Here's a simple framework for Scarlet & Violet era cards: Check the star colour first Black stars are lower value, silver stars are mid-tier, gold stars are premium Count the stars More stars generally means rarer, but colour trumps count Feel for texture Etched ridges indicate Ultra Rares, SIRs, Mega Attack Rares, or Hyper Rares If it has gold stars , it's a Hyper Rare the highest standard tier If it has pink/green stars , it's a Mega Attack Rare featuring Mega Pokmon ex If the artwork tells a story with gold stars , it's a Special Illustration Rare If it has no star at all but an opalescent, colour-shifting finish , it's a Futuristic Rare 30th Celebration's YOSHIROTTEN-illustrated debut tier A critical mistake many new collectors make is assuming all two-star cards are equal
If I were to pick Sarkhan, not with the intention of putting it in my deck, but simply so that you won't get it, then I'm counterdrafting
I think that makes us first cousins once removed
Instead, the $130 Eighth Edition foil is the earliest we have, featuring the same art weve seen on Blood Moon for the past fifteen years
Specifically, modal instants and sorceries, where you have a choice of several possible effects when you cast the spell
Colress Machine does the trick nicely
