1. What are the rarities in the game and how can you identify them?
Naruto has 5 main rarities to consider that are identified on a card. At the bottom of the card are small dots that the number and color of them correlate to the original rarity of the card when it was first printed.
0 Dots is common
1 Dot is uncommon
2 Dots is Rare
3 Dots is Super rare
Any red dots are Starter deck Exclusives
Rares in the game for their original print have rainbow or gold lettering (depending on where it was released). Sometimes rares have black normal lettering when reprinted in a later set from its original or starter deck. These have separate listings saying reprint or starter.
There are times where a super rare get downgraded to a rare in some sets but will keep the 3 dot identification on the bottom.
2. What are the differences for reprints and originals?
Reprints is a tricky subject because they changed dramatically within the game’s history. Some come unlimited, some come reprinted in a starter deck and you can tell by a rarity shift (Example M-633 Loss) being printed originally as rare and reprinted in a starter with black lettering rather than rainbow lettering. Other variations of reprints would be the shifting of the 1st edition symbol to the top left of the card from the bottom, the boarder changing to a modern boarder from an older one, the element symbol changing with the style from a pre-set 10 symbol to a set 11+ symbol, the line in between the boarder and the character image that goes behind the character being gold instead of red.. At times a card will be reprinted in another set and have the set identification symbol changed or the image changed. Another example of reprints would be such as in TP1 N-019 exist but it’s a rare with the original super rare identification on the bottom, the same can be said with tp4 N-365 being a rare in tp4 but with a super identification on the bottom of the card from its original printing.
3. What is the best way to find a specific card on the site?
This game was thankfully somewhat thought out with regards to reprint procedures and card identification. Because they would want to print ninjas multiple times with different effects in multiple sets, they implemented the following rule. Whenever a new card of that card type was printed the number on the bottom left of the card would increase by 1 from the last made card. The way the order of numbers was chosen within the set would be by element, turn drop, and rarity within later sets. Essentially cards in consecutive order tend to be within the same set but some exceptions exist such as within tournament pack sets. Cards are labeled in the following manners. (xxx represents the number on the bottom left of the card)
N-xxx identifies a Ninja
M-xxx identifies a Mission
J-xxx identifies a Jutsu
C-XXX identifies a Client card
PR-xxx identifies promotional cards, these are not separated by Ninja, Mission, nor Jutsu and there are promo variants of cards found with normal Identification numbers
N-usxxx identifies a card added to the US release not from the original Japanese game
(repeat the above for M-USxxx, J-USxxx, C-usXXX, and PR-usxxx)
N-xxxR identifies another card entirely as well
Pr-xxxR also a completely different card
N-cxxx identifies coin cards
N-psxxx identifies a set of 4 cards released in 2 foiling variants before the games launch
EX-xxx identifies 2 cards that came from a deck box
4. What are the Types of foiling and why do they change?
Within sets 1-8 and 10 you will find cards which can be printed in Diamond foil and Wavy foil. In set 9 the chosen cards are printed in diamond checkered and diamond spiral foiling. Sets 11-28 have a flat foiling process. Sets 11-17 have some exclusive cards that come Black and Gold foil that are notoriously difficult to get in immaculate condition.
If a card has silver lettering, it is a promo, and some promos get printed in foil variations found within those sets.
Super rares tend to have the same foiling through out the game, and full art super rares printed within the US tend to have texture to the face of the card. There are super rares that exist such as Sage Mode which do not have texture.
European prints of these card have different rule sets.
European cards tend to be far thicker than US printed cards especially for foils
European cards do not have the Set identification number or symbol on the bottom left
Full art super rares are flat foil and do not have texture
The only time English cards have these properties is when printed in a supplementary booster that is added as a promotional item to a game, Example, Sage’s legacy half booster packs will have their super rares flat foil and in English.
The cards with completely different layouts in style for sets 1-10 that are in a European language are the same cards found in the English sets but with the Japanese layout.
5. Why does the site bundle conditions and how does it go about identifying them for this game?
Historically Troll and Toad used to be the place to get singles for this game until they stopped carrying singles. At time their claim to NM would often come as LP or worse in most games including this one and thus felt claiming NM as the top option for a group of players who were used to a range in condition was off putting. We wanted the game to be affordable to players and keep the original spirit of the grading norm of the game for a long time. So, we labeled the top condition justly as NM/LP to within our standards. Generally, for cards above $60, we tend to be harsher and lower the range from nm to lp- to a range of nm and maybe 1 or two minor imperfections. We do understand this game does have a collector only base and try to find the best middle ground for both parties. Initially, the grading rubric was intended to be for those who wished to build decks and play, therefore, our interest in inspecting for condition was based on structural integrity. There are many types of wear and tear on trading cards, all of which are considered and have been discussed before the launch of our website.
Played can be anything between MP+ - HP+ with regards to normal grading standards.
Damaged is reserved for cards worse than played in any way.
6. Why does the site have pictures of the actual card in some listings and not others?
Some singles are unique with regards to origin such as S20 Alternate art 1/20s, graded cards, and so on. We do not singularly list cards with photos often and try to avoid it as to be able to list the card under its original listing. The reason for this is to alert people who use the Wishlist function that the card is restocked. We do plan down the road to give identification numbers to singles and have them scanned for people who wish to inquire about the card. But these scans would be reserved for cards specifically $200+.
