How To Train Your Pokémon: IVs
What Are IVs?
Have you ever wondered why Pokémon of the same species and level could have different stats? While multiple factors are in play, perhaps the most prominent is Individual Values (IVs). IVs are a set of values between 0 and 31 that are assigned to each of your Pokémon’s six stats.
These values are assigned by the game behind the scenes upon capturing or hatching the Pokémon from an egg. IVs are important because they determine the maximum potential value of each stat for a fully trained Pokémon. If you want your Pokémon to be strong, you’ll want to ensure it has the best IVs possible.
How to check your Pokémon’s IVs
Normally, IVs values are hidden. However, a feature in Scarlet and Violet provides hints on what these values could be. To check your Pokémon’s IVs, first complete the main storyline in Pokémon Scarlet or Violet. Once the credits roll, speak to the nurse at any Pokémon Center to unlock the Judge function.
Once unlocked, simply open your box, hover over the Pokémon you want to check, and press the + button. While the Judge function won’t give an exact number of IVs, it will provide a description next to each stat that correlates to a range of possible IVs.
| Description | IV Range |
|---|---|
Best | 31 |
Fantastic | 30 |
Very Good | 26-29 |
Pretty Good | 16-25 |
Decent | 1-15 |
No Good | 0 |
Most of the time, you’ll want your Pokémon to have a “Best” or 31 IV in every stat. Below are two exceptions:
- Attack stat on Pokémon using only Special Attacks in its move set - If the Pokémon isn’t using physical attacks, having 0 IVs in Attack is beneficial because if your Pokémon is confused, it will reduce the damage taken from hurting itself in confusion.
- Speed stat when building a team that uses a Trick Room strategy - This strategy revolves around using the move Trick Room to let slower Pokémon move first in battle. The slower your Pokémon are, the more likely they will move first when Trick Room is active. Therefore, a 0 IV Speed stat is preferred.
How To Train or Breed Desirable IVs
Because IVs are randomly assigned to a Pokémon, you’re unlikely to find one with great IVs in the wild. Thankfully, there are two methods you can take advantage of to get the IVs you desire.
Hyper Training
The quickest and easiest way to ensure a perfect 31 IV is to Hyper Train your Pokémon. Hyper training requires the use of items called Bottle Caps. The chart below details the two different types of bottle caps and their location in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
| Item | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
Bottle Cap | Item to exchange for Hyper Training. Used to maximize the IV of a single stat | Delibird Presents (must first obtain at least 6 gym badges), Academy Ace Tournament, Porto Marinada Auction House, Tera Raid Battles, Pickup Ability |
Gold Bottle Cap | Item to exchange for Hyper Training. Used to maximize the IVs of all stats at once | Delibird Presents (must first obtain at least 6 gym badges), Academy Ace Tournament, Porto Marinada Auction House, Tera Raid Battles, Pickup Ability |
With Bottle Caps in your inventory, fly to Montenevera and locate the man standing beside an 
Abomasnow near the Pokémon Center. He will offer to Hyper Train your Pokémon in exchange for Bottle Caps. You can offer him a standard Bottle Cap to train one stat, or a Gold Bottle Cap to train all six simultaneously.
When your training is complete, look at your IVs using the judge function. Any stat with “Hyper Trained” next to it indicates it was successfully Hyper Trained and is now a perfect 31.
Breeding
Breeding is a staple for players looking to create competitively viable Pokémon with perfect IVs. IVs are passed down from parent to child Pokémon through breeding.
This means you can take two compatible Pokémon with perfect IVs in different stats and breed them to hatch an egg containing a Pokémon with a combination of those perfect IVs. A newly hatched Pokémon will normally inherit three random IVs from the combined 12 IVs of the parents. The other three IVs are generated at random.
However, the specific IVs passed down can be controlled through the use of held items. If you wish to pass down a specific IV, the Power Items - Power Weight (HP), Power Bracer (Attack), Power Belt (Defense), Power Lens (Special Attack), Power Band (Special Defense), and Power Anklet (Speed) - will pass down the corresponding IV of the parent holding the item without fail.
| Item | Stat Passed Down | Location |
|---|---|---|
Power Weight | HP | Delibird Presents |
Power Band | Attack | Delibird Presents |
Power Belt | Defense | Delibird Presents |
Power Lens | Special Attack | Delibird Presents |
Power Bracer | Special Defense | Delibird Presents |
Power Anklet | Speed | Delibird Presents |
The Destiny Knot is another fantastic item to have when breeding for IVs. When held by either parent it will increase the number of random IVs passed down by both parent Pokémon - from three to five. The final IV will be generated at random. A good strategy for breeding involves continuously swapping out one of the parents with a child that has more perfect IVs. Keep at it and you may be lucky enough to hatch a Pokémon with six perfect IVs!
| Item | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|
Destiny Knot | Increases number of IVs passed down from three to five | Delibird Presents |
Breeding allows you to pass down more than just IVs. Moves, Natures, and PokeBall types can all be passed down through breeding. You can even increase the odds of hatching a shiny Pokémon by breeding 2 Pokémon from different geographical regions!
How are IVs different from EVs?
While they sound similar to each other, IVs (Individual Values) and EVs (Effort Values) relate to different aspects of a Pokémon. Think of IVs as the potential a Pokémon is born with and EVs as the training it puts in. With EV training, you can choose which stats to boost to give your Pokémon an edge in battle. To learn more about EVs, check out our companion EV training guide on Dittobase.