectors Rare v1 aren’t ridges like Ultimate Rares nor the Collector Rares versions 2 and 3 we’ll discuss next. They do however have a completely holofoil artwork, as well as a holofoil level/rank, attribute, description border, and card border. It also has a silver name, very similar to a TCG Secret Rare, but without rainbow-colored reflection. Also, unlike any other rarity, its set number, passcode, copyright year, and illustrator are silver holofoil like its name as well. The entire card, except for its description box and artwork borders has a very feint holofoil coating as well.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Collectors Rare v2:**The second version of Collectors Rare can be found from May 17, 2014 to May 14, 2016 in the sets CPL1; TRC1; CPD1; and CPF1.
This second Collectors Rare will have also have a silver name. It also has an imprinted holofoil artwork, level/rank/pendulum-arrows, attribute, description border, and card border. In addition, the background of the artwork will be in a sunrise pattern.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Collectors Rare v3:**The third Collectors Rare version can be found starting from May 13, 2017, and is still used for new Collectors Rares that would be released today. It can be found in the OCG sets: CP17; RC02; CP18; CP19; and RC03.
This third version is similar as the second, but with two main differences: it also has an imprinted holofoil artwork border, as well as the spell/trap type. Apart from that it’s the same as the second version: silver name; imprinted holofoil artwork with sunrise background; as well as an imprinted holofoil level/rank/pendulum-arrows/link-arrows; attribute; description borders; and card borders.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ghost/Holographic Rare v1 Korean:**When the TCG Ghost Rares were first released, they seemed different than the first OCG Holographic Rares, which is why the TCG rarity is named Ghost Rare and the OCG rarity is named Holographic Rare. This only applies to some of the first sets though, since the type of artwork holofoil became the same for both the OCG and TCG after a few sets. With Ghost Rares we can clearly see the technique was new at the start, but started to evolve over time.
This first Ghost/Holographic Rare version was only available for the Korean versions of the Tactical Evolution set of June 8, 2007 and Gladiator’s Assault set of September 8, 2007. (NOTE: I’m not going over the versions in chronological order, as also mentioned at the start of this article!)
All Ghost/Holographic Rares look like a silver mirror from the front, but you’ll be able to see the actual artwork from a certain (or few) angle(s). This first Korean exclusive version will have a 2D artwork which is mostly colorless/silver. It will also have a similar silver name as TCG/Korean Secret Rares.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ghost/Holographic Rare v2 TCG:**This second Ghost/Holographic Rare version is a TCG exclusive for the same sets as the Korean v1: Tactical Evolution of August 15, 2007 and Gladiator’s Assault of November 14, 2007.
This version will also have a Secret Rare name like the Korean version 1. The artwork is also still 2D, but this time it will have a rainbow coloring instead of being colorless/silver.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ghost/Holographic Rare v3 TCG/Korean:**After those first two sets, the next four sets that contained Ghost Rares were similar for both the TCG and Korean sets. These four sets are: PTDN, LODT, TDGS, and CSOC, ranging from February 13, 2008 to March 5, 2009.
This version will have the same Secret Rare name again, but the artwork starts to show a partial 3D artwork. It still isn’t as good as we’d see in the latest Ghost/Holographic Rares, but the 3D aspect starts to show a bit in these four sets. They again have a rainbow coloring.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ghost/Holographic Rare v3 OCG:**The first six sets for the OCG all contained this version, which were the earlier mentioned sets combined ranging from May 12, 2007 to July 19, 2008: TAEV; GLAS; PTDN; LODT; TDGS; and CSOC.
This version will have a similar flat 3D artwork with rainbow coloring as the version 3 of the TCG/Korean sets. It will however have a shattered silver imprinted name similar as the OCG Prismatic Secret Rares.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ghost/Holographic Rare v4 TCG/Korean:**Then all the other TCG sets, and their Korean counterparts, all had the 3D artwork we’d see in modern Ghost/Holographic Rares. These ranged from March 3, 2009 to November 5, 2015, for the sets: CRMS; RGBT; ANPR; SOVR; ABPF; TSHD; DREV; STBL; STOR; EXVC; GENF; PHSW; ORCS; GAOV; REDU; ABYR; CBLZ; LTGY; JOTL; SHSP; LVAL; PRIO; DUEA; NECH; SECE; CROS; CORE; and DOCS. After that, the TCG stopped printing Ghost Rares, despite being a popular rarity among collectors.
This version will again have a silver name like Secret Rares, as well as a rainbow artwork. This time, the artwork is completely 3D however.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ghost/Holographic Rare v4 OCG:**The OCG sets with this rarity ranged from November 15, 2008 to January 14, 2017, for the sets: CRMS; RGBT; ANPR; SOVR; ABPF; TSHD; DREV; STBL; STOR; EXVC; PHSW; GENF; ORCS; GAOV; REDU; ABYR; CBLZ; LTGY; JOTL; SHSP; LVAL; PRIO; DUEA; NECH; SECE; TRC1; 15AX; CROS; CORE; DOCS; BOSH; SHVI; TDIL; INOV; RATE; and MACR.
This version is similar as the version 4 for the TCG/Korean sets, but again with a Prismatic Secret Rare shattered silver imprinted name.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ghost/Holographic Rare v5 Korean:**And the Korean Holographic Rares which are still printed these days will be of this version, which thus far has been released for two Korean sets: RC02 of May 29, 2018 and TRC1 of November 9, 2018.
This latest Korean Ghost/Holographic Rare version is similar as the previous version 4 for the TCG/Korean sets, but just like the Super/Ultra Rares v2 it will have a holofoil level and attribute.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ghost/Holographic Rare v5 OCG:**The OCG still prints Holographic Rares reasonably often. This latest version was parts of the sets starting from April 15, 2017: COTD; DP18; CIBR; 2017; EXFO; DP19; FLOD; RC02; CYHO; SOFU; SAST; DANE; RIRA; DP20; DP21; DP22; CHIM; IGAS; DP23; ETCO; and DP24.
This is similar as the Korean version 5, but again with Prismatic Secret Rare name.
SPOILER: Click to show
Ghost/Holographic Rare OCG v6:
This rarity is an OCG exclusive, and thus far only available on the ROTD-JP043 Chaos Ruler the Chaotic Demonic Dragon of the Rise of the Duelist (ROTD) set of April 18, 2020.
Unlike all other Ghost/Holographic Rare versions, the artwork is clearly visible from the front. Only from an angle the main part of the artwork contains a rainbow golden type of holofoil. Just like the Prismatic Rare v5 and Ultimate Rare v7 from the same set, the holofoil covers the entire card except for the description box. It also has a regular rainbow/mirror silver imprinted name like we’re used to from the TCG and Korean rarities, instead of a shattered imprinted name we usually see in the OCG.
SPOILER: Click to show
Gold Rare v1:
This first version of Gold Rare is a TCG exclusive that came in the five Gold Series boxes from April 2, 2008 to June 7, 2012: GLD1; GLD2; GLD3; GLD4; GLD5.
A Gold Rare v1 has an imprinted golden name like an Ultra Rare and holofoil artwork. In addition, it has a golden holofoil level/rank, artwork border, description border, and card border.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Gold Rare v2:**The second version of Gold Rares came for the TCG in the US-released Premium Gold boxes from March 28, 2014 to March 17, 2016: PGLD; PGL2; PGLD3. And for the OCG in the Gold Series from January 17, 2009 to January 11, 2014: GS01; GS02; GS03; GS04; GS05; GS06.
This second version of Gold Rare is similar as the first: it has a holofoil artwork and a golden holofoil level, artwork border, description border, and card border. The name is a shattered golden imprinted name however, similar as the shattered silver imprinted names of Prismatic Secret Rares (but golden instead).
SPOILER: Click to show
**Gold Rare v3:**This third version is a TCG exclusive again, which only came in the European and Oceanic print runs of the Premium Gold (PGLD) of March 28, 2014.
It’s the same as the second version, but the name is a shattered silver imprinted name instead of golden.
SPOILER: Click to show
(ignore that the name is off-centered)
**Gold Rare v4:**The fourth version of Gold Rares came in the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions Movie Pack: Gold Edition (MVP1-ENG) from January 12, 2017 for the TCG, and Gold Pack (GP16) of February 20, 2016 for the OCG.
This fourth version again has a shattered golden imprinted name and holofoil artwork. But this time the golden holofoil is on the entire card except for the description box.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Gold Secret Rare TCG v1:**Gold Rares also came in combination with some other rarities. The first version of Gold Secret Rare is a TCG exclusive that can only be found in the Premium Gold: Return of the Bling (PGL2) box of March 19, 2015, which was the same for US, European, and Oceanic print runs.
This rarity is a combination of the Gold Rare v2 and Secret Rare v1. It will also have a shattered golden imprinted name and a diagonal holofoil pattern that travels from the top-right to the bottom-left, with loose pixels that are more scattered across the artwork when looking at the artwork on close-up. In addition, the golden holofoil level/rank, artwork border, description border, and card border will also have the Secret Rare diagonal lines on top of it.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Gold Secret Rare TCG v2:**This is again a TCG exclusive rarity, which can only be found in the US-released Premium Gold (PGLD) of March 28, 2014.
It’s similar as the Gold Secret Rare TCG v1, but with the US-exclusive Secret Rare v2 diagonal lines.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Gold Secret Rare TCG v3:**This third version came in the European and Oceanic print runs of the Premium Gold (PGLD) of March 28, 2014.
It’s similar as the Gold Secret Rare TCG v1, but with a shattered silver imprinted name like the Gold Rare v3.
SPOILER: Click to show
Here also a comparison again between the US and European/Oceanic Gold Secret Rare TCG v2 and v3:
SPOILER: Click to show
**Gold Secret Rare TCG v4:**And the fourth TCG exclusive Gold Secret Rare version came in the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions Movie Pack: Gold Edition (MVP1-ENG) from January 12, 2017.
It has the Secret Rare v1 diagonal holofoil pattern in golden on the entire card, except for the description. And just like the Gold Secret Rare v4 it has a shattered golden imprinted name.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Gold Prismatic Secret Rare OCG v1:**In the OCG there were also some Gold Secret Rares, which came in the Gold Series 2013 (GS05) of January 12, 2013 and Gold Series 2014 (GS05) of January 11, 2014.
Just like the Gold Secret Rare TCG v1 is a combination of a Gold Rare v2 and Secret Rare v1, this one is a combination between a Gold Rare v2 and Prismatic Secret Rare v1. It has a shattered golden imprinted name and horizontal & vertical holofoil artwork (vertical focused), as well as golden level/rank, artwork border, description border, and card border with the same horizontal & vertical Prismatic Secret Rare pattern on top of it.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Gold Prismatic Secret Rare OCG v2:**The second OCG exclusive Gold Secret Rare came in the Gold Park 2016 (GP16) of February 20, 2016.
Just like the Gold Rare v4 the golden holofoil (with horizontal & vertical Prismatic Secret Rare on top of it) is on the entire card except for the description box.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Gold Prismatic Secret Rare Korean v1:**The Gold Prismatic Secret Rare v1 is also released in the Korean versions of the Gold Series 2013 (GS05) of April 2, 2013 and Gold Series 2014 (GS05) of April 4, 2014.
This rarity is the same as the Gold Prismatic Secret Rare v1 of the OCG, but with a regular golden imprinted name like an Ultra Rare, instead of a shattered golden imprinted name.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Gold/Ghost Rare:**In the Gold Series: Haunted Mine (GLD5) of June 7, 2012 six TCG exclusive Gold/Ghost Rares could be found.
As the name suggests, this combined a Gold Rare v1 with a Ghost Rare. It will have an golden imprinted name like an Ultra Rare, and a golden holofoil level, artwork border, description border, and card border like a Gold Rare v1. In addition, it has a Ghost Rare v4 artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Premium Gold Rare:**Premium Gold Rare is a recently released OCG exclusive rarity. Thus far, three of them came in the Legendary Gold Box (LGB1) of December 21, 2019 and fifteen in the Rarity Collection Premium Gold Edition (RC03) of February 8, 2020.
Premium Gold Rares will have the entire card in golden holofoil. In addition, it has embossed golden outlines in the artwork, as well as for the level/rank/link-arrows, attribute, artwork border, card border, description border, and name.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Starfoil Rare:**Starfoil Rare is a TCG exclusive rarity. It can be found from May 24, 2012 to March 29, 2018 in the sets: BP01, BATT, SP13, SP14, SP17, and SP18.
Starfoil Rares are like Commons, but with a coating of holofoil stars (four-sided and two different type of eight-sides stars) on top of the entire card.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Shatterfoil Rare / Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v2:**This rarity can be found in both the TCG and OCG. It could originally be found as the second version of Duel Terminal (Normal) Parallel Rares, in the sets from May 29, 2011 to February 1, 2013: DT05(a); DT05(b); DT06(a); DT06(b); DT07(a); and DT07(b), which were exclusively released in North America (English). It was later reused as a so-called Shatterfoil Rare in the BP03 set of July 31, 2014 and SP15 set of June 12, 2015 (which were also available in other languages).
For the OCG, this rarity can be found from April 27, 2010 to March 7, 2020 in the sets: DT09; DT10; DT11; DT12; DT13; DT14; SPRG; SPTR; SPHR; SPWR; SPDS; SPFE; DBSW; DBDS; DBHS; DBIC; DBMF; and DBSS.
This rarity is like a Common, but with a coating of holofoil shattered glass on top of the entire card.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Mosaic Rare:**The Mosaic Rare is again a TCG exclusive rarity, which can only be found in the Battle Pack 2: War of the Giants (BP02) set of June 28, 2013.
This rarity is like a Common, but with a coating of irregular holofoil rectangles on top of the entire card.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Platinum Rare:**Platinum Rares are a TCG exclusive rarity which can only be found in the Noble Knights of the Round Table Box Set and Noble Knights of the Round Table Power-Up Pack (both NRKT) from November 20, 2014. All 44 cards in these two sets combined are of this rarity.
Platinum Rares will have a shattered rainbow/mirror-like silver name (so a combination of the shattered names of Prismatic Secret Rares and the rainbow/mirror-like color of Secret Rares). It has a regular (partially) holofoil artwork like a Super/Ultra Rare. In addition, the entire card, with the exception of the non-holo parts of the artwork, the attribute, and the description box, are platinum holofoil as well (kinda like Gold Rares will have a golden holofoil card).
SPOILER: Click to show
**Normal Parallel Rare v1:**This rarity can be found both in the TCG and OCG. For the TCG, it can be founds in the MF01; MF02; and MF03 sets of 2006, containing 1, 4, and 11 cards respectively, all in this same rarity.
In the OCG, these can be found from November 2002 and onward in the sets: PC1; PC2; PC3; PC4; PC5; PC6; PC7; PC8; PC9; JF07; JF08; JF09; JF10; JF11; JF12-JPA; JF12-JPB; JF13-JPA; JF13-JPB; AT01; AT02; AT03; AT04; JF14; AT05; AT06; AT07; AT08; JF15; SD28; AT09; VS15; AT10; SD29; AT11; AT12; SD30; JF16; AT13; ST16; AT14; SDMY; AT15; SJMP; AT16; SDKS; AT17; ST17; WJMP; SD32; 17PR; SD33; JF18; ST18; 18PR; SD34; SR07; SR08; ST19; LDLE; 19PR; SR09; and SR10.
This Normal Parallel Rare version 1 is a Common card, but with a coating of holofoil vertical stripes (rather similar as Prismatic Secret Rare holofoil) on top of the entire card. In addition, the card is slightly thicker because this coating is a thin plastic layer on top of the card.
SPOILER: Click to show
Normal Parallel Rare v2:
The second Normal Parallel Rare version is an OCG exclusive rarity that can only be found on ten cards, five of which are from the Duelist Pack: Yuma 2: Gogogo & Dododo (DP14) set of September 21, 2013, and five of which are from the Duelist Pack: Kastle Siblings (DP15) set of October 19, 2013.
This Normal Parallel Rare version 2 is a Common card, with a 3D square coating on top of it.
SPOILER: Click to show
Normal Parallel Rare v3:
The third Normal Parallel Rare version is an OCG exclusive rarity that can only be found in the 20th Anniversary Pack 1st Wave (20TH) set of December 17, 2016; 20th Anniversary Pack 2nd Wave (20TH) set of February 11, 2017; and 20th Anniversary Duelist Box (20TH-JPB) set of December 22, 2018.
This Normal Parallel Rare version 3 is a Common card, with a reflective holofoil layer (without any pattern) on top of it.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Normal Parallel Rare v4:**The third Normal Parallel Rare version is an OCG exclusive again. This rarity can be found from December 8, 2018 onward in the sets: SD35; SD36; SD38 (and most likely in the soon-to-be-released SD39).
The Normal Parallel Rare version 4 is a Common card, but with diagonal and anti-diagonal holofoil lines as coating on top of the entire card.
Since I couldn’t really capture it properly on camera with the card in my collection, I’ve included a second image I found online that captures the holofoil pattern a lot better.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Rare Parallel Rare v1:**As far as I know this rarity can only be found on one card, which is the OCG exclusive VJC-JP008 Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, that came as a V Jump promotional card (VJC) released on December 20, 2004.
This rarity is similar as the Normal Parallel Rare version 1, but with a silver imprinted name like a Rare.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Super Parallel Rare v1:**This rarity can be found in both the TCG and OCG. For the TCG, it can only be found on two cards: the ROD-EN001 Dark Magician Knight and ROD-EN002 Knight’s Title, both released with the North American version of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction game on June 29, 2004.
In the OCG, it can only be found on the ten cards of the Premium Pack 3 (P3) set of August 10, 2000.
This rarity is similar as the Normal Parallel Rare version 1, but with a holofoil artwork like a Super Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Super Parallel Rare v2.1:**This rarity is an OCG exclusive that can only be found on the 20th Anniversary Pack 1st Wave (20AP) of December 17, 2016 and 20th Anniversary Pack 2nd Wave (20AP) of February 11, 2017.
This rarity is similar as the Normal Parallel Rare version 3, but with a holofoil artwork like a Super Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
Super Parallel Rare v2.2:
This rarity is an OCG exclusive that can only be found in the 20th Anniversary Legend Collection (20TH-JPC) set of February 9, 2019.
This rarity is similar as the previous Super Parallel Rare v2.1, but it also has a holofoil level/rank/pendulum-arrows/link-arrows and attribute like a Super Rare v2.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ultra Parallel Rare v1:**This rarity can be found both in the OCG and TCG. In the TCG, it can was given to participants of the Hobby League from January 2006 to June 2008: HL2(A); HL2(B); HL2(C); HL2(D); HL2(E); HL2(F); HL3(A); HL3(B); HL3(C); HL3(D); HL3(E); HL3(F); HL3(G); HL4(A); HL4(B); HL4(C); HL4(D); HL4(E); HL4(F); HL5(A); HL5(B); HL5(C); HL5(D); HL5(E); HL5(F); HL6(A); HL6(B); HL6(C); HL6(D); HL6(E); and HL6(F).
In the OCG this rarity can be found from September 23, 1999 to February 26, 2004 in the sets: Vol.5; Vol.6; Vol.7; MR; PS; CA; TB; SM; LN; SC; MA; P5; PH; 301; 302; 303; 304; 305; 306; 307; 308; and 309.
This rarity is similar as the Normal Parallel Rare version 1, but with a golden imprinted name and holofoil artwork like an Ultra Rare v1. Just like Prismatic Secret Rares, it can be both horizontally or vertically focused. In the pictures below, the TCG HL03-EN004 Spear Dragon is vertically focused, and the OCG Vol. 6 Thousand Dragon is horizontally focused.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ultra Parallel Rare v2:**This is a TCG exclusive rarity that can only be found on the participation cards of the 7th Hobby League from July 2008 to December 2008: HL07(A); HL07(B); HL07(C); HL07(D); HL07(E); and HL07(F).
This rarity has a golden imprinted name and holofoil artwork like an Ultra Rare v1, with a thin plastic layer on top of the card. This thin plastic layer is rather similar as the OCG-exclusive Parallel Rare layer that can be found on the Normal Parallel Rare v2, but it’s shine is still different. With the OCG Normal Parallel Rare v2 this thin layer seems to be part of the card, and reflects mostly horizontal (as can be seen in the picture below that earlier mentioned rarity), and with this TCG Ultra Parallel Rare v2 this thin layer is similar as when you would laminate a regular Ultra Rare (before I knew about the Hobby League participation cards of this seventh set being different than the previous six, I actually thought it was laminated and fake).
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ultra Parallel Rare v3.1:**This rarity is an OCG exclusive that can only be found on the 20th Anniversary Pack 1st Wave (20AP) of December 17, 2016 and 20th Anniversary Pack 2nd Wave (20AP) of February 11, 2017.
This rarity is similar as the Normal Parallel Rare version 3, but with a golden imprinted name and holofoil artwork like an Ultra Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ultra Parallel Rare v3.2:**This rarity is an OCG exclusive that can only be found in the 20th Anniversary Legend Collection (20TH-JPC) set of February 9, 2019.
This rarity is similar as the previous Ultra Parallel Rare v3.1, but it also has a holofoil level/rank/pendulum-arrows/link-arrows and attribute like an Ultra Rare v2.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Prismatic Secret Parallel Rare OCG:**This rarity is an OCG exclusive that can only be found on the 20th Anniversary Pack 1st Wave (20AP) of December 17, 2016 and 20th Anniversary Pack 2nd Wave (20AP) of February 11, 2017.
This rarity is similar as the Normal Parallel Rare version 3, but with a shattered silver imprinted name golden imprinted name and horizontal and vertical holofoil artwork like a Prismatic Secret Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Prismatic Secret Parallel Rare Korean:**This rarity is a Korean exclusive, which can only be found in the Korean versions of the sets 20th Anniversary Pack 1st Wave (20AP) of April 18, 2017 and 20th Anniversary Pack 2nd Wave (20AP) of May 11, 2017.
This rarity is similar as the previous Prismatic Secret Parallel Rare from the OCG, but with a rainbow/mirror-like silver name like a regular Secret Rare instead of the shattered silver name like a Prismatic Secret Rare.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Extra Secret Parallel Rare OCG:**This OCG exclusive rarity can only be found on the four promotional cards of the Dimension Box Limited Edition (DBLE-JPS) of November 26, 2016.
It’s a combination of the Normal Parallel Rare v3 and Extra Secret Rare OCG.
This DBLE-JPS04 Starving Venom Fusion Dragon is one of my favorite cards, due to the colors of its artwork and card in combination with this rarity. The pictures below can’t really capture what it looks like in person.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Extra Secret Parallel Rare Korean:**This Korean exclusive rarity can only be found on two cards: the 20AP-KR000 Blue-Eyes White Dragon of the 20th Anniversary Pack 1st Wave (20AP) of April 18, 2017 and the 20AP-KR101 Dark Magician of the 20th Anniversary Pack 2nd Wave (20AP) of May 11, 2017.
This rarity is again similar as the Normal Parallel Rare v3. But, unlike the regular TCG, OCG, or Korean Extra Secret Rares, this rarity has vertical and horizontal lines similar as Prismatic Secret Rares, instead of diagonal lines. Just like the Extra Secret Rare Korean this can be found on the entire card except for the description box, and it also has a rainbow/mirror-like silver name.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Ghost/Holographic Parallel Rare:**This OCG exclusive rarity can only be found on two cards: the 20AP-JP000 Blue-Eyes White Dragon of the 20th Anniversary Pack 1st Wave (20AP) of December 17, 2016 and the 20AP-JP101 Dark Magician of the 20th Anniversary Pack 2nd Wave (20AP) of February 11, 2017.
This rarity is a combination between a Normal Parallel Rare v3 and Ghost/Holographic Rare v4 OCG.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v1:**The first Duel Terminal Parallel Rare version is available in both the TCG (English only) and OCG (Japanese only). For the TCG it was available from July 27, 2008 to January 25, 2011 in the sets: DTP1(1); DTP1(2); DT01; DT02; DT03; and DT04.
For the OCG this rarity was available from April 12, 2008 to January 21, 2010 in the sets: DT01; DT02; DT03; DT04; DT05; DT06; DT07; and DT08.
This rarity is a Common card, with small dots as holofoil coating on top of the entire card.
SPOILER: Click to show
Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v3:
The third Duel Terminal Parallel Rare version is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive, which can be found from June 1, 2012 to February 26, 2013 in the sets: DTC1; DTC2; DTC3; and DTC4.
This rarity is a Common, with a coating of holofoil squares on top of the entire card. These squares go from small to large depending on the angle you view them at.
SPOILER: Click to show
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**Duel Terminal Rare Parallel Rare v1:**This rarity is available in both the TCG (English only) and OCG (Japanese only). For the TCG it was available from June 20, 2009 to January 25, 2011 in the sets: DTP1(2); DT01; DT02; DT03; and DT04.
For the OCG this rarity was available from April 12, 2008 to January 21, 2010 in the sets: DT01; DT02; DT03; DT04; DT05; DT06; DT07; and DT08.
This rarity is a combination of a Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v1 and a Rare.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Duel Terminal Rare Parallel Rare v2:**This rarity is available in both the TCG (English only) and OCG (Japanese only). For the TCG it was available from May 29, 2011 to February 1, 2013 in the sets: DT05(a); DT05(b); DT06(a); DT06(b); DT07(a); and DT07(b).
For the OCG this rarity was available from April 27, 2010 to January 24, 2012 in the sets: DT09; DT10; DT11; DT12; DT13; and DT14.
This rarity is a combination of a Shatterfoil Rare / Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v2 and a Rare.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Duel Terminal Rare Parallel Rare v3:**The third Duel Terminal Parallel Rare version is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive, which can be found from June 1, 2012 to February 26, 2013 in the sets: DTC1; DTC2; DTC3; and DTC4.
This rarity is a combination of a Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v3 and a Rare.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Duel Terminal Super Parallel Rare v1:**This rarity is available in both the TCG (English only) and OCG (Japanese only). For the TCG it was available from June 20, 2009 to January 25, 2011 in the sets: DTP1(2); DT01; DT02; DT03; and DT04.
For the OCG this rarity was available from April 12, 2008 to January 21, 2010 in the sets: DT01; DT02; DT03; DT04; DT05; DT06; DT07; and DT08.
This rarity is a combination of a Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v1 and a Super Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
Duel Terminal Super Parallel Rare v2:
This rarity is available in both the TCG (English only) and OCG (Japanese only). For the TCG it was available from May 29, 2011 to February 1, 2013 in the sets: DT05(a); DT05(b); DT06(a); DT06(b); DT07(a); and DT07(b).
For the OCG this rarity was available from April 27, 2010 to January 24, 2012 in the sets: DT09; DT10; DT11; DT12; DT13; and DT14.
This rarity is a combination of a Shatterfoil Rare / Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v2 and a Super Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
Duel Terminal Super Parallel Rare v3:
The third Duel Terminal Parallel Rare version is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive, which can be found from June 1, 2012 to February 26, 2013 in the sets: DTC1; DTC2; DTC3; and DTC4.
This rarity is a combination of a Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v3 and a Super Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
Duel Terminal Ultra Parallel Rare v1:
This rarity is available in both the TCG (English only) and OCG (Japanese only). For the TCG it was available from January 29, 2010 to January 25, 2011 in the sets: DT01; DT02; DT03; and DT04.
For the OCG this rarity was available from April 12, 2008 to January 21, 2010 in the sets: DT01; DT02; DT03; DT04; DT05; DT06; DT07; and DT08.
This rarity is a combination of a Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v1 and a Ultra Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
Duel Terminal Ultra Parallel Rare v2:
This rarity is available in both the TCG (English only) and OCG (Japanese only). For the TCG it was available from May 29, 2011 to February 1, 2013 in the sets: DT05(a); DT05(b); DT06(a); DT06(b); DT07(a); and DT07(b).
For the OCG this rarity was available from April 27, 2010 to January 24, 2012 in the sets: DT09; DT10; DT11; DT12; DT13; and DT14.
This rarity is a combination of a Shatterfoil Rare / Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v2 and a Ultra Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
Duel Terminal Ultra Parallel Rare v3:
The third Duel Terminal Parallel Rare version is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive, which can be found from June 1, 2012 to February 26, 2013 in the sets: DTC1; DTC2; DTC3; and DTC4.
This rarity is a combination of a Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v3 and a Ultra Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
Duel Terminal Prismatic Secret Parallel Rare v1:
This is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive rarity, available from September 22, 2008 to January 21, 2010 in the sets: DT03; DT04; DT05; DT06; DT07; and DT08.
This rarity is a combination of a Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v1 and a Prismatic Secret Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
Duel Terminal Prismatic Secret Parallel Rare v2:
This is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive rarity, available from April 27, 2010 to January 24, 2012 in the sets: DT09; DT10; DT11; DT12; DT13; and DT14.
This rarity is a combination of a Shatterfoil Rare / Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v2 and a Prismatic Secret Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
Duel Terminal Prismatic Secret Parallel Rare v3:
This is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive rarity, available from June 1, 2012 to February 26, 2013 in the sets: DTC1; DTC2; DTC3; and DTC4.
This rarity is a combination of a Duel Terminal Normal Parallel Rare v3 and a Prismatic Secret Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
Duel Terminal Red Ultra Parallel Rare v2:
This rarity is an OCG exclusive which can only be found on the three cards of the V Jump Edition 2 (VE02) set of June 21, 2010.
This rarity is a Red Ultra Rare, with shattered glass holofoil like Duel Terminal Parallel Rares v2.
SPOILER: Click to show
Millennium Rare:
This rarity is an OCG exclusive which can only be found in the Duelist Road -Piece of Memory- Side: Yugi Moto (15AX) & Duelist Road -Piece of Memory- Side: Yami Yugi (15AX) sets of January 10, 2015 and Millennium Box Gold Edition (MB01) of November 28, 2015.
This rarity is a Common, with holofoil Egyptian hieroglyphs on top of the entire card.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Millennium Super Rare:**This is an OCG exclusive rarity which can only be found in the Millennium Pack (MP01) of December 19, 2015, as well as one the VJMP-JP106 Arisen Gaia the Fierce Knight card of July 18, 2015.
This rarity is a combination of a Millennium Rare and Super Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Millennium Ultra Rare:**This is an OCG exclusive rarity which can only be found in the Millennium Pack (MP01) of December 19, 2015.
This rarity is a combination between a Millennium Rare and an Ultra Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Millennium Prismatic Secret Rare v1 OCG:**This is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive rarity which can only be found in the Millennium Pack (MP01) of December 19, 2015.
This rarity is a combination between a Millennium Rare and a Prismatic Secret Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Millennium Prismatic Secret Rare v1 Korean:**This is a Korean exclusive rarity which can only be found in the Millennium Pack (MP01) of September 6, 2016.
This rarity is a combination between a Millennium Rare and Prismatic Secret Rare v3.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Millennium Prismatic Secret Rare v2 OCG:**This is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive rarity which can only be found on two cards: 2019-JPP01 Red-Eyes B. Dragon and 2019-JPP01 Monster Reborn of the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2019 attendance cards, given on August 10, 2019.
This rarity is a combination between a Millennium Rare and a Prismatic Secret Rare v2.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Millennium Gold Rare OCG:**This is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive rarity which can only be found in the Millennium Box Gold Edition (MB01) of November 28, 2015.
This rarity is a combination between a Millennium Rare and a Gold Rare v2.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Millennium Gold Rare Korean:**This is a Korean exclusive rarity which can only be found in the Millennium Deck (MB01) of December 16, 2015.
This rarity is a combination between a Millennium Rare and a Gold Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Kaiba Corporation Common:**This is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive rarity which can only be found on six cards; two in the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions Duel Set (MVPL) of April 21, 2016, and one each in the MVPC(1); MVPC(2); MVPC(3); and MVPC(4).
This rarity is a Common, with a holofoil Kaiba Corporation pattern on top of the entire card, including the KC logo.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Kaiba Corporation Rare:**This is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive rarity which can only be found on five cards: MVPC-JP000 Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon of December 12, 2015; VJMP-JP111 Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon of December 19, 2015; VJMP-JP115 Chocolate Magician Girl of April 21, 2016; VJMP-JP116 Slifer the Sky Dragon of May 21, 2016; and VJMP-JP120 Krystal Dragon of July 21, 2016.
This rarity is a combination between a Kaiba Corporation Common and a Rare.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Kaiba Corporation Ultra Rare:**This is an OCG (Japanese only) exclusive rarity which can only be found in the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions Movie Pack (MVP1) set of April 23, 2016.
This rarity is a combination between a Kaiba Corporation Common and an Ultra Rare v1.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Speed Duel Common:**This is a TCG exclusive rarity for the Speed Duel format. This Speed Duel Common can be found starting from January 24, 2019 in the sets: SS01; SS02; SBLS; SBAD; DEM5; SBSC; SS03; EVSD; SBTK-ENS; and SBTK.
This rarity is a Common, but with a transparent “SPEED DUEL” embossed in the description.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Speed Duel Skill Common:**This is a TCG exclusive rarity for the Speed Duel format. This rarity can only be found on Skill cards, starting from January 24, 2019 in the sets: SS01; SS02; DEM5; SS03; and SBTK-ENS.
This rarity is similar as a Speed Duel Common, but instead of a transparent embossed “SPEED DUEL” in the description, it’s white instead.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Speed Duel Super Rare:**This is a TCG exclusive rarity for the Speed Duel format. This rarity can be found starting from March 28, 2019 in the sets: SBLS; STP1; SBAD; SBSC; STP2; and SBTK.
This rarity is a combination between a Speed Duel Common and a Super Rare v2.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Speed Duel Skill Super Rare:**This is a TCG exclusive rarity for the Speed Duel format. This rarity can only be found on Skill cards, starting from March 28, 2019 in the sets: SBLS; SBAD; SBSC; EVSD; and SBTK.
This rarity is a combination between a Speed Duel Skill Common and a Super Rare (either version).
SPOILER: Click to show
**Speed Duel Ultra Rare:**This is a TCG exclusive rarity for the Speed Duel format. This rarity can be found starting from January 24, 2019 in the sets: SS01; SS02; SBLS; STP1; SBAD; SBSC; STP2; SS03; and SBTK.
This rarity is a combination between a Speed Duel Common and an Ultra Rare v2.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Speed Duel Skill Ultra Rare:**This is a TCG exclusive rarity for the Speed Duel format. This rarity can only be found on Skill cards, starting from March 28, 2019 in the sets: SBLS; YDPR; SBAD; SBSC; EVSD-ENS; SBTK-ENS; and SBTK.
This rarity is a combination between a Speed Duel Skill Common and an Ultra Rare (either version).
SPOILER: Click to show
**Borderless Black Rare:**For some odd reason, illustrator of Yu-Gi-Oh cards aren’t credited. All cards will have 1996 Kazuki Takahashi at the bottom, since he is the creator of the Yu-Gi-Oh Manga that was first released in 1996. Some of the few known Yu-Gi-Oh artists include Akina Fujiwara (mostly known for the Charmer archetype); Naoyuki Kageyama (who likes to create Fusion Monster cards, but not sure what archetypes he has drawn); Akira Ito (who has drawn the Yu-Gi-Oh R manga, a spinoff of the original Yu-Gi-Oh series - no idea if he has drawn any card illustrations); and Genzoman (whom is mostly known for the Noble Knights and Kozmos archetypes).
Any (new) artwork that is actually illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi himself, will have no borders around its artwork, which is where the following list of rarities come in. There is only a single Borderless Black Rare, which is the TCG-exclusive BP01-EN021 Obelisk the Tormentor from the Battle Pack: Epic Dawn of May 24, 2012.
This rarity is a Black Rare, but with a borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Borderless Super Rare v1:**There is only a single Borderless Super Rare, which is the TCG-exclusive ORCS-ENS2 The Winged Dragon of Ra from the Order of Chaos: Special Edition of March 2, 2012.
This rarity is a Super Rare v1, but with a borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Borderless Ultra Rare v1:**There are quite a few Borderless Ultra Rares, which can be found for the TCG on: the eight cards of the Anniversary Pack (YAP1) of December 8, 2008 and seven of the Shonen Jump promotional cards (JUMP-EN037; JUMP-EN045; JUMP-EN049; JUMP-EN061; JUMP-EN068; JMPS-EN002; and JMPS-EN003) from various release dates.
In the OCG, this rarity can also be found on the eight cards of the Anniversary Pack (YAP1) of December 20, 2008; two of the cards from the Weekly Shōnen Jump promotional cards (WJMP-JP012 and WJMP-JP018) from various release dates; YGOPR-JP001 Holactie the Creator of Light from the Duel Art Campaign promotional card of December 10, 2011; and give of the V Jump promotional cards (VJMP-JP037; VJMP-JP047; VJMP-JP064; VJMP-JP080; and VJMP-JP159) from various release dates.
In the Korean OCG, this rarity can also be found on the eight cards of the Anniversary Pack (YAP1) of August 18, 2009; and the three cards of the Movie Pack Vol.2 (MOV) of January 28, 2010.
This rarity is an Ultra Rare v1, but with a borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Borderless Ultra Rare v2:**This is a TCG-exclusive rarity which can only be found on three of the Shonen Jump promotional cards (JMPS-EN004; JMPS-EN005; and JMPS-EN006) from various release dates.
This rarity is an Ultra Rare v2, but with a borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Borderless Extra Secret Rare Korean:**This is a Korean-exclusive rarity which can only be found on the first six cards of the 20th Anniversary Legend Collection (LEC1) of May 15, 2019.
This rarity is an Extra Secret Rare Korean, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
Borderless Prismatic Secret Rare v1:
This is a Japanese-exclusive rarity which can only be found on the final three cards of the Duelist Road -Piece of Memory- Side: Yami Yugi (15AX) of January 10, 2015.
This rarity is a Prismatic Secret Rare v1, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
Borderless Prismatic Secret Rare v2:
This is a Japanese-exclusive rarity which can only be found on the first six cards of the 20th Anniversary Legend Collection (20TH-JPC) of February 9, 2019.
This rarity is a Prismatic Secret Rare v2, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
Borderless Prismatic Secret Rare v3:
This is a Korean-exclusive rarity which can only be found on the three cards of the Legendary Binder (LB01) of September 21, 2012.
This rarity is a Prismatic Secret Rare v3, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Borderless Prismatic Secret Rare v4:**This is a TCG and Korean exclusive rarity. For the TCG it can only be found on the first nine cards of the 2019 Gold Sarcophagus Tin (TN19) of August 29, 2019. And for the Korean releases it can only be found on the first six cards of the 20th Anniversary Legend Collection (LEC1) of May 15, 2019.
This rarity is a Prismatic Secret Rare v4, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Borderless 20th Secret Rare:**This is a Japanese-exclusive rarity which can only be found on the first six cards of the 20th Anniversary Legend Collection (20TH-JPC) of February 9, 2019, as well as the YMAB-JP001 True Exodia of the 20th Anniversary Monster Art Box of November 20, 2019.
This rarity is a 20th Secret Rare, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Borderless Gold Rare v1:**This is a TCG-exclusive rarity which can only be found on the GLD4-EN030 Obelisk the Tormentor of the Gold Series 4: Pyramids Edition of June 24, 2011.
This rarity is a Gold Rare v1, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Borderless Gold Prismatic Secret Rare OCG/Chinese:**This is a Japanese and Chinese exclusive rarity, which can only be found on the first three cards of the Gold Series 2014 (GS06) of January 11, 2014 for the Japanese release and May 1, 2014 for the Chinese release.
This rarity is a Gold Prismatic Secret Rare OCG v1, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Borderless Gold Prismatic Secret Rare Korean:**This is a Korean-exclusive rarity which can only be found on the first three cards of the Gold Series 2014 (GS06) of April 3, 2014.
This rarity is a Gold Prismatic Secret Rare Korean, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
Borderless Starfoil Rare:
This is a TCG-exclusive rarity which can only be found on the BP01-EN021 Obelisk the Tormentor of the Battle Pack: Epic Dawn of May 24, 2012.
This rarity is a Starfoil Rare, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
Borderless Millennium Rare:
This is a Japanese-exclusive rarity which can only be found on the final three cards of the Duelist Road -Piece of Memory- Side: Yami Yugi (15AX) of January 10, 2015.
This rarity is a Millennium Rare, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Borderless Kaiba Corporation Ultra Rare:**This is a Japanese-exclusive rarity which can only be found on the JMPR-JP001 Blue-Eyes White Dragon of the Jump Ryū Vol.08 promotional card of April 21, 2016.
This rarity is a Kaiba Corporation Ultra Rare, but with borderless artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
And there you have it. All officially released rarities of the Yu-Gi-Oh Official Card Game (OCG) and Trading Card Game (TCG).
You may be wondering why the Speed Duel rarities are added, but the Rush Duel rarities are not? That’s because all Speed Duel cards can still be used in the TCG despite being a different card game that’s derived of the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG, whereas the Rush Duel cards may not be used in the OCG (although they’re still derived from it). I will mention the Rush Duel rarities, as well as some other non-TCG/OCG Yu-Gi-Oh cards later on, but we’ll first go over the misprinted rarities I’m aware of:
Misprinted rarities:
Note: most of these names are made-up based on the other rarities. A lot of these misprints don’t have an official name.
Golden Rare:
This misprinted rarity is pretty easy to find on the unlimited edition LODT-EN097 Maximum Six of the Light of Destruction (LODT) set of May 13, 2008. This card was printed as both an Ultra Rare v1 and Ultimate Rare v2 in that set, but it’s likely the Ultimate Rare was misprinted like this. Reason being, is that Ultra Rares will already have a holofoil layer before the actual printing starts, whereas Ultimate Rares will first be printed as a Common, after which the name and other holofoil parts are imprinted later on. Because of this, it’s likely to assume they forgot to stamp the Ultimate holofoil, instead of forgetting the entire Ultra Rare holofoil layer.
This misprint can also be found on some of the English Rares of the Generation Force (GENF) set of August 16, 2011. Instead of a silver name, they are printed with a golden name instead. And I’ve also seen it a few times on the Japanese Ultimate Rare DL4-136 Insect Queen from the Duelist Legacy Volume.4 (DL4) set of January 23, 2003.
This rarity will be a Common with a golden (similar as Ultra Rares) imprinted name.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Mirror-Silver Rare:**This misprinted rarity is pretty easy to find on all Rares of the English unlimited edition Tactical Evolution (TAEV) set of August 15, 2007.
This rarity will be a Common with a mirror-silver (similar as Secret Rares) imprinted name.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Rare Ultra Rare:**This misprinted rarity doesn’t occur that often. I personally own two, and have only seen it on two other cards. One I own is the Japanese P4-01 Dark Magician Girl of the Premium Pack 4 (P4) of January 18, 2001. And the other is a German SDMM-DE001 Machina Fortress of the Machina Mayhem Structure Deck (SDMM) of February 18, 2010. The other two I’ve seen before are the Japanese PP6-004 Gemini Imps and PP6-005 Return Zombie from the Premium Pack 6 (PP6) of March 1, 2004.
This rarity is an Ultra Rare v1, but with a silver (similar as Rares) imprinted name instead of a golden one.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Shattered Ultra Rare:**I’ve only seen this misprinted rarity once, which was on the SDSC-EN001 Endymion, the Master Magician.
This rarity is an Ultra Rare v1, but with a shattered golden (similar as Gold Rares v2) imprinted name instead of a regular golden one.
SPOILER: Click to show
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**Double Off-Centered Rare + Ultra Rare:**I’ve only seen this misprinted rarity three times thus far, all on English unlimited edition Labyrinth of Nightmare (LON) Ultra Rares, released on March 1, 2003. Most if not all of the unlimited edition LON Ultra Rares were initially printed with a silver imprinted name, which got noticed during the production process. Instead of discarding the entire sheet, they’ve stamped it again with the correct golden stamps on top of the silver ones. On most cards you don’t notice this at all, unless you look very closely. There are however some for which either the initial silver or second golden names were misaligned, causing both to be visible.
This rarity is an Ultra Rare v1, but with an off-centered silver (similar as Rares) imprinted name underneath the correct golden imprinted name.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Rare Secret Rare:**I’ve only seen this misprinted rarity on one card (multiple times), which is the Korean LOD-KR000 Yata-Garasu from the Legacy of Darkness (LOD) set of October 18, 2004.
This rarity is a Secret Rare v1, but with a regular silver (similar as Rares) imprinted name instead of a mirror-silver one.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Secret Ultra Rare:**This misprinted rarity is pretty easy to find on the North American unlimited edition LOB-125 Gaia the Dragon Champion from the Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon (LOB) set of March 8, 2002. It can also be found on the LOB-000 Tri-Horned Dragon of the same set, but that one seems to be harder to find (both with this rarity and in general).
This rarity is a Secret Rare v1, but with a golden (similar as Ultra Rares) name instead of mirror-silver one.
SPOILER: Click to show
Rare Ultimate Rare v4:
I’ve only seen a Rare Ultimate Rare misprint three times before. Two way back before I was collecting Yu-Gi-Oh rarities, so I don’t remember which ones they were. And one is the English unlimited edition PRIO-EN040 Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon from the Primal Origin (PRIO) set of May 16, 2014.
This misprint might be out there for the other Ultimate Rare versions, but since I only can confirm this one, I will specifically only mention version 4.
This rarity is an Ultimate Rare v4, but with silver imprinted name (similar as Rares) instead of a golden one.
SPOILER: Click to show
Rare Gold Rare v1/v2:
I’ve only seen this misprinted rarity on some English 1st edition Gold Rares v1 from the Premium Gold: Infinite Gold (PGL3) set of March 17, 2016.
This rarity is a Gold Rare v1 or v2, but with a silver (similar as Rare) imprinted name instead of a (shattered) golden one.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Reflective Ultra Rare:**This is not a misprint, but I still thought it was worth mentioning. All Ultra Rares from the English 1st edition Duelist Saga (DUSA) set of March 31, 2017 have a reflective wavy holofoil artwork, unlike any other set.
This rarity is an Ultra Rare v1, but with a reflective wavy holofoil artwork.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Reverse Secret Rare:**This misprinted rarity can be found on the following cards (maybe more, but these I’m aware of): LOB-000 Tri-Horned Dragon (both North American and Asian-English releases); LOB-125 Gaia the Dragon Champion (both North American and Asian-English releases); MRD-000/MRD-E000 Gate Guardian (both North American and European releases); MRD-143/MRD-E143 Thousand Dragon (both North American and European releases); MRL-103 Serpent Night Dragon (North American release); PSV-000 Jinzo (North American release); PSV-104 Imperial Order (North American release); LON-000 Gemini Elf (North American release); LON-104 Magic Cylinder (North American release); PGD-000 Ring of Destruction (North American release); PGD-107 Lava Golem (North American release); MFC-000 Dark Magician Girl (Asian-English release); MFC-107 Diffusion Wave-Motion (Asian-English release); BPT-001 Dark Magician (North American release); BPT-002 Summoned Skull (North American release); BPT-003 Blue-Eyes White Dragon (North American release); BPT-004 Lord of D. (North American release); BPT-005 Red-Eyes B. Dragon (North American release); BPT-006 B. Skull Dragon (North American release); VB5-003 Barrel Dragon (Asian-English release); and LDD-F000 (French release).
This rarity is a Secret Rare v1, but the diagonal pattern is going from the top-left to bottom-right instead of top-right to bottom-left.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Reverse Secret Ultra Rare:**Just like the Secret Ultra Rare, this misprinted rarity can only be found on the North American unlimited edition LOB-000 Tri-Horned Dragon and LOB-125 Gaia the Dragon Champion from the Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon (LOB) set of March 8, 2002.
This rarity is a combination of the misprinted rarities Secret Ultra Rare (Secret Rare artwork with golden imprinted Ultra Rare name) and Reverse Secret Rare (Secret Rare with top-right to bottom-left diagonal pattern instead of top-left to bottom-right).
SPOILER: Click to show
**Prismatic Super Rare:**This misprinted rarity is very short-printed, and can only be found on the English Super Rares from the 1st edition Code of the Duelist (COTD) set of August 3, 2017.
This rarity is Prismatic Secret Rare v4, but without a holofoil name like a Super Rare.
TODO: Add picture when it has arrived, since it’s still incoming in the mail.
**Prismatic Ultra Rare:**This misprinted rarity can only be found on the English Ultra Rares from the 1st edition Battles of Legend: Light’s Reverse (BLLR) and Code of the Duelist (COTD) sets of July 6, 2017 and August 3, 2017 respectively.
This rarity is a Prismatic Secret Rare v4, but with a golden imprinted name like an Ultra Rare.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Non-Holo Ultimate Rare v1/v2:**As mentioned earlier at the Golden Rare, Ultimate Rares are first printed as Commons during the printing process, and stamped (both name and all Ultimate Rare aspects - i.e. Attribute, Level, etc. depending on the version) holofoil later on. Sometimes the printer is low on holofoil ink, so it will still have an Ultimate Rare imprint, but won’t actually print the holofoil (similar as No Names misprints which still have an imprint, which we will go over in a bit down below).
I’ve seen this rarity on the following cards thus far: RDS-EN035 Dark Blade the Dragon Knight; CDIP-EN031 Rampaging Rhynos; FET-EN020 Blast Magician; FET-EN022 Gearfried the Swordmaster; FET-EN040 Lightning Vortex; STON-DE060 Pulling the Rug; and SOI-EN035 Demise, King of Armageddon.
This rarity will be a Golden Rare, but with an imprint similar as an Ultimate Rare v1 or v2.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Non-Holo Ultimate Rare v3:**Similar as the previous misprinted rarity, but for the Ultimate Rare v3. I’ve only seen this misprinted rarity on two cards thus far: PHSW-EN020 and PHSW-EN026 Wind-Up Kitten.
This rarity will be a Golden Rare, but with an imprint similar as an Ultimate Rare v3.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Non-Holo Ultimate Rare v4/v5:**Similar again, but for the Ultimate Rare v4 or v5. I’ve only seen this misprinted rarity once, which was on a SECE-EN048 Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susanowo.
This rarity will be a Golden Rare, but with an imprint similar as an Ultimate Rare v4 or v5.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Non-Holo Ultimate Rare v6:**Similar again, but for the Ultimate Rare v6. I’ve never seen this misprinted rarity yet, but since this happens with Ultimate Rares from time to time, it most likely does exist.
This rarity will be a Golden Rare, but with an imprint similar as an Ultimate Rare v6.
*No picture available.***Chains Super Rare:**This misprinted rarity can only be found on Super Rares of the German unlimited edition Shadow of Infinity (SOI) set of March 15, 2006. I’ve only seen it on two cards thus far: SOI-DE034 Ruin, Queen of Oblivion and SOI-DE035 Demise, King of Armageddon.
The chain pattern apparently comes from a different card game, although I’m not sure which.
This rarity is a Super Rare v1, but with weird holofoil chains pattern vertical on the entire card.
SPOILER: Click to show
**Chains Ultra Rare:**Just like the Chains Super Rare, this rarity can only be found on the Ultra Rares from the German unlimited edition Shadow of Infinity (SOI) set of March 15, 2006. I’ve only seen this rarity on one card thus far: SOI-DE001 Uria, Lord of Searing Flames.
This rarity is an Ultra Rare v1, but with weird holofoil chains pattern vertical on the entire card.
SPOILER: Click to show
Super Rare v1 with Holo Bleed:
TODO: Many more to come soon. This is a work-in-process. (Making those images and linking all the sets takes up most of the time…)
*So there you have it. All Yu-Gi-Oh rarities in a single guide. If you know or own any rarities (perhaps misprinted) not mentioned, definitely let me know. Also, if you see any mistakes above (highly likely for the mentioned sets of some rarities), feel free to point it out in the comments as well.
Thank you for reading, and make sure to leave any feedback in the comments down below.
PS: For anyone wondering: I’m using Dragon Shield Japanese size Art sleeves (Blood Eyes for non-misprinted and Syber for misprinted rarities).
Greetz,
Quuador (Kevin)*
Only took about five months on-and-off taking pictures, searching for information, and waiting for incoming new cards.
Or do you mean you now regret selling it and would want to collect Yu-Gi-Oh cards?
