Effort Values (EVs)
The hidden training points that turn battles into permanent stat gains — and the reason two Pokémon of the same species can have very different stats.
How EVs Work
Every Pokémon you defeat pays out 1–3 Effort Values to specific stats, fixed by its species — beat a lot of fast Pokémon and your team quietly gets faster. Every 4 EVs in a stat become +1 point in that stat at level 100 (proportionally less at lower levels), and the gains apply on top of the Pokémon's base stats, IVs and Nature.
There are two hard caps: 510 EVs in total per Pokémon, and 252 in any single stat. Fully trained, one stat gains +63 points at level 100 — enough to completely change what a Pokémon can do. In games before X & Y the per-stat cap was 255, but since 252 is the last useful multiple of 4, trainers stopped there anyway.
EV Training Items
- Vitamins (+10 EVs each): Hp Up for HP, Protein for Attack, Iron for Defense, Calcium for Sp. Atk, Zinc for Sp. Def and Carbos for Speed. Since Sword & Shield they work all the way to 252 — you can buy a stat to its cap outright.
- Feathers (+1 EV each): tiny, uncapped nudges — handy for landing on an exact number.
- Power items (+8 extra EVs of their stat per battle): Power Weight, Power Bracer, Power Belt, Power Lens, Power Band and Power Anklet. The classic way to train through battles quickly.
- Macho Brace: doubles all EVs earned from battle, at the cost of halved Speed while held.
- Pokérus: a rare, harmless infection that doubles EVs earned from battle — and it stacks with the items above.
EV Items by Stat
| Stat | Vitamin (+10) | Feather (+1) | Power item (+8/battle) | Reducing Berry (−10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP | Hp Up | Health Wing | Power Weight | Pomeg Berry |
| Attack | Protein | Muscle Wing | Power Bracer | Kelpsy Berry |
| Defense | Iron | Resist Wing | Power Belt | Qualot Berry |
| Sp. Atk | Calcium | Genius Wing | Power Lens | Hondew Berry |
| Sp. Def | Zinc | Clever Wing | Power Band | Grepa Berry |
| Speed | Carbos | Swift Wing | Power Anklet | Tamato Berry |
Undoing EVs
Trained the wrong stat? Six Berries each strip 10 EVs from one stat (see the table above) — feed them until the stat reads zero and train again. That makes no Pokémon a lost cause: even a battle-worn favorite can be retrained into a proper build.
Checking EVs
Modern games chart EVs right on the summary screen — toggle the stats page and the graph shows effort alongside base stats, marking stats that are maxed and Pokémon that have used up all 510. Combine a finished EV spread with the right Nature and good IVs and the stat work is done.
EV Questions & Answers
- What are EVs in Pokémon?
- Effort Values are hidden training points a Pokémon earns from battling. Every defeated Pokémon grants 1–3 EVs to particular stats, and every 4 EVs in a stat add one point to that stat at level 100.
- How many EVs can a Pokémon have?
- Up to 510 in total, with at most 252 in any single stat. That means two stats can be fully trained (+63 points each at level 100) with 6 EVs left over.
- What is the fastest way to EV train?
- Feed Vitamins (+10 EVs each, no longer capped since Sword & Shield), then battle with a Power item held (+8 extra EVs per battle). Pokérus doubles everything earned from battle on top of that.
- Can you remove or reset EVs?
- Yes — six Berries each remove 10 EVs from one stat: Pomeg (HP), Kelpsy (Attack), Qualot (Defense), Hondew (Sp. Atk), Grepa (Sp. Def) and Tamato (Speed).
- Do EVs transfer when trading a Pokémon?
- Yes. EVs are stored on the Pokémon itself, so they travel with it through trades and transfers just like its Nature and IVs.