Illustration rare
An illustration rare is a full-art card showing a Pokémon in its natural setting, introduced with the Scarlet & Violet set. It is marked with one gold star and numbered above the set's printed total.
Also called IR.
In more detail
Illustration rares are the cards where the artwork is the point. The picture fills the whole card and shows the Pokémon in its habitat, and the card is often a new picture of a Pokémon that has a plainer version in the same set.
Some sets reprint a whole evolution line as illustration rares, often by one artist, so the pictures read as a story of the Pokémon growing up. If the final form is a Pokémon ex, that card is a special illustration rare instead.
Look for the single gold star in the card's corner and for a number above the printed total, such as 133/132 in the Mega Evolution set. Japanese sets have a close cousin called the Art Rare.
Related terms
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