Umbreon VMAX Alt Art – How Much is it Worth?

Umbreon VMAX Alternative Art is the defining card of the Pokemon TCG Sword and Shield Era. Of an era of fantastic cards, gorgeous alternative arts, and incredible demand that brought countless collectors into the Pokemon TCG fold, Umbreon VMAX is the single card that captures that unique moment in time when Pokemon was so popular it forced the company to produce 1 billion cards to combat shortages.

What is it we love so much about this card? How much is it worth? And is that value here to stay?

We ask these questions and more below.

*Updated April 18, 2024

How Much is Umbreon VMAX Alternative Art Worth?

Right now on TCGplayer, Umbreon VMAX Alt Art has a whopping market value of $727.61, meaning that the average price its fetching on TCGplayer is right around there. Market value is a great metric to use when seeing the real value of ungraded Pokemon cards, as it shows what cards are actually selling for based on the data, not just what hopeful sellers are listing it at.

$727.61 for a recent Pokemon card is absolutely stunning, making Umbreon VMAX Alt Art the single most valuable card from all of Sword and Shield.

Why is Umbreon VMAX Alt Art Such a Valuable Card?

To the uninitiated, a card that you can get in packs right now being worth over $700 might sound a little insane. How could a card be worth so much?

To understand why Umbreon VMAX Alt Art is so valuable, you must understand the Pokemon singles market – it’s drivers, and nuances. Here are a few reasons why Umbreon VMAX Alt Art is so crazy valuable.

First of All, Umbreon VMAX Alt Art is Incredibly Rare

Analyzing pull rates for Pokemon cards is tricky business. There are factors that influence them, after all, and because of the variety of ways in which Pokemon cards are packaged and brought to the hands of consumers, your experience opening packs will vary greatly. I’ve opened entire booster boxes and gotten almost nothing of remarkable value, and also picked up random three card bundles and pulled back to back alternative art cards.

That being said, people have done the work for us here, opening countless packs to analyze your odds of getting an Umbreon VMAX alternative art. What they found is pretty startling.

Your odds of pulling a VMAX alt art from an Evolving Skies booster pack? Pretty slim – 1 in 292, to be precise. But your odds of pulling a specific alt art like Umbreon VMAX? Far, far less – 1 in 1600.

It’s these incredible odds that help drive up the value of any alternative art VMAX card from the Evolving Skies set. Of course, that value is also the reason for inflated prices around Evolving Skies in general now. Buying a booster box of Evolving Skies, for example, will cost you several times more than what the suggested retail price was upon release.

Pokemon has done a lot to curb the rarity of these sorts of special cards. Special Illustration rares from more recent sets like Pokemon 151 are far less rare than the alt arts of old.

Umbreon is a Popular Pokemon

Of course, value in Pokemon TCG isn’t associated solely with rarity. The rarity factor of Umbreon VMAX Alt Arts certainly ads to its mystique, however, cards like Duraludon VMAX Alt Art are just as rare, and yet worth a mere fraction of Umbreon’s incredible market price.

That’s simply because popularity is such a strong driver of value in the Pokemon TCG singles market. People really, really love Umbreon. In fact, polls of Pokemon fans have shown that Umbreon is the most popular of the uber popular Eevee evolutions. So, a super rare card featuring fantastic artwork of a fan favorite pulls in more money.

The Artwork is Gorgeous

Some cards have one thing going right for them. Umbreon VMAX Alt Art has a lot of things going for it. It’s got the rarity factor making it a great chase card for collectors, and the popularity making it appeal to a broad audience. But it’s also a beautiful card and a beautiful concept. Who doesn’t want a card showing Umbreon VMAX booping the moon?

It can’t help bring to mind the fact that with this set and with this era of Pokemon TCG, the Pokemon company really did touch the moon – going beyond what anyone before might have thought possible for a 25 year old trading card game originally aimed at children.

Umbreon VMAX Alt Art’s Market Trend – Milestones

While the Umbreon VMAX Alt Art card may be worth a pretty penny, like almost all recent cards on the singles market, it’s very much prone to fluctuations. Here are a few milestones I want to highlight, as they help show the demand for this particular card, and lend insight into its possible future.

As you can see, Umbreon VMAX Alt Art has fluctuated greatly in recent years: dipping at the end of 2022, rising again to incredible heights at the beginning of 2023, and surging to even newer heights and becoming one of the most valuable ungraded Pokemon cards of all right now.

If you bought this card or opened it in a pack during one of the dips and hold onto it, you have plenty of reason to celebrate.

Will the Umbreon VMAX alt art continue to increase in price?

Currently, Umbreon VMAX is has exceeded all expectations I had for the card, and it’s worth more than ever. My feeling is pretty optimistic about this card and I think there’s reasonable hope it will continue a modest increase in value overtime.

Of course, I’m not a financial expert and the Pokemon singles market is notoriously volatile so use your own best judgement when making calls about this card. I owned this card last year and sold it for twice as much as it cost me because I felt a little uncomfortable leaving such a valuable card lying around. My ROI would’ve been higher if I sold it today but that’s just how this market works!