Pokémon IVs Explained: How to Check, Judge and Max Individual Values

Individual Values — IVs — are the hidden stats that decide whether your Garchomp is a champion or a dud. Two level-50 Garchomps built from the same species can differ by over 20 stat points purely because of IVs. This guide explains what IVs are, how to check them in every game, and how to breed for perfect ones.

What Are IVs?

Every Pokémon has a hidden IV value between 0 and 31 in each of six stats: HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. IVs are locked when the Pokémon is generated and cannot be changed with training — unlike EVs, which you can redistribute. A Pokémon with 31 in every stat is called “6IV” or “perfect.”

Term	Meaning
IV	Individual Value, 0–31 per stat, fixed at spawn
EV	Effort Value, gained from battles, max 252 per stat
6IV	31 in all six stats
5IV	31 in five stats, one stat ignored
Hyper Training	Bottles caps that raise IVs to 31 (except Speed for some builds)

How to Check IVs in Each Generation

Game	Method
Scarlet / Violet	Judge function in Boxes after unlocking (talk to the Battle Tower NPC)
Sword / Shield	IV Judge in the Box, unlocked after reaching the Battle Tower
Legends: Arceus	Judge visible from the start in Boxes
Sun / Moon onward	IV Judge unlocked via Battle Tree / Battle Royal
Older gens (Gen 3–5)	No in-game check — use an IV calculator and stat math

Reading the Judge screen: “Best” means 31, “Fantastic” means 30, “Very Good” means 26–29, and “Decent” means 16–25. If the summary says “best potential” across all stats, you have a 6IV Pokémon.

Which Stats Actually Matter

• Physical attacker: 31 Attack and Speed are essential; Special Attack can be 0.
• Special attacker: 31 Special Attack and Speed matter; Attack is irrelevant.
• Walls: 31 in HP, Defense, and Special Defense is the priority.
• Trick Room teams: 0 Speed IV is actually desirable.

Reminder: IVs and EVs work together. A perfect IV spread means nothing without correct EV investment — our EV training guide shows how to finish the job, and the nature chart guide covers the multiplier that stacks on top.

Hyper Training: Fixing Imperfect IVs

From Gen 7 onward, Bottle Caps let you raise a single IV to 31 at level 100 (Gen 7) or level 50+ (Gen 8 onward). A Gold Bottle Cap maxes all six. Hyper Training does not pass down through breeding, so if you plan to breed, you still need natural IVs.

Breeding for Perfect IVs

1. Catch a Ditto with high IVs from a raid — raid Ditto guarantees multiple 31s.
2. Give one parent a Destiny Knot so five IVs pass from both parents.
3. Give the other parent an Everstone to lock the nature you want.
4. Hatch eggs in batches and check the Judge screen each time.
5. Swap in better parents as you hatch higher-IV offspring.

With a Destiny Knot and two high-IV parents, 5IV offspring appear within a few dozen eggs. Egg compatibility rules are covered in our egg groups guide — some Pokémon simply cannot breed with each other no matter the IVs.

Quick IV FAQ

• Do IVs change on evolution? No. They carry over exactly.
• Are IVs inherited? Partially — Destiny Knot passes five random IVs.
• Can you see enemy IVs? No, only your own Pokémon’s.
• Do IVs matter in competitive? Yes — they decide speed ties and damage breakpoints.