EV's and IV's...?

Can someone please explain this concept for me? Because I truly don't understand it. I'm gonna start playing online so I need to get deep into stats and strategies and whatnot. And this is one concept I don't understand. Thanks for the help (:

I've been wondering about this too. No matter how much I read about it, it goes through one ear and out the other. :S

EVs (Effort Values) are like experience points you get for defeating Pokemon, but they go into the 6 stats of HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. Every time you gain experience in battle, you gain EVs depending on the Pokemon you KO. For example, Patrat gives 1 Attack EV and Purrloin gives 1 Speed EV. Look up the Pokemon you should KO to suit your needs. For every 4 EVs you have in any given stat, that stat will be 1 point higher than it was without those 4 EVs. The maximum amount of EVs you can have in any stat is 255 (Since 255/4 has a remainder of 3, it's as good as 252 EVs).
For example:
Let's say my Jigglypuff, with 0 HP EVs resulting in an HP stat of 348 at lv. 100.
If that same Jigglypuff had 88 EVs in HP (88/4 = 22), that Jigglypuff will now have an HP stat of 370 at level 100.
Again, if that same Jigglypuff had 252 EVs in HP (252/4 = 63), that Jigglypuff will now have an HP stat of 411! Noticeable difference, no?

It should also be noted the max amount of EVs a Pokemon can have in total is 510, so you can essentially max out the potential of 2 stats. Also, the stat gains your Pokemon get from this are gradual. You won't be able to notice any changes right away, but as you raise your Pokemon's level higher, it becomes much more noticeable.


IVs (Individual Values) are kind of like EVs, in that they raise the stats of a Pokemon, but they cannot be changed. They range from 0-31 in the six stats. They are determined whenever a Pokemon is encountered or received. The higher the IV, the higher the stat.
For example:
Let's say a Jigglypuff with a 0 HP IV has an HP stat of 340 at lv. 100.
A different Jigglypuff with an 8 HP IV will have an HP stat of 348 at lv. 100.
Yet another Jigglypuff with a 31 HP IV will have an HP stat of 371 at lv. 100.
The difference is quite noticeable. Although difficult, try to aim for perfect IVs for your Pokemon. Those small difference in points can make or break a game.

That's the basics of it. I won't bore you with the details of in depth stuff. If you have further questions, just ask.

So just to get it straight. Lets say I have a level 50 Simisear and I want to raise his HP, I just battle a bunch of Jigglypuff (or some other pokemon that rewards HP EV's) and then when I level up my Simisear he'll gain 10 HP instead of 5 or something?

So just to get it straight. Lets say I have a level 50 Simisear and I want to raise his HP, I just battle a bunch of Jigglypuff (or some other pokemon that rewards HP EV's) and then when I level up my Simisear he'll gain 10 HP instead of 5 or something?

As I stated, the change in stats you get from EVs you get is gradual. Let's say you DO KO a lot of Jigglypuff. That doesn't necessarily mean that you'll see a big difference right away. It will most of the time be something small and unnoticeable like a +3 instead of what would regularly be a +2, or a +4 instead of what would regularly be a +3. In any case, the difference will be noticeable when you see that that stat has a higher value than usual at higher levels.

Also keep in mind that Pokemon always gain EVs from battle until they have maxed out their 510 limit. If that level 50 Simisear you were referring to has battled previously, it will likely not be able to be properly EV trained unless you get a new one (or use the berries that raise happiness but lower stats). Now, if you were talking about something that was caught in the wild at a high level (like say a Terrakion), such a drastic change in stats may be possible.

Please use the Request a Moveset / Simple Q&A thread for EV/IV help.

*closed*