Pokemon question

[Jinx]

Everyone always talks about breeding a pokemon with perfect IVs...so what exactly ARE perfect IVs? I've looked around and I've seen people say anywhere from 5-7. So I'm confused.

[Fynn]

If a Pokemon has perfect IVs, that means it has the maximum potential for each of its stats. Since there are six stats in all, a Pokemon may have perfect IVs in any number of then. A Pokemon with 6 perfect IVs is called a hex perfect.

At least, that's how I remember it. I'm sure Skyblade can explain in more detail :D

[Jinx]

Yeah, but what IS a perfect stat number?

[Fynn]

It really all depends on the Pokemon. There's a guy in each game that always tells you which of your Pokemon's stats are the highest and how good they are. So if you're breeding for perfect IVs, consulting this guy is a must. And you need tremendous luck and tons of patience. Breeding a 5V Larvesta took, idk, 150 eggs?

[Jinx]

Ah, okay. Well, that's rough. If he only tells you one IV, how will you know if you have them all perfect?

[Fynn]

So let's say you breed a Woobat that has 3 perfect IVs - speed, attack and special defense. The man then names the three stats and then says something to the effect that in those areas your Woobat is perfect. If the Pokenon doesn't have perfect IVs, it takes the highest stats and sums them up similarly, but instead of saying they're perfect, he says something else.

Here's more info on the stats judge. (http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Stats_judge)

[Jinx]

Thanks, I'll check that out!

I don't play competitively, but I'm interested in trying my hand at breeding.

[Formalhaut]

Oh gosh the mechanics behind Pokemon in these games makes me my head hurt. IVs, EVs, natures... make it stop!

[Fynn]

It's actually really fun once you get into it. EVs are dead simple, especially now that we have super training, and if you have friends with good IV Pokemon, the breeding process becomes much more straightforward.

This is what I love about Pokemon - it's simple enough to be accessible to casual players, but if you want to delve deep into the mechanics, you have that option and it's really satisfying.

Now, if there were only a reliable method to catch shinies. I've played Pokemon since the very beginning and I have never encountered a shiny, not even once.

[Formalhaut]

It's actually really fun once you get into it. EVs are dead simple, especially now that we have super training, and if you have friends with good IV Pokemon, the breeding process becomes much more straightforward.

This is what I love about Pokemon - it's simple enough to be accessible to casual players, but if you want to delve deep into the mechanics, you have that option and it's really satisfying.

Now, if there were only a reliable method to catch shinies. I've played Pokemon since the very beginning and I have never encountered a shiny, not even once.

In Pokemon X, fairly early on I got a shiny Gulpin. I was pretty chuffed! I gave it away as a gift to Bubba and MissH and they've been taking care of it ever since.

[Jinx]

It's actually really fun once you get into it. EVs are dead simple, especially now that we have super training, and if you have friends with good IV Pokemon, the breeding process becomes much more straightforward.

This is what I love about Pokemon - it's simple enough to be accessible to casual players, but if you want to delve deep into the mechanics, you have that option and it's really satisfying.

Now, if there were only a reliable method to catch shinies. I've played Pokemon since the very beginning and I have never encountered a shiny, not even once.

In Pokemon X, fairly early on I got a shiny Gulpin. I was pretty chuffed! I gave it away as a gift to Bubba and MissH and they've been taking care of it ever since.

Wow, so nice of you!

I really want a shiny too, but I'd probably get a crap shiny. Like a shiny Bidoof or a shiny Bunnelby or something.

[Fynn]

How far are you in X, Formy? I'm starting up the official signups for this cool Pokemon tournament tomorrow, and it's gonna start two weeks after that. Perhaps you wanna join? :D

And the shiny thing is annoying. My friend got a shiny in every single game he played, and then my little brother got a shiny Minccino in White, his first Pokemon game. Life just isn't fair :(

[Agent Proto]

In my Alpha Sapphire game, my Snivy which was given to me after I defeated the Hoenn champion, turned out to be a shiny when I was noticing that he was sparkling every time I take him out to battle. :p

[Shauna]

My friends at uni used to play a lot of Pokemon. They used to sit and chat about their EV training.

For the longest time, I was confused as to why an Eevee would help them train perfect Pokemans. :shobon:

[Jinx]

My friends at uni used to play a lot of Pokemon. They used to sit and chat about their EV training.

For the longest time, I was confused as to why an Eevee would help them train perfect Pokemans. :shobon:

you are the cutest

[Skyblade]

IVs are actually fairly easy to explain.

Every Pokemon type has a set base stat. A Shuckle always has incredibly high Defense and Special Defense, and incredibly low everything else, for example.

However, in order to ensure that your Shuckle isn't identical to everyone else's Shuckle, GameFreak put some slight randomization into the Pokemon. They are called "Individual Values", because they are unique to an individual Pokemon.

Each Individual Value (IV), can range from Zero to 31. Once a Pokemon reaches Level 100, the full effect of the IVs can be seen. A Level 100 Shuckle with an IV of 31 in Speed will have a Speed stat 31 points higher than a Level 100 Shuckle with an IV of Zero in Speed. Which, especially considering how bad Shuckle's base Speed is, is nothing to sneeze at.

IVs still have effects at lower levels, but less pronounced, because they scale based on level.

Each time you encounter a new Pokemon, its IVs are generated at random. But, if you breed, the baby inherits half of the IVs for its stats from its parents (three stats chosen at random). If one of the parents holds a Destiny Knot, the baby will inherit five of its six IVs from its parents! So knowledge of these IVs let you breed up better and better Pokemon, and if you get one perfect or near perfect Pokemon, it's easier to breed more.

31 Points (+ or - 10% based on Nature) isn't a lot, but it can mean the difference between a one-hit KO or a two-hit KO, or which Pokemon is faster and moves first in a turn. So competitive players breed for perfect IVs.

And a system designed to make Pokemon unique results in them all being the same. ;)

[Formalhaut]

How far are you in X, Formy? I'm starting up the official signups for this cool Pokemon tournament tomorrow, and it's gonna start two weeks after that. Perhaps you wanna join? :D

And the shiny thing is annoying. My friend got a shiny in every single game he played, and then my little brother got a shiny Minccino in White, his first Pokemon game. Life just isn't fair :(

Sorry, I'm really not terribly far. I got sort of a 1/4 through but sort of... gave up. Pokemon has that sort of affect on me, I love the series but I never really have the heart to actually go out and finish it.