Base stats: Difference between revisions

{{search|fixed stat element of a species of Pokémon|the variable stat element of an individual Pokémon also officially known as base stats|Effort values}}

'''Base stats''' (Japanese: '''{{tt|種族値|しゅぞくち}}''' ''values of the species' attributes''), officially referred to as '''species strengths''', in the context of a [[Pokémon (species)|Pokémon species]] as a whole, are the inherent, immutable values which define the average [[Stats|strengths]] of Pokémon of a given species. This should not be confused with what are also known [[Effort values|base stats]] in the context of an individual Pokémon (often called effort values or EVs), which are variable values that influence a Pokémon's stats beyond these species strengths.

A species's base stats range from values of 1 to 255, and are often the prime representation of the potential a Pokémon species has in battle. As an example, the base stats for {{p|Umbreon}} make them mainly defensive Pokémon, meaning that Umbreon will generally have relatively low {{stat|Attack}} and {{stat|Special Attack}} scores in comparison to their {{stat|Defense}} and {{stat|Special Defense}} scores. When considering an individual Umbreon, however, these differences may be mitigated or emphasized by other factors such as its [[Nature]], [[individual values]], and [[effort values]].

Pokémon of a higher [[evolution]]ary stage will usually have higher base stats (both individually and in total) than their unevolved counterparts. The only exceptions to this pattern are {{p|Shedinja}}, whose base stat total is lower than {{p|Nincada}}'s by 30 points, and {{p|Scizor}}, whose base stat total is the same as {{p|Scyther}}'s. Evolved Pokémon also often have similar distributions to their base stats as their unevolved relatives, such as {{p|Abra}}, {{p|Kadabra}}, and {{p|Alakazam}}, who gain 15 points in each base stat upon evolving (except for Alakazam's Special Defense in [[Generation VI]], which gains 25 points).

Species from different branches of [[List of Pokémon with branched evolutions|Pokémon with a split evolutionary line]] will often have similar base stats to each other, but in different distributions. For example, while {{p|Gardevoir}}'s base stats for Attack and Special Attack are 65 and 125, respectively, its counterpart {{p|Gallade}}'s Attack and Special Attack stats are reversed (125 and 65, respectively). Pokémon species that are [[Version-exclusive Pokémon|exclusive to specific games]] but not explicitly related by evolution (such as {{p|Caterpie}} and {{p|Weedle}}) may also have base stats that are similar overall but have different distributions.

While these values generally do not change from one game generation to the next, they have changed in two generation gaps. In [[Generation II]], the {{stat|Special}} stat from the [[Generation I]] games was separated into {{stat|Special Attack}} and {{stat|Special Defense}}. In [[Generation VI]], some Pokémon received a slight boost in stats, such as {{p|Pidgeot}}'s base Speed being increased from 91 to 101.

*[[List of Pokémon by base stats (Generation I)]]

*[[List of Pokémon by base stats (Generation II-V)]]

*[[List of Pokémon by base stats (Generation VI-present)]]

{{Project Games notice|game mechanic}}