Pokemon TCG Pocket's Eevee Grove Expansion Has Convinced My Partner to Play

CNET

a day ago

I've been locked in on Pokemon TCG Pocket since day 1, and despite some reservations about how quickly new set expansions have been released, I log in at least twice a day to open my free packs.
My girlfriend, on the other hand, stopped playing the game shortly after it came out. I was hoping that I could keep her engaged as my trading card buddy -- we met through playing Pokemon Go on the same college campus, and I pulled out my physical card collection during one of our first dates (I know, very romantic).
Alas, I've had no such luck when it comes to hooking her on Pokemon TCG Pocket, which launched in October 2024 as another way for fans of the franchise to get their collecting fix (especially those who've invested in the real-life cards). She'll still get excited when I let her rip open one of the game's virtual packs on my phone, but I haven't been able to convince her of the joys of consistently opening her own packs.
Now, developer DeNA is releasing its ultimate weapon: the Eevee Grove card packs. This expansion set is going to do gangbusters, because I'm using it to drag my partner back to the game (and you can, too).
If you told me you thought this little guy isn't cute, I'd call you a liar.
DeNA/Screenshot by CNET
Eevee is a powerful marketing tool
Pikachu might be the face of Pokemon, but Eevee is the electric rat's right-hand man. The adorable fox-dog-thing has universal appeal.
They're cute, they're intrinsically tied to Pokemon's evolution mechanics, and they turn into so many different monsters that people love. Eevee can change into cool Pokemon like Jolteon and Umbreon, or they can become something more elegant, like Sylveon or Glaceon.
My girlfriend's favorite Pokemon is Ralts, but she loves Eevee nonetheless -- so I've convinced her to open some packs and use up her wonder picks, at least for now.
I already have her chasing the holographic Sylveon card. Only when she pulls it will I tell her about the even more rare full art versions, in order to keep the chase alive. It's hard to say if I'll be able to keep her momentum up as the set loses its novelty and luster, but I'm happy to share this small part of my daily routine with my partner until she falls off the game again.
The release window of the Eevee Grove expansion doesn't seem like a coincidence at all, considering how many people the Eevee-themed Prismatic Evolutions set converted into physical Pokemon trading card collectors.
That was a very expensive set to pull from, mostly because it was getting bought up by scalpers at an absurd pace. But you can't scalp digital trading cards, which means Pokemon TCG Pocket's Eevee Grove expansion might be an appealing alternative for casual fans.
There's a whole Eeveelution rainbow included in this set.
DeNA/Screenshot by CNET
What is included in the Eevee Grove card set?
Eevee Grove includes 69 base set cards for you to pull, including the Eeveelutions and some of their Generation One friends. There are 38 additional full art and secret rare cards for the luckiest players to stumble across.
The card list primarily focuses on Eevee and its evolution rainbow. Several Eevee evolutions have multiple full art card variants in this set. Out of the master set's 107-card total, a whopping 29 cards are dedicated to the Eevee evolution lines and its associated items.
There are also Pokemon Ex cards for Snorlax, Primarina and Dragonite, if you're looking for different options for your deck.
The Eevee Grove expansion continues the trend of including special shiny Pokemon cards. These secret, rare alternate art cards have been included in every set since Shining Revelry. The latest expansion includes shiny full-art cards for Articuno Ex, Zapdos Ex, Moltres Ex and Gallade Ex.
There are also shiny variants for Ralts, Kirlia and Gardevoir, so if my partner pulls every Sylveon, I think I know what to set her loose on next.
Pokemon TCG Pocket's Eevee Grove expansion set update is available for free now on iPhone and Android devices. Next time you log in, you can spend your free packs and hourglasses to chase the Eeveelutions to your heart's content.