CIV: the Catchinary Index Value, explained
CIV is a per-card 0–100 score that answers the question collectors actually ask: is this card actually strong, or is it just expensive? Every Pokémon card on Catchinary gets one. The score is a weighted blend of four signals.
What CIV measures
Weighted price momentum across 30, 90, and 365 days. A card up 25% over the year, with steady recent appreciation, scores high. A flat or falling card scores low. Flat = 50.
Ratio of PSA 10 sale prices over raw / ungraded sales. Cards where a clean grade unlocks a big premium score high. Each doubling of the ratio = +30 points; saturates around 10×.
Cultural recognition, plus an iconic-set bonus. Charizard, Pikachu, and Mewtwo top the list; eeveelutions, Lugia, Mew, and tournament-staple Pokémon score next. Base Set, Neo Genesis, Evolving Skies, and Crown Zenith add a set bonus.
Release-window weight. WOTC originals (Base, Jungle, Fossil, Gym, Rocket) score 95. Neo era 90. e-Card 85. Modern Scarlet & Violet sits at 55. Vintage holds value better long-term.
The seven CIV tiers
- Grail Tier90–100Charizards, Lugia neo, Pikachu Illustrator-class.
- Elite80–89Top-shelf chase cards on iconic sets.
- Strong70–79Real collector demand and meaningful grading premium.
- Solid60–69Recognized Pokémon on a respected set.
- Average40–59Middle of the pack across the board.
- Weak20–39Limited recognition or modern bulk.
- Low Interest0–19Off-meta Pokémon on weak eras.
How the math works
The four sub-scores are computed independently per card and combined via a weighted average. Weights are 40 / 25 / 25 / 10 in the order listed above.
A card with missing data (for example, no auction sales for the grading-upside calculation) re-normalizes over whichever signals are present. The card still gets a valid score, just with lower confidence. Sub-scores show on every card page so you can see exactly what's driving the headline number.
CIV is designed to update daily. Market heat is the only fast-moving sub-score; the rest move slowly or not at all (icon status and era strength are essentially static).
How CIV is different from a price guide
Price guides tell you what a card sells for right now. CIV tells you whether the card is fundamentally strong as a collectible. Those are different questions.
A $5 modern Charizard ex with high momentum, recognizable character, and grading upside can score CIV 70. A $2,000 obscure modern alt-art with weak grading premium and no character recognition might score CIV 40, despite costing 400× as much. The two scores answer different questions.
Use the price for transactions. Use CIV for collection-building decisions, grading-prioritization, and watching for momentum.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see a card's CIV score?
On every card detail page at catchinary.com. The score is shown in a panel between "About this card" and the price grid, with all four sub-scores visible.
How often does CIV update?
Daily. Market heat moves on the daily TCGplayer snapshot. The other three sub-scores rarely change.
Can two cards have the same CIV score?
Yes. CIV is a 0–100 integer-rounded score, so cards with very similar underlying signals can land on the same value.
Is CIV a buy/sell signal?
No. CIV is a strength score, not financial advice. Pokémon TCG prices move on tournament results, anniversaries, reprint announcements, and viral moments that no model predicts. Treat CIV as a dashboard, not a signal.
Why aren't scarcity, demand, and sellability factored in yet?
Those three sub-scores (CIV-R, CIV-D, CIV-L) are on the roadmap. They require data sources we don't have plugged in yet (PSA pop reports, search-volume feeds, listing-depth scrapes). When any of those land, the weight table will be rebalanced and announced.