With Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! on the horizon, fans everywhere will soon get their first experience of Pokémon on the Nintendo Switch. Because of this, I thought it would be interesting to create some Pokémon-related content until both games’ releases. Of course, what better way to start things off than with a piece revolving around one of the games’ mascots: Eevee.
Whether you’ve followed the franchise since the beginning or you just started playing the games, all Pokémon fans alike have at least heard of Eevee and its evolutions. More commonly known as Eeveelutions, these unique final stages of the fan favorite Pokémon have been discussed many times over. I myself being a long-time fan of the series, I figured I would give my opinion of some of my favorite Eeveelutions.
A few things before we get started. First off, I am not a competitive Pokémon player. This means that this list will not heavily focus on competitive viability, but more on appearance and my personal opinion. Second, keep in mind that this list will ultimately stem from my own personal opinion. Some of my choices may not mirror those of your own. With that said, let’s continue on to my five favorite Eeveelutions.
5. Flareon
I find it a little ironic that the Eeveelution representing my favorite type would fall at the bottom of this list. While I do favor Flareon over some other Eeveelutions, I never really found anything unique about the Pokémon that made it stand out above most of the others. Its design feels a little bland, with it reminding me of a fancy show dog, and its stats leave much to be desired. On the other hand, I do like that it took a different approach to fire-type Pokémon design at the time. Most fire-types tend to emphasize flames into their appearances, but Flareon doesn’t, and I appreciate it for that.
4. Leafeon
When Leafeon and Glaceon first appeared in the franchise, I instantly gravitated towards the former. Leafeon just appealed to me more. I enjoy its whimsical, nymph-inspired design. I know that Leafeon has its flaws, such as its poor typing and weak defenses, but I enjoyed using it in battles. It learns a variety of moves, such as grass whistle and leaf blade, that made matches fun. In the end, I like that Leafeon gives an accurate representation of the grass type as a whole.
Along with Umbreon, Espeon was in the first batch of Eeveelutions to enter the games after the original three. This set the tradition of including new Eeveelutions into future Pokémon generations. I remember seeing both of these new Pokémon and thinking they were siblings (give me a break, I was a kid). I saw Espeon as the older, wiser sister, and perhaps that bit of head cannon drew me to it. I also enjoy the concept of an elegant psychic cat that shoots beams from a jewel on its forehead. At the time I didn’t really use psychic types, so using Espeon exposed me to how useful they could become.
2. Jolteon
Many fans will argue that the original three Eeveelutions will always outshine the others. While I don’t completely agree with that, one of them did win me over very quickly: Jolteon. When I saw this cool, spiky-haired, electric dog, it immediately became my favorite Eeveelution of the three. It represented everything I wanted in a Pokémon: cool design, fast movement, and strong attacks. I loved hitting my opponents with a thunderbolt and zapping them down, or using a pin missile to whittle down their health. I think highly favor Jolteon over most Eeveelutions, but one still outranks it for me.
1. Umbreon
Umbreon: the dark type Eeveelution. As stated earlier, I thought of Umbreon and Espeon as siblings, so I saw Umbreon as the rebel younger brother. This, along with the cool concept of glowing rings on its black body, made me fall in love with it. Yes, like most Eeveelutions, its stats aren’t the best, but back then I didn’t care. I loved using Umbreon to launch a dark pulse and crushing my enemies. This Pokémon didn’t just make the top of my favorite Eeveelutions, but also makes it high into my list of favorite Pokémon overall.
What are your favorite Eeveelutions? Let us know in the comments below! Also, be sure to follow us on all our social media pages for all things gaming!
