Effort Values(EVs) are invisible points within the game's mechanics that are given to your Pokémon after battling wild Pokémon or a trainer's Pokémon that give you EXP. Each of the 649 Pokémon in the game give a certain number of EVs in one or more stats; this information can be researched online such as Serebii.net's Pokédex database. For every 4 EVs that are invested in a single stat is equal to +1 in that stat after the battle. However there is a limit to how many EVs you can put into a stat. The overall limit for EVs for a Pokémon is 510 and a single stat can hold up to 255 EVs. The full effects of EVs aren't present until your Pokémon reaches level 100. Thankfully with the introduction of Black and White, you are now able to give EVs to a Pokémon at level 100 and updates its stats automatically. In the world of competitive Pokémon battling, trainers want to bring out their Pokémon's best possible stats by enhancing them, and by using the game's own mechanics we can do so by using a little method known as EV training.
EV training is when you battle different Pokémon to invest EV points into your Pokémon's stats in order to enhance them to your liking. By knowing which Pokémon gives you the EVs for the stat you want to increase, you can battle that species of Pokémon however many times in order to gain that many EVs in that stat.
Since 4 EVs = +1 stat boost, for those of you who have done the math, 510 and 255 are not divisible by 4. It is in this regard that only 508 of the overall total of EVs will matter when EV Training your Pokémon, and 252 EVs in a single stat will bring out it's full potential. The remaining 2 EVs can be invested in any of the stats and will not matter or affect the Pokémon in any way.
EV training for competitive Pokémon battling is an essential process. If not done correctly, it could be the fine line between winning and losing battles between competitive players. By investing 252 EVs in a single stat, it can raise up that stat by +63 compared to not EV Training it. However you decide to distribute EVs will ultimately affect your Pokémon's performance in battle. Here is a side by side comparison of two flawless Mienshaos with Jolly Nature that have been EV trained and not EV trained.
You can see the difference between the two. The goal of EV training is to enhance your Pokémon's best stats for offensive purposes and defensive purposes. This Mienshao is clearly a physical attacking sweeper because we placed 252 EVs in Attack and 252 in Speed while the remaining 4 useable EVs have been put in HP. Do you understand the concept of EVs now? Well now it's time for you to start EV training!
Let's start from the very beginning of this process, getting your Pokémon. To get the absolute best results for your Pokémon, you should first get one with 31 Individual Values(IVs) in necessary stats along with a nature that compliments your Pokémon well that has never battled before. Individual Values are invisible numbers that range from 0-31 in each stat that are given to your Pokémon when you capture it or hatch it from an egg. These values are not changeable, but can be influenced through breeding methods that can be researched here. To check the IVs of your Pokémon you can use an IV Calculator or a special Action Replay code that shows your Pokémon's IVs. There is also a guy in the Battle Subway who can tell you which stat(s) have the best IVs. Natures are also given to your Pokémon when you receive them and can be influenced through similar breeding methods. Depending on your Nature, two of your stats can be increased by 10% and decreased by 10%; some natures do not affect your stats at all. Here is a list of all the different possible natures and what stats they affect.
To figure out which Natures are best for your Pokémon, you should first determine which stats you want to increase and which stats you do not need/will not be used much. As seen in the example above, Mienshao has a Jolly Nature which which lowers its Special Attack and raises its Speed. The increase in speed can be used to out-speed different Pokémon below its speed class and in its speed class that do not have a nature that increases speed, and the decrease in Special Attack will not be needed on a physical attacking Mienshao. So we have determined Jolly on Meinshao will be the right Nature we need in order to satisfy its role on your team.
Once you have gone through the process of getting your ideal Pokémon with the correct IVs and Nature, it is time to start EV training!
We now have our level 1 Mienfoo that has just been hatched with Jolly Nature and 31 IVs in HP, Attack, Defense, Special Defense and Speed as we do not need Special Attack. Now at level 1, a Mienfoo will have a hard time battling in this state. To get yourself started, you can use Rare Candies to level up your Pokémon to a desired level or use an EXP Share and still gain the EVs from the Pokémon you battled. Note: All Pokémon that gain EXP after defeating a Pokémon will receive the same amount of EVs that Pokémon gives to you. Now the EV spread we want for this Pokémon is 4 in HP, 252 in Attack and 252 in Speed. To make this an easier process, we need to figure out the best places to search for the Pokémon that give us the EVs we need. Where in the entire Unova region can we go for this Mienfoo in order to get HP, Attack and Speed EVs? Well... right outside your hometown!
Different places throughout the region have a surplus of Pokémon that give similar EVs and can be accessed easily for EV training. Since we are EV training a Mienfoo in HP, Attack and Speed, we can find the Pokémon we need in Route 1! Patrats/Lillipups give 1 Attack EV and appear 100% of the time in the grass while Basuclins can be found in the nearby lake that give 2 Speed EVs! Audino can also be found in shaking grass spots that give you 2 HP EVs. Thankfully, we can do all the EV training we need to do here! I've also listed other suggested training spots for other stats.
Spoiler:Hit Points
Iccirus City:(+2) (+2) Driftveil Drawbrige:(+1) Various Shaking Grass Spots:(+2) Liberty Island:(+3) *Reappears if you don't catch it*
Route 1:(+2) *Surf* Marvelous Bridge:(+2) GAME FREAK Morimoto - Castelia City (Game Freak Building):(+2) (+2) (+2) (+2) (+2) (+2) *WARNING: Pokémon range from level 75-77. You can battle Morimoto every 24 hours on your system's clock*.
So now we have to start training. You may be thinking, would we have to fight 252 Patrats/Lillipups, 126 Basulins, and 2 Audinos to fully EV train our Mienfoo here? Well in this case, yes we would. Is it really necessary? No it is not. Then how do you do it? The answer is EV items and Pokérus!
There are different items in the game that affect the EVs of your Pokémon. I have listed the different kinds of items that have a big impact on EV training and will speed up the process.
Spoiler:Medicines
Medicines can be bought in the Department Store on Route 9 for $9,800 each or in the Battle Subway for 1 Battle Point each. Each medicine gives 10 EVs to its specified stat, but a Pokémon can only receive up to 10 of one type of medicine. If you give a Pokémon 10 of a medicine then you gain +100 EVs and only need 152 more EVs to fill up that stat.
HP Up: Gives you +10 HP EVs Protein: Gives you +10 Attack EVs Iron: Gives you +10 Defense EVs Calcium: Gives you +10 Special Attack EVs Zinc: Gives you +10 Special Defense EVs Carbos: Gives you +10 Speed EVs
Spoiler:Wings
Wings can be found in shadow spots on Driftveil Drawbridge and Marvelous Bridge that appear occasionally if it's not a Ducklett or Swanna. These wings give +1 EV in the stat it corresponds to and have no limit unlike medicines. The only exception is the Pretty Wing which can only be sold for money and has no other use.
Health Wing: Gives you +1 HP EV Muscle Wing: Gives you +1 Attack EV Resist Wing: Gives you +1 Defense EV Genius Wing: Gives you +1 Special Attack EV Clever Wing: Gives you +1 Special Defense EV Swift Wing: Gives you +1 Speed EV
Spoiler:Power Items
Power Items can be bought in the Battle Subway for 16 Battle Points. When your Pokémon holds a Power Item, they gain +4 EVs from the Power Item plus the EVs gained from the Pokémon you defeated, but reduces the speed of your Pokémon in battle. For example, if you defeat a Patrat while holding a Power Bracer it would be 1 Attack EV + 4 Attack EVs from the Power Bracer = 5 Attack EVs gained. Another example would be if you defeat a Basculin while holding the same item it would be 2 Speed EVs + 4 Attack EVs from the Power Bracer = 4 Attack EVs gained and 2 Speed EVs gained.
Power Weight: +4 HP EVs after each battle plus EVs gained from Pokémon defeated, but cuts Speed in half during battle. Power Bracer: +4 Attack EVs after each battle plus EVs gained from Pokémon defeated, but cuts Speed in half during battle. Power Belt: +4 Defense EVs after each battle plus EVs gained from Pokémon defeated, but cuts Speed in half during battle. Power Lens: +4 Special Attack EVs after each battle plus EVs gained from Pokémon defeated, but cuts Speed in half during battle. Power Band: +4 Special Defense EVs after each battle plus EVs gained from Pokémon defeated, but cuts Speed in half during battle. Power Anklet: +4 Speed EVs after each battle plus EVs gained from Pokémon defeated, but cuts Speed in half during battle.
There is also the Macho Brace that doubles the amount of EVs you gain after defeating a Pokémon. For example, if you defeat a Patrat while holding a Macho Brace it would be 1 Attack EV x 2 = 2 Attack EVs gained. You can find a Macho Brace in Nimbasa City.
Macho Brace: Doubles the amount of EVs gained from defeating a Pokémon, but cuts Speed in half during battle.
Spoiler:EV Reducing Berries
These berries can be found in the Dream World area Windswept Sky. When given to your Pokémon, they increase their friendship but lowers one of the stats by 10 EVs. If you gave your Pokémon the wrong EVs by accident, this is the best way to fix the problem.
PokéRus is an extremely rare disease that your Pokémon can catch from battling Pokémon, and is one of the most relied factors in EV training. It doubles the amount of EVs you gain from Pokémon you defeat as well any Power Items you are holding. Combined with the Power Items, EV training can be done in just less than an hour if you persevere. The nurse at the Pokémon Center will inform you if your Pokémon has PokéRus and can possibly spread to the Pokémon in your party after battling for a while. You can see which Pokémon have PokéRus on their status screen where it will have a purple box that says "PKRS" or a smiley face icon. If it has the smiley face icon, it can no longer spread the virus but the EVs are still doubled after every battle. Getting this disease is extremely rare and random, so if you do not have any Pokémon with the virus, it would be a good idea to try and find one in a trade to spread it to the Pokémon you want to train.
Now let's say our Mienfoo from earlier has had the blessing of PokéRus bestowed upon it and it's holding a Power Bracer. After fighting just one Patrat, you can gain +10 Attack EVs! Which means you would only need to fight 25 Patrats and one more without the Power Bracer to get 252 Attack EVs! While holding a Power Anklet, we'd only need to fight 21 Basculins to get 252 Speed EVs, and fight one Audino with no Power Items to get 4 HP EVs. Look at that! You're now done with EV training and only have the task of leveling it up to 100 in order to see the fruits of your labor.
While EV training, it is vital to keep track of the EVs that are distributed to your Pokémon. It is a good idea to keep a tab on the amount of Pokémon you defeat and the amount of EVs you gain from each Pokémon you defeat. In previous generations, you can go to a person that tells you if a Pokémon has maxed out its EVs and awards you the Effort Ribbon. This is also present in Black and White, however the person does not give you a ribbon for it. She can be found in Opelucid City and will tell you if you are completely maxed out in EVs after EV training. It is a good idea to keep in mind the formulas that you should keep track of when EV training your Pokémon.
Spoiler:No PokéRus. No Items.
EVs gained from Pokémon = Total EVs gained in that stat
Example:(+1 Attack EV) 1 Attack EV = 1 Attack EV gained
Spoiler:No PokéRus. With Power Item.
EVs gained from Pokémon + 4 from Power Item = Total EVs gained in that stat and from Power Item
Example 1:(+1 Attack EV) (+4 Attack EVs) 1 Attack EV + 4 Attack EVs = 5 Attack EVs gained
Example 2:(+1 Attack EV) (+4 Speed EVs) 1 Attack EV + 4 Speed EVs = 1 Attack EV gained; 4 Speed EVs gained
Spoiler:No PokéRus. With Macho Brace.
EVs gained from Pokémon x 2 = Total EVs gained in that stat
Example:(+1 Attack EV) (Doubles EVs gained) 1 Attack EV x 2 = 2 Attack EVs gained
Spoiler:With PokéRus. No Items.
(EVs gained from Pokémon) x 2 = Total EVs gained in that stat
Spoiler:With PokéRus. With Power Item. (Most efficient)
(EVs gained from Pokémon + 4 from Power Item) x 2 = Total EVs gained in that stat and from Power Item
Example 1:(+1 Attack EV) (Doubles EVs gained) (+4 Attack EVs) (1 Attack EV + 4 Attack EVs) x 2 = 10 Attack EVs gained
Example 2:(+1 Attack EV) (Doubles EVs gained) (+4 Speed EVs) (1 Attack EV + 4 Speed EVs) x 2 = 2 Attack EVs; 8 Speed EVs gained
Spoiler:With PokéRus. With Macho Brace.
(EVs gained from Pokémon x 2) x 2 = Total EVs gained that stat
Example:(+1 Attack EV) (Doubles EVs gained) (Doubles EVs gained) (1 Attack EV x 2) x 2 = 4 Attack EVs gained
If you have any more questions about EV training then you should feel free to PM me and ask. If you would like to give more information or noticed I missed anything then don't hesitate to let me know. Also feel free to ask questions about recommended EV spreads for your Pokémon.
JesseTheKing
