Quick answer
CardSpicy reads a Digimon card from the code printed at the bottom rather than from the artwork, because that short code is what tells you what you are actually holding.
The Digimon Card Game prints a short code at the bottom of every card. It is small, it is easy to ignore, and it is the field that tells you what you are actually holding. For a game whose cards are reprinted and re-released in parallel treatments, it is the most useful thing on the card after the text.
The code is a product identifier plus a position
The code is made of a set identifier, a dash, and a two- or three-digit number. The letters say which product the card came from; the digits say where in that product it sits. The two are read the same way whichever prefix is used.
| Prefix | Which product it identifies |
|---|---|
| ST | A starter deck |
| BT | A booster set |
| EX | A booster set released outside the main numbered line |
| RB | A booster set |
| P | A promotional card, distributed outside booster packs |
| LM | A limited set card |
So a code such as ST1-06 and a code such as BT6-103 are read the same way: the letters name the product, the digits name the card’s place in it.
The rarity mark
Alongside the code, the card carries a rarity marking. The ladder runs from Common and Uncommon through Rare and Super Rare to Secret Rare, and the Digimon card index tabulates the codes against the treatments. Promotional cards carry their own marking rather than a booster rarity, because they were never in a booster to begin with.
Alternate art shares the number
Many cards also exist in an alternate-art version that is rarer than the ordinary printing. Since the ST15 and ST16 starter decks, these have been marked with a star, two stars or “SP” beside the ordinary rarity icon. The important part is what does not change: the alternate art keeps the same card number as the original, so the code alone will not tell you which treatment you are looking at.
The block icon
The block icon indicates the time period in which the card was released. Like the set prefix, it is a fact about the printing rather than about the card’s text.
What the code is good for
Two things. It lets you tell a first printing from a later one, because the same name printed in another product carries a different code. And it lets you check a listing against the product it claims to come from, which is the simplest sanity check available when a card has been printed many times.
What this page does not claim
No prices, and no card counts. The prefixes and codes described here are the ones Bandai publishes; where the publisher does not define something, this page says nothing about it.
Frequently asked questions
What does the number on a Digimon card mean?
It is the card’s code: a set identifier, a dash, and a two- or three-digit number. The letters identify the product the card came from and the digits identify its position in that product.
What does the P prefix mean?
Promotional. Promotional cards use their own prefix and are distributed outside booster packs rather than being pullable from a normal pack.
Do alternate-art cards have different numbers?
No. An alternate-art version shares its card number with the ordinary printing. Only the rarity marking distinguishes them, which is why the code alone is not enough.
What is the block icon?
A mark on the card that indicates the time period in which the card was released.
Are Digimon cards the same size as Pokémon cards?
Yes. They are printed at the same 63 × 88 mm standard, so the same sleeves and rigid holders fit.
Sources
Sources and further reading
- Bandai — the Digimon Card Game official rules and glossary: the memory gauge, the areas of the playing field, the card types, the card code prefixes and the timings referred to on this page.
- Bandai — the Digimon Card Game rulebook and restricted-card list.
- Rules wording is quoted from the publisher’s own glossary rather than from third-party rules summaries.
- This page was compiled 2026-10-06. Card counts are only quoted where the publisher publishes them.
Rules wording is quoted from Bandai’s own rules and glossary at the date cited and is subject to change. This page is rules and identification, not valuation: we publish no price for Digimon cards, because we have not yet run a checked pull of graded sales for the game.