Modern trading cards derive most of their market value from rarity. While the character on the card certainly plays a role, the secondary market overwhelmingly prioritizes scarcity. Interestingly, high rarity doesn't guarantee stunning visuals—plenty of sky-high-value "chase cards" actually look remarkably plain at first glance.
Different card games use their own rarity tier systems; the terminology varies, but the core formula is largely the same. Most games feature at least five main tiers. At the bottom are Common (C) or Normal (N) cards, followed by Uncommon (UC)—which, ironically, are still extremely common. Next comes Rare (R), followed by elevated tiers like Super Rare (SR) and Double Rare (RR). Sliding further down the list brings you to true chase territory: Secret Rare (SCR), Ultra Rare (UR), and Hyper Rare (HR).
Yet, it doesn't end there. Card manufacturers love pushing the boundaries beyond these basic categories with special variants—like secret hits, art rares, and parallel foils. Some cards are even individually numbered for extreme scarcity, while others can only be claimed as exclusive tournament prize cards. The options are practically dizzying.
Since manufacturers sell cards strictly in blind booster packs, guaranteed pull rates per display box dictate the market. Naturally, the higher the rarity, the lower the supply—some top-tier grails don't even show up once in a thousand packs.
Take the latest Dragon Ball TCG series, Fusion World, as a prime example. Its base rarity structure is refreshingly straightforward, featuring five core tiers: C, UC, R, SR, and SCR. However, almost any card has a chance to pull as an "Alternate Art" (Alt-Art / Parallel) version, which is significantly rarer. Alt-Arts are designated by a star icon (★), with two stars (★★) signaling an exceptionally rare pulled hit. Because of this mechanic, the undisputed holy grail in Dragon Ball Fusion World is the elusive SCR★★.
In this generation of Dragon Ball cards, holographic foil effects begin at the Rare (R) level and above. The higher the rarity tier, the more intricate and mesmerizing the foiling and texture work become.