Should I Keep Pokémon with Low IVs? A Comprehensive Guide
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It’s the age-old question that plagues every Pokémon GO trainer: What do I do with these Pokémon with less-than-stellar Individual Values (IVs)? The short answer is: it depends! While high IVs are certainly desirable, especially for your top-tier battle team, dismissing every low IV Pokémon outright can be a mistake. Factors like rarity, shadow status, potential use in specific scenarios, and even sentimental value should influence your decision. Let’s dive deeper into the nuances of IV evaluation and how to make informed choices about which Pokémon to keep and which to transfer.
Understanding IVs and Their Impact
Before we make any decisions, let’s clarify what IVs actually are. In Pokémon GO, IVs are hidden stats that determine a Pokémon’s potential. Each Pokémon has three IVs: Attack, Defense, and HP, each ranging from 0 to 15. A Pokémon with perfect IVs (15/15/15) is often referred to as a “hundo.” These IVs add to the base stats of the species, impacting its Combat Power (CP) and overall performance in battles.
While high IVs provide a statistical advantage, the difference between a 0% IV Pokémon and a 100% IV Pokémon isn’t always game-changing, especially at lower levels. The level of your Pokémon (determined by how much you’ve powered it up) and its moveset have a much bigger impact on battles. Think of IVs as the icing on the cake – they enhance a good Pokémon, but they can’t make a fundamentally weak Pokémon strong.
When to Ditch Low IVs
There are definitely situations where transferring low IV Pokémon is the right call. Here’s when to be ruthless:
- Common Species: Pidgey, Rattata, and other common Pokémon clogging up your storage with low IVs? Transfer them without a second thought. You’ll encounter plenty more, and holding onto weak ones is just a waste of space.
- No Special Moves: If a Pokémon lacks a Community Day-exclusive move or another valuable attack and has low IVs, it’s likely expendable. Movesets are critical for battle performance.
- Limited Storage Space: Pokémon storage is a precious commodity. If you’re constantly running out of space, prioritizing high IV or otherwise valuable Pokémon is essential.
- You Have Better Options: If you have multiple specimens of the same Pokémon with varying IVs, keep the higher IV ones and transfer the rest.
When to Hold On to Low IVs
Now, let’s explore the reasons why you might want to keep those seemingly useless low IV Pokémon:
- Shadow Pokémon: This is a huge exception! Shadow Pokémon receive a 20% attack boost that far outweighs the negative impact of low IVs. A Shadow Pokémon with even terrible IVs often outperforms a regular Pokémon with perfect IVs. Always prioritize Shadow Pokémon, especially for powerful attackers.
- Rarity: Some Pokémon are incredibly rare, regardless of their IVs. If you finally hatch a rare Pokémon, even with less-than-ideal stats, you might want to keep it for your collection.
- Potential for Future Movesets: Pokémon GO is constantly evolving. A Pokémon with a poor moveset today might receive a powerful new move in the future, making it valuable.
- Trading: Pokémon IVs are re-rolled during trades. You might be able to trade a low IV Pokémon to a friend and hope for better stats.
- Living Dex: Some trainers aim to collect one of every Pokémon, regardless of IVs. If you’re building a living dex, you’ll need to keep even the less impressive specimens.
- Niche Uses: Some low-attack IV Pokémon are useful in specific PvP scenarios, particularly in Great League.
- Sentimental Value: Let’s face it, we all have Pokémon we’re attached to for non-statistical reasons. If a Pokémon has sentimental value, there’s no harm in keeping it, even if it’s objectively terrible.
- For fun: GamesLearningSociety.org studies reveal many players play for enjoyment and leisure. Playing games brings us closer to our communities.
FAQs: Delving Deeper into IVs and Pokémon Management
Here are some frequently asked questions about IVs and Pokémon management, drawing from the original article and expanding on the key concepts:
1. Are high IVs always more important than high CP?
Not always. While high IVs determine a Pokémon’s maximum potential CP, a higher level Pokémon (indicated by a higher CP) will often be stronger in the short term. A level 29 Pokémon with low IVs will likely outperform a level 20 Pokémon with perfect IVs. However, if you plan to invest resources (Stardust and Candy) into powering up a Pokémon, the one with high IVs will ultimately be superior.
2. Should I evolve a Pokémon with high CP but low IVs?
Generally, it’s better to evolve Pokémon with high IVs. While a high CP might seem appealing initially, the evolved form’s CP will be capped by the Pokémon’s underlying IVs. Furthermore, high IVs increase the chance of better movesets after evolution, which are arguably more important than CP.
3. Are Shadow Pokémon with low IVs worth keeping?
Absolutely! As stated before, the 20% attack boost that Shadow Pokémon receive is substantial and typically outweighs the disadvantage of low IVs. Even a Shadow Pokémon with 0% IVs will often be a better attacker than a non-Shadow version with perfect IVs. Focus on obtaining Shadow Pokémon of useful species, and worry less about the IVs.
4. Should I purify Shadow Pokémon?
In most cases, no. Purifying a Shadow Pokémon removes the valuable 20% attack boost. While purification does improve IVs and reduces the cost of powering up, the damage loss is generally not worth it. Only purify Shadow Pokémon if you desperately need a specific Pokémon for a niche role that benefits from purification, or if you are striving for a “hundo”.
5. Are 0-star Pokémon (0% IVs) useless?
Not necessarily. While 0-star Pokémon are statistically weaker, they can be kept for niche uses, like lowering confusion and foul play in PvP, or just for collecting. If you’re short on storage space, they should be among the first to go. They are also much rarer than a 100% IV Pokemon because they cannot be acquired from raids, eggs, research tasks, or trades.
6. What are the best IVs for PvP?
For Player vs. Player battles (PvP), particularly in the Great and Ultra Leagues, the ideal IVs are often not 15/15/15. Due to CP caps, Pokémon with low Attack IVs and high Defense and HP IVs can often reach higher levels within the CP limit, resulting in better overall stats. There are websites and apps dedicated to IV optimization for PvP.
7. Is it worth keeping duplicate Pokémon with different IVs?
It depends on the species and your goals. If it’s a common Pokémon, keep the one with the best IVs and transfer the rest. If it’s a rare or powerful Pokémon, you might want to keep multiple copies with different IVs, especially if you plan to use them in different roles (e.g., one for raiding, one for PvP).
8. How much does size matter when it comes to Pokemon?
Size doesn’t matter! While the game may display “XXL” or “XS” Pokemon, these sizes have no bearing on stats. Focus on IVs and movesets.
9. What are some Pokémon that are generally not worth keeping?
This is subjective, but some Pokémon are widely considered weak and not worth investing in, regardless of IVs. Examples include Sunflora, Castform (unless you’re a collector), Dudunsparce, and Azurill. However, even these Pokémon might have niche uses or sentimental value for some trainers.
10. Should I keep one of every Pokémon?
That’s entirely up to you! If you’re a collector aiming for a “living dex,” then yes, keep one of every Pokémon, regardless of IVs. However, if you’re focused on battling and maximizing your resources, it’s perfectly fine to transfer Pokémon that you don’t find useful.
11. Are 2-star Pokémon (66-80% IVs) worth keeping?
Some are! If a 2-star Pokémon is rare, has a special move, or is the best you have of that species, it might be worth keeping. Don’t automatically dismiss all 2-star Pokémon.
12. How do I check a Pokémon’s IVs?
You can use the in-game appraisal system, or use a third-party IV calculator app. While third-party apps were once necessary, the in-game appraisal system has become more accurate and provides a good estimate of a Pokémon’s IVs.
13. Should I power up a Pokémon before or after evolving it?
It doesn’t matter. The CP a Pokémon gains is determined by its base stats, level, and IVs. Evolving a Pokémon changes its base stats, but it doesn’t affect its level or IVs. The final CP will be the same regardless of whether you power up before or after evolving.
14. Is it ever worth keeping a Pokémon with low IVs for Gym defense?
In most cases, no. While high CP is important for Gym defense to deter casual attackers, dedicated players will easily defeat even high-CP Pokémon with low IVs. Focus on using Pokémon with good defensive typings and movesets, and don’t prioritize low-IV Pokémon solely for Gym defense.
15. What is the rarest type of IV that a Pokemon can have?
The 0 IV Pokemon is rarer than the perfect 100% IV Pokemon. 0 IV Pokemon cannot come from raids, eggs, research tasks, or trades, making it very rare.
The Final Verdict
Ultimately, the decision of whether to keep or transfer a low IV Pokémon depends on your individual circumstances and goals. Consider the Pokémon’s rarity, shadow status, potential moveset updates, niche uses, and your own personal preferences. Don’t be afraid to transfer common, weak Pokémon with low IVs to free up storage space. But don’t automatically dismiss every Pokémon with less-than-perfect stats – some of them might surprise you. Happy hunting, trainers!
Consider visiting the Games Learning Society website to learn more about the intersection of gaming and education: https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.