EV Training

Natures

There are 25 different natures. All natures raise one stat by 10% and lower another stat by 10% except the natures Hardy, Serious, Bashful, Quirky, and Docile (These natures are not used in competitive battling, as it is always better to boost a desirable stat). The natures change a stat after the EV (mentioned further down the page) has been taken into account. Here is a table to show the effects of all natures:

How are natures inherited?

If a female Pokémon or a Ditto is holding the item Everstone and breeds with another Pokémon, the baby will have a 50% chance of having the same nature as the Pokémon holding Everstone. Everstone will not work if it is being held by a female Pokémon being bred with Ditto or if you breed Pokémon from different language versions.

Effort Values (EVs)

EVs are hidden numbers that influence a Pokémon's stats. Effort points raise effort values (EVs). When you defeat a Pokémon (except in multiplayer/ battle tower), your Pokémon gets a certain number of effort points depending on the species of the defeated Pokémon. For example, defeating a Gardevoir gives your Pokémon 3 special attack effort points. Every 4 effort points in a stat makes that stat increase by one at level 100 - at lower levels it scales accordingly (e.g. at level 50 the stat is one point higher for every 8 effort points). Each Pokémon can have up to 510 effort points with a maximum of 255 effort points in any one EV. If the amount of EVs in a stat is not divisible by four, the number is rounded down. This means that 252 effort points in an EV will have the same effect on the final stat as 255 - you will want to remember this so as not to waste any. These stats are gained as you level up, so you cannot EV train a level 100. Helpfully, The berries that say “Using it on a Pokémon makes it more friendly, but it also lowers its base (a stat e.g. Attack) stat.” lower EVs in a stat by 10, so you can use them to remove any unwanted EVs.

EV Training Locations

These are my recommendations for where you should EV train your Pokémon in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl or Platinum:

Location	Pokémon	Pokémon's Sprite	EV that it offers
Route 201	Bidoof		1 HP
Route 202	Shinx		1 Attack
Ruin Maniac Cave	Geodude		1 Defence
Old Chateau	Gastly		1 Special Attack
Rote 213 (while surfing)	Tentacool		1 Special Defence
Fish anywhere with Old Rod	Magikarp		1 Speed

Speeding Up EV Training

There are many ways of speeding up EV training:

Macho Brace		Doubles EVs gained by Pokémon holding, but temporarily halves speed stat. Obtainable by showing all three types of Burmy to boy in Pastoria City or, in Pokémon Platinum, from showing the same boy all forms of Combee.
Power Items (e.g. Power Belt)		When you gain EVs, these items will give you four effort points in a particular stat (different for each Power Item) (e.g. if you defeat a Magikarp while holding a Power Bracer you will get 4 Attack effort points and one speed effort point). These can be bought with BP.
Vitamins (e.g. Carbos)		Give 10 EVs in a certain stat, although your Pokemon will reject them if you try to raise a stat that is already past 100 effort points. This means you can get 100 effort points easily, if you're rich enough. Bought in Veilstone.
Exp. Share		The Pokémon holding Exp. Share gets all the effort points that the Pokemon who actually fought is getting.
Pokerus		Doubles EVs gained by infected Pokémon until it gets better (1 day after infection). There is a 3 in 65,535 chance of a wild Pokémon being infected, but it is contagious. Putting a Pokémon in a Box preserves the Pokerus.

To find out how many EVs a particular Pokémon gives, search for it in this Pokédex and look under "Effort Values for KO:".

Individual Values (IVs)

There is another hidden value that affects your Pokémon’s stats. IVs range from 0 to 31 (31 means that stat is at its best and is considered a perfect IV). IVs are randomly generated when you encounter the pokemon in the wild, or when you receive its egg from the daycare. They are partially inherited when Pokémon are bred: up to three random IVs are inherited from a random parent. The IVs are simply added on to the Pokémon’s stats as it grows if at level 100 – a level 100 Shuckle with an attack IV of 20 will have an attack stat 20 higher than a level 100 Shuckle with 0 attack IVs. However, as with the EV, a lower level pokemon will get fewer stat raises accordingly: at level 50 an attack IV of 20 will make the stat 10 points higher. We recommend battling with your team on the free PC program, Shoddy Battle, to avoid messing around with IVs. Unlike EVs, IVs cannot be changed and are set in stone from when you obtain the Pokémon. There is no guaranteed way of obtaining the exact IVs you want. The best way to get a Pokémon with good IVs is by breeding, but it still takes forever. You could always buy something like Action Replay and hack, if you must have a Pokémon with perfect IVs on your cart. If you want to do this legitimately, we recommend using an IV calculator. Good luck!