Effort Values or “EVs” are points that your Pokemon can receive that will improve certain stats. These are different from Individual Values or “IVs,” and we’ve covered those in another guide if you’re looking for them. If you’ve only ever played Pokemon casually, then you might not have even known that there are numbers working behind the scenes that can have an effect on your team’s stats, but learning how to check EVs and how to work with them can make a drastic difference in your team’s effectiveness. The information can be a bit much at first, but after reading this guide, you should have a basic understanding of what Effort Values are and how you can check them.
How to Check EVs in Pokemon Sword and Shield
Checking a Pokemon’s EVs is incredibly easy in Pokemon Sword and Shield. All you have to do is check the Pokemon’s summary, navigate to the stats page, and then press the X button. The light yellow represents the current stats of the Pokemon, and the second color represents the Pokemon’s EVs. If you see blue alongside the yellow, then the Pokemon cannot be EV trained any further, but if you see dark yellow instead of blue, that Pokemon still has room to grow. Inteleon here shows blue, so he can’t be EV trained anymore.
How to EV Train in Pokemon Sword and Shield
The main way of improving a Pokemon’s EVs in Pokemon Sword and Shield is battling wild Pokemon. Defeating specific Pokemon will reward specific EVs, so you’ll have to be on the hunt for particular Pokemon if you’re looking to increase a certain stat. Below is a list of easy to find Pokemon that reward EVs for each of the game’s six stats.
- Skwovet – HP
- Chewtle – Attack
- Rolycoly – Defense
- Gastly – Special Defense
- Gossifleur – Special Attack
- Rookidee – Speed
Poke Jobs also boost EVs, but these can take much longer and provide less of a reward than just grinding out wild battles. Giving your Pokemon certain items to hold, like a Power Weight, will increase the rate at which you earn EVs. Vitamins like Calcium and Zinc can also be used to gain EVs directly without having to battle, albeit at a high price. For all the specifics about EV training in Sword and Shield, we recommend checking out Serebii’s detailed rundown of the process.
