Do Pokémon Go IVs Change When Traded? A Comprehensive Guide
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Yes, absolutely! In Pokémon Go, when you trade a Pokémon, its Individual Values (IVs) are re-rolled. This means the Pokémon you carefully caught with near-perfect stats might end up with completely different ones after the trade. The game does show you a range of potential IVs on the trade screen before you confirm, allowing you to assess the possible outcomes. However, the exact IVs are only revealed after the trade is complete. This mechanic is designed to encourage social interaction and prevent players from simply trading perfect Pokémon back and forth. This process makes trading more interesting and adds an element of risk and reward.
Understanding Pokémon Go IVs
Before diving deeper into the intricacies of trading and IVs, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page about what IVs actually are. IVs are hidden stats that affect a Pokémon’s overall power. Each Pokémon has three IV stats: Attack, Defense, and HP (Hit Points). Each of these stats can range from 0 to 15. These values are fixed for each Pokémon upon capture or hatching and contribute to its Combat Power (CP).
A Pokémon with high IVs will generally be stronger than the same Pokémon with low IVs, even if their base stats and levels are the same. Therefore, dedicated players often seek out Pokémon with the highest possible IVs, often referred to as “perfect IVs” or “4* Pokémon“. The pursuit of perfect IV Pokémon is a significant part of the end-game experience for many Pokémon Go players.
The Trade Mechanic and IV Reroll
The core mechanic of IV re-rolling during trading is a crucial aspect of the Pokémon Go experience. When you initiate a trade with another player, the game doesn’t simply transfer the Pokémon and its original IVs. Instead, it generates new IVs for the Pokémon based on a few factors:
- Friendship Level: The higher your friendship level with the trading partner, the better the minimum IVs the Pokémon is guaranteed to have. This encourages players to build strong relationships within the game.
- Randomization: Even with a high friendship level, there’s still a degree of randomness involved. The IVs are not fixed; instead, they fall within a certain range based on the friendship bonus.
- Guaranteed Minimum: At best friend level, the IV floor is 5/5/5.
This re-rolling ensures that trading doesn’t become an easy way to create an army of perfect Pokémon. It promotes social interaction, as high friendship levels improve the chances of a favorable re-roll.
Why Do IVs Change?
The IV change upon trading is implemented for several key reasons:
- Preventing Abuse: Trading a 100% IV Pokémon to another player who then trades it back would allow for easy duplication of perfect Pokémon, undermining the rarity and value of finding one.
- Encouraging Social Play: The IV floor being tied to friendship levels incentivizes players to interact with each other regularly.
- Adding an Element of Chance: The randomization makes trading more exciting and unpredictable. You never truly know what you’re going to get.
Trading and Lucky Pokémon
Lucky Pokémon are a special type of Pokémon that require less Stardust to power up. While trading isn’t the only way to get a Lucky Pokémon, it’s a common method. The IVs of Lucky Pokémon are also rerolled, but with a higher IV floor (12/12/12). This means that while you’re guaranteed a decent IV Pokémon, it’s still not guaranteed to be perfect.
The trade mechanic becomes even more interesting when combined with the Lucky Pokémon mechanic. Lucky Pokémon are guaranteed to have higher IVs, so trading can become a calculated gamble to try and get a powerful Lucky Pokémon.
FAQs: Diving Deeper into Pokémon Go IVs and Trading
Here are some frequently asked questions about Pokémon Go IVs and trading to give you a more complete picture.
1. What happens if you trade a 100% IV Pokémon?
As mentioned earlier, the IVs are re-rolled. Trading a 100% IV Pokémon does not guarantee the recipient will receive a 100% IV Pokémon. It’s highly likely that the IVs will decrease, and the Pokémon might become significantly weaker.
2. Can you increase Pokémon GO IVs?
Generally, no. Once a Pokémon’s IVs are set upon capture or hatching, they cannot be directly increased. The exception is purifying Shadow Pokémon, which grants +2 to each IV stat. Trading itself doesn’t increase IVs, but it replaces them.
3. Are trade IVs random?
Yes and no. While there is a random element involved in the IV reroll, the range is influenced by your friendship level with the trading partner. Higher friendship means a higher minimum IV floor.
4. How rare is a perfect IV Pokémon in Pokémon Go?
The base chance of encountering a perfect IV Pokémon in the wild is approximately 1 in 4,096 (0.0244%). This chance improves with weather boost (1 in 1,728). Hatched Pokémon, raid Pokémon, and research breakthrough Pokémon have higher minimum IV floors.
5. Is a 0% IV Pokémon rare?
Yes, a 0% IV Pokémon is extremely rare, even more so than a perfect IV Pokémon. The odds of finding one are very low.
6. Should you evolve a 3-star Pokémon?
It depends. A 3-star Pokémon can be a good candidate for evolution. The new rating system is just a new display method, all of the data is unchanged. If you get a three-star with an orange stamp, it has around 80-99% perfect IVs. If it’s a three-star Pokémon with a red stamp, it has 100% perfect IVs. A 3-star Pokémon with high IVs is generally worth evolving and powering up.
7. Should I purify Shadow Pokémon?
Purifying Shadow Pokémon gives them +2 to each IV stat. Whether you should do it depends on your priorities. Shadow Pokémon deal more damage, but take more damage. If you want a generally strong Pokémon, purify for increased IVs. Purified Pokemon also cost 20% less Candy and Stardust to Power Up, Evolve or to learn a new Charged Move.
8. How do you get perfect IV Pokémon?
There’s no guaranteed way. Hatching eggs, doing Raids, and completing Research Breakthroughs offer higher minimum IVs compared to wild encounters. Trading is not a reliable method for obtaining perfect IV Pokémon.
9. Which is more important, IV or CP?
Both are important, but in different ways. CP (Combat Power) is a quick measure of a Pokémon’s strength at its current level. IVs determine its potential strength when fully leveled up. If you’re just starting the game and need strong Pokémon quickly, CP might be more immediately useful. However, for long-term investment, focus on Pokémon with high IVs.
10. What are the odds of getting a 6 IV Pokémon?
This question is more relevant to the main series Pokémon games. In Pokémon Go, IVs range from 0-15.
11. How do you guarantee a lucky trade?
The easiest way to guarantee a Lucky Trade is to become Lucky Friends with another trainer. This happens randomly when you reach Best Friends level.
12. What’s the best Pokémon to make lucky?
There’s no single “best” Pokémon. A good candidate is a strong legendary Pokémon or a Pokémon with a useful moveset for raids or PvP (Player vs. Player battles).
13. What is the rarest shiny in Pokémon Go?
The rarest shinies in Pokémon Go are often event-exclusive or regional Pokémon. Certain Unown forms and other limited-time shinies are highly sought after.
14. How rare is a 6 IV shiny Pokémon?
Again, Pokémon Go doesn’t use the “6 IV” system as the main series games do.
15. Are Shinies rarer than Legendaries?
Yes, generally speaking, shinies are rarer than legendaries in Pokémon Go. The base shiny rate is typically around 1 in 500, while legendaries have a much higher encounter rate during raid events.
Strategic Trading: Making the Most of the Reroll
Even with the IV reroll, trading can still be a valuable strategy. Here’s how to make the most of it:
- Trade with Best Friends: Prioritize trading with Best Friends to maximize the IV floor.
- Trade for Pokémon you Need: Focus on trading for Pokémon that you need to fill out your Pokédex or power up for raids or PvP.
- Consider Lucky Pokémon: Aim for Lucky Trades to potentially get Pokémon with better IVs and reduced stardust costs.
- Don’t Trade Perfect Pokémon: Unless you’re willing to gamble, it’s generally best to avoid trading your perfect or near-perfect IV Pokémon.
Connecting Trading to Learning and Socialization
The trade system in Pokémon Go promotes learning and socialization. Trading allows players to come together and form relationships and friendships. The mechanics of the game require the player to learn about IV values and friendship levels in order to get the most powerful Pokémon. The Games Learning Society examines how games can be a tool for learning. Check out GamesLearningSociety.org to learn more.
Conclusion
While the IV reroll mechanic in Pokémon Go might seem frustrating at first, it’s a vital component of the game’s social and economic dynamics. It prevents the easy duplication of perfect Pokémon, encourages social interaction, and adds an element of chance and excitement to the trading experience. So, next time you’re about to trade a Pokémon, remember to consider the risks and rewards involved and make the most of this unique feature. Happy trading, trainers!