A Guide to EVs - Maximizing Your Chances of Winning + The Speed Boundary.

[Danbaru's]

Old thread.

EVs - Maximizing Your Chances of Winning

One thing you'll find about EVs in general is that they're all very specific. It's just like what I said in my last article about Speed, if you've read it. (If you haven't, and you are not from CBC, I highly suggest you read it now. EDIT: I've copied and pasted it below, because apparently the link in my sig doesn't work.) A lot of people don't think there's really a best spread for a certain set, or when they do, it's either one of the following:



1) 252/ 252/ 4

2) 252/ 128/ 128

3) Something that looks well thought-out, but is actually bullsh!t and non-specific. (I hate this sort)

4) Smogon spread (And this too)



With the exception of 252/ 252, which is only for a few Pokemon, none of the above work the best. Some of you might say, 'But hey, look! My Heatran survived that Mixape's Close Combat with its awesome defensive 252 HP/ 128 Def/ 128 SAtk spread!' But that's exactly the point. Sure, you survived it, so good for you, but you also have done the same with a wiser, more specific investment of EVs, saving some for the other stats, which allows it to perform even more functions. That's exactly why I'm going to be talking about in this article/ guide - how to be specific with your EVs.

One thing extremely lacking in this forum is the ability to think. I realize some people don't have a choice because they're born stupid, but it shouldn't apply to most people, it really shouldn't. When designing your teams, a lot of people think up the set prior to the EVs, saying, 'Oh, they're just EVs, I'll think about them later until I get the movesets.' This restricts their minds to actually consider what they actually want that Pokemon to do, and so they come out with sub-standard teams. What instead you should be doing is to think what your Pokemon of choice can actually accomplish within its power.

I'm going to pull out a relatively complicated example here, so bear with me. Re-read it if you have to. Let's say I have a hypothetical Gyarados counter and this certain Gyarados counter can only successfully counter Gyarados if it gets to OHKO Gyarados outright with its non-STAB Thunderbolt, otherwise it will kill me in two hits if it's the Adamant 84 HP/ 240 Atk/ 184 Spd version with a Dragon Dance, but three if it's the Bulky variant. So how should I EV it in this case?

First things first, if it's within my ability, and I'm not jeopardizing my other stats, I'll try to outspeed a DD'ed Gyarados first. If I can't outspeed it and using a Choice Scarf isn't worth it, then I'll have to EV it just right until a OHKO is guaranteed, and I'll have to be absolutely certain that the Gyarados will never KO me, even if it's holding a Life Orb. I won't, however, have to OHKO the Bulky version since it can't beat me and I can just settle for a 2HKO, though if I can outspeed this one, I'll try.

Of course, this is only one example and that hypothetical Gyarados counter shouldn't only be capable of countering Gyarados, otherwise there would be many Pokemon out there better suited for the spot.

By the way, if any of you don't know how to calculate damage, this is the formula that is directly computed into the game engine itself and should be accurate to a margin of 1 HP.




Damage in Hit Points dealt =

([{0.84 x Atk's Base Power x Atk stat with any stat-ups or Choice Bands / Def stat with any boosts e.g. Sandstorm}

+ 2 ]

x any STAB x effectiveness x boosts like Life Orb or Muscle Band)

x random number from 85~100 / 100.




I don't think there should be any more excuses about not knowing how many EVs Pokemon (A) needs to KO Pokemon (B), or vice versa. Remember always to assume the worst for yourself and the best for your opponent, because the message I'm trying to convey in this whole article is for you all to:

Maximize your chances of winning.

That's exactly what your EVs do. You make them as perfect as possible, so that you have the best chances of winning a battle, by knowing exactly what will KO, what won't, and who's faster. You can't always win, of course, but if you make your EVs specific and really take the time to think them through, you'll know exactly what your Pokemon is capable of and thus won't go off making stupid decisions. The difference isn't large, but it's exactly what separates the good people from the other people. The good people maximize their chances of winning, and thus they win more.

Before I start going into a fundamental principle, I'll just like to say that 212 HP/ 16 Atk/ 180 Def/ 100 Spd isn't the best spread for a BulkyDos, contrary to popular belief. 216 HP/ 148 Def/ 144 Spd is. Just a fun fact.

Anyway, it's time for a fundamental principle that a lot of people, once again, are not aware of. If you know it then good for you. But if you don't, sit down, shut up and listen.

IVs are weird, no doubt about that. I don't pretend to know a lot about of them, since I've never actually played a Pokemon game before, but this I think concerns them, in a way. Now when you have a Pokemon without any Atk EVs, as opposed to the same Pokemon with 252 Atk EVs, they should be 63 stat points apart, assuming perfect IVs, right?

Well. Actually, this is only true for a stat with a neutral nature.

In other words, this is not true for a stat with a positive nature or one with a negative nature, for any Pokemon. Let's take a Celebi as an example.




Bold Nature - Def stat range: 259-328 (69 stat point difference from 0-252 EVs)

Neutral Nature - Def stat range: 236 -299 (63 stat point difference from 0-252 EVs)

Lonely Nature - Def stat range: 212 - 269 (57 stat point difference from 0-252 EVs)




In other words, even though 252 EVs are basically treated as 63 stat points, a positive nature will get you six extra stat points, and a negative nature will get you six less stat points. Smogon would call them 'magic numbers' like they call certain speed values but I prefer them not having a name, because it's really common sense.


216/ 176/ 136/ 96/ 56/ 16


These are the numbers which give you one extra stat point - like a jump point. So the aforementioned Celebi would have a Def stat of 319 with 216 Def EVs, but only 317 with 212 Def EVs. This is the precision which we would say is, 'enough' for our Pokemon, being the wisest and most beneficial investment.

220/ 180/ 140/ 100/ 60/ 20 are the numbers which don't give you any stat point - like a tripping point. A Celebi with say, a Lonely nature, would therefore have a 261 Def stat whether it has 216 EVs or 220 EVs. This is rather useless since you shouldn't be investing in your negative stat anyway.

Anyway, with this understood, you may now realize why we often put 216 EVs in a defensive stat and put the rest in another, because it's precise and we really don't need more of it from beyond this jump point. Once again, it effectively maximizes your chance of winning by putting only what you need in one stat and thus gives room for the others. For example, a Gardevoir would want:


252 HP/ 216 SDef/ 40 Def Calm


That 40 Def might make just a critical difference one day. Enough of a difference in which your average Joe would've just lost and someone good at the game would've just barely won. This is what it means to be precise and calculating.



HP

Any defensive Pokemon should have a lot of HP EVs, preferably 200 or so, give or take a few. This is a fact, unless you're something like Hariyama or Blissey, which HP is something you have too much of and investing in Def and SDef would benefit you more (try calculating the damage). Now, how much to take?

252 HP is never bad. It's good, except that you can get more precise. If your item happens to be Leftovers, which it often is, try to get a stat that is divisble by 16. For example, a Cresselia with 204 HP/ 252 Def/ 52 SDef, gets an HP stat of 432 which is divisible by 16. What this means is that this Cresselia recovers more health per turn than one with 200 HP EVs, but recovers the same amount of health per turn as a Cresselia with any more HP EVs. A lot of people might be saying, 'It's only 1 extra point per turn!' Well, excuse me if that one extra point saves my *** one day and you lose; it's beneficial for the long run and that's a fact.

However, this doesn't apply to things like Dusknoir and Shuckle. They already have a lack of it to begin with, so you'll just work a lot better if you maxed their HP first. Personally, I don't apply the maximum Leftovers rule when one, my Base HP stat is 70 or less; two, when I'm not holding Leftovers. I've seen some people say that they have maximum Leftovers on their Rhyperior when they're holding a Life Orb, so don't get carried away.

An issue worth noting is Pokemon that are weak to Stealth Rock and are carrying Leftovers. Although Leftovers theoratically means you can switch said Pokemon in four times without dying (assuming you're not incompetent at switch-ins), the prevalence of Sandstorm negates that recovery. As Stealth Rock docks off a quarter of your HP everytime you switch in if you have a 2x weak to it, it is often best to add an additional 4 HP EVs to the maximum recovery point so that you get to switch in four times without dying (remaining with 1 HP on your last switch in, theoratically). A Leftovers Gyarados would therefore benefit from taking 216 HP EVs instead of 212.

One thing worth noting in the damage formula is how the Atk stat is divided by the Def stat. If you understand simple arithmetic, you'll know that if the Def stat is smaller than the Atk stat by a large margin, an increase in the Def stat changes the damage in HP dealt more than an equal increase when the Def stat is smaller than the Atk stat by a smaller margin. An extreme way of explaining this is:


100 / 20 = 5

100 / 21(+1) = 4.76 (-0.24)


As opposed to:


100 / 80 = 1.25

100 / 81(+1) = 1.23 (-0.02)


The damage is then divided by your total HP to give a percentage. Taking percentages into account and the overall attack power of the current metagame, it is better to first invest in HP when your HP stat is poor as it is the direct cause of percentage loss. Similarly, it is better to invest less in HP and more in Def/ SDef when your HP stat is extremely good.

You'll still want HP, though, even if you're not a wall. Say you're a Zapdos with a sweeping moveset and you've got some leftover EVs, so why not put them in HP? Essentially, what we now have is this.


104 HP/ 152 Spd/ 252 SAtk Timid @ Life Orb


Now I outspeed Adamant Garchomp, have plenty of power and now have 26 extra HP points, which can't hurt seeing as Zapdo's defenses aren't bad, nor does he have a lot of weaknesses. If you have Leftovers instead, you can try to spice your HP stat up a bit, but not to the extent which it jeopardizes your other stats. It's not mandatory, but you can do it if you just happen to use Leftovers. The following spread packs less punch, naturally.


124 HP/ 152 Spd/ 232 SAtk Timid @ Leftovers


Don't do this to your frail sweepers like Weavile, though. We see 40 HP/ 252 Atk/ 216 Spd Weaviles, which are supposedly to survive Azelf's Flamethrower/ SpecsStarmie's Surf. Just max your speed. What would you prefer, the ability to switch into Azelf (which you can't if it packs Life Orb)/ survive SpecsStarmie's Surf or the safer guarantee to outrun the random Scarfers everywhere?



Spd

The Speed Boundary

What I'm about to say is an issue that most of the CRMT population have little to no idea of, so I'd like you all to just read it and bear it in mind.

Gallade (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 200 HP/56 Atk/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Psycho Cut
- Drain Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- Bulk Up
---

Now since many people around here don't have a very clear understanding of the metagame, I'll take the liberty of explaining the speed issue. This pertains to the above Gallade set and a few occasional ones I've seen lately, so I do hope anyone who reads this takes this information into consideration when they make their teams/ spreads.

Note that the following statements apply only to the OU metagame, which, incidentally, is the primary metagame in existence.

Now what some people have been doing lately is to EV their Pokemon, whether by purpose or ignorantly, to outspeed other Base speed 85's and 90's. Say for example, the above Gallade reaches 284 Speed and will therefore outspeed any base speed 80-90's with a neutral nature. Now this all sounds very nice when you say it, but there is a big flaw that many people have neglected.


There is nothing to outspeed.


Yes, you read that right, there is nothing to outspeed. The reason I said that is that the OU metagame is divided into a few very significant speed boundaries. They are:




1) The extremely fast ~ stuff ranging from Gengar to Weavile that reach around 350-380 speed and the Scarfed stuff that either parallels them or reaches to the 400s, e.g. ScarfChomp.

2) The not so fast but still fast ~ this refers to stuff like Salamence, Infernape and Garchomp, which range at around 299-330 speed. This is, incidentally, a rather large group.

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3) The not fast but doing their best to catch up ~ this refers to anything around the level the speed range of Jolly TTar, around 243-247 speed. This is also a rather large group.

4) The not fast and can't do anything about it ~ this refers to stuff like Machamp and Suicune, which is around the speed range 207 or so.

5) The remaining ~ which is really really slow and your everyday walls like Blissey and Skarmory.



If you're observant you should have noticed the large gap between tiers 2 and 3. Why exactly is there nothing in between? Where are the base speed 80's to 90's? Surely they exist, don't they? Well yes, they do. They do exist. Just not in OU. They're not your everyday opponents. These Pokemon are stuff like Arcanine and Blaziken which you'll only ever see once in your entire life.

Kyogre, Ho-oh and Rayquaza are also in this range, but do you honestly want to meet them?

Some, like Roserade and Porygon-Z, exist in this range. However, they'll either take a +speed nature to catch with Tier 2 or Choice Scarf all together.

There is, however, one exception to all this.

Lucario with a Modest/ Adamant nature sits at 279 speed. He's right in between Tier 2 and Tier 3.

That is why when you consider the speed of your Pokemon, you'll want to make sure what tier you want it to outspeed, and ask yourself, if doing so, does it affect its offensive/ defensive capabilities overall? Applying this example to the above Gallade, we either want it to outspeed Tier 3 (which is a large group of Pokemon) or at the very least Tier 4 (which doesn't require much investment and can often be useful. We also want it to be reasonably bulky, as well being able to take hits on the special side of the spectrum, as the physical side can be assumably solved by using Bulk Up. We then select a Careful nature, because Gallade has a much larger base SDef stat and will therefore earn an extra few stat points as opposed to using a nature that benefits one of his weaker stats e.g. Spd. Therefore what we have is:


236 HP/ 20 Def/ 196 Spd/ 56 SDef or 236 HP/ 88 Def/ 48 Spd/ 136 SDef Careful


This will probably be the best spread we can pick for this Gallade. Note how the first spread outspeeds Tier 3 by reaching 245 speed, while the second outspeeds Tier 4 by reaching 207 speed. This allows for a precise value so that we can be sure of what the Pokemon in question can or cannot outspeed and avoids wasting its EVs on something that would not result in any gain whatsoever. What we all should do when considering our speed EVs is to be precise and think about which Tier, or which specific Pokemon we want to bypass. For example, a Jirachi would aim for outspeeding Tier 3, whereas an Azelf would aim at outspeeding Starmie, Raikou and other Azelf. A Regice can make a small investment to outspeed Relaxed Swampert, whereas ScarfGengar would aim to outspeed ScarfGarchomp.

Speed-boosting moves such as Agility and Dragon Dance are often seen, and as such, how should we EV these Pokemon? Let's take Dragonite as an example. When we use Pokemon of this sort, the speed after the first stat boost is generally the more important one, and is such, the one we want to aim for. Now, since the use of Dragon Dance multiplies the speed stat by 1.5, and Dragonite's speed stat revolves around the 200's, we would generally aim for outspeeding Tier 2 after one stat boost. Let's say for example, outspeeding Gengar, in my opinion, is quite important, and I also think it'll be beneficial to outspeed Starmie and Azelf also, which is why I'll decide on having 357 speed after the boost. This basically translates into:


180 HP/ 160 Atk/ 168 Spd Adamant


Note how the nature boosts Dragonite's best stat, and thus earns me a few extra stat points than if I used another nature that benefited one of Dragonite's worse stats, e.g. Jolly. Currently, this Dragonite's Atk is already impressive even without maxing it out, and using a Dragon Dance will boost it to even better proportions.

Another example is Metagross. If we wanted it to use Agility, we'd invest 88 Spd EVs giving it 198 Base Speed, which after an Agility outspeeds all Base 130's. However, if we're not using Agility, the same spread would not apply. We would then run something like 188 Spd EVs, giving it 223 Spd, which outruns the likes of Adamant TTar.

This is not to discourage all 252/ 252 spreads. For things such as Weavile and Aerodactyl, there is little point in investing, say, the remaining 40 EVs in HP. Due to their fragility, it would be better to simply max speed if only to randomly outspeed some random Scarfer. However, if you find that a small investment can save you from a certain attack, feel free to make that investment if you think it helps. However, never go 'Oh, I need 8 extra EVs for Def, so I'll just take them from speed, it shouldn't matter much', because it in fact, does matter a lot.

All in all, speed is an extremely precise stat, yet very easy to understand and apply.



Atk and SAtk

These two should be maxed by default on sweepers, however, many issues can take priority over it. If you need a few extra EVs for another stat, take it from these as long as it doesn't stop you from beating something important. On tanks or walls, try to take them only to ensure KOs against important enemies. Don't take it too far, though. Even over 100 for a supposedly defensive Pokemon is pushing it. An example would be Porygon2, which should have 92 SAtk EVs if it carries Ice Beam for the OHKO on Garchomp. We would thus, have this.


228 HP/ 176 Def/ 92 SAtk/ 12 SDef Bold @ Leftovers


Which maximizes the potential for your Porygon2.

On tank-ish things such as a BulkyDos, Atk EVs aren't even needed thanks to Dragon Dance. Another example is Raikou, who doesn't need 252 SAtk EVs, courtesy of Calm Mind. Instead, it would be wiser to first invest in Spd, then HP before thinking about SAtk.

On mixed sweepers, try figuring your main attacking spectrum and only EV your odd-one-out move so that it beats something important, just like Close Combat/ Aura Sphere/ Shadow Ball/ HP [Ice] MixLuke taking 76 Atk EVs for the OHKO on Blissey, while making sure its primary attacking spectrum is respectably formidable. The spread for MixLuke would therefore be:


76 Atk /228 Spd/ 204 SAtk Naive



Def and SDef

This generally shouldn't be used on your sweepers at all unless on very rare circumstances. On your tanks and walls, though, it's entirely different. Most of your defensive Pokemon, you'll want to take a nature that benefits its best defensive stat, as that also gains you a few extra points as compared to having a nature that benefits the not-as-impressive stat. For example, a Claydol has 105 Base Def and 120 Base SDef. If you use a Careful nature, you'll wind up with a few more stat points overall than if you used an Impish nature, which gives the best you can get out of your Pokemon. Another example would be Milotic. I for one don't understand why some people bother giving it a Bold nature when its strength in D/P lies in special walling, in other words, Calm. The appropriate spread for Milotic would therefore be:


212 HP/ 120 Def/ 176 SDef Calm


This is different to the principle mentioned way above, though, so don't get them mixed up.

This does not apply to Blissey. OU Blissey can be Bold or Calm. A few things, such as Vaporeon (Bold) and Porygon2 (Bold) can also be exempt from this rule.

Overall, there's really not much I can say about Def and SDef. Try to aim for the jump points when you're EVing a defensive Pokemon with a positive nature in that stat, and use the rest for other stats. If the jump points aren't sufficient for that Pokemon to fulfil its defensive role effectively enough, just max it out. If you're a semi-defensive Pokemon like Modest Heatran, you'll want to just take some Def/ SDef EVs to survive something important, like 80 Def EVs to survive Mixape's Close Combat, for example. There are many things you can do here, just feel free to do whatever you think will benefit your Pokemon, though in a specific and deliberate way.


Always think, how much does X Pokemon take from Y Pokemon's Attack Z because Attack Z is commonly seen?


The importance of EVs cannot be stressed enough. A 252 HP/ 252 Def/ 4 SDef Impish Jirachi is inferior to a 236 HP/ 216 Def/ 36 Spd/ 20 SDef Impish Jirachi. The latter can perform one more role by outspeeding TTar and friends as well as having 20 SDef EVs which may one day scrape you a win. The metagame is extremely vast, and different attacks from different situations will certainly appear before you. It helps a great deal if you adjust yourself to meet what you're facing. Most importantly, you need to think. You need to ask yourself, what am I going to beat with this and how can I do it safely? If you're having trouble guessing what most people would use against you, go to see what Smogon's sets and spreads are, because that's what most people do - copy from Smogon. If you have trouble understanding this article/ guide, feel free to ask or PM me. Likewise, if you think I've gotten something wrong, tell me because I may very well have. Remember that Smogon is often mediocre at best when it comes to EVs, so think up your own.

This guide is at its end, but I'll like to close it in style.


'Learn to adjust yourself to the conditions you have to endure, but make a point of trying to alter or correct conditions so that they are most favorable to you.'


This is exactly what EVs, and natures, while we're at it, are about - making the circumstances most favourable to you. Aim for jump points (in Atk/ SAtk/ Def/ SDef), beneficial points (HP) and specific points (Atk/ SAtk/ Def/ SDef/ Spd) when we EV as well as looking at the balance of stats and the state of the metagame. Thank you for reading.

A special big big thank you goes to Tochu for finding this thread for me, and thank yous to Salavoir/ Kingdrom for a few presentation details here and there.