Pokémon GO is one of the most complete works of the famous Nintendo saga. Niantic has managed to bring together all existing generations of Pokémon . So you have infinite possibilities at your fingertips when it comes to creating a team, although to get out of the fights it is not only enough to have the apparently strongest, but there are somewhat hidden elements that you must take into account.
We speak of the so-called IV. A term that game lovers will know in a certain way, but there are many who are unaware of its purpose, which is of interest if you want to get the best creatures to devastate the battlefield.
It is common to think that the Combat Points or CP are decisive when it comes to knowing if a Pokémon is better than another, although there are several factors that affect this issue and that are more important. Like any other installment in the saga, the creatures have their own statistics. The problem is that Pokémon GO does not expose them in such a clarifying way, so we are going to explain everything about IVs so that you become a Pokéexpert.
What are IVs in Pokémon
IVs (Individual Values) refer to the Pokémon’s genetics so to speak. It is a component that appeared many years ago and that over time has gained importance, especially in the competitive section. However, these do not work in the same way as in the classic installments, since Pokémon GO has remodeled the system.
In the virtual reality game for smartphones, each Pokémon has three characteristics: Attack, Defense and PS (Health Points) . Each one of them has a hidden value that goes from 0 to 15 and that sets the power that it will reach when it reaches the maximum possible level, with 45 being the maximum total figure. It should be noted that these do not follow any pattern and are therefore completely random when capturing.
What is the use of knowing the IV
Knowing the IV of a Pokémon is of vital importance to win all battles . Mainly, because the potential they have within their reach is greater in every way. In such a way that in a fight they can make a difference, although with an example the situation is more understandable.
Let’s say you have two Snorlax in your collection. One of them has 2000 CP and the other only 1000 CP. A priori it is obvious to think that the first is the strongest, but nothing is further from the truth. In the event that the second one boasts higher IVs, it will mean that the abilities of this Pokémon are much broader , so it will enjoy greater power when improving it to the maximum.
The IVs directly influence the Combat Points, since it does not matter if the latter are very high, since, if the Pokémon’s IVs are very poor, it will be a weak creature as a consequence. In short, being aware of IVs in Pokémon GO is relevant to obtaining a Pokémon that is capable of destroying everything.
Calculate the IV of your Pokémon
Knowing the IV in Pokémon GO for sure is possible and you even have two ways to do it. Before going into depth on each of them, it is important to point out again that each stat (Attack, Defense and HP) has a maximum potential of 15, so a perfect Pokémon would be one that manages to reach 45 IV in its entirety. , though this is something we’ll talk about later. Here’s how to calculate your team’s IVs yourself so you know who’s totally worth it.
In Pokémon GO
Deciphering the IVs in the Pokémon GO application for your mobile is relatively simple. To do this, you just have to start the game and touch the Poké Ball that appears in the lower area that displays a menu of options. Then, tap on “Pokémon” to access your collection and tap on the one you want to evaluate. Select the three horizontal lines at the bottom right and choose the “Rate” function.
At this moment, the leader of the team you chose at the beginning will appear to comment on the status of the Pokémon along with a star score and a graphic bar for each stat that at its top translates into 15 IV. Also, the stars indicate the total amount of IV of a creature and works according to the following parameter:
- 0 stars: 0 – 22 IV
- 1 star: 23 – 29 IV
- 2 stars: 30 – 36 IV
- 3 stars: 37 – 44 IV
- 3 stars with a pink background: 45 IV
In this way you will be able to roughly guess what the potential of your Pokémon is, although to know it exactly you only have to look at the Attack, Defense and PS bars. In the following image courtesy of Pokémon GO Hub you can check precisely how many IVs the bar corresponds to, although we already told you that each segment is 5 IVs.
With third-party apps
Another alternative is to use IV calculators as applications. These programs are very useful for Pokémon GO players, since they guarantee more detailed information about it. In addition, it is important to point out that they are completely legal and that you cannot be banned for using them.
These kinds of systems can learn a Pokémon’s IV even before proceeding with its capture . An interesting aspect because the game does not provide this data in advance, so it is important that you know about the existence of three of the best apps to calculate IVs in Pokémon GO.
- Calcy IV
It is probably the most widespread option among the Pokémon GO player community. Calcy IV is only available for Android and it includes an infinite number of options not only to know instantly the IV of your Pokémon, but also to analyze the creature in the middle of a wild encounter. A small tab will appear on the left side of the screen with the approximate IV percentage. Additionally, once captured it displays more specific information and also allows you to simulate battles to witness the potential for yourself as well as the proper move set.
- poké genie
This application has an IV calculator, although it doesn’t show data as specific as the previous one and it doesn’t allow you to anticipate it before capturing the Pokémon. Although it is true that it is a more collaborative app that will help you coordinate with other players to carry out raids remotely, so it all depends on your preferences. The good thing is that it is compatible with Android and iPhone devices.
- The Silph Road IV Calculator
If you don’t want to download absolutely anything on your phone due to lack of space, our recommendation is to go to The Silph Road website , where just by manually entering the statistics of a Pokémon, it will provide you with everything you want to know about IVs. In the same way as the previous one, it is not as complete as Calcy IV, but it is an alternative that you should take into account as it does not take up storage.
Get the perfect Pokémon in Pokémon GO
Having a perfect Pokémon in Pokémon GO means that all its IVs are in the maximum possible range, that is, both Attack, Defense and Health have 15 points. Therefore, a Pokémon that meets this condition is one that has 45 IV , or, to put it another way, one whose in-game rating reaches the cap on each bar.
This is extremely difficult to achieve, since witnessing the three stars appear with the pink background perceives a probability of 1 in 4,096 , which results in 0.0244%. A figure that shows the difficulty in obtaining it. Of course, other factors must be taken into account, since elements such as the weather or the Eggs directly affect this probability. At the end of the day, the simplest method is to keep capturing and taking advantage of events or other things of interest that increase your options. Surely sooner or later you end up with one.
