How Do You Know When You’ve Maxed Out EVs in Pokémon?
Knowing when your Pokémon’s Effort Values (EVs) are maxed out is crucial for competitive battling and optimizing your team’s performance. Maxing out EVs is essential for getting the most out of your Pokémon’s stats. So, how exactly do you know when you’ve hit that sweet spot? The answer depends somewhat on the specific Pokémon game you’re playing, but there are some key consistent methods.
The most straightforward and universal indication that you’ve maxed out your Pokémon’s EVs is that a single stat will have sparkles around its name in the summary screen. This visual cue appears once a stat has reached its maximum EV investment of 252. However, there are other more traditional methods that can also be used, especially in older games. In the older generation games, you can find non-player characters (NPCs) in some Pokemon Centers or other locations, who give you an item after having all 510 EVs. Let’s delve into the methods used to verify maxed-out EVs.
Checking for Maxed EVs
1. The Effort Ribbon Method (Older Games)
In older titles like Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, a specific NPC (often found near the Seal Seller in Sunyshore City) will give your Pokémon an Effort Ribbon if they have accumulated the maximum 510 EVs across all their stats. If you do not have 510 EVs, you will not get the ribbon. This is a simple way to check if you have maxed out all EVs, but it doesn’t tell you which stats are maxed. If you have maxed the stat, the NPC will respond with the phrase “It seems that [Pokemon] cannot grow any more” and they won’t get the Effort Ribbon.
2. The Vitamin Test (Older Games)
Another older method is to use vitamins like Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, Carbos, and HP Up. Each vitamin will raise a specific stat’s EVs by 10. If your Pokémon consumes a vitamin, it means that the corresponding stat’s EVs are not yet maxed. However, once you try to use a vitamin on a stat that has already reached its EV maximum, a message will appear stating that the Pokémon “cannot gain any more for this stat.” This method allows you to test each individual stat.
3. The Sparkle Indicator (Modern Games)
In newer Pokémon games like Scarlet and Violet and even in previous generations, the most common way to see which stats have maxed out EVs is to check your Pokémon’s Summary screen. Navigate to the stat screen, and if a specific stat has its name surrounded by a sparkling effect, it indicates that you’ve maxed out that stat’s EVs at 252. Each stat can gain a maximum of 252 EVs, and a Pokemon can only gain a total of 510 EVs across all of its stats. This makes it possible to fully train two stats per Pokémon, but not all of the stats.
4. The Graph Display (Modern Games)
Pressing the “Y” button on the Summary screen in modern titles will display a graph showing how much effort your Pokémon has put into each stat. This orange graph looks very similar to the one used in Super Training and makes it easier to visualize the EV distribution of each stat and determine how close to maxed you are.
Key Points to Remember
- Max Total EVs: A Pokémon can only accumulate a total of 510 EVs.
- Max per Stat: Each individual stat can only hold a maximum of 252 EVs.
- Sparkling Names: Stats surrounded by sparkles are maxed at 252 EVs.
- No Level Requirement: EVs are applied regardless of level, so you can train EVs from level 1.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Do EVs matter after Level 100?
Yes, absolutely. EVs have an effect on a Pokemon’s stats regardless of its level. Whether a Pokémon is level 1 or 100, it will gain stats from its EVs, and if you use EV-reducing berries, it will lose the stats, no matter the level of the Pokemon.
2. How many EVs does it take to increase a stat?
At Level 50, a stat will increase by one point after it gains its first four EVs, and then continue to increase by one point after every eight EVs. It is worth noting that at level 100, it requires only 4 EVs to gain a stat point.
3. Should I always charge EVs to 100%?
In the context of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, it’s best to keep the battery between 20-80% to prolong its lifespan, because it is most efficient in that range, not the 100% range. However, in the context of Pokémon, there is no limit and you can always keep your EVs at their max value for each stat.
4. Can EVs change after maxing out?
Yes, EVs can change after you have maxed them out. Although a Pokemon cannot obtain any more EVs after hitting 510, you can use berries to lower a stat, allowing you to reallocate the EVs elsewhere.
5. Are EVs overloading the grid?
EVs do not overload the grid. They may require additional grid capacity, which may be obtained from renewable energy sources or from using energy more efficiently.
6. Will an EV stop charging when full?
Yes, an EV will stop charging when full. The car is designed to contain charge controllers that automatically disconnect the battery once it reaches its full capacity.
7. Are EVs really cheaper to maintain?
Electric vehicles tend to have lower maintenance costs compared to gasoline-powered cars. But they aren’t maintenance-free. Tire wear is greater with EV vehicles, and the battery replacement, if needed, is an extremely large expense.
8. Do electric cars lose charge when parked?
Yes, electric cars lose a small amount of charge even when parked due to the car powering certain onboard electric systems. This loss is relatively small.
9. How do I keep my EV battery healthy?
To keep your EV battery healthy:
- Minimize exposure to extreme heat.
- Avoid keeping the battery at 100% for long periods.
- Use fast charging sparingly.
- Keep the battery within the ideal state of charge during long storage.
10. Can you reset EVs at level 100?
Yes, you can reset EVs at any level, including level 100. Berries are used to decrease EV values in different stats, allowing you to reallocate those EVs to other stats.
11. Can you have 252 EVs on all stats?
No, a Pokémon can only gain a maximum of 510 EVs in total. While each individual stat can have a max of 252 EVs, you cannot have all of them maxed out because there are six stats.
12. Can you max out 2 EVs?
Yes, you can max out 2 EV stats. Since the limit is 510 total EVs, you can max out two stats and still have 6 remaining EVs, or even spread them more evenly through multiple stats.
13. How fast do EVs lose value?
Some numbers indicate that EVs lose 50% of their value after three years which is not much faster than traditional vehicles that depreciate about 60% during the same time period.
14. Is it OK to charge to 100%?
In general, it is better to keep an EV’s battery pack between 20% and 80% of its full charge, but charging to 100% occasionally won’t cause significant damage as long as it’s not done frequently.
15. Will EVs last longer than gas?
Electric cars can last longer than the average gas car. On average, electric cars can last around 200,000 miles or 12 years, whereas the average gas car has a lifespan of about 150,000 miles or 8 years. This is because EVs don’t have as many mechanical parts that can fail like a traditional vehicle does.
By understanding these methods and considerations, you can effectively train your Pokémon and maximize their potential, and keep your EVs in check. Good luck, and happy training!