There’s more to Pokémon GO than you can see with your naked eyes. Under the flashy graphics and the smooth UI, hidden statistics are at play, assigned to every Pokémon, affecting their performance. These statistics are called “individual values” – so called because they’re what make your Pokémon unique. Although the only statistic you’ll see affecting your Pokémon’s level of ability will be the CP, what actually drives your Pokémon are these individual values.
The individual values in Pokémon GO, uncovered from the game’s code by subreddit TheSilphRoad, determine the Pokémon’s attack, defence and stamina. This means that even if you take two Pokémon of the same CP, they will have individual values of attack, defence and stamina, essentially making them unequal.
Want to know what your Pokémon’s IV are? You can find out using online calculators that are already starting to proliferate the Internet. iDigitalTimes has pointed out this calculator, as well as this one. Keep in mind that you’ll need “a fair amount of legwork and a bit of Stardust” for this to work. If you’re serious about Pokémon GO, however, it might be a good idea.
What do you think of the revelation that the game has individual values? Let us know in the comments below.