The Best (And Worst) Eeveelutions In Pokemon History

Eeveelutions From Best To Worst

Eevee’s a pretty popular Pokemon. Heck, it’s popular enough to sit aloungside Pikachu in the upcoming Switch title Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee. Over the years, Eevee has had a number of evolutions, and fan demand is still high for some new forms.

For those of you who don’t know, Eevee’s popularity stems from the fact that it can evolve into a number of different forms, based on how you raise it. This gives the player an added element of choice to how they raise their Eevee, providing the player with more of a connection than they might get with other Pokemon. In this way, an Eevee’s evolution (or Eeveelution), is a chance for the player to infuse some of their own unique personality into their precious Pokemon partner.

With that in mind, let’s cover the best and worst Eeveelutions from Pokemon Gen 1 all the way up to the recently released Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Mind you, this list is going to be subjective – you’re entitled to love whichever eeveelution you love best.

#7 – Glaceon

Glaceon

Visually, Glaceon is one of the less interesting Eeveelutions. There’s nothing inherently ugly about it, it’s just lacking any real distinguishing features that make it special. It strangely enough seems to have a haircut of sorts, and it’s kind of blue. That’s about the only thing Glaceon’s got going for it in the looks department.

Add to that the fact that, as far as Eevees go, Glaceon isn’t really combat-ready, and you’ve got our pick for the worst Eeveelution in the bunch. With no useful abilities and stats that don’t do it much justice, along with being a monotype ice type Pokemon, Glaceon’s not going to win very many battles.

There really isn’t much else to say – Glaceon’s just not that hot.

#6 – Flareon

Flareon

Flareon always felt a little lacking compared to the original 3 Eeveelutions – while Vaporeon turned into a water-lizard type Pokemon, and Jolteon got sharp electric quills, Flareon just kind of became… red, fluffier Eevee. There’s no fire motif to make it stand out from the crowd, which leaves this classic Pokemon feeling a little less incredible than its brothers and sisters.

Battle-wise, Flareon is decent, but kind of a one-trick pony. Being a fire type with a high physical attack, Flareon needs to get creative to work well in battle, and unfortunately, there just aren’t many moves it can take advantage of. This leaves Flareon with the same basic strategy for most matches, and keeps it from being anything special.

All in all, Flareon’s a mediocre battler and a rather plain looking Pokemon. Not much to this one.

#5 – Leafeon

Leafeon

Fun fact: it was recently discovered that Leafeon was originally conceived as a Gen 2 Pokemon, although it didn’t end up making its appearance until Gen 4. Unlike our first two choices, Leafeon is actually pretty visually interesting. Its leafy ears and tail and earthy color palette match this Pokemon’s grass typing quite nicely. All in all it’s a very cute, visually unique Eeveelution.

Unfortunately, like the other Pokemon on our list, Leafeon falls short in the world of battling too. Leafeon plays well on a sun team, but even so, it’s outclassed by a number of other Pokemon, unless you’re playing in competitive tiers. There are some strategies you can employee with Leafeon, but almost none that will hold up in serious battles.

Leafeon’s one of those “good, but not great” Pokemon. You might see one on a team, but it’s not going to blow anyone away, except maybe with that cute face.

#4 – Jolteon

Jolteon

Jolteon’s another one of the original three Eeveelutions, and like we mentioned above, we like the fact that this one’s got some style. Those spiky quills look right at home on an electric Pokemon, and fit with Joleton’s speedy nature.

Speaking of speed, Jolteon excels in that category, and is built to hit hard with Special Attacks while it outspeeds the competition. Being a pure electric Pokemon, Jolteon’s coverage isn’t phenomenal – and there are plenty of Pokemon who hit harder and faster than it does. That said, its ability, Volt Absorb, and its decent stats make it a usable Pokemon, if not a guaranteed winner.

Neither the best nor the worst, Jolteon speeds just under the halfway spot in our list.

#4 – Vaporeon

Vaporeon

As the third and final of the original 3 Eeveelutions, Vaporeon earns #4 in our list for being a really cool Pokemon, visually and in combat. Vaporeon is albe to turn itself into liquid, essentially allowing it to melt into bodies of water at will. It also has a really cute, water-monster design.

Battle wise, Vaporeon is a competent, albeit not perfect fighter. Touting 2 useful abilities in Hydration and Water Absorb, and a phenomenal HP stat, Vaporeon is a decent Pokemon in battles. There are certainly better choices for water types, but you might see Vaporeon on a few teams, usually as more of a defense-oriented healer.

Vaporeon’s certainly not the worst, but there are a few Eeveelutions that we think run circles around these last 5. Presenting the top 3 Eeveelutions, starting with…

#3 – Espeon

Espeon

When Pokemon Gold and Silver came out, Espeon was the premier psychic type Pokemon for anyone that couldn’t get a Mewtwo. Being the most cat-like of the Eeveelutions, Espeon is certainly unique, and draws its design from Japanese mythology. It’s always fit the part of a psychic Pokemon very well, while never looking too “Eeveeish”.

Combat-wise, Espeon is a solid Pokemon. It’s got an INCREDIBLY useful ability in Magic Bounce, which keeps it safe from a number of opponent’s moves. It’s still a super powerful psychic type, and a valuable choice for most teams.

Espeon is a really useful and popular Pokemon, and deserves to be high up on this list.

#2 – Sylveon

Sylveon

Ranking Espeon and Sylveon was a hard call. Both Pokemon look great – Sylveon has a very unique ribbon theme that complements its fairy typing quite nicely. Ultimately, Sylveon took our #2 spot over Espeon for two reasons: Its shiny is slightly better looking than Espeon’s weird green color, being an inverse of its natural blues and pinks, and it has more resistances and is weak to less types than Espeon.

Sylveon’s Pixellate is a mighty ability, turning its normal type attacks into fairy type moves. It comes with some powerful attacks, and being a fairy type, it is currently a very useful Pokemon in a metagame full of dragon types, with very few of its poison and steel weaknesses on player’s teams.

Sylveon is the newest Eeveelution, an incredibly popular and powerful Pokemon, and a good choice for any team. But there’s one Eeveelution that beats it…

#1 – Umbreon

Umbreon

That’s right, we’re talking about Umbreon. This has always been one of the most popular Eeveelutions, and deservedly so. It looks amazing – that jet-black body with those lit up, moon-esque rings look great, and it only looks better in its shiny form.

Things only get better for Umbreon when we move into combat. Being a very defensive, monotype Dark Pokemon, Umbreon works great as a wall on most teams, able to take a lot of damage, while also functioning as a cleric. Wish, Heal Bell and Moonlight all provide Umbreon with the means to heal itself and its teammates, keeping everyone fighting that much longer.

Really, Umbreon can’t be beat as the best Eeveelution. Or can it? Did we mess up? Do you have an Eeveelution you love way more than our boy Umbreon?

Want to show it some love? Leave your comments below and tell us why YOUR Eeveelution should take the #1 spot.

Gamer by day, game designer by night - Lukas studied Digital Arts in school, and grew up in the age of the N64 and Gamecube. He's the youngster of the bunch, but that doesn't keep him from shouting out at every available opportunity on Infendo Radio. He often finds himself at the edge of counter-culture (hates Metroid Prime, loves Other M), but isn't afraid to dive into the next big budget AAA title with the best of 'em. Favorite game: Sonic Adventure 2 Battle/Skyward Sword/Ocarina of Time/Zero Escape 2/You get the idea