Card Condition

A card graded Mint is in perfect condition; no exceptions. This means the front is completely perfect, there are no scratches on the surface, and the surface is entirely clean. For the back, this means the card is indistinguishable from cards from a newly opened booster. If a card has a signature or a Grand Prix stamp, it can never be graded as Mint, even if the card itself is otherwise in Mint condition.

In most cases, there is little point in grading a card as Mint. For newer cards, the value of a Mint card is almost the same as a Near Mint card. Older cards (1993-96), however, can fetch a high premium if they are actually in Mint condition, usually professionally graded. Therefore, "Mint" is primarily used for cards with high collector's value or high professional grading. For cards intended primarily for playing, a Near Mint grade is a safer choice.

A card graded Near Mint looks as if it has never been played without sleeves. Minor imperfections are allowed, but generally, the card shows no wear.

The edge of an NM card may have small white spots, but these must be very limited and very small. When viewed under bright daylight, the surface should generally appear clean. A few minor specks may be present, but scratches are never allowed on NM cards.

Generally, a Near Mint card is in a condition where it would be considered unmarked if played in an unsleeved deck. (Not recommended!)

Since the Mint grading is often not used for cards from newer sets, Near Mint usually means "Near Mint or better" (similar to the American NM/M grading).

A card with an Excellent rating looks like it has been played a few times without sleeves. Upon first inspection, it is almost always clearly visible that Excellent cards are not in perfect condition. However, the damage is clearly visible but only of limited severity.

Excellent cards usually have some white spots on the corners or along the edges. The surface may have slight scratches that are visible upon closer inspection. However, a card cannot be rated as Excellent if the creases are so deep that they are immediately visible at first glance.

An Excellent card is usually in a condition where it is not entirely clear whether the card would be considered marked or unmarked if played in a tournament without sleeves.

The American equivalent is typically Slightly Played or Lightly Played (not to be confused with the European Light Played grading).

A card graded Good looks as if it has been used without sleeves during a long tournament.

Cards in Good condition typically show clear wear across the entire card. The edges and corners have many white spots, the surface usually contains scratches, and the card usually has some dirt accumulated on the surface. However, the damage is still solely due to normal use during play. The card has no water damage or bends.

A Good card (and all cards in worse condition) is clearly in a state that would make it unsuitable for playing without sleeves, as the card would be considered marked.

The American equivalent of this is usually "Moderately Played" or "Very Good". Please note that "Good" is actually a misleading term. A Good card does not actually look very good at all. In reality, the card looks quite worn, which makes the American term "Very Good" even more misleading.

A card with the Light Played rating looks as if it has been used for an extended period without sleeves.

A Light Played card is clearly legal for play in a sleeved deck. The card has also not been tampered with (such as touched-up edges with ink, random scribbles on the card, etc.). As long as both criteria are met, the card may look quite bad and still be rated as Light Played.

The American equivalent is usually "Played" or "Good".

A card with the rating Played looks as if it has been damaged as much as possible by normal use without sleeves.

A Played card looks extremely worn, and it is questionable whether the card is still tournament legal even when played in sleeves. However, the card has not been otherwise altered (such as updated borders with ink, random scribbles on the card, etcetera).

The American equivalent is usually "Heavily Played" or "Good".

A card graded Poor has damage that normally would not have been caused by regular use of the card.

A card in Poor condition is literally wrecked. The card is either clearly illegal for tournament use, or it has been tampered with in a way that virtually destroys its value (such as inked edges, random scribbles on the card, etc.).

Americans generally use the term "Poor" in the same way.