Does Pokémon GO Appraisal Mean Anything? A Deep Dive
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Yes, absolutely! The Pokémon GO appraisal system is a crucial tool for trainers. It provides valuable insights into a Pokémon’s potential, helping you determine which ones are worth investing resources in for battles, raids, and overall gameplay. Without it, you’d be flying blind, relying solely on Combat Power (CP) which is a flawed indicator of a Pokémon’s true strength. Appraisal offers a far more detailed picture. It allows Trainers to learn about a Pokémon’s attack, defense and stamina capabilities and helps determine which of their Pokémon has the most potential for battle.
Understanding the Appraisal System
The appraisal system in Pokémon GO involves your team leader (Candela for Valor, Blanche for Mystic, and Spark for Instinct) giving you feedback on your Pokémon. This isn’t just fluff; it’s a coded message revealing essential information about your Pokémon’s Individual Values (IVs).
Individual Values (IVs): The Hidden Potential
Think of IVs as a Pokémon’s genetic predisposition. Each Pokémon has three IV stats:
- Attack: Determines how much damage your Pokémon deals with its moves.
- Defense: Determines how much damage your Pokémon takes from opponent attacks.
- HP (Hit Points or Stamina): Determines your Pokémon’s health, or how much damage it can withstand.
Each of these IVs can range from 0 to 15. A Pokémon with perfect IVs (15/15/15) is, theoretically, the strongest it can be within its species. This means at maximum level, it will have the highest possible CP and stats compared to another Pokémon of the same species with lower IVs.
Interpreting the Appraisal
Your team leader provides feedback on your Pokémon’s overall potential using a star rating system:
- 0 Stars: Low potential. IVs are likely not very high.
- 1 Star: Decent potential. A step up, but still may not be ideal for serious battling.
- 2 Stars: Good potential. Worth considering for investment, especially if you lack better options.
- 3 Stars: Great potential. These are your top candidates for powering up and evolving. A three-star Pokémon is generally considered a strong contender for battles.
- Red Stamp (above 3 Stars): Perfect IVs (15/15/15). This is the holy grail of Pokémon GO appraisals!
Beyond Stars: The Detailed Stats
Beyond the star rating, your team leader will also provide specific feedback on the Attack, Defense, and HP stats. They’ll use phrases to indicate the level of each IV. While the exact phrasing varies slightly depending on your team leader, it typically follows this pattern:
- 0-7 IV: Low rating. Not ideal for battling.
- 8-12 IV: Mid rating. Usable, but not exceptional.
- 13-14 IV: High rating. Good potential for battling.
- 15 IV: Perfect rating. The best possible value for that stat.
The bars displayed alongside the appraisal represent the IV values, with each bar representing a certain range of IVs. These visual aids help you quickly assess the strength of each stat. A perfect IV Pokémon will have filled bars for Attack, Defense, and HP.
Why IVs Matter
While CP is a readily visible measure of a Pokémon’s strength, it’s not the whole story. CP is influenced by a Pokémon’s level and its IVs. However, IVs represent the potential of a Pokémon.
- Long-Term Investment: If you plan to invest a significant amount of Stardust and Candy into powering up a Pokémon, you want to ensure you’re investing in one with good IVs. A low-IV Pokémon will never reach the same potential as a high-IV one, even if you max out its CP.
- Competitive Battling: In raids, gym battles, and especially in Pokémon GO’s PvP (Trainer Battles), even small differences in stats can be crucial. A Pokémon with perfect IVs can give you a significant edge over opponents.
- Resource Management: Stardust and Candy are valuable resources. Using the appraisal system helps you make informed decisions about which Pokémon to invest in, avoiding wasting resources on those with limited potential.
Prioritizing CP vs. IVs: A Balancing Act
While high IVs are desirable, it’s important to balance them with CP, especially early in the game.
- Early Game: When you are leveling up quickly, prioritize Pokémon with high CP for immediate battle needs. You can always catch Pokémon with better IVs later.
- Mid Game: Start paying more attention to IVs. Focus on building a team of Pokémon with good IVs that you can gradually power up.
- End Game: IVs become paramount. Your goal should be to assemble a team of Pokémon with the best possible IVs for competitive battling.
Shadow vs. Purified Pokémon: How Appraisal Plays a Role
Shadow Pokémon have a significant attack boost but take more damage. Purifying a Shadow Pokémon increases its IVs but removes the attack boost. Appraisal is key here:
- Shadow Pokémon with good IVs: If a Shadow Pokémon has decent IVs, it’s often worth keeping as a Shadow due to the attack boost.
- Shadow Pokémon with low IVs: Purifying a Shadow Pokémon with low IVs can bring it up to a more respectable level, potentially making it a better option. The appraisal system is a critical resource in making this determination.
- Purified Pokémon Appraisal Boost: Purified Pokemon will have better Appraisal and receive 2 points towards all their IVs. This can potentially bring a 2-star Shadow Pokemon to a 3-star if it’s purified.
Appraisal and Shiny Pokémon
Shiny Pokémon are purely cosmetic variations. They have no inherent stat advantages. However, a shiny Pokémon with good IVs is a prized possession! The appraisal system is still essential for determining the IVs of your shiny Pokémon.
The Role of Websites and Apps in Appraisal
While the in-game appraisal system is helpful, many players use third-party websites or apps (like IV calculators) to get a more precise understanding of their Pokémon’s IVs. These tools take the team leader’s appraisal phrases and translate them into specific IV values. It’s important to note that using these external tools may violate the Terms of Service of Pokémon GO, so it’s recommended to use them with caution.
Ultimately, the Pokémon GO appraisal system is an indispensable tool for any serious player. By understanding how it works and how to interpret the feedback from your team leader, you can make informed decisions about which Pokémon to invest in and build a strong, competitive team. Remember to also check out the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org for more insights into game mechanics and strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about the Pokémon GO appraisal system:
1. What is the point of appraisal in Pokemon GO?
Pokémon appraisal allows Trainers to learn about a Pokémon’s attack, defense and stamina capabilities from their Team Leader and helps determine which of their Pokémon has the most potential for battle.
2. Do I keep Pokemon with high CP or appraisal?
In general, you want higher CP Pokémon to evolve over lower CP Pokémon, but just because a Pokémon has a high CP doesn’t mean it’s actually very good. It pays to keep and evolve only the best Pokémon you find. A higher CP with a strong appraisal is always ideal.
3. What does a 3-star appraisal mean in Pokemon GO?
The team leader will tell you how your Pokémon ranks using stars and a graphic. A three-star Pokémon has great potential, with IVs generally between 80-100% perfect. If your Pokémon has three stars and a red stamp, it means that it has 100% perfect IVs. If it has three stars with an orange stamp, it has around 80-99% perfect IVs.
4. How rare is a perfect appraisal Pokemon GO?
Finding a Pokemon with perfect IVs is very rare. Pokemon Go players can easily catch more than 1,000 without coming across one. The chance to get a 100% IV (15/15/15) Pokémon in Pokémon GO is 1/4096, or in percentage, 0.0244%.
5. Are 0-star Pokemon worth keeping?
If players don’t have another Pokemon of the same species, it may be worth holding onto the 0-star until it can be replaced by one with a better Appraisal. A fully 0% IV Pokemon is extremely rare, even when compared to their 4-star/Perfect IV counterparts, so players may want to keep it just for the rarity.
6. Is CP or stars more important?
Rating stars represent the potential, and CP represents the current state. If you power up a Pokemon with 3 stats to the same level as a 0 star Pokemon of the same species, the 3 star one will have more CP. Usually CP is your best indicator of your strongest fighters, but potential is crucial for long-term investment.
7. Should I purify Shadow Pokemon?
Shadow Pokemon cost 20% more Candy and Stardust to Power Up, Evolve or to learn a new Charged Move. Purified Pokemon will have better Appraisal and receive 2 points towards all their IVs. This can potentially bring a 2-star Shadow Pokemon to a 3-star if it’s purified. Carefully consider whether you value the attack boost or the improved IVs.
8. Does IV or CP matter more?
IVs show a Pokemon’s potential within their own species. A perfect IV Pokemon, when fully levelled up, will be as powerful as that particular species can be. On the other hand, a high CP will show power in terms of an absolute score but might be on the lower end of the potential spectrum. IVs matter more for long-term potential.
9. Should I appraise Pokémon before evolving?
Yes! Always appraise before evolving. This ensures you’re not wasting resources on a Pokémon with poor IVs. Pokemon will learn new moves when they evolve, so Pokemon with event only moves will lose them, such as Pikachus that know Surf.
10. Is it better to evolve higher CP or IV Pokemon?
CP you can change by powering up the Pokemon, IVs cannot be changed, so higher IVs always have priority over high CP. The most ideal situation would be both, of course. Higher IVs will naturally give you a higher CP pokemon once it’s fully evolved and powered up.
11. Should I get rid of low CP Pokémon?
Low CP pokemon are useless as you will catch higher ones soon enough as you level more. Generally, tossing low CP Pokémon is a good way to manage your inventory.
12. Should you evolve a 3-star Pokemon?
If a Pokemon GO trainer receives a Pokemon that appraises with three red bars and a red three-star stamp, they’ll want to keep the Pokemon. This particular appraisal means the Pokemon has perfect IVs, and its stat growth will be maximized as it powers up and evolves. Evolving a 3-star with a good moveset is usually a good choice.
13. Can you change a Pokemon’s star rating?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to increase or change a Pokemon’s IVs once it’s been caught, thus you can not change the star rating of a Pokémon.
14. Is there a benefit to not purifying Pokemon?
The attack power of a Shadow Pokemon is boosted by 1.2x or 20%, making its fast attack hit significantly harder. This can make them valuable in certain situations, despite taking more damage.
15. Does CP matter when evolving?
A species’ CP will also increase when it evolves. This is because evolved forms tend to have higher base stats, indicating a more powerful Pokemon, which is essentially what CP shows. CP can be increased by powering up a Pokemon with Stardust and Candy.