Effort Values
I'm going to cover every single aspect of EV training on this page. A word of warning; it's a lot to take in if you've never heard of anything about EVs before. However with a little help from some practical examples you'll soon be able to start EV training your own team quite easily.
The Basics
What is an "EV"?
EV stands for “Effort Value.” They determine what stats your Pokémon gets upon levelling up and are gained from battling any Pokémon you come across that award Experience points. For example;
Beating a Patrat would give all Pokémon that participated in the battle +1 Effort Value to Attack. Beating a Frillish would give all Pokémon that participated in the battle +1 Effort Value to Sp. Defence.
At the bottom of this page you'll find a list of good places to EV train specific stats in Pokémon Black and White and for lists of what Pokémon give which stat, click the icons below. But for the meantime lets look at the mechanics some more.
I'm going to cover every single aspect of EV training on this page. A word of warning; it's a lot to take in if you've never heard of anything about EVs before. However with a little help from some practical examples you'll soon be able to start EV training your own team quite easily.
The Basics
What is an "EV"?
EV stands for “Effort Value.” They determine what stats your Pokémon gets upon levelling up and are gained from battling any Pokémon you come across that award Experience points. For example;
Beating a Patrat would give all Pokémon that participated in the battle +1 Effort Value to Attack. Beating a Frillish would give all Pokémon that participated in the battle +1 Effort Value to Sp. Defence.
At the bottom of this page you'll find a list of good places to EV train specific stats in Pokémon Black and White and for lists of what Pokémon give which stat, click the icons below. But for the meantime lets look at the mechanics some more.
How do EVs affect stats?
For every 4 EVs you gain in a specific stat, you'll gain +1 to your Pokemon's base value in that stat. What this basically means is that if you battle 4 Patrat with your Tepig, Tepig will then gain +1 to its attack stat (because each Patrat gives +1 EV in the attack stat).
EVs are calculated at +1 Stat point per 4 EVs at level 100, which means you won't see the full benefit of the EVs you put into your Pokémon until it reaches that level; there will still be a benefit, just not as significant as when it reaches the maximum level.
Is there a limit to the amount of EVs I can give my Pokémon?
Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately) there are two limits to the amount of EVs a Pokémon can gain.
• Each Pokemon can have a maximum of 510 EVs.
• One stat can have a maximum of 255 EVs.
This equates to +63 to the affected stat of a Pokémon (at level 100), if you maxed out EVs in that stat. So if we take Tepig and then battle 255 Patrat, we'd be giving it +255 EVs in Attack, then Tepig will gain a +63 increase to its current attack stat.
The more mathematically minded of you may be noticing that this doesn't actually add up. The number 4 doesn't go into 255, so 3 of the EV points have gone to waste. You'd be exactly right. The optimum number of EVs to put into any stat is therefore 252. This is explored in a bit more detail later.
When is the best time to start EV training a Pokémon?
The best time to start EV training is as soon as you get that Pokémon, either through breeding or catching it. As soon as that Pokémon participates in a battle in which it gains experience, it will have gained some EVs.
If you were to breed a Pokémon you probably won't be able to battle with it right away, due to it only being Level 1. This is where the Exp. Share item becomes extremely useful. Unlike experience, EVs are not divided up between the Pokémon that gain experience from a battle.
Using our Tepig again, lets say she is currently level 1 and you wanted to give her some Attack EVs. Unfortunately Tepig isn't really capable of beating a Patrat just yet. Put Exp. Share on Tepig and battle with another Pokémon, so that Tepig still gets experience and as a result will also get the EVs from that Pokémon.
In simplistic terms, if a Pokémon gains experience from a battle, regardless of the way in which that experience was awarded, it will receive all EVs it could gain from that battle.
This all seems like a lot of work, so what's the benefit?
The best way to show you the benefits is an example, which I'll take from my own Volcarona. One has been fully EV trained. The other has not been EV trained in any particular way, as I used it in my party for my main play through of the game. See if you can guess which one is which.
For every 4 EVs you gain in a specific stat, you'll gain +1 to your Pokemon's base value in that stat. What this basically means is that if you battle 4 Patrat with your Tepig, Tepig will then gain +1 to its attack stat (because each Patrat gives +1 EV in the attack stat).
EVs are calculated at +1 Stat point per 4 EVs at level 100, which means you won't see the full benefit of the EVs you put into your Pokémon until it reaches that level; there will still be a benefit, just not as significant as when it reaches the maximum level.
Is there a limit to the amount of EVs I can give my Pokémon?
Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately) there are two limits to the amount of EVs a Pokémon can gain.
• Each Pokemon can have a maximum of 510 EVs.
• One stat can have a maximum of 255 EVs.
This equates to +63 to the affected stat of a Pokémon (at level 100), if you maxed out EVs in that stat. So if we take Tepig and then battle 255 Patrat, we'd be giving it +255 EVs in Attack, then Tepig will gain a +63 increase to its current attack stat.
The more mathematically minded of you may be noticing that this doesn't actually add up. The number 4 doesn't go into 255, so 3 of the EV points have gone to waste. You'd be exactly right. The optimum number of EVs to put into any stat is therefore 252. This is explored in a bit more detail later.
When is the best time to start EV training a Pokémon?
The best time to start EV training is as soon as you get that Pokémon, either through breeding or catching it. As soon as that Pokémon participates in a battle in which it gains experience, it will have gained some EVs.
If you were to breed a Pokémon you probably won't be able to battle with it right away, due to it only being Level 1. This is where the Exp. Share item becomes extremely useful. Unlike experience, EVs are not divided up between the Pokémon that gain experience from a battle.
Using our Tepig again, lets say she is currently level 1 and you wanted to give her some Attack EVs. Unfortunately Tepig isn't really capable of beating a Patrat just yet. Put Exp. Share on Tepig and battle with another Pokémon, so that Tepig still gets experience and as a result will also get the EVs from that Pokémon.
In simplistic terms, if a Pokémon gains experience from a battle, regardless of the way in which that experience was awarded, it will receive all EVs it could gain from that battle.
This all seems like a lot of work, so what's the benefit?
The best way to show you the benefits is an example, which I'll take from my own Volcarona. One has been fully EV trained. The other has not been EV trained in any particular way, as I used it in my party for my main play through of the game. See if you can guess which one is which.
Level
HP
Attack
Defense
Sp.Attack
Sp.Defense
Speed
|
Volcarona #1
60
182
72
87
209
134
194
|
Volcarona #2
74
240
122
120
233
157
205
|
If you guessed that Volcarona #1 is the one that has been properly EV trained, you'd be absolutely right. I put 252 EVs into Special Attack, 252 EVs into Speed, and 4 EVs into HP. The difference is most notable in the Speed stat; even though it is 14 levels below #2, Volcarona #1 is only 11 points behind.
The benefits of EV training allow you to tailor your Pokémon to specific needs for your team. Volcarona here excels at being a fast, hard hitting Special Attacker Pokémon so it's sensible to put those kind of EVs into it; the result is that its stats are far better than what they would ordinarily be if I had just trained Volcarona in a non-EV Specific manner.
The Advanced Stuff.
Now that we have a better understanding of what an Effort Value is, and why they are beneficial it's time to look into some of the more in depth aspects of this part of Pokemon training; who knew it was so intricate?
The rule of 252.
I mentioned above that it's pointless to put anymore than 252 EVs into a stat. I'm going to lay down the mathematical reasons for this here.
Each stat is given +1 for every 4 EVs you put into it. The maximum amount of EVs you can give a stat is 255.
255 / 4 = 63.75
Obviously a stat can't have .75 added to it, so this is rounded off by the game down to 63, which is the same addition you'd get from 252 EVs. Therefore you're wasting 3 EVs if you put anymore than 252 into any one stat. Simple right? Okay, now lets apply this to the fact you can have 510 EVs on a single Pokemon.
510 / 4 = 127.5
Because the maximum amount a stat can be added to is 63, you end up with 1.5 of a possible stat left over. Again, .5 of a stat doesn't exist in the game so this is rounded down to 1 being left over. Therefore no matter what you do 2 of your 510 of EVs are going to be wasted. If we look at my Volcarona again you'll notice it has 252/252/4, equivalent to 508 effective EVs.
With all this in mind we can say in simple terms; Don't put more than 252 EVs into any stat.
Speeding up the process.
Lets look at our Tepig again. If we want to give 252 Attack EVs to Tepig you might be thinking that having to battle 252 Patrat is going to be a bit dull. The good news is that there are a large amount of ways we can speed up the entire process.
Hordes. In Pokémon X & Y, there is a new concept called Horde Battles. These battles bring five Pokémon for you to battle at once, and each of them gives you the standard Effort Value points. They're typically of a low level as well, making them perfect for Effort Training. Hordes may seem rare, but they can be triggered through the use of Honey or the move Sweet Scent, but only when it isn't raining.
Vitamins. If you head to the Department store on Route 9 in Black & White, and then proceed to the top left corner of the uppermost floor, or in the Pokémon Center in Laverre City in X & Y, you'll find a merchant selling a variety of different vitamins for $9,800 each. They all say they “increase the base stat” of one specific statistic on a Pokémon. Their effects are outlined here.
The benefits of EV training allow you to tailor your Pokémon to specific needs for your team. Volcarona here excels at being a fast, hard hitting Special Attacker Pokémon so it's sensible to put those kind of EVs into it; the result is that its stats are far better than what they would ordinarily be if I had just trained Volcarona in a non-EV Specific manner.
The Advanced Stuff.
Now that we have a better understanding of what an Effort Value is, and why they are beneficial it's time to look into some of the more in depth aspects of this part of Pokemon training; who knew it was so intricate?
The rule of 252.
I mentioned above that it's pointless to put anymore than 252 EVs into a stat. I'm going to lay down the mathematical reasons for this here.
Each stat is given +1 for every 4 EVs you put into it. The maximum amount of EVs you can give a stat is 255.
255 / 4 = 63.75
Obviously a stat can't have .75 added to it, so this is rounded off by the game down to 63, which is the same addition you'd get from 252 EVs. Therefore you're wasting 3 EVs if you put anymore than 252 into any one stat. Simple right? Okay, now lets apply this to the fact you can have 510 EVs on a single Pokemon.
510 / 4 = 127.5
Because the maximum amount a stat can be added to is 63, you end up with 1.5 of a possible stat left over. Again, .5 of a stat doesn't exist in the game so this is rounded down to 1 being left over. Therefore no matter what you do 2 of your 510 of EVs are going to be wasted. If we look at my Volcarona again you'll notice it has 252/252/4, equivalent to 508 effective EVs.
With all this in mind we can say in simple terms; Don't put more than 252 EVs into any stat.
Speeding up the process.
Lets look at our Tepig again. If we want to give 252 Attack EVs to Tepig you might be thinking that having to battle 252 Patrat is going to be a bit dull. The good news is that there are a large amount of ways we can speed up the entire process.
Hordes. In Pokémon X & Y, there is a new concept called Horde Battles. These battles bring five Pokémon for you to battle at once, and each of them gives you the standard Effort Value points. They're typically of a low level as well, making them perfect for Effort Training. Hordes may seem rare, but they can be triggered through the use of Honey or the move Sweet Scent, but only when it isn't raining.
Vitamins. If you head to the Department store on Route 9 in Black & White, and then proceed to the top left corner of the uppermost floor, or in the Pokémon Center in Laverre City in X & Y, you'll find a merchant selling a variety of different vitamins for $9,800 each. They all say they “increase the base stat” of one specific statistic on a Pokémon. Their effects are outlined here.
You can use these items up to 10 times, giving you +100 EVs to the stat of your choosing. So we feed Tepig 10 Protein, and all of a sudden we only have to give 152 EVs via battling, knocking off 100 from the original 252 Patrat we had to battle. But there's more!
Power Items. There are a number of items in the game you can let your Pokemon hold that increase the amount of EVs they gain from battles. Their effects and location are outlined here.
Power Items. There are a number of items in the game you can let your Pokemon hold that increase the amount of EVs they gain from battles. Their effects and location are outlined here.
Pic
|
Item
Macho Brace
Power Weight
Power Bracer
Power Belt
Power Lens
Power Band
Power Anklet
|
Effect
Doubles the amount of EVs gained but cuts Speed in half
+4 HP EVs after each battle, regardless of the Pokémon fought, but cuts Speed in half.
+4 Attack EVs after each battle, regardless of the Pokémon fought, but cuts Speed in half.
+4 Defence EVs after each battle, regardless of the Pokémon fought, but cuts Speed in half.
+4 Special Attack EVs after each battle, regardless of the Pokémon fought, but cuts Speed in half.
+4 Special Defence EVs after each battle, regardless of the Pokémon fought, but cuts Speed in half.
+4 Speed EVs after each battle, regardless of the Pokémon fought, but cuts Speed in half.
|
Location
Nimbasa City
Gear Station
Gear Station
Gear Station
Gear Station
Gear Station
Gear Station
|
Because we want to train our Tepig in the attack stat, lets give it a Power Bracer to hold. If we go and battle a Patrat, instead of gaining +1 Attack EV from the battle, we're instead gaining +5 EVs from every battle. All of a sudden that daunting figure of 152 Patrat has gone down to just a fraction over 30!
Note as well the “Regardless of the Pokemon fought” aspect of these items; even if we battled a Frillish with Tepig, we'd still be gaining +4 Attack EVs as well as the +1 in Special Defence a Frillish gives, so long as she was holding the Power Bracer.
The only downside to these items is the fact that they cut the holders Speed stat in half, however if you have Tepig at the starting position in your party and immediately switch her out for another Pokémon, Tepig will still gain the EVs from the item as well as from the defeated Pokémon.
Wings. On Driftveil Drawbridge and Marvellous Bridge, occasionally you'll see shadows on the ground. Often these shadows mark the location of the Pokémon Ducklett and Swanna, however from time to time you'll also pick up an item. These items are as follows.
THIS PAGE WILL BE FINISHED SOON (I GOT REALLY BORED OF MAKING IT)
Want to see the original page? click here
Note as well the “Regardless of the Pokemon fought” aspect of these items; even if we battled a Frillish with Tepig, we'd still be gaining +4 Attack EVs as well as the +1 in Special Defence a Frillish gives, so long as she was holding the Power Bracer.
The only downside to these items is the fact that they cut the holders Speed stat in half, however if you have Tepig at the starting position in your party and immediately switch her out for another Pokémon, Tepig will still gain the EVs from the item as well as from the defeated Pokémon.
Wings. On Driftveil Drawbridge and Marvellous Bridge, occasionally you'll see shadows on the ground. Often these shadows mark the location of the Pokémon Ducklett and Swanna, however from time to time you'll also pick up an item. These items are as follows.
THIS PAGE WILL BE FINISHED SOON (I GOT REALLY BORED OF MAKING IT)
Want to see the original page? click here