10 Hidden Mechanics That Totally Change Video Games

There are, generally speaking, two ways in which an average Pokémon player can enjoy the games: Either by collecting their favorite team based on the cool or cute designs of the Pokemon, or by creating the most powerful squad possible.

Those who fall under the latter category are all too familiar with the games' IVs and EVs, despite the fact that these stats weren't mentioned for the longest time. The two acronyms stand for Individual Values and Effort Values, and are used to determine how much potential each Pokémon has for becoming stronger.

The first type of Values, IVs, are based on the Pokémon's inherent traits, such as their nature and type, and are calculated when first encountering the creature. EVs are Values accumulated by winning battles, but are also dependent on IVs.

If everything sounds a bit confusing, fret not, as many players have studied these values over the years and created a plethora of diagrams and graphs to determine which Pokémon has the greatest IV/EV potential.

Once you start paying attention, the game changes drastically. You don't want to catch them all, you want to catch the ones with the right "Nature".