Pokémon card condition on Cardmarket: MT, NM, EX, GD… how to choose well

In short

• Cardmarket sorts cards into 7 conditions: Mint (MT), Near Mint (NM), Excellent (EX), Good (GD), Light Played (LP), Played (PL) and Poor (PO).
• A scratch or visible clouding is enough to knock a card out of Near Mint; an altered, inked or stamped card is Poor.
• A card's listed price isn't tied to one condition: the cheapest offer can sit far from the trend (Pitch Black's Mega Darkrai ex: €100 vs a €173.62 trend, October 29, 2026).
• Before you buy, check condition, language and the listing's photos, not just the price.

You've found the card you've been hunting for months, at a price that feels too good. First reflex: check the condition. Here's how to read Cardmarket conditions without getting burned.

Cardmarket's 7 conditions

From best to worst: Mint (MT), Near Mint (NM), Excellent (EX), Good (GD), Light Played (LP), Played (PL) and Poor (PO). Each seller picks the condition of their cards, and that's their word on the line.

Near Mint is the usual benchmark: it's what you get when you open a pack and sleeve the card right away.

What drops a card a grade

Cardmarket's help page is pretty clear:

• Scratches: a scratched card is Good at best. Foils are especially sensitive, so tilt them under a light.
• Clouding: visible clouding rules out Near Mint.
• Water: water damage runs from Light Played to Poor depending on severity. If the card is still tournament-playable it's Light Played, otherwise Poor.
• Warping: a card bent enough to be illegal in tournaments is Played at least.
• Altered cards: inked, stamped, or with blackened or whitened borders, they're Poor, full stop.

Whitening on edges and corners, those little white marks on the blue back, is the most common flaw, and it's often what separates NM from the grade below.

Price doesn't tell you the condition

The trend is a market average, and the cheapest offer is the single lowest listing right now. They can be far apart. Cardmarket's price guide also mixes every language of a card.

Two cards from Pitch Black, from the French file's Cardmarket prices of October 29, 2026:

A gap like that can mean a more worn card, another language or an isolated listing. Open the listing, read the seller's comment, look at the photos.

Good habits before buying

For an expensive card, ask for front and back photos if there aren't any. Check corners and edges, then tilt the surface. Compare with the price one grade up and one down: if Near Mint and Played cost the same, something's off.

And storage: sleeve cards when you open them, use a binder, never squeeze them. A protected card keeps its condition, so its value.

FAQ

What are the card conditions on Cardmarket?

Seven: Mint (MT), Near Mint (NM), Excellent (EX), Good (GD), Light Played (LP), Played (PL) and Poor (PO), from best to most worn.

Can a scratched card be Near Mint?

No. According to Cardmarket's help page, a scratched card is Good at best, and visible clouding also rules out Near Mint.

Why is the cheapest offer so different from the trend?

The trend sums up the market; the cheapest offer is one listing. For Pitch Black's Mega Darkrai ex the cheapest is €100 against a €173.62 trend (Cardmarket, October 29, 2026): check condition and language before you buy.

Track your collection

In NookDex you can note each card's condition and see its price of the day in your binder, so you know what your collection is really worth.