When Should I Power Up a Pokémon in Pokémon GO? A Trainer’s Guide
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The burning question every Pokémon GO trainer faces: when is the right time to invest precious Stardust and Candy into powering up your Pokémon? The short answer is: after you’ve evolved it, and only if it has a good moveset and high IVs (Individual Values). But, like any good strategy in the world of Pokémon, there’s a lot more to it than that. This guide will break down the intricacies of powering up, helping you make informed decisions to build the ultimate Pokémon GO team.
Understanding the Power-Up Process
Before diving into the “when,” let’s quickly recap the “how.” Powering up a Pokémon in Pokémon GO increases its Combat Power (CP) and HP (Hit Points). CP is a composite number that provides a quick estimation of a Pokémon’s strength, while HP indicates how much damage it can withstand. You power up Pokémon using Stardust and Candy, both obtained through various in-game activities like catching Pokémon, hatching Eggs, completing research tasks, and participating in battles. The amount of Stardust and Candy required to power up a Pokémon increases with each level.
The Golden Rule: Evolve First, Power Up Later
The most crucial piece of advice for any aspiring Pokémon GO master is this: never power up a Pokémon before evolving it. Here’s why:
- Random Movesets: When a Pokémon evolves, it receives a new, randomly generated set of moves. Some moves are simply better than others, dealing more damage per second (DPS) or having better energy generation. You might power up a Pokémon with a terrible moveset, only to have it evolve and get stuck with even worse attacks.
- Resource Management: Stardust and Candy are valuable resources. Wasting them on a Pokémon that ends up with a subpar moveset is a significant setback. Waiting until after evolution ensures you’re investing in a Pokémon with the potential to be a strong attacker or defender.
- Opportunity Cost: While you’re spending resources on a potentially bad Pokémon, you could be saving them for one with far better stats and moves. Be patient and selective!
Evaluating IVs and Appraisal
Once your Pokémon has evolved, it’s time to assess its potential. This involves looking at its Individual Values (IVs) and using the in-game appraisal system.
Understanding IVs
IVs are hidden stats that determine a Pokémon’s potential. Each Pokémon has an Attack IV, a Defense IV, and a Stamina IV, each ranging from 0 to 15. A Pokémon with perfect IVs (15/15/15) will have significantly higher stats than one with low IVs when powered up to the same level.
Using the Appraisal System
Pokémon GO’s appraisal system, accessed through your team leader (Candela, Blanche, or Spark), provides a rough estimate of a Pokémon’s IVs.
- 0 stars: Low IVs, generally not worth investing in.
- 1 star: Decent IVs, could be useful for certain situations.
- 2 stars: Good IVs, worth considering for powering up if the moveset is excellent.
- 3 stars: High IVs, definitely worth investing in.
- 3 stars with a red stamp: Perfect IVs (100% IV), a rare find and almost always worth powering up.
Ideal Scenarios for Powering Up
Now that you understand the fundamentals, let’s explore some specific scenarios where powering up is a smart move:
- High IVs and a Great Moveset: This is the jackpot. If you have a Pokémon with high IVs (especially 3 stars or higher) and a moveset that’s highly rated for damage output (check online resources like PvPoke or GamePress), then it’s a prime candidate for powering up.
- Filling a Specific Team Role: Sometimes, you might need a Pokémon of a specific type to counter certain Gym defenders or Raid bosses. Even if the IVs aren’t perfect, a Pokémon with a good moveset can be worth powering up to fill this niche.
- Participating in PvP Battles: In the GO Battle League, different leagues have CP caps. You might need to power up Pokémon strategically to reach the maximum CP allowed in a specific league, like the Great League or Ultra League.
- Defending Gyms: While Gym defense isn’t as crucial as it used to be, a well-placed, powered-up Pokémon can still deter attackers and earn you PokéCoins.
Avoiding Common Power-Up Pitfalls
Here are some mistakes to avoid when powering up your Pokémon:
- Powering up Shadow Pokémon before evaluating. Shadow Pokémon have an attack boost but are expensive to power up. Decide if you will purify it or keep it as a shadow. Only invest in shadow Pokémon with strong IVs and movesets that can be useful in raids or PvP.
- Ignoring Movesets: IVs are important, but a good moveset is crucial. A Pokémon with perfect IVs but a bad moveset will underperform compared to one with decent IVs and an optimal moveset.
- Chasing Perfection: Don’t get paralyzed by the search for the perfect Pokémon. A Pokémon with high, but not perfect, IVs and a great moveset is often more valuable than waiting indefinitely for a 100% IV specimen.
- Powering up Beyond Your Trainer Level: You can only power up a Pokémon to your Trainer level + 10. There’s no point in hoarding resources to power up beyond that limit until you level up yourself.
The Role of Trainer Level
Your Trainer level plays a significant role in your Pokémon’s power. The higher your Trainer level, the stronger the Pokémon you can catch in the wild and the higher you can power up your existing Pokémon. Aim to reach at least Level 30 as quickly as possible, as this is when you can find Pokémon with significantly higher CP in the wild. Trainers can Power Up their Pokémon to their Trainer levels + 10, which implies that Trainers only need to be level 30 to get a Pokémon at level 40. Powering up Pokémon to level 41 to 50 consumes Stardust and Candy XL. Similarly, Trainers at level 40 can make their Pokémon reach the max level 50.
Shadow vs. Purified Pokémon
Shadow Pokémon have a 20% attack boost but take increased damage. Purifying them removes this boost but makes them cheaper to power up and evolve.
- Shadow Pokémon: If a Shadow Pokemon is 0-stars but has decent Attacks and CP, it’s better to leave it unpurified for future battles. Shadow Pokemon works as angry Pokemon and will deal damage more faster then Normal or Purified Pokemon. The attack power of a Shadow Pokemon is boosted by 1.2x or 20%, making its fast attack hit significantly harder. So it’s better to keep them unpurified.
- Purified Pokémon: Purifying gives the Pokémon a significant increase in Combat Power and it will cost less candies to evolve. Make sure you Purify a Pokémon BEFORE you evolve it so you can use less candies.
Conclusion
Powering up Pokémon in Pokémon GO is a strategic decision that requires careful consideration of IVs, movesets, and your overall team goals. Evolve first, evaluate carefully, and invest wisely. With the right approach, you’ll build a powerful team that can conquer gyms, dominate raids, and rise through the ranks in the GO Battle League. Good luck, trainers! Consider diving deeper into the mechanics and strategy by visiting the Games Learning Society website. You can visit GamesLearningSociety.org to learn more about gaming.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Should I power up my starter Pokémon?
Unlike the main series games, powering up your starter Pokémon isn’t essential for evolving them. Focus on catching stronger Pokémon in the wild as you level up.
2. What is the best Pokémon to power up to their max?
Mewtwo is often considered one of the best investments for powering up to its max potential due to its high damage output as a Psychic-type attacker.
3. Should I evolve a 3-star Pokémon?
If a Pokémon has three red bars and a red three-star stamp, it signifies perfect IVs (100%). It is beneficial to evolve.
4. Is it better to purify Pokémon before powering up?
Purifying a Shadow Pokémon reduces the Stardust and Candy needed to power up and evolve, but it also removes the Shadow Pokémon’s attack boost. Weigh the costs and benefits based on your goals.
5. Should I power up a low CP Pokémon?
In general, it’s better to focus on powering up Pokémon with higher CP values to begin with, as they have a higher potential. However, consider IVs and movesets as well.
6. Do Pokémon get stronger as you level up?
The higher your Trainer level, the stronger and rarer the Pokémon you’ll encounter, and the higher you can increase your Pokémon’s CP.
7. Should I purify Shadow Pokémon?
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.
8. Should you evolve shiny Pokémon?
Aesthetic Appeal: Shiny Pokémon have unique coloration compared to their non-shiny counterparts. If you appreciate the look of the shiny form and prefer it over the regular form, evolving your shiny Pokémon can be a way to enjoy its unique appearance.
9. Does CP matter in Pokémon GO?
Generally, a Pokémon with higher CP will perform better in battle than one with a lower stat. There are other factors such as types, moveset, and weather bonuses that alter this paradigm, though. Nonetheless, it is a good way of determining a Pokemon’s strength at a base level.
10. Is a 0-star Shadow Pokémon good?
Shadow Pokemon that are Purified will sometimes have their Appraisal increased. It will also lose the Shadow Bonus effect. So, if a Shadow Pokemon is 0-stars but has decent Attacks and CP, it’s better to leave it unpurified for future battles.
11. Are Shadow Pokémon better?
Shadow Pokémon have a 20% boost to their Attack stats in both PvP and PvE (Raids and Gym battles) at the cost of a 20% decrease to their Defense stats. In PvE, this results in Shadow Pokémon being much stronger than their normal versions, since the huge increase in damage outweighs the lower bulk.
12. What is a perfect 3-star Pokémon?
If your Pokémon has three stars and a red stamp, it means that it has 100% perfect IVs. If it has three star with an orange stamp, it has around 80-99% perfect IVs. Two stars means 66-80% IVs and one star means 50-65% IVs.
13. 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 there are TONS more factors).
14. Should I max power up before evolving?
A Pokémon’s CP potential and IVs are not affected by evolution: IVs (Attack, Defense, Stamina values hidden in the game) and CP potential (the max CP that can be reached when fully powered up) remains the same regardless of whether you Power Up before or after evolving. But it is better to evolve first to get the moveset.
15. What Pokémon has the highest exp gain?
Blissey gives the most EXP when defeated.