For many, Pokemon GO is a game about catching and collecting their favourite Pokemon across the franchise. Others, however, play the game to pit their Pokemon in battle and come out as the best there ever was. For this section of the player base, a Pokemon's IV is crucial information.
Your Pokemon's IV determines how strong your copy of a Pokemon can potentially get. Here's how you can check your Pokemon's IVs in Pokemon GO, and what you can learn from it.
For more on Pokemon GO, check out how to defeat Regirock and how to defeat Yvelta. You might also want to read about how you can find and catch Shiny Meltan, as well as how to get a Shiny Jynx.
How to check your Pokemon's IV in Pokemon GO
In Pokemon GO, you can check your Pokemon's IV by opening its menu from the bottom right and selecting "Appraise". This will prompt the team leader to evaluate the Pokemon's IVs and present them in the form of three individual stat bars labelled Attack, Defense, and HP.
There's no dodging in Pokemon GO so both your Pokemon's Defense and HP stat will determine how durable it is in battle. On the other hand, Attack IV decides how strong each of its offensive moves will be. You can't raise a specific Pokemon's IVs unless it's a Shadow Pokemon.
Understanding Pokemon IVs
Each Pokemon in Pokemon GO has its unique set of IVs, regardless of type or species. Your Pokemon's three IV stats can all range from 0 to 15. A Pokemon with a 15 in a particular stat is considered to have perfect IVs for that stat. This combination of stats determines the overall potential of a Pokemon.
Pokemon GO makes understanding IVs easier by putting your Pokemon's IV rating on a 3-star scale. Appraisal will show a Pokemon with higher IV stats having a higher star rating and vice versa. A Pokemon with 3 stars is one you'll want to hang on to and train, while one with 0 stars isn't worth investing in for competitive play.
That's all you need to know about Pokemon IVs and how to check them in Pokemon GO. For more, be sure to read how to get friend referral rewards and how to get a Master Ball.