Trading cards are created with a blank white front on which the motif is printed. Some cards use glittering foils, so-called holographic foils. These cards are called holocards for short. The motifs are printed on the holographic foils and glued to the white front of the card. Therefore, the motifs or parts of motifs can be easily removcd, e. g. by scratching them off with a cutter knife or polishing them with nail polish remover or disinfectant gel, etc. These blank cards, which consist only of the original back and the holographic foil or white front, are used for orica and proxy cards.

 

 

The following rarity levels exist for Yu-Gi-Oh! cards:

  • Common: simplest form, consist of a normal printed white card without holographic foil.
  • Rare/Colored Rare: are like Commons, only the name of the card is printed on the card with holographic foil or coloured foil.
  • Super Rare: have a holographic foil, the image is holographic. Some editions have a very thin layer of holographic foil, so that the foil can come off when working on them and the blank white card is left. Therefore, be careful when choosing which card to use.
  • Ultra Rare: are like Super Rares, just that the name of the card is also holographic.
  • Ultimate Rare: have a punched-in holographic foil. The image, name, steps and edge of the card are holographic.
  • Secret Rare: have a pixel-like holographic foil. The image, name and steps are holographic.
  • Gold Rare: have a holographic foil. The image, name and edge are holographic. The edge is golden. When polished, Super Rare/Ultra Rare holo is left.
  • Gold Secret Rare: is like Gold Rares with a pixel-like holographic foil. After polishing, Secret Rare holo remains.
  • Ghost Rare: the image is whitish/grey barely recognisable from the holographic foil.
  • Ghost Gold Rare: is like Ghost Rares. In addition, the edge is golden.
  • Starfoil Rare: do not have a holographic foil. Shimmering stars are printed on the card.
  • Shatterfoil Rare: is like Starfoil Rares. Instead of shimmering stars, small shimmering shards are printed on the card.
  • Mosaic Rare: is like Starfoil and Shatterfoil Rares. Shimmering rectangles are printed on the card.
  • Platinum Rare: have a holographic foil. The image, name and edge are holographic. The edge is silver/platinum. When polished, Super Rare/Ultra Rare holo remains.
  • Platinum Secret Rare: is like Platinum Rares with a pixel-like holographic foil. After polishing, Secret Rare holo remains.

 

I personally find Secret Rare cards the most beautiful and Secret Rare Athena or Mezuki cards the easiest to get blank.