Greetings, Trainers! Have you ever watched a VGC championship and wondered how those Pokémon are so incredibly powerful and fast? The secret lies beyond just leveling up. It’s in the hidden mechanics of competitive training.
Transforming a freshly caught Pokémon into a finely tuned competitive battler might seem like a monumental task, but in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, it’s more accessible than ever. This guide will walk you through every step, from understanding a Pokémon’s potential to maxing out its stats for battle. Let’s begin!
Introduction: What Makes a Pokémon “Competitive”?
When you look at your Pokémon’s summary, you see its level, stats, and Nature. But beneath the surface lie two critical sets of hidden values that determine its ultimate potential: Individual Values (IVs) and Effort Values (EVs). Mastering these is the foundation of building any competitive Pokémon.
- Individual Values (IVs): Think of these as a Pokémon’s genes. Every Pokémon has an IV for each of its six stats (HP, Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, and Speed), ranging from 0 to 31. A higher IV means a higher stat potential.
- Effort Values (EVs): These are “training points” a Pokémon earns by battling or consuming specific items. You can strategically invest EVs to boost the stats that matter most for your chosen strategy.
Combined with the right Nature and Ability, these values allow you to customize your Pokémon for a specific role on your team.
The Three Pillars of Power: IVs, EVs, and Natures
Before you start training, you need a plan. What role will your Pokémon play? Is it a fast attacker, a bulky defender, or a strategic supporter? Your answer determines how you’ll approach these three pillars.
1. Natures: Setting the Foundation
A Pokémon’s Nature provides a 10% boost to one stat while decreasing another by 10% (some Natures are neutral). This is a crucial and easy-to-control aspect of your Pokémon’s build.
- For Attackers: You’ll typically want a Nature that boosts Attack (Adamant) or Special Attack (Modest) for slower, powerful Pokémon, or one that boosts Speed (Jolly for physical, Timid for special) for fast sweepers.
- For Defenders: Natures like Bold (Defense+) or Calm (Sp. Def+) are excellent for making your Pokémon as resilient as possible.
Pro-Tip: Don’t worry if your Pokémon has the wrong Nature! You can use mints purchased from Chansey Supply stores to change the stat modifiers to match your desired Nature. An Adamant Mint will make your Pokémon’s stats grow as if it had an Adamant Nature, even though its summary page will still show the original.
2. Individual Values (IVs): Unlocking Genetic Potential
For most competitive Pokémon, the goal is to have a “Best” (31) IV in every important stat. For special attackers, a “No Good” (0) IV in Attack is ideal to minimize damage from confusion and the move Foul Play. Similarly, for slow Pokémon on Trick Room teams, a 0 Speed IV is desirable.
How to Check IVs: After beating the main story, you unlock the “Judge” function in your Pokémon Boxes.
How to Maximize IVs (Hyper Training): In Montenevera, you’ll find an NPC near the Pokémon Center with an Abomasnow. If your Pokémon is Level 50 or higher, you can give this NPC Bottle Caps to max out its IVs.
- Bottle Cap: Maxes out the IV of a single stat.
- Gold Bottle Cap: Maxes out the IVs of all six stats at once!
This process is called Hyper Training and is the key to making any Pokémon, even a shiny one you’ve grown attached to, competitively viable.
3. Effort Values (EVs): The Art of Training
EVs are where your customization truly shines. A Pokémon can have a maximum of 510 EVs total, with a cap of 252 EVs in any single stat. At Level 50 (the standard for VGC), every 4 EVs in a stat equals one extra stat point.
The most common EV training spread is 252 / 252 / 4 — maxing out two key stats (like Speed and Attack) and putting the remainder in a third (like HP).
How to EV Train in Paldea:
- Vitamins: The fastest method. Items like HP Up, Protein, and Carbos each give 10 EVs to their corresponding stat. You can buy them at Chansey Supply stores. To max a stat, you’ll need 26 of the appropriate vitamin.
- Feathers: Found as sparkling items on the ground, these give 1 EV each. They are perfect for fine-tuning your EV spread.
- Power Items: When a Pokémon holds a Power Item (e.g., Power Weight, Power Lens), it gains an extra 8 EVs in that item’s specific stat for every Pokémon it defeats. This is a great way to train if you’re low on cash.
- Battling Pokémon: Every Pokémon you defeat yields EVs in specific stats. For example, defeating a Lechonk gives HP EVs, while defeating a Fletchling gives Speed EVs.
Resetting EVs: Made a mistake? No problem. Berries like the Pomeg Berry (lowers HP EVs) or Kelpsy Berry (lowers Attack EVs) can be used to reset your stats. You can also use the Mochi items from the Teal Mask DLC for a full or partial reset.
A Step-by-Step Training Walkthrough
Let’s put it all together! Here’s the streamlined process for training a competitive Pokémon from scratch.
- Obtain the Pokémon: Catch it in the wild, hatch it from an egg, or get it from a Tera Raid.
- Set the Ability: Use an Ability Capsule to switch between its standard abilities or a rare Ability Patch (from high-level Tera Raids) to unlock its Hidden Ability.
- Fix the Nature: Use a mint corresponding to the Nature you need (e.g., a Modest Mint for a special attacker).
- EV Train:
- The Fast Way: Feed your Pokémon 26 vitamins for each of the two stats you want to max (e.g., 26 Protein, 26 Carbos). Then, use one more vitamin (e.g., HP Up) for the final 4 EVs.
- The Budget Way: Equip a Power Item and battle wild Pokémon that give the EVs you need.
- Level Up: Use EXP Candies or Lucky Eggs to get your Pokémon to at least Level 50.
- Hyper Train the IVs: Fly to Montenevera and use Bottle Caps to max out the IVs for its important stats.
- Teach It Moves: Use TMs, move tutors, or Mirror Herbs to get your desired moveset. Don’t forget to consider Egg Moves!
Trainer’s Final Thoughts
And that’s it! Your Pokémon is now a competitive powerhouse, ready for Link Battles and official tournaments. The process of EV training and IV training (Hyper Training) is the true endgame of Pokémon, allowing for infinite strategic depth and creativity.
While the numbers can seem intimidating at first, the tools Scarlet & Violet provide—like vitamins, mints, and bottle caps—make it incredibly straightforward. So pick your favorite Pokémon, give it the training it deserves, and show the world what you can do. Good luck, Trainer