In Pokémon GO the pursuit of Pokémon with 100% IV is significant. They are considered the best monsters in the game, but is that really the case? We will show you how crucial these values actually are.
What are IV? It stands for “Individual Values”, which are the individual values of the Pokémon. There are a total of 3 of these values:
- Attack Value
- Defense Value
- HP Value
Each of these values can range from 0 to 15. If all 3 values are 15, then you have a monster with 100% IV. They are considered the best specimen of a monster, as all 3 values are at the maximum.
A Pokémon with 100% IV is not that common. A normal Pokémon in the wild has a chance of 1 in 4096 to be a monster with 100% IV.
We have explained the IV in another article. You can check there if you haven’t fully understood it yet.
This is shown here: Of course, the pursuit of such a monster is immense, as it is perfect. We will show you here how much the IV affects a Pokémon and whether a monster with 100% IV is actually the best specimen.
The importance of IV in Pokémon
You can notice a difference: The starkest comparison is between monsters with 0% IV and those with 100% IV. It is indeed noticeable in raids that a monster with 100% IV is faster. Still, it is mostly by just a few seconds.
So, one can summarize: If you barely fail in a raid – that is, only by a few seconds – then better IV can make a difference. In most cases, however, it does not come down to a few seconds. Especially when you are fighting in a large group: You will win even without a monster with 100% IV.
However, that does not mean that IV are completely useless. It is always worthwhile to push the Pokémon with better IV rather than the monster that has higher CP. Currently, you cannot influence IV, while you can always collect stardust and candies needed for pushing anew.
Are Pokémon with 100% IV always better? You cannot say that. Meanwhile, there are other forms of monsters that surpass the IV of the Pokémon.
For example: A normal Venusaur with 100% IV is strong, but a Shadow Venusaur with lower IV will perform better in raids. Shadow Pokémon have an attack boost and are therefore somewhat stronger than a normal Pokémon.
Of course, it balances out again. A Shadow Venusaur with 0% is actually better than a normal Venusaur with 100%.
Even more extreme is the difference between a normal Venusaur and a Mega Venusaur. The Mega form can have such poor IV, it surpasses the normal Venusaur in all cases.
In the PvP League, the IV play a completely different role. There, monsters with 100% IV can even be worse. In the league, it is important to survive particularly long.
Therefore, Pokémon that have high HP and defense values but lower attack values are better. You can scale them up to a higher level, with the exception of the Master League, than a monster with 100% IV. The monsters at higher levels can take more damage.
So should you pay attention to IV? Definitely! These values are very important in Pokémon. But you shouldn’t be upset if you don’t find a 100% of a Pokémon. An example with 90%+ IV is almost equally strong and usually only differs in battle by a few seconds.
You do not have to base everything on IV. And shadow Pokémon are a good example that IV are not the sole deciding factor.
Where you should especially pay attention to IV is with the best attackers in Pokémon GO. They are the most important monsters and should ideally boast strong IV.
