If you are tracking the value of the EX Ruby & Sapphire Breloom, the short answer is that this card sits at the affordable end of the vintage EX-era market. The standard, non-holo Breloom is card #16/109 in the EX Ruby & Sapphire set, and its current market price is approximately $2.14 for an ungraded, near-mint copy. It is an Uncommon Grass-type, so it was never a chase card, and its price reflects that: this is a budget-friendly piece for set collectors rather than an investment-grade rarity. To put that in perspective, a near-mint Breloom #16 costs about the same as a cup of coffee, while a holographic or graded EX card from the same era can run into the tens or hundreds of dollars.
For example, a collector building a complete EX Ruby & Sapphire set will spend far more time and money chasing the holo rares and the Pokémon-ex cards than they ever will on filling the Breloom slot. The Breloom is the kind of card you pick up in a bulk lot and barely notice on the receipt. That said, knowing the exact card you own matters. There is an English #16 printing and a separate Japanese printing where Breloom is numbered #10, and condition or grade can move the price meaningfully even on an inexpensive card. The sections below break down the card’s identity, its place in the set, and how to read its value accurately.
Table of Contents
- What Is the Price Charting Value for the EX Ruby & Sapphire Breloom?
- Understanding Breloom’s Identity in the EX Ruby & Sapphire Set
- How Card Condition Affects the Breloom’s Real-World Value
- How to Track and Compare Breloom Prices Accurately
- Common Pitfalls When Valuing the EX Ruby & Sapphire Breloom
- Where Breloom Fits in a Vintage EX-Era Collection
- The Card’s Attacks and Playability in Context
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Price Charting Value for the EX Ruby & Sapphire Breloom?
The tracked value for the EX Ruby & Sapphire Breloom #16 is roughly $2.14 in near-mint, ungraded condition, based on current TCGplayer market data. This figure represents the standard non-holo printing, which is the version most collectors will encounter. Because the card is an Uncommon, copies are plentiful, and supply keeps the price low and stable. You are unlikely to see dramatic swings in either direction for a card at this tier. It helps to compare the Breloom against other cards in the same set to understand where $2 falls. A common Pokémon from EX Ruby & Sapphire might trade for well under a dollar, while the set’s holo rares and the powerful Pokémon-ex cards command a significant premium.
The Breloom sits in the middle-low band: not throwaway bulk, but nowhere near a marquee card. Its 70 HP, Grass typing, and Uncommon rarity all signal a role-player rather than a centerpiece. One practical limitation worth noting: a single market price never tells the whole story. The $2.14 figure is a near-mint benchmark. A heavily played copy with whitened edges or surface scratches may sell for under a dollar, while a professionally graded gem-mint example can fetch a multiple of the raw price. Treat the headline number as a starting point, not a fixed quote.
Understanding Breloom’s Identity in the EX Ruby & Sapphire Set
Breloom is card #16/109 in EX Ruby & Sapphire, the very first expansion of the EX Series, released as the line transitioned the Pokémon TCG into a new era. It is a Stage 1 Grass-type that evolves from Shroomish, carries 70 HP, and holds an Uncommon rarity. The card was illustrated by Ken Sugimori, the artist behind much of the franchise’s foundational creature design, which gives it a recognizable, classic look even among budget cards. In terms of gameplay, Breloom came with two attacks. Headbutt deals a flat 20 damage, and Battle Blast deals 40 damage or more, adding 10 extra damage for each Fighting Energy attached to Breloom.
That scaling attack made it a mildly interesting card in decks that mixed Grass and Fighting Energy, though it never broke into competitive prominence. Its Fire weakness is standard for a Grass-type and is something to keep in mind only if you are using it in actual play. A warning for buyers: do not assume every “EX Ruby & Sapphire Breloom” listing refers to the same card. The set name was used across both English and Japanese releases, and the numbering differs between them. If a seller lists a Breloom as #10, that is the Japanese printing, not the English #16 you may be looking for. Mismatched expectations on numbering are one of the most common sources of confusion when buying older cards online.
How Card Condition Affects the Breloom’s Real-World Value
Even though the Breloom is inexpensive, condition is the single biggest factor in what you will actually pay or receive. The $2.14 market figure assumes a near-mint card with sharp corners, clean edges, and minimal surface wear. A card from 2003 that has been shuffled into decks, stored loose, or handled without sleeves will often show edge wear and scratching that pushes its value below the benchmark. Consider a concrete example: two copies of Breloom #16 listed side by side. The first is a near-mint pull from a sealed-era collection, sleeved since the day it was opened, and it sits right around the $2 market rate.
The second has a soft corner and a visible scratch across the holofoil-free surface, and it might sell for a dollar or less because condition-conscious buyers pass it over. Same card number, very different outcomes. This is why high-resolution photos matter more than the listing title when you buy a vintage Uncommon. The price guides report aggregate market data, but the specific copy in front of you determines the transaction. For a $2 card it rarely pays to grade it professionally, since grading fees would dwarf the card’s value, but for personal collection quality it is still worth inspecting closely.
How to Track and Compare Breloom Prices Accurately
The most reliable way to track the Breloom’s value is to use established price-guide data alongside active marketplace listings. TCGplayer reports a market price near $2.14 for the standard card and maintains a Ruby & Sapphire price guide that covers the full set, which lets you see how Breloom compares against its neighbors at a glance. Cross-referencing a guide figure with current asking prices on the same platform gives you a realistic sense of the range. There is a tradeoff between speed and accuracy here. A single aggregated market price is fast and convenient, but it smooths over condition, printing, and recent sales activity.
Looking at multiple individual listings takes longer but reveals the real spread, including whether sellers are pricing optimistically above the guide or dumping copies in bulk lots below it. For a card this cheap, most collectors reasonably accept the convenience of the guide figure and only dig deeper when buying in volume. One honest limitation to flag: live, timestamped sold-listing data for the Breloom can be hard to retrieve at any given moment, since sold records on marketplaces are not always accessible in a clean snapshot. That means the most current figure available may be a market average rather than a verified sale from the past week. When precision matters, check recently completed listings directly rather than relying solely on a posted average.
Common Pitfalls When Valuing the EX Ruby & Sapphire Breloom
The most frequent mistake collectors make with this card is conflating the English and Japanese printings. The English Breloom is #16/109; the Japanese EX Ruby & Sapphire Expansion Pack numbers Breloom as #10. These are different products with different supply and demand profiles, so a price quoted for one does not automatically apply to the other. Always confirm the set number and language before agreeing to a price. Another pitfall is over-investing attention in an Uncommon that simply does not appreciate the way holo rares and ex cards do. Breloom is a solid set-completion card, but treating it as a speculative hold is unlikely to pay off.
Its low, stable price is a feature for set builders and a non-event for investors. If you bought it expecting it to climb, the data does not support that hope. Finally, beware of listings padded with vague language. A title that reads “Breloom EX Ruby Sapphire holo rare” should raise a flag, because the #16 Breloom is a non-holo Uncommon. Misdescribed rarity is a warning sign that a seller either does not know the card or is hoping a buyer will overpay. Match the description against the verified card facts before you commit.
Where Breloom Fits in a Vintage EX-Era Collection
For collectors working through the EX Series, Breloom #16 is one of the easy, satisfying pieces to acquire. It is affordable, widely available, and carries a Ken Sugimori illustration that ties it to the broader visual identity of the early 2000s sets.
A set builder assembling all 109 cards of EX Ruby & Sapphire will typically slot Breloom in early, since copies turn up constantly in bulk and in mixed lots from that era. As an example of its role, a collector who buys a 100-card vintage lot for a flat price will often find a Breloom #16 already inside, effectively making it a free addition to the binder. That is the practical reality of an Uncommon at this price point: it is more often acquired incidentally than hunted deliberately.
The Card’s Attacks and Playability in Context
Beyond collecting, Breloom #16 has a modest gameplay footprint worth understanding. Its Headbutt attack deals 20 damage for a low cost, while Battle Blast starts at 40 damage and scales upward by 10 for every Fighting Energy attached. That scaling rewarded hybrid Grass-Fighting energy builds, giving the card a niche identity rather than a single fixed output.
With 70 HP and a Fire weakness, it functioned as a supporting attacker in casual play during its era. A concrete way to read Battle Blast: with two Fighting Energy attached on top of its base requirement, the attack would deal 60 damage rather than the base 40, which made the card noticeably more threatening in the right deck. That kind of conditional power is typical of mid-tier Stage 1 cards from the EX Series, and it is part of why Breloom remains a recognizable, if minor, name from the set.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the EX Ruby & Sapphire Breloom worth?
The standard non-holo Breloom #16/109 has a current market price of approximately $2.14 in near-mint, ungraded condition, though heavily played copies sell for less and graded examples sell for more.
What card number is the Breloom in EX Ruby & Sapphire?
In the English set it is #16/109. A separate Japanese EX Ruby & Sapphire Expansion Pack numbers Breloom as #10, so always confirm which printing you mean.
Is the Breloom #16 a holo or rare card?
No. It is an Uncommon, non-holo Grass-type Stage 1 card. Listings that describe it as a holo rare are misdescribed.
What are Breloom #16’s attacks?
It has Headbutt for 20 damage and Battle Blast for 40 damage plus 10 more for each Fighting Energy attached to Breloom. It has 70 HP and a Fire weakness.
Who illustrated the EX Ruby & Sapphire Breloom?
The card was illustrated by Ken Sugimori, and it evolves from Shroomish.
Is the Breloom #16 a good investment?
It is a budget set-completion card with a low, stable price. It does not appreciate like holo rares or ex cards, so it is better suited to set builders than to speculators.
