Over three years ago, you could regularly get a whole booster box of Pokémon Evolving Skies for around $135. At 36 packs a box, that works out to $3.75 per booster, a little under the retail price if you just bought single packs at your local store. Fast forward to now, and you'll be lucky to get a booster box for any less than $2,000, and those Evolving Skies packs? Well, they're now rocketing up to around $50 each, solely for that Umbreon VMAX chase card.
Why? At this point, who the hell knows? I've been collecting Pokémon TCG again for the past few years, after a lengthy break (I roughly stopped when Black and White games first launched) and Moonbreon doesn't even break into the list of best Pokémon cards for me. It's beautiful, sure, and I love Umbreon. But the prices it goes for are astronomical - the true reason it has 'moon' in its name.
It's the most expensive Pokémon card of the modern era. While plenty of classic cards have gone for extraordinary prices, there are few recent releases that come within touching distance of Umbreon VMAX from Evolving Skies. At one point, people were bidding over $2,000 on Ebay for just a crayon drawing of it.
Funnily enough, Umbreon ex #161 from Prismatic Evolutions is the likely candidate for second place, as this Pokémon set introduced a new version of the Eeveelution just after the hype bubble kicked off again, casting a perfect storm. But it is currently slightly cheaper (and personally, I think it's a better card, purely on design alone).
Evolving Skies has been slowly increasing in price since its launch in 2022, with a booster box going up to roughly $650 in March 2024. However, late 2024 saw the expansion become less of a collector's item and more of an investing tool, with the box going up to the massive prices it is today. Many Pokévestors are keeping those boxes sealed, but some are ripping them open to sell those boosters for ridiculous prices - at this price point, they're clearly not the best Pokémon packs to buy anymore.
Take, for instance, this Walmart listing, which currently has a third-party seller for $56 each at the time of writing, while the other listings start from the cheaper, but still astronomical price of $49.88. Keep in mind that the typical retail price is around $5, so this is a 10x increase - or a whopping 1000% increase for the $56 pack. It's not a problem exclusive to the US, as Magic Madhouse (a reputable Pokémon TCG seller) has booster packs at £29.95 - a lot cheaper, but still pricey.
It's also worth noting that there's no guarantee that the fabled Moonbreon is in these packs. Yep, people are paying those prices for a miniscule chance of getting the Umbreon VMAX. A sliver of hope that they may rip open a $55 pack and get a $1,200 card, and that's if the Pokégods give them a card of decent quality. If it's been bashed about in a box, or it's unfortunate enough to be off-centered, chances are it'll go for a lot less on marketplaces.
If you're looking to collect Evolving Skies, and I can't persuade you not to, I'd recommend taking a look at eBay US and eBay UK instead. There are still high prices, but there's a lot more chance you'll find a good deal (or at least, better than the above retailers). Just make sure to use sellers with high ratings and positive feedback, and make sure they're real packs - no official Pokémon packs have perforated edges, for example. Keep our guide to identifying fake Pokémon cards handy, too.
Alternatively, there are plenty of other singles in the best trading card game, so I'd recommend looking for other Pokémon TCG cards instead of Evolving Skies' Moonbreon. Alternatively, you could always wait and get the newest Pokémon set at decent prices. Sure, there's a fair amount of resellers, but it's still a lot cheaper than Evolving Skies.
Own a Moonbreon and want to make everyone jealous? Come share it, and the rest of your collection, with some like-minded Pokémon TCG fans on our Wargamer Discord. We'll only envy you a little. Promise.