From the Gen 1 days when there were just three of them until today, the Eeveelutions, so nicknamed because they are the eight Pokémon that evolve from Eevee, have always ranked among the favorite Pokémon of the fanbase as a whole. According to a fan poll conducted among over 150,000 Pokémon fans across Japan, three of the eight Eeveelutions placed within the top 20 most popular Pokémon.

But just what is it about the Eeveelutions that makes them such compelling figures? Well, first and foremost, it’s about what the Eeveelutions represent. The idea that a single Pokémon has the potential to evolve into one of eight—all so different and yet so similar in their own ways—embodies the idea of becoming whatever one wants to become for so many. For this reason, many Pokémon fans find the concept of the Eeveelutions relatable.

In addition, the fact that there are so many Pokémon belonging to the same evolutionary family makes the Eeveelutions a group of Pokémon for which there’s truly “something for everyone”. Ask just about every Pokémon fan for a list of their 10 favorite Pokémon and give them enough time to think about their choices. The chances are pretty high that the majority of them will name at least one Eeveelution.

Couple that with the fact that Eevee and its evolutions are among the most marketed and publicized Pokémon and it’s not surprising in the least that these Pokémon are as popular as they are.

So, with that in mind, let’s get into our list of the best Pokémon TCG cards featuring an Eeveelution.

Vaporeon VMAX (S-P Promotional Cards 187/S-P) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$2,765)

To start things off, we have this Vaporeon VMAX card from the S-P Promotional Cards. The immense value of this card stems from its scarcity and exclusivity: it was only obtainable during three specific time periods and restricted to lottery winners.

This card depicting the Dynamaxed form of Vaporeon was first issued via the Summer Pokémon Card Campaign held from July to September 2021 with winners of a lottery receiving this card in October 2021. The next time this card was distributed was to lottery winners following the Champions League 2022 Fukuoka Winning Deck Prediction Campaign. Those who correctly predicted the tournament’s winning deck would have their entries placed into a lottery; winners would receive the card in November 2021.

When the official Pokémon Card YouTube Channel was launched in June 2022, this card would be distributed for the third and final time. Those who followed the official Pokémon Card Channel Twitter account as well as those of its two new presenters, then tweeted a specific hashtag, between 12 and 17 June 2024 would be entered into a lottery with winners receiving this card.

Jolteon ☆ (PLAY Promotional Cards 023/PLAY) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$2,376)

In 2003, the Pokémon Players Club was introduced. Members could earn EXP through various methods such as attending or hosting an official event, playing in sanctioned Pokémon TCG matches, or scanning an official Pokémon product code, just to name a few. When a member accumulated 20,000 EXP, that member could trade in all their EXP for this card depicting a Shiny Jolteon.

The Pokémon Players Club was only active for three years; it was discontinued in 2006. For this reason, only a limited number of Jolteon ☆ cards are in circulation today; in addition, no new ones have been seen in almost two decades—and there’ll never be any more.

On top of all of that, this card depicts the Shiny form of Jolteon; cards depicting Shiny Pokémon are almost always among the most sought-after. In the case of Jolteon, this card is also the only card in Pokémon TCG history to have a Shiny Jolteon on it.

Flareon (Split Earth 017/088) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$1,142)

By far the biggest driver of this card’s value and demand is the set of which it’s a part. Split Earth was one of two second-generation Pokémon TCG sets (the other being Mysterious Mountains) that only ever received one print run. To this day, almost every card from those two sets—even the most common ones—can go for remarkable prices owing to their extreme scarcity.

The card itself doesn’t actually have any particularly outstanding features. On the surface, it appears to be nothing more than an ordinary Holographic Rare Flareon card. Of course, being an Eeveelution, it does inherently have a reasonably high level of fan appeal—however, that effect is dwarfed by that of the circumstances of its set’s distribution.

There will likely never be another set with just one print run over its entire existence. Thus, this Flareon card (as well as all others from Split Earth and Mysterious Mountains) will always be among the most valuable Pokémon TCG cards.

Dark Espeon (Darkness, and to Light…) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$2,283)

Second-generation set Darkness, and to Light… reintroduced Dark variants of Pokémon while Light variants made their series debut. In fact, it was the only set in which Light variants were present; however, this card that’s the pick of all Espeon cards obviously isn’t one.

This was the only Dark Espeon card ever released before Dark variants were discontinued after the third generation. It was also the only Dark Eeveelution variant in this set; Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon were all Light variants while Umbreon, as a Dark-type Pokémon, could not have either variant form. These were likely key factors that raised this card’s value.

Although their status among the Pokémon TCG community has somewhat diminished over time, Dark variants did have a significant reputation boost back when this card was first released in 2001. This was because Dark variants were the first-ever non-standard Pokémon—long before Pokémon-ex, Pokémon VSTAR, or any of the others we know today.

Umbreon VMAX (Eevee Heroes [S6a] 095/069) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$1,934)

You knew it was coming. In fact, we’re pretty sure some of you scrolled to the Umbreon section as soon as you started reading this article—and for good reason. After all, “Moonbreon” is arguably the most iconic card of the last five to 10 years.

Despite not even being close to the top of the pack in terms of financial value, Umbreon VMAX has a reputation that none of the other cards here even approach. Why, then, is this card a modern-day “Holy Grail”?

For one thing, there’s the highly evocative Full Art illustration that depicts a Dynamaxed Umbreon reaching out towards a sky lit with a full moon. It’s not only a perfect representation of Umbreon as a Pokémon; many owners of this card have claimed that viewing its image online doesn’t do it justice. It has to be seen in person to be truly appreciated for what it is.

This is also one of the rarest cards of one of the most-hyped sets ever. We know that Eeveelutions are extremely popular—what more so a set primarily centered around them? Then there’s the fact that as a community favorite, demand far outpaces supply as far as this card is concerned. Finally, it’s Umbreon. While all eight Eeveelutions have major fan followings, Umbreon consistently polls highest among them. All these factors have given this Umbreon VMAX card a permanent place in Pokémon TCG lore.

Leafeon (Leafeon vs Metagross Expert Deck [E] 004/015) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$250)

Speaking of relative popularity to fellow Eeveelutions, we’re now going to the other end of the scale. Leafeon, unfortunately, is the least popular of all eight Eeveelutions—reflected in its relative lack of high-value cards as well as the relatively lower price of those cards. That being said, as an Eeveelution it still does have a significant draw—such as with this card from the Leafeon vs Metagross Expert Deck [E].

In 2009, the Leafeon vs Metagross Expert Deck [E] was released; it consisted of a Leafeon deck, a Metagross deck, and a CD-ROM which allowed users to create an account at the Online Battle Server and play the Pokémon TCG online. However, this online Pokémon TCG service was discontinued in August 2010 as part of preparation for the beginning of the Pokémon TCG’s fifth generation, giving this card prestige through its ensuing scarcity.

This card also has a highly exclusive English version. Those who attended pre-release events for fourth-generation set Undaunted would receive a special promotional version of this card. Staff members at those events would receive that same card but with a special stamp on it.

Glaceon LV.X (Dawn Dash [DP4]) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$1,242)

The debut of Glaceon in fourth-generation set Dawn Dash [DP4] saw the most coveted and valuable iteration of the Ice-type Eeveelution. While there was also a Leafeon LV.X card which was just as rare in that same set, it ended up not even coming close to Glaceon LV.X.

The fact that Glaceon’s first-ever Pokémon TCG came in Dawn Dash [DP4] increases the desirability and thus value of this card. It’s also one of just three LV.X cards in that set; the LV.X cards are the rarest cards in the set. Glaceon LV.X also had gameplay viability due to its Poké-Body of Chilly Breath which prevented the opponent from using any Poké-Power.

Finally, the fact that this is a LV.X card elevates its status because LV.X cards were discontinued at the end of Gen 4. All things considered, Glaceon LV.X is the standout card of Dawn Dash [DP4] for good reason and a bright spot in what is generally regarded as the “dark age” of the Pokémon TCG.

Sylveon ex (PokéKyun Collection [CP3] 026/032) (PSA 10 Price: ~US$647)

Last but not least, we come to the most recently-introduced Eeveelution: Sylveon. Of all the cards depicting Sylveon, the Sylveon ex card from the PokéKyun Collection [CP3], a sixth-generation subset, is the clear pick of the lot. While Sylveon is indeed the second-most popular Eeveelution behind Umbreon, that isn’t the sole reason why this Double Rare (RR) card is a major acquisition.

Every card in the PokéKyun Collection [CP3] comes with a gloss coating and a special holofoil inset. On the left side on the card are images of several charms that refer to the characteristics of the Pokémon depicted. On top of that, the Full Art illustration’s inclusion of an Eevee hanging on to one of Sylveon’s ribbon-like feelers add a sense of whimsy and fun to the card.

There was also an error on the part of Creatures Inc. that inadvertently greatly increased the value of the corrected version. The Sylveon ex card which could be obtained from PokéKyun Collection [CP3] booster packs had a white dot where another Energy symbol ought to have been. Creatures Inc. corrected this and issued an edited version; however, the edited version was only obtainable via single or double pack blisters which could only be purchased at Pokémon Centers in Japan during the subset’s availability.

No matter which of the eight Eeveelutions one likes best, there’ll undoubtedly be a card that’ll be of major appeal. The Eeveelutions can be said to be a microcosm of the Pokémon fandom as a whole—one’s favorite Eeveelution can even be regarded as a reflection of one’s personality and identity. At its core, perhaps the popularity of the Eeveelutions can come down to that very fact.

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