Pokemon Gem Rate Rankings: the hardest and easiest cards to pull a PSA 10

Some cards gem 9 times out of 10. Others have been graded ten thousand times and produced a handful of PSA 10s. This page ranks both extremes — computed from real PSA population data across 27,809,993 graded cards.

Updated September 09, 2026 · Free to cite with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0) · Quotable as "according to PokeInvest data".

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The September 2026 Grade Report ranks the 30 most profitable cards to grade right now, by expected profit after every fee. Same math as this page, run across the whole market. $29, one time, instant.

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27,809,993
Graded cards tracked
49.5%
Overall PSA 10 rate
60.2%
Modern gem rate (2023+)
13.5%
Vintage gem rate (pre-2003)

The hardest cards to gem

Minimum 1,000 graded copies. These are not obscure cards — they include some of the most graded cards in the hobby, and almost nobody gets a 10.

#Card SetGraded PSA 10sGem rate
1 Rayquaza C LV.X #DP47 Promo 1,308 1 0.08%
2 Typhlosion #17 Neo Genesis 4,251 4 0.09%
3 Blissey #2 Neo Revelation 1,032 1 0.10%
4 Lugia #9 Neo Genesis 12,294 15 0.12%
5 Latios #XY79 Promo 1,375 2 0.15%
6 Venusaur #13 Promo 5,435 9 0.17%
7 Ampharos #1 Neo Revelation 1,136 2 0.18%
8 Team Aqua's Kyogre EX #6 Double Crisis 5,867 11 0.19%
9 Dark Magneton #11 Team Rocket 3,089 6 0.19%
10 Latias #XY78 Promo 1,440 3 0.21%
11 Vaporeon #12 Jungle 16,494 35 0.21%
12 Heracross #6 Neo Genesis 1,845 4 0.22%
13 Hitmonchan #62 Evolutions 3,086 7 0.23%
14 Lugia #2 POP Series 5 1,221 3 0.25%
15 Machamp [1st Edition] #8 Base Set 7,814 20 0.26%
16 Wigglytuff #19 Base Set 2 4,197 11 0.26%
17 Magneton #38 Evolutions 3,395 9 0.27%
18 Slowking #14 Neo Genesis 3,303 9 0.27%
19 Kangaskhan #5 Jungle 10,347 29 0.28%
20 Dialga #XY77 Promo 1,064 3 0.28%
21 Eevee #11 Promo 10,726 31 0.29%
22 Eevee #BW94 Promo 1,380 4 0.29%
23 Charizard #4 Base Set 2 24,008 70 0.29%
24 Team Magma's Groudon EX #15 Double Crisis 5,976 19 0.32%
25 Feraligatr #5 Neo Genesis 2,260 8 0.35%

The easiest cards to gem

Modern printing and packaging is a different sport — recent Japanese cards routinely gem above 90%.

#Card SetGraded PSA 10sGem rate
1 Mega Darkrai ex #114 Japanese Abyss Eye 4,186 4,012 95.84%
2 Mega Starmie ex #111 Japanese Nihil Zero 2,242 2,126 94.83%
3 Morpeko V #227 Japanese VMAX Climax 1,063 1,006 94.64%
4 Mega Clefable ex #112 Japanese Nihil Zero 1,956 1,849 94.53%
5 Mega Greninja Ex #98 Japanese Ninja Spinner 1,293 1,220 94.35%
6 Meowth ex #114 Japanese Nihil Zero 8,105 7,637 94.23%
7 Mega Greninja Ex #114 Japanese Ninja Spinner 17,029 15,982 93.85%
8 Weavile #51 Japanese Dream League 1,347 1,264 93.84%
9 Sprigatito #75 Japanese Triplet Beat 4,663 4,375 93.82%
10 Mega Froslass ex #233 Japanese Mega Dream ex 4,312 4,037 93.62%
11 Xerneas #89 Japanese Ninja Spinner 2,716 2,540 93.52%
12 Zacian V #329 Japanese Shiny Star V 1,417 1,323 93.37%
13 Hop's Zacian ex #128 Japanese Battle Partners 3,851 3,593 93.30%
14 Crobat #91 Japanese Ninja Spinner 1,268 1,183 93.30%
15 Arcanine EX #92 Japanese Violet Ex 3,312 3,089 93.27%
16 Ditto VMAX #324 Japanese Shiny Star V 1,396 1,302 93.27%
17 Lapras VMAX #32 Japanese Shiny Star V 1,068 996 93.26%
18 Greninja ex #83 Japanese Crimson Haze 1,662 1,549 93.20%
19 Chi-Yu ex #92 Japanese Clay Burst 2,511 2,337 93.07%
20 Volcanion ex #124 Japanese Battle Partners 2,392 2,226 93.06%
21 Ting-Lu ex #94 Japanese Clay Burst 1,236 1,150 93.04%
22 Fezandipiti ex #244 Japanese Mega Dream ex 4,235 3,935 92.92%
23 Slowking ex #86 Japanese Snow Hazard 1,044 970 92.91%
24 Torkoal #50 Japanese Dream League 2,586 2,398 92.73%
25 Zekrom Ex #161 Japanese Black Bolt 2,224 2,062 92.72%

The long shots: biggest payoffs, worst odds

The pattern that ties this whole dataset together: the biggest grading paydays sit behind the hardest gems. A cheap raw copy of these cards is worth hundreds of times more as a PSA 10 — precisely because a 10 almost never happens.

CardSet RawPSA 10 MultipleGem odds
Charizard G [Reverse Holo] #20 Supreme Victors $49 $102,000 2,084x 2.05%
Skarmory #27 Expedition $50 $60,752 1,215x 1.03%
Infernape LV.X #DP10 Promo $29 $33,864 1,153x 1.00%
Infernape #5 Diamond & Pearl $8 $9,598 1,140x 1.03%
Lugia #HGSS02 Promo $75 $76,842 1,020x 3.33%
Empoleon LV.X #120 Diamond & Pearl $24 $22,345 949x 3.07%
Torterra LV.X #DP09 Promo $17 $12,500 731x 0.52%
Hitmonchan #8 Base Set 2 $17 $12,699 729x 0.85%
Giovanni's Scheme #277/XY-P Japanese Promo $32 $23,100 714x 72.44%
Yanma #17 Neo Discovery $18 $13,025 704x 1.14%
Heracross #6 Neo Genesis $31 $21,499 701x 0.22%
Deoxys EX #BW82 Promo $14 $9,500 679x 3.11%
Rayquaza EX #XY69 Promo $43 $28,754 676x 0.36%
Gengar #11 Legendary Collection $83 $55,870 676x 1.55%
Magikarp & Wailord GX #SM166 Promo $56 $37,210 670x 0.70%

Multiples are gross (before grading fees and selling fees), based on current market prices. The gem odds column is why "just grade it" is rarely that simple.

Wondering about a specific card?

Run it through the free grading calculator — it weighs the PSA 10 payoff against fees and real gem odds.

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Want the full list, ranked by expected profit?

The PokeInvest Grade Report ranks the best cards to grade right now — gem odds, fees, and PSA 9 downside included.

See the Grade Report

Methodology

Gem rate = PSA 10 population ÷ total graded population for that exact card and variant, from PSA's published population report data tracked by PokeInvest. Hardest/easiest tables require at least 1,000 graded copies; long shots require 300+ graded copies and use current market prices for raw and PSA 10 values. Population data reflects the most recent PokeInvest import and updates as PSA grades more cards.

Cite freely with a link: "According to PokeInvest gem rate data (pokeinvest.io/gem-rates) …"