Will Evolving Skies Continue Appreciating in Value? A Detailed Analysis for Investors

Evolving Skies has skyrocketed in value since its release less than 2 years ago. As an iconic modern Pokémon TCG expansion focused entirely on Eevee and its beloved evolutions, this set has captured the attention of investors, players, and collectors alike. But an important question remains – will Evolving Skies continue increasing in value long-term? From both a collector and investor standpoint, I believe Evolving Skies has strong upside appreciation potential over the next 3-5+ years.

Current Prices and Growth Since Release

To understand future trends, it‘s helpful to first look at how much Evolving Skies booster boxes have grown since release:

In just 16 months, Evolving Skies booster boxes have more than doubled from the original MSRP of around $140. Prices have continued setting new highs every few months with no signs of slowing down.

Additionally, the price range has also expanded significantly:

This demonstrates the extreme price growth for both low and high end copies. Raw booster boxes now easily sell for over $300, with highly graded boxes exceeding $400 in many cases.

What‘s Fueling the Rapid Growth?

Evolving Skies has several exceptional qualities driving such incredible demand:

• Popular competitive cards – According to data from LimitlessTCG, top played cards from the set like Rayquaza VMAX, Leafeon VMAX, and Umbreon VMAX have seen usage rates between 5-15% in major tournaments. Their power and synergy keep competitive interest high.

• Eeveelution factor – Eevee and its 8 adorable evolutions have an unrivaled fanbase. This set lets collectors chase every Eeveelution in stunning alternate art VMAXes.

• Low population – As a special expansion, Evolving Skies had a smaller print run than main series Sword & Shield sets. Combined with extreme demand, sealed product disappears fast whenever reprinted.

• Iconic chase cards – According to eBay recent sales, the Umbreon VMAX and Rayquaza VMAX alt arts consistently sell for $400-$600, easily 4-5X the cost of a booster box. These extreme chase cards help drive desirability.

• YouTube/celebrity hype – Big Pokémon openings from Logan Paul and others have showcased insane Evolving Skies pulls, enticing collectors to experience those big hits too.

Evolving Skies checks all the boxes that make a modern set appealing to invest in – competitive relevance, iconic artwork, scarcity factors, and hype.

Future Trajectory and Price Predictions

Based on current trends, my projections are that Evolving Skies will continue increasing in value over the next 5+ years for a few reasons:

• Ongoing supply constraints – As available sealed product disappears from the market without reprints, prices will keep rising. Reprints seem unlikely in the short term.

• Sustained demand – The nostalgia factor and beautiful artwork means demand for Eeveelutions should stay high for the foreseeable future.

• Favorable reprint policy – As a special set, Evolving Skies is unlikely to ever see massive reprints like main series sets. This supports long-term growth.

• Vintage investor interest – Many vintage investors like myself have started grabbing Evolving Skies as the next big modern set to stock up on while affordable.

Given these dynamics, I expect booster boxes to reach a $400-$450 average within 2 years, and $500+ within 4 years. In 5-10 years, $600+ is feasible.

Investing in Evolving Skies

For those looking to invest in Evolving Skies, here are my top recommendations:

• Focus on booster boxes – Booster boxes have the best long term upside compared to lower impact sealed product like ETBs and blisters.

• Raw vs graded – Raw boxes provide the best value currently, but PSA 10 graded boxes can net big premiums long-term if populations stay low.

• Hold sealed – Keeping boxes sealed preserves the most value. Only open if you pull the most valuable alt arts.

• Diversity – Allocate a portion of your sealed investment funds to Evolving Skies, but diversify too.

• Long time horizon – This is a 5-10 year hold at minimum. Modern sealed grows slower than vintage but compounds over time.

Conclusion

Evolving Skies stands out as a modern sealed investment due to its unique Eeveelution appeal, fantastic artwork, meta-relevant cards, and limited print runs. While modern will never match returns of early WOTC sets, Evolving Skies provides an opportunity to buy into a new modern classic for strong growth in the coming years. This beloved set has already shown explosive growth, but still has ample runway. For Pokemon investors and collectors, Evolving Skies is a premier set to include in your sealed portfolio.