Chilling With Some Card Games: Rarities!

By: Jason Jarusinsky, Collectible Card Game Editor

Last week I talked about how to organize a collection of cards for whatever collectible card game your family plays. I touched on it briefly, but I think it is valuable to talk about the different rarity levels for cards and to explain what they mean.

The vast majority of games on the market today include four different rarity levels. They are: common, uncommon, rare, and ultra-rare (also known as mythic rare, or chase rare depending on the game).

Commons

The name says it all here. These will be the most readily available cards for use. Generally speaking, 70-75% of the cards in a booster pack will be common. This is the main block of cards that beginners are encouraged to build from. The fact that they are so numerous also means that their value is low. This isn’t to say that they are garbage, but they are the cards you will want to pile in a shoebox. If you buy a lot of booster packs you will end up with a TON.

Uncommons

Uncommon is the next rarity level up and are the next most common grouping of cards. Only 20-25% of that same booster pack will be uncommon. In most cases these cards are still very readily available; however will be more expensive that commons in almost all cases. A beginner can find uncommon cards to fill out their deck with relative ease even if you purchase a few at a local card shop.

Rares

Rare cards are some of the more scarce type of cards that can be found in every booster pack. Typically only one card per pack is rare. These can be much more expensive than more common cards and you won’t have a lot of them at first until you buy more booster packs. Don’t be discouraged though, because all games are playable without them. When you child gets older you can teach them about how to trade cards to get what they might be missing from their collection.

Ultra- Rares

Ultra-Rare, Mythic Rare, and/or Chase Rare cards are the rarest variety of cards that you and your child will find. Most importantly, there is no guarantee that you will ever open one in a booster pack. Instead, the odds range from one in five packs to one in ten packs depending on the game. This has the effect of driving the value of these cards up significantly.

I hope this helps bring the types of cards you own into greater focus and as always if you have any questions or would like more information please email me at CCG@engagedfamilygaming.com and I will be happy to help.

Stay Frosty Friends!

Jason