“Remember my super cool Rattata? My Rattata is different from regular Rattata. It’s like my Rattata is in the top percentage of all Rattata.”
~Youngster Joey
While walking in the tall grass, you’ve caught two Rattata. Obviously, neither of them are even half as good as Joey’s, but you can see that their statistics differ. Why is that happening? If you’re a competitive battling beginner, this article will help you understand the very basics of Pokemon stats – starting with natures, through Individual Values and ending with Effort Values. Experienced players might find some parts of the article false or lacking in problem coverage, but that’s been done on purpose. I wanted this article to be newcomer friendly and not to overload them with tons of information.
![[Obrazek: JJzxT5m.png]](http://i.imgur.com/JJzxT5m.png)
Editor’s Note: Ratatta isn’t available in X & Y yet so these are older screenshots!
Natures
Let’s go back to our Poke-mice. The first thing that differentiates Pokemon that is easily noticable are Natures. Natures increase one Stat by 10% of it’s value and decrease another Stat by 10% as well. There are a total of 25 Natures, five of them being neutral (Stat is neither increased or decreased). However, HP value is independent from Nature. This table shows how Natures affect Stats:
| Nature | Increased Stat | Decreased Stat |
| Hardy | - | - |
| Lonely | Attack | Defense |
| Brave | Attack | Speed |
| Adamant | Attack | Sp. Attack |
| Naughty | Attack | Sp. Defense |
| Bold | Defense | Attack |
| Docile | - | - |
| Relaxed | Defense | Speed |
| Impish | Defense | Sp. Attack |
| Lax | Defense | Sp. Defense |
| Modest | Sp. Attack | Attack |
| Mild | Sp. Attack | Defense |
| Quiet | Sp. Attack | Speed |
| Bashful | - | - |
| Rash | Sp. Attack | Sp. Defense |
| Calm | Sp. Defense | Attack |
| Gentle | Sp. Defense | Defense |
| Sassy | Sp. Defense | Speed |
| Careful | Sp. Defense | Sp. Attack |
| Quirky | - | - |
| Timid | Speed | Attack |
| Hasty | Speed | Defense |
| Serious | - | - |
| Jolly | Speed | Sp. Attack |
| Naive | Speed | Sp. Defense |
HeartGold and SoulSilver introduced a fast way of learning which Stat is boosted and which one is lowered. In the Pokemon’s summary, the increased Stat’s name is red while decreased Stat’s name is blue:
![[Obrazek: Ai1NH0D.png]](http://i.imgur.com/Ai1NH0D.png)
(5th Gen summary | 4th Gen summary)
Individual Values (IVs)
You’ve found two Rattata with the same level and Nature, but their Stats are still different. That’s because of Individual Values. IVs are generated when you encounter a Pokemon and they can have any value between 0 and 31. The higher the value, the higher the stat. At level 50, there is a difference of 16 points in a statistic between a Pokemon with 0 IVs and another Pokemon of the same species with 31 IVs and that is a huge difference! Outside of stat differences, IVs determine Hidden Power’s type, but I won’t cover that – I don’t want to make you dizzy! If you’re looking to get the best IVs on your Pokémon, check out Huy’s Breeding Guide.
Characteristics
Each Pokemon has a characteristic and it hints at the value of one Stat’s IV. That’s about it, really. If you’re curious, you can read more here.
Effort Values (EVs)
Ok, so we’ve found conjoined Rattata twins with the same level, IVs and Nature. HM 01 helped us separate them and we decided to train them. One was used against Stunfisk only and the other was used against Litwick. after a few levels, when you’ve compared them, you noticed that the Rattata fighting Stunfisk has higher HP than the one fighting Litwicks, while the latter has higher Special Attack than the first one. This happens because of Effort Values. Whenever you defeat a Pokemon, your Pokemon’s efforts are rewarded with points. These points increase corresponding Stat’s value. For more information, read Firestorm’s EV Training Guide. If you need a real life example, here’s one: take twins and sign one up for ballet classes and the other one for gym. Then, after a year or two compare their body build. You get the picture?
That’s pretty much everything you need to know at the very beginning. Joey laid all his wisdom on you! Now, pursue his dreams and find your own top percentage Pokemon!
Artwork created by IzzyRedDragon for Gonzo and used with permission. Check out more of her work on DeviantArt.
The post Joey’s Wisdom: Natures, IVs and EVs for Newcomers appeared first on Nugget Bridge.