Leafeon ex – Triumphant Light
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2025
Ratings Summary:
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is horrible. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Otaku
Leafeon ex (A2a 010, 082, 091) is a Stage 1 Pokémon ex and Eeveelution. It has 140 HP, (R) Weakness, (C) Retreat Cost, an Ability, and one attack. “Forest Breath” can be used once during your turn, while this Pokémon is Active, and attaches a (G) Energy to one of your (G) Pokémon, from your Energy Zone. For (G)(C)(C), Leafeon ex can use “Solar Beam” to do 70 damage to your opponent’s Active. Leafeon ex available as a ♦♦♦♦ rare, plus two additional releases at the ★★ rarity.
As a Pokémon ex, Leafeon ex is worth an extra point when KO’d, and takes extra damage from Sudowoodo (A2a) and Tauros (A1a). As a Stage 1 Pokémon, Leafeon ex needs an extra turn and an extra card (Eevee) to hit the field. This means Aerodactyl ex (A1a 046, 078, 084) can use its Ability to prevent an Active Eevee from evolving into Leafeon ex. All three of these counters can vary from being a major risk to a minor nuisance, depending on deck and match specifics.
As a (G) Type, Leafeon ex has access to a lot of support: Caterpie (A1 005), Erika (A1 219, 266), Lilligant (A1 030), and Serperior (A1a 006, 070). In fact, Leafeon ex is itself the newest piece of (G) support. Leafeon ex and Erika are currently the only competitive pieces of Grass support. Leafeon ex functions similar to Lilligant; Energy acceleration from an Active Pokémon, but via Ability instead of attack.
140 HP is solid for a Stage 1 Pokémon ex. It is enough that, especially early game, Leafeon ex will likely survive a turn or two while Active. (R) Weakness enables some 2HKOs while making others more reliable; the major (R) attackers1 either score a OHKO before Weakness, or still fall short with it. A Retreat Cost of (C) is very good! Between X Speed (P-A 002), Leaf (A1a 068, 082), Forest Breath, and the turn’s normal Energy attachment, the Retreat Cost is covered.
Forest Breath can only be used while Leafeon ex is Active. Though it says “once during your turn”, if you have two copies of Leafeon ex in play, you can use the Active copy’s Ability, retreat to the second copy, and use its Ability as well. You can attach to any of your Grass Pokémon. Though Forest Breath attaches from the Energy Zone, it doesn’t affect the current turn’s Energy, or the next. They’ll remain whatever Type was already displayed, and won’t be “used up” by the Ability.
Solar Beam is straight forward. 70 damage for three Energy is decent, both because of what it can do (2HKO 140 HP targets), and because most of the cost is (C) Energy. Normally, I’d point out that we may as well have all (G) Energy costs, because it is rare to run decks that use multiple Energy Types. Thanks to Forest Breath, that is not the case; as Solar Beam requires only one (G) Energy, you can run Leafeon ex off-Type, and let Forest Breath cover the (G) Energy cost.
Leafeon (A2 020) is a Stage 1 Pokémon with 90 HP, (R) Weakness, (C) Retreat Cost, and the attack “Leafy Cyclone”. The attack requires (G)(C) and does 90 damage, but also cannot be used during your next turn. If Leafeon is forced to your Bench and then promoted back into the Active position, the effect of Leafy Cyclone will reset. I don’t believe Leafeon is worth running, but it lets us know that the ex-treatment resulted in +50 HP, a very good Ability, and a comparable attack. Good deal!
Which Eevee should you use? My thoughts haven’t changed since I reviewed Vaporeon (A1a 019, 072), but we do have a new Eevee to consider. Eevee (A2a 062) is a Basic, Colorless Pokémon with 60 HP, (F) Weakness, (C) Retreat Cost, and single attack. This is the same as all the other Eevee. It’s attack is “Tail Whap”, priced at (C)(C) and doing 30 damage. I still prefer Eevee (A1a 061) or Eevee (A2 126).
Leafeon ex could work in an Eeveelutions deck… but no such deck has proven competitive. Nor will I be covering the other Eeveelutions in this article; I’m out of time and space. Where we Leafeon ex is seeing some success, is with two decks: one with Celebi ex (A1a 003, 075, 085) and the other with Yanmega ex (A2 007, 180, 196).
Celebi ex/Leafeon ex wins about 48% of the time, but there are almost 1000 instances of it in the tournament results at LimitlessTCG. Most lists run two Leafeon ex and Eevee, with a single Celebi ex. Some lists run Irida (A2a 072, 087). While she requires Pokémon have (W) Energy attached to them, that’s not a problem. You set your Energy Zone to (W) or (W) and (G); Forest Breath provides a reliable (G) Energy attachment, and Celebi ex’s “Power Bloom” attack flips a coin for each Energy (as opposed to each (G) Energy attached).
The Leafeon ex/Celebi ex deck wins less than 45% of the time, and has less than 150 instances over at LimitlessTCG… and the approach is almost the same as the Celebi ex. Two each of Leafeon ex, Eevee, Yanmega, and Yanma (A2 006). Some are even going for the same trick with Irida… which is arguably safer here, since Yanmega ex has all (C) Energy requirements. In either deck, you want to open with Eevee, evolve into Leafeon ASAP, then build the deck’s main attacker on the Bench. Forest Breath sets up Leafeon ex and/or helps setup your other attacker, depending on the situation.
Rating: 3.25/5
If Forest Breath worked from the Bench, Leafeon ex may have become the best card in this set. As it only works while Active, you’re either gambling it all on your other Pokémon to attack, or you’re splitting your Energy attachments (manual and/or from Forest Breath) between the two. The heavy focus on healing helps Leafeon ex endure… unless it falls prey to a OHKO. Not bad, but the Win % isn’t below 50% just because of bad luck.
1Charizard ex (A1 036, 253, 280, 284), Heatran (A2a 013), Infernape ex (A2 029, 181, 197), and Moltres ex (A1 047, 255, 274; P-A 025).
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