The Seven Stages of Eevee

Pokémon TCG: Diamond & Pearl—Majestic Dawn opens up new horizons for building an Eevee theme deck with a kaleidoscopic array of evolutions to choose from.  With two different Eevee cards and seven Eevee evolutions ready for action, it may be tempting to use them all in a single deck. This could lead to a scattered strategy, so it's usually best to limit yourself to four Eevee evolutions per deck. This article will help you to decide which combination will work best for you.

To begin, let's examine the two different Eevees available in Majestic Dawn. Eevee (63/100) requires no Energy for its Gnaw attack to do 10 damage. Its Sand Attack is useful because it gives Eevee a 50/50 chance of preventing your opponent from attacking on the next turn. However, the other version of Eevee (62/100) can be a more strategic choice thanks to its Call for Family attack. Call for Family allows you to search your deck for as many Eevee as you like and put them onto your Bench. This is a great way to prep your Bench for an avalanche of Eevee evolutions.

Jolteon (23/100) is a lightning-fast Eevee evolution that can swiftly return to the Bench when times are tough, thanks to its free Retreat Cost. Jolteon's Lightning Strike attack will make your opponent want to bolt! The attack's base damage is 50, but you have the option to increase the damage to 90 if you discard 2 Energy attached to Jolteon. Jolteon also has the possibility of Paralyzing the opponent with its Thunder Fang attack.

What's hot, and what's not? Flareon (19/100) is definitely on the hot list. Its Fire Fang attack only requires 1 Fire Energy to perform, but it strikes for 30 damage and has the possibility to Burn the opposing Pokémon.  Its Kindle attack delivers major damage and causes 1 Energy card attached to both Active Pokémon to go up in flames. If you time it right, you might force your opponent to take an additional turn to set up a crucial attack.

Vaporeon's (34/100) Cleanse Away attack is also a purifying attack that really works wonders for your damaged Pokémon on the Bench.  Cleanse Away allows you to remove 2 damage counters from each Benched Pokémon for a total damage detox. If your Eevee evolutions are banged up, it's a great idea to pull Vaporeon into action, and then retreat if necessary.

Though not the strongest attackers, Espeon (18/100) and Umbreon (32/100) are both noteworthy considerations for Eevee decks due to their exceptional Poké-Bodies.  The inclusion of one or both on the Bench can greatly support the Eevee-lution theme. Espeon's Sunlight Veil Poké-Body increases the endurance of your Evolved Eevees in play by adding an extra 20 HP to each. Meanwhile, Umbreon's Moonlight Veil Poké-Body boosts the power of the Eevee evolutions even further by eliminating their Weaknesses and giving each evolution a free Retreat Cost. 

New additions to the Eevee family, Glaceon (5/100 and 20/100) and Leafeon (7/100 and 24/100) play starring roles in this set with two different versions of each Pokémon, and one LV.X card for each. Leafeon  LV.X's (99/100) Poké-Power Energy Forcing allows you to attach an Energy card from your hand to 1 of your Pokémon each turn. Its Verdant Dance attack harnesses the power of this Energy by adding an extra 10 damage to the 30 base damage for each Energy attached to all of your Pokémon. It's possible for the attack's base damage to go up by 20 each turn, as long as you have enough Energy in your hand to make it happen.

Glaceon  LV.X's (98/100) Poké-Body is chilling to say the least. The Chilly Breath Poké-Body will stop many popular decks in their tracks by preventing the opponent's use of Poké-Powers when Glaceon LV.X is your Active Pokémon. Set off its Avalanche attack for 70 damage, and then you're only a coin flip away from doing 20 damage to each of your opponent's Benched Pokémon. This card would complement Empoleon (17/100) very well, since that card is also able to target vulnerable Benched Pokémon.

Eevee may be cute and cuddly, but it's a fearsome base for the fiercest of decks if you tap into its seven evolutions. Have fun building your own custom Eevee-lution deck!