Volteon
Back I guess??
Almost everything posted by hemslow
Platinum information by GameFAQs
"Where to aim and FAQ by Kyogre35
Contents
Post One
Preparation
Introduction
Training
Items
Macho Brace
Power Items
EXP Share
Pokérus
Berries
Tips
Distribution
Jump & Trip
Speed
HP
Defenses
Glossary
Links
Continue
Post Two
Hot Spots
FAQ.
Preparation
Before you even think about EV training, you will need to have a Pokémon with the correct nature and good individual values. Take a look at the Smogon University Breeding Guide.
Introduction
Effort values, or ‘EVs,’ (sometimes referred to as effort points or ‘EPs,’) are gained by battling your Pokémon. EVs that are gained in battle are added to a statistic depending on the Pokémon that you defeat. Each Pokémon can earn 510 EVs with a maximum of 252 EVs allocated for each statistic. Every 4 EVs that a Pokémon earns in one statistic adds a one point increase to that statistic by the time the Pokémon reaches LV100.
127 points can be added to your Pokémon by level 100 from successful EV training with a maximum of a 63 point increase (252/4) in one statistic. As EVs gained are added to the total statistic by level 100, a direct effect may not always be visible when leveling up, especially in lower levels. If you EV trained a higher level Pokémon the effect would be more noticeable when leveling up as there are less levels to reach LV100 and therefore less levels to spread the EV gains across.
Any Pokémon that is caught in the wild or hatched from an egg will not have any EVs. If you level up a Pokémon in Day Care or use the item Rare Candy the Pokémon will not gain EVs.
Training
To train a Pokémon to gain EVs you need to battle Pokémon in the wild or face off against other trainers within the game. You must defeat the Pokémon in battle to gain EVs. You will not gain EVs by battling online, or in the Battle Tower. Basically, wherever you will earn experience points you will also earn EVs.
EVs are hidden values and must be calculated manually. Make sure you know the amount of EVs the Pokémon you are facing will give you so that you can accurately record your EVs. If you are unsure, the Serebii Pokédex displays EVs that Pokémon will emit from battle.
Let’s say I have a Lapras and I would like to increase my special attack statistic to its full potential. Gastly will give me 1 EV in special attack, so going to the Old Chateau and defeating 252 Gastly will give me the maximum 63 point increase to the special attack statistic of my Lapras. If I tried to further EV train the special attack statistic after gaining 252 EVs, the EVs would be wasted and would have no effect.
Items
Fortunately you can speed the EV training process up using items. HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc and Carbos can all be used to raise EVs. Each of these items will add 10 EVs to the corresponding statistic. These items are limited to 10 of each item per Pokémon. The items can be purchased from the Veilstone Apartment Store. Below is a list of the statistics they will raise.
HP Up - HP
Protein - Attack
Iron - Defense
Calcium - Special Attack
Zinc - Special Defense
Carbos - Speed
Macho Brace
The Macho Brace will double the amount of EVs that you earn. For example, defeating Floatzel would usually give a Pokémon 2 EVs in speed but a Pokémon holding the Macho Brace will receive double the EVs, 4. The only disadvantage to this item is that it will cut your speed statistic in half whilst it’s being held. The Macho Brace can be obtained by showing 3 types of Burmy to a boy who lives in Pastoria City, directly above the Pokémart.
Power Items
Power items are the fastest method of EV training your Pokémon. There is a power item for each statistic, each one will give 4 EVs in the corresponding statistic each time you defeat a Pokémon. Each of the power items can be obtained by trading 16 battle points at the Battle Park. Like Macho Brace, holding a Power Item will cut your speed statistic in half.
Let’s say I battle and defeat a wild Floatzel. Usually this would give 2 speed EVs. Holding the Power Anklet will gain an extra 4 EVs in speed, totaling 6 speed EVs altogether. Power items will always give the 4 EVs in the corresponding item statistic regardless of the Pokémon you face. For example, let’s say we battle and defeat the same Floatzel that will give 2 speed EVs. This time, if the Pokémon is holding the Power Bracer instead of the Power Anklet the 2 speed EVs will be gained from the Floatzel as well as 4 EVs in attack from the Power Bracer.
Power Weight - HP
Power Bracer - Attack
Power Belt - Defense
Power Lens - Special Attack
Power Band - Special Defense
Power Anklet - Speed
EXP Share
EXP Share is another useful item for EV training as EVs are gained each time experience is gained. If a Pokémon in your party is holding the EXP Share item, it will gain the same EVs as if it was the active Pokémon in battle.
Let’s say Lapras is my active Pokémon and I have a Drifloon in my party holding EXP Share. Lapras defeats a Gastly and gains 1 special attack EV. Drifloon will also gain 1 special attack EV. If Lapras was holding a Power Item, Lapras would gain 1 special attack EV and an extra 4 EVs in the relevant stat. The EXP Share Pokémon, Drifloon, would not gain the extra boost from the Power Item that Lapras was holding, it would only gain the 1 EV in special attack that the Gastly emits.
Pokérus
Pokérus is a Pokémon virus that will double the amount of EVs you earn in battle after all item increases. For example, if Lapras with Pokérus battles and defeats Floatzel it will gain 4 speed EVs, instead of the usual 2 speed EVs. If Lapras with Pokérus was holding the Power Anklet it would gain 2 speed EVs from Floatzel plus 4 speed EVs from the Power Anklet, this would then be doubled by Pokérus to give an end result of 12 speed EVs. Finally, if Lapras was holding the Power Bracer it would gain 2 speed EVs from Floatzel plus 4 attack EVs, these would then both be doubled by Pokérus to give 4 Speed EVs and 8 attack EVs. Pokérus will not multiply the effect of HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc and Carbos.
Berries
If you miscalculate EVs whilst training, accidently apply EVs to the wrong statistic or change your mind about your EV spread there are berries available to reduce your EVs. All the berries can be obtained from the Berry Master who lives on route 208.
The berries will drop EVs in the corresponding statistic by 10, or if the amount of EVs in the statistic was over 100, the berry would reduce the stat to 100. For example if Lapras had 96 EVs in special attack each Hondew Berry would reduce the EVs by 10. If Lapras had 216 EVs in special attack, the first Hondew Berry would reduce the EVs to 100 and every Hondew Berry used thereafter would reduced the EVs by 10.
If you are completely unsure of the amount of EVs your Pokémon has, using 11 of each berry will clear all EVs.
21 Pomeg Berry - HP
22 Kelpsy Berry - Attack
23 Qualot Berry - Defense
24 Hondew Berry - Special Attack
25 Grepa Berry - Special Defense
26 Tamato Berry - Speed
Tips
EV training can be completed at any level but it is best to complete EV training on your Pokémon at as low a level as possible to make leveling up your Pokémon an easier process. If you complete EV training at low levels you no longer need to worry about recording EVs and it becomes faster to reach LV100.
Distribution
EV spreads for competitive battling can be found on Smogon Univeristy. Depending on the moveset and purpose of your Pokémon, you may want to create your own. When creating you’re own EV spreads there are some vital things that you will need to take into account. Jump and trip points, speed, HP and defenses.
Jump & Trip
The nature that you give your Pokémon will effect EV training due to a 10% increase of one statistic and a 10% decrease of another statistic. Because of these percentage gains/losses the EVs that you invest into the effected stats will differ.
252 EVs is the maximum that can be placed into one statistic equaling a 63 point gain. If a nature is beneficial to a statistic the 10% increase of the statistic will actually add more than 63 points from 252 EVs. 1 extra point is added at each of the following ‘jump points.’ If you maximized a nature beneficial statistic, or at least passed all the EV jump points an extra 6 points will be gained. The maximum point increase becomes 69, instead of 63.
Jump Points: 16 56 96 136 176 216
For example, if I had a Jolly natured Scyther and placed 176 EVs into speed I would gain 44 points from the EVs (176/4) and an extra 5 points as I have passed 5 jump points, totaling a 49 point gain. Jump points can only ever effect a nature beneficial statistic, they have no effect to a nature hindering statistic or a neutral statistic.
Trip points work similarly to jump points. If a nature hinders a statistic the 10% decrease will add less than 63 points from 252 EVs. 1 point is deducted at each of the following ‘trip points.’ If you maximized a nature hindering statistic, or at least passed all the EV trip points, 6 points will be deducted from the statistic. The maximum point increase becomes 57, instead of 63.
Trip points: 20 60 100 140 180 220
Jolly Scyther will decrease the special attack statistic by 10%. Let’s say I want to invest 100 EVs into the special attack statistic of my Scyther. I would gain 25 points from the EVs (100/4) but loose 3 points as I have passed 3 trip points, totaling a 22 point gain. Trip points can only effect a nature hindering statistic, they have no effect to a nature beneficial statistic or a neutral statistic. As you can see from the ludicrous example above, trip points should never really come into play as there should be no reason to EV train a statistic that you have chosen to decrease with nature.
Speed
EVs invested into speed should be calculated to outrun a base speed benchmark. Investing speed EVs to reach a benchmark will preserve your EVs for other statistics. The downside to EV training to a benchmark is that you will be unable to outrun Pokémon of the same type who have invested maximum EVs into the speed statistic.
To decide what benchmark of Pokémon you would like to outrun, take into account the purpose and moveset of your Pokémon. If you have an out-and-out sweeper such as Scyther, investing fully into the speed stat will be more beneficial than benchmarking.
Let’s use Leafeon to work out how to EV speed to a benchmark. With a jolly nature Leafeon has a maximum speed stat of 317, with 252 EVs, 31 IVs and 10% nature increase inclusive. Outrunning base 90 speed Pokémon will put Leafeon at a good advantage. Base 90 speed Pokémon can reach a maximum of 306 in the speed stat assuming they also have a speed beneficial nature, 252 EVs and 31 IVs.
The idea is to calculate how many EVs it will take to match the maximum possible speed of base 90 speed Pokémon, then outrun them but either 1 or 2 points. It’s up to you whether you choose to outrun by 1 or 2 points. The reason to outrun maximum speed by 2 points is to outrun those who have EV trained their Pokémon to outrun the same benchmark by 1.
First, subtract 69 (for maximum EVs, as both Pokémon in this example have a speed beneficial nature) from the maximum speed of the Pokémon you’d like to outrun and the maximum speed of the Pokémon you are EV training. If you wanted to use this same calculation while using Pokémon with a neutral nature or hindering nature in speed, deduct only 63 or 57 points for maximum EVs, (As detailed in the jump & trip section.)
Stage One
317-69 = 248
306-69 = 237
Next, subtract the stage one result for the base 90 speed Pokémon from the stage one result of Leafeon. Multiply the result by 4 to calculate the EV equivalent of point difference between the two speed statistics. Subtract the EV equivalent from 252 to calculate an estimate amount of EVs Leafeon will need to invest in the speed statistic to match the base 90 speed Pokémon statistic of 306.??In this case, this can only be an estimate as Leafeon has a beneficial nature in speed which will add jump points to the speed stat, throwing the calculation off slightly. If this same calculation was done with two neutral natured speed statistics, or at least Leafeon with a neutral speed statistic, this result would be exact.
Stage Two
248-237 = 11
11x4 = 44
252-44 = 208
Now, work out the point gain in speed Leafeon will acquire from 208 EVs with a speed beneficial nature. 208 EVs will equal a 52 point gain (208/4.) 208 EVs also passes 5 jump points. Add the jump points to the point gain then add that to the stage one result.
Stage Three
208/4 = 52
52+5+248 = 305
As you can see the outcome is a point short due to not passing the last jump point with the EVs. We need to make the speed stat of Leafeon 306 to equal base 90 speed Pokémon, so 4 more EVs will have to be invested. This requires Leafeon to invest 212 EVs (208+4.) Now you need to make the decision of whether you would like to outrun by 1 or 2 points, as explained earlier. In this case, by adding 4 more EVs, the speed statistic of Leafeon will pass the last jump point, 216, and become 308 which is perfect for outrunning the 306 maximum speed statistic of base 90 speed Pokémon.
A complete formula will look like this.
Stage One, Two & Three
x = ((252-(((s-e)-(o-e))*4))/4)+j+(s-e)
s = maximum speed of Pokémon
o = maximum outrun speed
e = EVs (57/63/69)
j = jump points
HP
When you are calculating the EVs invested into the HP statistic of your Pokémon that will also be holding either the Leftovers or Black Sludge item it is recommended to calculate your total HP stat to be divisible by 16 for maximum recovery.
Find the IV of your HP stat. Next, find the maximum your HP stat could reach with 31 IVs and 252 EVs. If you don’t know, check the Serebii Pokédex. Also, have a rough idea of the amount of EVs you would like to invest to the HP statistic. The following calculators can be used to calculate your IVs. (If you don’t know what IVs are, take a look at the Smogon University Breeding Guide.)
Serebii IV Calculator
MetalKid’s IV Calculator
I’ll use Leafeon to demonstrate calculating the HP. Let’s say Leafeon has 31 IVs in HP. Leafeon has a maximum HP statistic of 334 and I would like to invest around 120 EVs to my Leafeons HP statistic. 120 EVs will give a 30 point gain.
Subtract 94 (63 points for maximum EV training and 31 points for maximum IVs) from your maximum HP stat, in this case 334. Next, add the HP IVs, in this case 31, and the statistic points from the EVs you want to invest, in this case 30 points (120/4.) This will give you the actual HP stat at LV100.
Stage One
334-94+31+30 = 301
Divide the actual HP stat at LV100 by 16. If this number is whole then your HP stat is divisible by 16 and you will receive maximum Leftovers and Black Sludge recovery.
Stage Two
301/16 = 18.8125
This Leafeon does not have a HP statistic that is divisible by 16 as the outcome of the above calculation is not a whole number. We now need to find out how many more EVs to invest to the HP statistic so that it is divisible by 16. To do this we need to ignore the integer (everything to the left of the decimal place) from the stage two calculation and subtract the decimal from 1. In this case we ignore the 18 from 18.8125, then subtract 0.8125 from 1. Then, multiply the result by 16 to find the point increase, and then multiply the result of the point increase by 4 to display the extra number of EVs that will need to be invested.
Stage Three
1-0.8125 = 0.1875
0.1875x16 = 3
3x4 = 12
So my Leafeon will need to invest an extra 12 EVs to the original 120 EVs that I intended to invest in the HP statistic so that the HP statistic will be divisible by 16, gaining maximum Leftovers and Black Sludge Recovery.
A complete formula would look like this.
Stage One
x = (m-94+i+e)
m = maximum HP statistic at LV100
i = actual IVs
e = actual point gain from EVs
Stage Two
y = (x/16)
x = outcome of stage one
Stage Three
z = ((1-(y-INT(y)))*16)*4
y = outcome of stage two
If your Pokémon is not going to be holding either the Leftovers or Black Sludge item, it is advisable to make your HP stat an odd number to round down the effect of certain damage, such as weather effects.
Defenses
EV training a defensive Pokémon can be a lot more rewarding if you know what statistics to invest in. Firstly, always choose a nature that will increase the higher base statistic out of defense and special defense. More statistic points will be gained overall from a nature raising the higher defensive statistic and placing more EVs to the lower defensive statistic than the other way around.
Taking damage is calculated against the multiplication of the defensive statistics and the HP statistics. If you are looking to invest the majority of your EVs into defensive statistics so that your Pokémon is able to take big hits you will want to try to match the defense, special defense and HP statistics as best you can. Therefore, If your Pokémon has a high base HP, and lower defensive statistics, raise the defensive statistics. If your Pokémon has a low base HP but has high base defensive statistics, raise HP.
Lapras has a relatively high base HP statistic of 130, while its base defense statistic is 80 and special defense is 95. Lapras would gain best results from a special defense beneficial nature and EVs invested into both the defense and special defense statistics.
Cloyster has a poor base HP of 50. It’s defense statistic is 180 and its special defense statistic is only 45. Use the nature to increase the defense statistic and invest EVs heavily into HP and special defense.
You may also decide that it is best to maximise just one of the defensive statistics of a Pokémon with the intention of keeping the Pokémon away from either physical or special attacks and sponging the effect of the other. This is put to good effect on a Pokémon such as Drifblim, who is more likely to take special attacks and less likely to take physical attacks due to immunities. Drifblim already has a high base HP so using the nature to increase special defense and investing maximum EVs in special defense too will allow Drifblim to switch in well to special attacks and also have a respectable survivability.
Glossary
EV -Effort Value
EP -Effort Point
IV - Individual Value
EXP - Experience
HP - Hit Points
INT - Integer
Links
Try the links below to help you learn more before deciding on your final EV spreads.
Maximise Your Chances Of Winning
Effectively Apply EVs
Damage Formula
Maximising Defenses
Platinum information by GameFAQs
"Where to aim and FAQ by Kyogre35
Contents
Post One
Preparation
Introduction
Training
Items
Macho Brace
Power Items
EXP Share
Pokérus
Berries
Tips
Distribution
Jump & Trip
Speed
HP
Defenses
Glossary
Links
Continue
Post Two
Hot Spots
FAQ.
Preparation
Before you even think about EV training, you will need to have a Pokémon with the correct nature and good individual values. Take a look at the Smogon University Breeding Guide.
Introduction
Effort values, or ‘EVs,’ (sometimes referred to as effort points or ‘EPs,’) are gained by battling your Pokémon. EVs that are gained in battle are added to a statistic depending on the Pokémon that you defeat. Each Pokémon can earn 510 EVs with a maximum of 252 EVs allocated for each statistic. Every 4 EVs that a Pokémon earns in one statistic adds a one point increase to that statistic by the time the Pokémon reaches LV100.
127 points can be added to your Pokémon by level 100 from successful EV training with a maximum of a 63 point increase (252/4) in one statistic. As EVs gained are added to the total statistic by level 100, a direct effect may not always be visible when leveling up, especially in lower levels. If you EV trained a higher level Pokémon the effect would be more noticeable when leveling up as there are less levels to reach LV100 and therefore less levels to spread the EV gains across.
Any Pokémon that is caught in the wild or hatched from an egg will not have any EVs. If you level up a Pokémon in Day Care or use the item Rare Candy the Pokémon will not gain EVs.
Training
To train a Pokémon to gain EVs you need to battle Pokémon in the wild or face off against other trainers within the game. You must defeat the Pokémon in battle to gain EVs. You will not gain EVs by battling online, or in the Battle Tower. Basically, wherever you will earn experience points you will also earn EVs.
EVs are hidden values and must be calculated manually. Make sure you know the amount of EVs the Pokémon you are facing will give you so that you can accurately record your EVs. If you are unsure, the Serebii Pokédex displays EVs that Pokémon will emit from battle.
Let’s say I have a Lapras and I would like to increase my special attack statistic to its full potential. Gastly will give me 1 EV in special attack, so going to the Old Chateau and defeating 252 Gastly will give me the maximum 63 point increase to the special attack statistic of my Lapras. If I tried to further EV train the special attack statistic after gaining 252 EVs, the EVs would be wasted and would have no effect.
Items
Fortunately you can speed the EV training process up using items. HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc and Carbos can all be used to raise EVs. Each of these items will add 10 EVs to the corresponding statistic. These items are limited to 10 of each item per Pokémon. The items can be purchased from the Veilstone Apartment Store. Below is a list of the statistics they will raise.
HP Up - HP
Protein - Attack
Iron - Defense
Calcium - Special Attack
Zinc - Special Defense
Carbos - Speed
Macho Brace
The Macho Brace will double the amount of EVs that you earn. For example, defeating Floatzel would usually give a Pokémon 2 EVs in speed but a Pokémon holding the Macho Brace will receive double the EVs, 4. The only disadvantage to this item is that it will cut your speed statistic in half whilst it’s being held. The Macho Brace can be obtained by showing 3 types of Burmy to a boy who lives in Pastoria City, directly above the Pokémart.
Power Items
Power items are the fastest method of EV training your Pokémon. There is a power item for each statistic, each one will give 4 EVs in the corresponding statistic each time you defeat a Pokémon. Each of the power items can be obtained by trading 16 battle points at the Battle Park. Like Macho Brace, holding a Power Item will cut your speed statistic in half.
Let’s say I battle and defeat a wild Floatzel. Usually this would give 2 speed EVs. Holding the Power Anklet will gain an extra 4 EVs in speed, totaling 6 speed EVs altogether. Power items will always give the 4 EVs in the corresponding item statistic regardless of the Pokémon you face. For example, let’s say we battle and defeat the same Floatzel that will give 2 speed EVs. This time, if the Pokémon is holding the Power Bracer instead of the Power Anklet the 2 speed EVs will be gained from the Floatzel as well as 4 EVs in attack from the Power Bracer.
Power Weight - HP
Power Bracer - Attack
Power Belt - Defense
Power Lens - Special Attack
Power Band - Special Defense
Power Anklet - Speed
EXP Share
EXP Share is another useful item for EV training as EVs are gained each time experience is gained. If a Pokémon in your party is holding the EXP Share item, it will gain the same EVs as if it was the active Pokémon in battle.
Let’s say Lapras is my active Pokémon and I have a Drifloon in my party holding EXP Share. Lapras defeats a Gastly and gains 1 special attack EV. Drifloon will also gain 1 special attack EV. If Lapras was holding a Power Item, Lapras would gain 1 special attack EV and an extra 4 EVs in the relevant stat. The EXP Share Pokémon, Drifloon, would not gain the extra boost from the Power Item that Lapras was holding, it would only gain the 1 EV in special attack that the Gastly emits.
Pokérus
Pokérus is a Pokémon virus that will double the amount of EVs you earn in battle after all item increases. For example, if Lapras with Pokérus battles and defeats Floatzel it will gain 4 speed EVs, instead of the usual 2 speed EVs. If Lapras with Pokérus was holding the Power Anklet it would gain 2 speed EVs from Floatzel plus 4 speed EVs from the Power Anklet, this would then be doubled by Pokérus to give an end result of 12 speed EVs. Finally, if Lapras was holding the Power Bracer it would gain 2 speed EVs from Floatzel plus 4 attack EVs, these would then both be doubled by Pokérus to give 4 Speed EVs and 8 attack EVs. Pokérus will not multiply the effect of HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc and Carbos.
Berries
If you miscalculate EVs whilst training, accidently apply EVs to the wrong statistic or change your mind about your EV spread there are berries available to reduce your EVs. All the berries can be obtained from the Berry Master who lives on route 208.
The berries will drop EVs in the corresponding statistic by 10, or if the amount of EVs in the statistic was over 100, the berry would reduce the stat to 100. For example if Lapras had 96 EVs in special attack each Hondew Berry would reduce the EVs by 10. If Lapras had 216 EVs in special attack, the first Hondew Berry would reduce the EVs to 100 and every Hondew Berry used thereafter would reduced the EVs by 10.
If you are completely unsure of the amount of EVs your Pokémon has, using 11 of each berry will clear all EVs.
21 Pomeg Berry - HP
22 Kelpsy Berry - Attack
23 Qualot Berry - Defense
24 Hondew Berry - Special Attack
25 Grepa Berry - Special Defense
26 Tamato Berry - Speed
Tips
EV training can be completed at any level but it is best to complete EV training on your Pokémon at as low a level as possible to make leveling up your Pokémon an easier process. If you complete EV training at low levels you no longer need to worry about recording EVs and it becomes faster to reach LV100.
Distribution
EV spreads for competitive battling can be found on Smogon Univeristy. Depending on the moveset and purpose of your Pokémon, you may want to create your own. When creating you’re own EV spreads there are some vital things that you will need to take into account. Jump and trip points, speed, HP and defenses.
Jump & Trip
The nature that you give your Pokémon will effect EV training due to a 10% increase of one statistic and a 10% decrease of another statistic. Because of these percentage gains/losses the EVs that you invest into the effected stats will differ.
252 EVs is the maximum that can be placed into one statistic equaling a 63 point gain. If a nature is beneficial to a statistic the 10% increase of the statistic will actually add more than 63 points from 252 EVs. 1 extra point is added at each of the following ‘jump points.’ If you maximized a nature beneficial statistic, or at least passed all the EV jump points an extra 6 points will be gained. The maximum point increase becomes 69, instead of 63.
Jump Points: 16 56 96 136 176 216
For example, if I had a Jolly natured Scyther and placed 176 EVs into speed I would gain 44 points from the EVs (176/4) and an extra 5 points as I have passed 5 jump points, totaling a 49 point gain. Jump points can only ever effect a nature beneficial statistic, they have no effect to a nature hindering statistic or a neutral statistic.
Trip points work similarly to jump points. If a nature hinders a statistic the 10% decrease will add less than 63 points from 252 EVs. 1 point is deducted at each of the following ‘trip points.’ If you maximized a nature hindering statistic, or at least passed all the EV trip points, 6 points will be deducted from the statistic. The maximum point increase becomes 57, instead of 63.
Trip points: 20 60 100 140 180 220
Jolly Scyther will decrease the special attack statistic by 10%. Let’s say I want to invest 100 EVs into the special attack statistic of my Scyther. I would gain 25 points from the EVs (100/4) but loose 3 points as I have passed 3 trip points, totaling a 22 point gain. Trip points can only effect a nature hindering statistic, they have no effect to a nature beneficial statistic or a neutral statistic. As you can see from the ludicrous example above, trip points should never really come into play as there should be no reason to EV train a statistic that you have chosen to decrease with nature.
Speed
EVs invested into speed should be calculated to outrun a base speed benchmark. Investing speed EVs to reach a benchmark will preserve your EVs for other statistics. The downside to EV training to a benchmark is that you will be unable to outrun Pokémon of the same type who have invested maximum EVs into the speed statistic.
To decide what benchmark of Pokémon you would like to outrun, take into account the purpose and moveset of your Pokémon. If you have an out-and-out sweeper such as Scyther, investing fully into the speed stat will be more beneficial than benchmarking.
Let’s use Leafeon to work out how to EV speed to a benchmark. With a jolly nature Leafeon has a maximum speed stat of 317, with 252 EVs, 31 IVs and 10% nature increase inclusive. Outrunning base 90 speed Pokémon will put Leafeon at a good advantage. Base 90 speed Pokémon can reach a maximum of 306 in the speed stat assuming they also have a speed beneficial nature, 252 EVs and 31 IVs.
The idea is to calculate how many EVs it will take to match the maximum possible speed of base 90 speed Pokémon, then outrun them but either 1 or 2 points. It’s up to you whether you choose to outrun by 1 or 2 points. The reason to outrun maximum speed by 2 points is to outrun those who have EV trained their Pokémon to outrun the same benchmark by 1.
First, subtract 69 (for maximum EVs, as both Pokémon in this example have a speed beneficial nature) from the maximum speed of the Pokémon you’d like to outrun and the maximum speed of the Pokémon you are EV training. If you wanted to use this same calculation while using Pokémon with a neutral nature or hindering nature in speed, deduct only 63 or 57 points for maximum EVs, (As detailed in the jump & trip section.)
Stage One
317-69 = 248
306-69 = 237
Next, subtract the stage one result for the base 90 speed Pokémon from the stage one result of Leafeon. Multiply the result by 4 to calculate the EV equivalent of point difference between the two speed statistics. Subtract the EV equivalent from 252 to calculate an estimate amount of EVs Leafeon will need to invest in the speed statistic to match the base 90 speed Pokémon statistic of 306.??In this case, this can only be an estimate as Leafeon has a beneficial nature in speed which will add jump points to the speed stat, throwing the calculation off slightly. If this same calculation was done with two neutral natured speed statistics, or at least Leafeon with a neutral speed statistic, this result would be exact.
Stage Two
248-237 = 11
11x4 = 44
252-44 = 208
Now, work out the point gain in speed Leafeon will acquire from 208 EVs with a speed beneficial nature. 208 EVs will equal a 52 point gain (208/4.) 208 EVs also passes 5 jump points. Add the jump points to the point gain then add that to the stage one result.
Stage Three
208/4 = 52
52+5+248 = 305
As you can see the outcome is a point short due to not passing the last jump point with the EVs. We need to make the speed stat of Leafeon 306 to equal base 90 speed Pokémon, so 4 more EVs will have to be invested. This requires Leafeon to invest 212 EVs (208+4.) Now you need to make the decision of whether you would like to outrun by 1 or 2 points, as explained earlier. In this case, by adding 4 more EVs, the speed statistic of Leafeon will pass the last jump point, 216, and become 308 which is perfect for outrunning the 306 maximum speed statistic of base 90 speed Pokémon.
A complete formula will look like this.
Stage One, Two & Three
x = ((252-(((s-e)-(o-e))*4))/4)+j+(s-e)
s = maximum speed of Pokémon
o = maximum outrun speed
e = EVs (57/63/69)
j = jump points
HP
When you are calculating the EVs invested into the HP statistic of your Pokémon that will also be holding either the Leftovers or Black Sludge item it is recommended to calculate your total HP stat to be divisible by 16 for maximum recovery.
Find the IV of your HP stat. Next, find the maximum your HP stat could reach with 31 IVs and 252 EVs. If you don’t know, check the Serebii Pokédex. Also, have a rough idea of the amount of EVs you would like to invest to the HP statistic. The following calculators can be used to calculate your IVs. (If you don’t know what IVs are, take a look at the Smogon University Breeding Guide.)
Serebii IV Calculator
MetalKid’s IV Calculator
I’ll use Leafeon to demonstrate calculating the HP. Let’s say Leafeon has 31 IVs in HP. Leafeon has a maximum HP statistic of 334 and I would like to invest around 120 EVs to my Leafeons HP statistic. 120 EVs will give a 30 point gain.
Subtract 94 (63 points for maximum EV training and 31 points for maximum IVs) from your maximum HP stat, in this case 334. Next, add the HP IVs, in this case 31, and the statistic points from the EVs you want to invest, in this case 30 points (120/4.) This will give you the actual HP stat at LV100.
Stage One
334-94+31+30 = 301
Divide the actual HP stat at LV100 by 16. If this number is whole then your HP stat is divisible by 16 and you will receive maximum Leftovers and Black Sludge recovery.
Stage Two
301/16 = 18.8125
This Leafeon does not have a HP statistic that is divisible by 16 as the outcome of the above calculation is not a whole number. We now need to find out how many more EVs to invest to the HP statistic so that it is divisible by 16. To do this we need to ignore the integer (everything to the left of the decimal place) from the stage two calculation and subtract the decimal from 1. In this case we ignore the 18 from 18.8125, then subtract 0.8125 from 1. Then, multiply the result by 16 to find the point increase, and then multiply the result of the point increase by 4 to display the extra number of EVs that will need to be invested.
Stage Three
1-0.8125 = 0.1875
0.1875x16 = 3
3x4 = 12
So my Leafeon will need to invest an extra 12 EVs to the original 120 EVs that I intended to invest in the HP statistic so that the HP statistic will be divisible by 16, gaining maximum Leftovers and Black Sludge Recovery.
A complete formula would look like this.
Stage One
x = (m-94+i+e)
m = maximum HP statistic at LV100
i = actual IVs
e = actual point gain from EVs
Stage Two
y = (x/16)
x = outcome of stage one
Stage Three
z = ((1-(y-INT(y)))*16)*4
y = outcome of stage two
If your Pokémon is not going to be holding either the Leftovers or Black Sludge item, it is advisable to make your HP stat an odd number to round down the effect of certain damage, such as weather effects.
Defenses
EV training a defensive Pokémon can be a lot more rewarding if you know what statistics to invest in. Firstly, always choose a nature that will increase the higher base statistic out of defense and special defense. More statistic points will be gained overall from a nature raising the higher defensive statistic and placing more EVs to the lower defensive statistic than the other way around.
Taking damage is calculated against the multiplication of the defensive statistics and the HP statistics. If you are looking to invest the majority of your EVs into defensive statistics so that your Pokémon is able to take big hits you will want to try to match the defense, special defense and HP statistics as best you can. Therefore, If your Pokémon has a high base HP, and lower defensive statistics, raise the defensive statistics. If your Pokémon has a low base HP but has high base defensive statistics, raise HP.
Lapras has a relatively high base HP statistic of 130, while its base defense statistic is 80 and special defense is 95. Lapras would gain best results from a special defense beneficial nature and EVs invested into both the defense and special defense statistics.
Cloyster has a poor base HP of 50. It’s defense statistic is 180 and its special defense statistic is only 45. Use the nature to increase the defense statistic and invest EVs heavily into HP and special defense.
You may also decide that it is best to maximise just one of the defensive statistics of a Pokémon with the intention of keeping the Pokémon away from either physical or special attacks and sponging the effect of the other. This is put to good effect on a Pokémon such as Drifblim, who is more likely to take special attacks and less likely to take physical attacks due to immunities. Drifblim already has a high base HP so using the nature to increase special defense and investing maximum EVs in special defense too will allow Drifblim to switch in well to special attacks and also have a respectable survivability.
Glossary
EV -Effort Value
EP -Effort Point
IV - Individual Value
EXP - Experience
HP - Hit Points
INT - Integer
Links
Try the links below to help you learn more before deciding on your final EV spreads.
Maximise Your Chances Of Winning
Effectively Apply EVs
Damage Formula
Maximising Defenses
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