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I came across this while trying to collect all of my text files on Pokémon in one file. I normally keep the original author's name on the file when I download something like this. I'm pretty sure I didn't write it. I do remember coming across things that someone posted and asking permission to use it in my projects. The only forums I remember doing that was at Veekun before Eevee moved his forums here.

The essay talks about a phenomenon of the base stats and uses the Prima guides as a reference. They call the phenomenon "tendencies". For some reason there is a missing paragraph that I made a notation to include.

It continues with an explanation of EVs, and the rare candy and trading myths which are myths in themselves (this part sounds like Rusty Jones from GameFAQs).

Does anyone remember writing this or remember reading it or knowing who wrote it?

If so leave a response here or tweet me @PokmonDungeon.

Statistics and What Really Happens

First off, there is an overlooked phenomenon that needs a name. Every pokémon species has a predetermined growth pattern for its statistics. It is analogous to the natures of the individual pokémon, but calling it the nature of the species would be confusing. So I propose the term, “tendencies”.

Nintendo and Prima use a bar graph in “The Ultimate National Pokédex” and other publications. A sort of pie chart was used once also, but the bar graph is easier to read. Basically, for each of the six stats there is a bar with five segments. The more segments the faster each stat will rise for the species. This is important, because it has come to my attention that the natures do not override the tendencies, but rather overlay on top of them. Also, the natures add very little to how fast or slow the stats rise.

[Enter paragraph: How tendencies relate to base stats.]

There is also some confusion about effort, effort values, effort value points, and effort points. First, we need to know what each term means and how it relates to the others. “Effort” is what you need to do to raise your stats. Experience Share (not Experience All) will also share effort along with the experience. Effort is translated into the increase of the “effort value” for a particular stat. The effort value is given in units of “effort value points” or just “effort points”. At any level below level 100 you may gain effort points. Once you reach level 100 in any Pokémon game since Ruby and Sapphire you will not gain any more effort points, no matter how much you battle.

This only worked in the second generation because the memory limitations of the various Game Boy consoles necessitated a work-around for storing and retrieving the stats of pokémon stored in the boxes. This work-around caused the effort points to be recalculated and redistributed regardless of the level. Thus the “box trick” was able to work to maximize the stats of a pokémon as long as it battled (made the effort) to gain effort points. Since the DS does not have memory restrictions, the game now saves the stats for each pokémon seperately. This means that from Ruby and Sapphire on, there is no more box trick, and so no longer any way to max-out the stats after level 100. Too bad, now we all have to work to gain effort points.

By the way, everyone thinks that “effort points” are part of a new system. No, effort points have always been around, its just that no one ever called them by their correct term and always referred to increasing the effort value, which is really an empty term. Also confusing the issue was that originally Pokémon game mechanics researchers used different terms which today are obsolete.

Stat experience was what effort value was called originally, but that sounds too much like experience which is measured in experience points. Experience points are what everyone has seen on the screen since the beginning, but it only measures when to grow to the next level. Even later on when the games would show you the points being added to the stats, you never saw effort points. What is shown there is the “stat points” being added.

The way that it works is this:

You battle a pokémon. If you defeat it or not, you will recieve some experience points and some effort points. In the first two generations, effort points were based on the opponent’s base stats. In the last two generations, each pokémon has a set amount of effort points to give out in only one or two stats. When the counter keeping track of the experience points reaches or exceeds the amount needed to level up, the leveling-up process will begin. Any extra rolls over to count for the next level-up. At the time of leveling-up, any effort points that have accumulated from battling will be converted to stat points. At the moment this is considered to be at a rate of four effort points to one stat point. You then see the stat points earned then added to the stats. Current HP is adjusted accordingly and your pokémon now has gained a level and has increased all of its stats by at least one stat point. In order to maximize your efforts in any version, you should battle as many pokémon as you can without gaining too many experience points. Each pokémon will give you the same amount of effort points no matter what their level is. However, the higher the level of the foe, the more experience points you will gain. The faster you gain experience points, the less pokémon you battle and therefore the fewer effort points you will gain. It’s slow, but if you want champion pokémon, grinding is worth it.

The only other way to gain effort points is with vitamins (also known as nutrients), using the Experience Share, having pokérus or using the macho items.

The lucky egg only increases the rate of experience points. A traded pokémon only recieves an increase in the rate of experience points. Finally, rare candies only give out enough experience points to raise the pokémon being fed one level.

“Wait a minute,” you shout, “not getting effort values for traded pokémon or rare candies is a myth!” Well, that isn’t exactly true. You see, it was stated several times, but still misinterpreted, that you could still gain effort values (meaning effort points) even using a traded pokémon or rare candies and so they claimed that traded or rare candied pokémon grew up weaker was a myth. Actually, if anyone bothered to read the guides you only gained experience if you battled and then you could use the box trick to convert the effort points into stat points. You still had to battle to gain the effort points. No effort, no increase in stats. It’s just that simple.

And now that the box trick has been eliminated, you can level up your pokémon with rare candies all you want, but if you didn’t use it in a battle, it will have nothing to convert into stat points. And once you level up to 100, you can battle till the cows come home and your pokémon will never, ever get any stronger. The “traded pokémon myth” and “rare candy myth” are themselves, myths. They always were. It was the box trick that did the work all along . . . and GameFreak fixed that. Really disappointing, isn’t it?

So rare candies are bad, because then you have to train extra hard (especially with the new system) to achieve enough effort points before reaching level 100. Having a traded pokémon makes things more difficult also. Fortunately, there are the macho items (once you get to the Battle Frontier) and the pokérus (fat chance) to help compensate for this. Also, the lucky egg is bad for the same reason rare candies are bad. No effort, no stats.

It's not exactly that hard. You can pump the Pokemn full of Carbos, Protien, HPup etc for effort points. (Though you will have to settle for balanced stats since there is only so much each stat can get from supplements. The feathers from Black and White can finish the rest, if you really want it.) You can play the soccer game in X/Y. If you like that kind of thing you can max out effort values before gaining a single level.

Actually, don't those force the stats to recalculate anyways? You could take your monster straight from the egg, feed it 99 rare candies, and EV train it playing FLYING INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL DODGEBALL WITH FORCEFIELDS AND FLYING, then pet it and feed it macaroons for an hour if you plan to use return.

Or, um, feed it protiens and then wings, in Black or White or 2.

Or before that, for specific monsters get the level 100 the effort values via protiens or training, and then change to forme that forces it to recalculate stats.

Whenever you transfer it to a newer game you switch to the newer rules, and it becomes easier to recalculate stats.

They cut down min-maxers by making reaching the max easier.

Oh, did you know effort points cap out? Once you have reached max effort points, the only reason not to use lucky egg/rare candies is because you like your monster at a lower level all along.

Oh, crap, I didn't actually read much of the first post.

It was definitely written before Black White.