EV Training Guide – How to Maximize Base Stats
Effort Values (EVs) are hidden points that increase a Pokémon's stats beyond its base values. Every 4 EVs in a stat adds 1 point at level 100. Optimizing EVs is essential for competitive battling.
What Are EVs?
Each Pokémon has 6 EV stats (HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, Speed). Maximum is 252 EVs per stat and 510 EVs total. The optimal competitive spread is 252 in two stats and 4 in a third.
EV Training Methods
Vitamins & Feathers
Vitamins (HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, Carbos) add 10 EVs per use. In Gen 8+, vitamins have no per-stat cap. Wings add 1 EV and have no limit. This is the fastest method to max two stats instantly.
Power Items
Hold a Power item to add an extra 8 EVs in a specific stat per battle. This stacks with Pokérus which doubles all EV gains. Power Lens + Pokérus = (base Sp. Atk EVs + 8) × 2 per battle.
Pokérus
Pokérus is an extremely rare virus (1 in 21,845 encounter rate). It doubles all EV gains from battle. Store an infected Pokémon in the PC Box to preserve the active strain indefinitely.
Hordes / Tera Raids / Mass Outbreaks
In Gen 6–7, horde encounters give 5× normal EVs per turn. In Gen 9, Tera Raids and Mass Outbreaks of specific Pokémon can efficiently farm EVs for a desired stat.
Vitamins & Feathers
+10 EV / use
+1 EV / use
EV Stat Caps
What Are IVs (Individual Values)?
IVs are hidden values (0–31) assigned to each stat when a Pokémon is caught or hatched. They cannot be changed through training — they are the Pokémon's genetic potential. A perfect IV of 31 adds 31 extra stat points at level 100.
How to Check IVs
In Sword/Shield and Scarlet/Violet, unlock the IV Judge function by winning battles at the Battle Tower. Then open your PC Boxes and press '+' to see IV ratings: 'Best' = 31, 'Fantastic' = 30, 'Very Good' = 26-29, 'Pretty Good' = 16-25, 'Decent' = 1-15, 'No Good' = 0.
Hyper Training
At level 100, use Bottle Caps to Hyper Train any stat to function as a perfect 31 IV. Gold Bottle Caps max all 6 stats at once. Hyper Training does not change the actual IV for breeding purposes — only the stat value in battle.
What Is STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus)?
When a Pokémon uses a move that matches one of its own types, the move's power is boosted by 50%. This is called STAB. For example, a Fire-type Pokémon using Flamethrower gets 1.5× damage. With Adaptability, the bonus increases to 2×.
Charizard (Fire/Flying) using Flamethrower (Fire): 90 BP × 1.5 STAB = 135 effective power
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