Effort Values

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Effort Values, colloquially abbreviated as EVs, are statistical determinants that are calculated into the eventual upgrowth of your Pokémon’s stats. They are the teal-colored stats shown in your Pokémon’s stats on their hover-over card in-game.

Alongside Natures and IVs, they are one of the few Pokémon-specifically dynamic stats that are aggregated into the Pokémon’s cumulative stats.

They are also the only stat factors that players have fine-grained control over; while Natures and IVs are mostly hereditarily predetermined and inalterable, EVs start off completely unfixed and are determined by the player through the EV points accumulated during training. They are also retroactively trainable because akin to the Generation V-and-onwards system of EV-training, EVs are recalculated on an after-battle basis, not a level-up one; this allows you to reapportion your Pokémon’s EVs by using EV-reductive items in conjunction with retraining them.

Because of the magnitudinous difference EVs can make in your Pokémon’s eventual stats and the time and expenses needed to procure EV-reductive items, it is advised to be conscious about what Pokémon you train early on if you wish to be meticulous about your Pokémon’s EV apportionments, as different Pokémon dole out varying EV quantities for varying stats; read below for more information.

Calculating Effort Values

The total amount of statistical points produced by EVs is illustrated below in formulaic notation:

In other words, 4 EV points gained for a stat will extrapolate to one additional stat point at later levels.

The maximal amount of EVs obtainable for a singular stat is 252—the highest 4-divisible amount of EVs that could be gained in the official games and consequently the rigid limit in PRO—but the cumulative limit is 510; in other words, while a single stat, such as HP, can only be attributed with up to 252 IVs, other stats can be trained up to that limit until all stat-respective EVs additively combine to 510. Calculatively speaking, up to 63 stat points can be accumulated for any singular stat, whereas up to 127 points can be attained in your Pokémon’s statistical totality.

Accumulating Effort Value points

Training

Effort values are accumulated predominant through training on wild Pokémon. They also are yielded by NPC-deployed Pokémon; the only exceptions are those that have no experience-points and monetary payouts, such as gym-leaders for secondary battles and onwards.

EV yields

Main article: List of Pokémon by EV yield

Due to how many EV points are naturally derived from Pokémon-training, it is judicious to be conscious about what stat-respective EVs are yielded by the Pokémon that you train on.

All Pokémon yield an amount of EVs ranging from 1-3, depending on its evolutionary stage. The total amount of EV points yielded is incrementally respective to the evolutionary stage of the Pokémon; for example, a base-stage Pokémon in Pidgey yields 1 point total, its intermediate-stage evolution in Pidgeotto rewards points total, and its final-stage form in Pidgeot yields 3 points total. All unevolvable base-stage Pokémon will also yield only 1 EV point total; the only exceptions are the elusive Legendary Pokémon, who invariably yield 3 total EV points.

The stat-respective EVs rewarded will oftentimes tally to the most vital stat of that Pokémon; for example, Machop‘s evolutionary line yields Attack EVs due to the predominance of Physical-powered damage-dealing techniques that it learns, whereas Abra‘s evolutionary line yields Special Attack EVs due to the predominance of Special-powered moves that they deploy.

EV Training hotspots

Main article: EV-training locations

The putatively finest-grained area for EV-training is the Safari Effort Wald—an augmentation of the Kanto Safari Zone wherein Pokémon spawns are compartmentalized into different areas based on their EV yield. While it does charge a 10,000 entry fee and restricts you to a 20-minute session, it does provide the most unadulterated zones for EV-training in the game and EV-enhancing supplements for auxiliary EV-gaining.

On every region you can also find 1 route that is compartmentalized is a way that allows for specialized EV Training:

  • In the Kanto Region at Route 24:
    • Attack, Surfing, Daytime (10:00-20:00)
    • Defence, Surfing, Morning (04:00-10:00)
    • Speed, Land, Daytime (10:00-20:00)
    • Sp.Attack, Land, Night (20:00-04:00)
    • Sp.Defence, Surfing, Night (20:00-04:00)
    • Health, Land Morning (04:00-10:00)
  • In the Johto Region at Route 31:
    • Attack, Land, Morning (04:00-10:00)
    • Defence, Land, Daytime (10:00-20:00)
    • Speed, Surfing, Morning (04:00-10:00)
    • Sp.Attack, Land, Night (20:00-04:00)
    • Sp.Defence, Surfing, Night (20:00-04:00)
    • Health, Surfing, Daytime (10:00-20:00)
  • In the Hoenn Region at Route 120:
    • Attack, Land, Daytime (10:00-20:00)
    • Defence, Surfing, Night (20:00-04:00)
    • Speed, Surfing, Daytime (10:00-20:00)
    • Sp.Attack, Land, Morning (04:00-10:00)
    • Sp.Defence, Surfing, Morning (04:00-10:00)
    • Health, Land, Night (20:00-04:00)
  • In the Sinnoh Region at Route 208:
    • Attack, Land, Night (20:00-04:00)
    • Defence, Surfing, Morning (04:00-10:00)
    • Speed, Surfing, Night (20:00-04:00)
    • Sp.Attack, Land, Daytime (10:00-20:00)
    • Sp.Defence, Surfing, Daytime (10:00-20:00)
    • Health, Land, Morning (04:00-10:00)

Macho Brace

The Macho Brace can also be employed to quicken the EV-training accruals. While equipping this item, the toting Pokémon will receive double the EV payout; however, the one drawback is that its Speed will be halved in-battle.

Supplements

Main article: Vitamins

While it may demand a hefty outlay, EV-enhancing vitamins are a more expeditious avenue towards reaching your desired EV apportionment.

All of these supplements are single-use and will instantly add 10 EV points to your Pokémon’s stat, in addition to enhancing its happiness points. They will only enhance the Pokémon’s EVs until 100 have been accumulated for them, stat-respectively.

The following supplements are available:

Item Function
HP Up Enhances the consumptive Pokémon’s HP EV points.
Protein Enhances the consumptive Pokémon’s Attack EV points.
Iron Enhances the consumptive Pokémon’s Defense EV points.
Calcium Enhances the consumptive Pokémon’s Special Attack EV points.
Zinc Enhances the consumptive Pokémon’s Special Defense EV points.
Carbos Enhances the consumptive Pokémon’s Speed EV points.

All these supplements are buyable in all of the Department Stores, and many are found interspersed as ground-lootable items around maps.

Reducing EVs

Main article: EV-reductive berries

If you wish to reassess or revamp your Pokémon’s EV spread, the first step is to purge the EV points; you can do so with EV-reductive berries.

The intake of each berry will enhance the consuming Pokémon’s happiness while depleting its EVs by 10 points. The following stat-respective berries are available:

Berry Tree Function
Pomeg Berry Reduces the consumptive Pokémon’s HP EVs.
Kelpsy Berry Reduces the consumptive Pokémon’s Attack EVs.
Qualot Berry Reduces the consumptive Pokémon’s Defense EVs.
Hondew Berry Reduces the consumptive Pokémon’s Special Attack EVs.
Grepa Berry Reduces the consumptive Pokémon’s Special Defense EVs.
Tamato Berry Reduces the consumptive Pokémon’s Speed EVs.

They can be looted from any Headbutt-able tree, rewarded for completion of the Berry Tower challenge, bought in the Goldenrod City Flower Shop after defeating The Pumpkin King in Vermilion City Graveyard, and harvested through a smattering of berry-tree allotments.

See also

  • EV-training locations
  • Stats
  • IVs
  • Natures