Pokemon Gold and Silver - Statistics

Types of stats

Starting with the second generation, there are six different types of stats.

HP (Hit Points)

A Pokémon with high HP is expected to last longer during battle. When a Pokémon's HP reaches 0, it faints and can't fight until it is restored.

Attack

The Attack stat affects the damage inflicted by physical type attacks (Normal, Fighting, Poison, Ground, Flying, Bug, Rock, Ghost, and Steel).

Defense

The Defense stat affects the damage received from physical type attacks.

Speed

The Speed stat affects the probability that a Pokémon will strike first. In battle, most of the time, the Pokémon with the higher Speed rating attacks first in a particular round.

Special Attack

The Special Attack stat affects the damage inflicted by special attacks (Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Psychic, Dragon, and Dark).

Special Defense

The Special Defense stat affects the damage received from special attacks.

The Special Attack and Special Defense stats both share the same DV (Deter Value), namely the Special DV; however, their base stats can be different.

The first-generation games have a stat called "Special", which represents both Special Attack and Special Defense in later versions: it affects the damage inflicted by and received from special attacks.

Base Stats

Base stats represent a Pokemon's stat potential. Base stats differ depending on the Pokemon's species. Each base stat has a value from 0 through 255. There is a Base Stat corresponding to HP, Attack, Defense, Speed, Special Attack, and Special Defense. Base stats are fixed for each Pokemon species.

You can look up the Base Stats for each Pokemon.

Stat Formula

This is the universal formula for finding a Pokemon's stats.

Stat = int(((A+B)*2+C)*D/100)+E

• A = Pokémon's Base Stat.
• B = Pokémon's Deter Value (from 0 through 15)
• C = Number of Stat Points currently earned (from 0 through 63)
• D = Pokémon's level.
• E = Additive. When calculating a Pokémon's HP, use (Level + 10). For all other stats, use 5.

You can use the Stat Calculator to apply the Stat Formula.

Deter Values

The Deter Values (or DVs, sometimes called "genes") are what make Pokémon of the same species unique from others. DVs are based on a 16-digit scale of 0-15. There are four different stats a Pokémon has DVs for--Attack DV, Defense DV, Speed DV, and Special DV. These four DVs are randomly generated when the player encounters a wild Pokémon or a Pokemon is created internally, such as from an in-game trade. There is a fifth kind of DV -- the HP DV -- which is determined by using all four of the other DVs. The DVs a Pokemon gets are permanent and cannot be changed.

Some people use Diversification Value, the Determination Value, the gene, the eigenvalue, and the Individual Value to refer to Deter Values. Of these other names, "Individual Value" is probably the most common.

In the second-generation versions, the Special DV determines the Special Attack and Special Defense stats.

Finding DVs

The formula below finds the DVs of a Level 100 Pokémon with a Stat Exp of 65,025 or more. (The formulas below are not used in the game, as a Pokemon's DVs are already available to it and hidden from view.)

Stat DV = 15 -((Max Stat - Actual Stat)/2)

Another way to find DVs (for low- and mid-level Pokemon) is to use Rare Candy to level a wild Pokemon to 50, and then use this formula. ("int(num)" means you have to round "num" down to an integer. "abs(num)" means to remove the negative sign if any.)

Stat DV = abs(Y-(int(((A+15)*2)*50/100)+E))

where:

• Y = Pokémon's Actual Stat
• A = Pokémon's Base Stat
• E = Additive. If you're calculating a Pokémon's HP DV, use (Level + 10). For all other stats, use 5.

Finding the HP DV

The HP DV is not randomly determined: it is based on the Attack, Defense, Speed, and Special DVs.

HP DV = A + B + C + D

where:

• A=0. If Attack DV is odd, A=8.
• B=0. If Defense DV is odd, B=4.
• C=0. If Speed DV is odd, C=2.
• D=0. If Special DV is odd, D=1.

Shiny Pokémon

In the second-generation versions, shiny Pokémon are special colored Pokémon with Defense, Special, and Speed DVs of 10; and an Attack DV of either 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, or 15. The DVs of the shiny red Gyarados in the Lake of Rage are (15/10/10/10). Because only the Attack DV is changing, shiny Pokémon always have an HP DV of either 0 or 8.

Stat Experience (Stat Exp)

Stat experience refers to a set of values that indicate a Pokemon's training. There are five Stat Exp values: HP, Attack, Defense, Speed, Special. Whenever an enemy Pokemon is defeated, the participants in defeating that Pokemon earn Stat Exp, similar to normal experience. Stat Exp is directly related to Stat Points, which are the real values that affect a Pokemon's stats.

After a Pokemon is defeated, for each stat, an amount equal to the corresponding base stat of the defeated Pokemon is distributed among all participants in the battle against it. Stat Exp is distributed in all cases as if it were normal EXP. However, no additional Stat Exp bonus is given to Pokemon with Lucky Egg attached.

A wild Pokemon or a Pokemon created internally (internal trades, hatching, etc.) starts with zero Stat Exp for all stats. A Pokémon can have up to 65,535 Stat Exp per stat, after which it can't earn any more.

Stats for a Pokemon are recalculated when it gains a level, is placed in a Box or in the Daycare, or a stat enhancer is given to it and takes effect.

Using a Rare Candy provides no Stat Exp: it simply raises a Pokémon's level.

Stat Exp is also called the "Effort Value", and the latter term is often used in Ruby and Sapphire to describe a similar type of value for measuring a Pokemon's training.

Stat Enhancers

Stat enhancers (HP Up, Protein, Iron, Carbos, Calcium) increase the Stat Exp of HP, Attack, Defense, Speed, or Special (respectively) by 2,560. Each stat enhancer won't have any effect when a Pokémon's Stat Exp for the respective stat is at least 25,600. The stat enhancers also update a Pokemon's stats after increasing Stat Exp.

The Box Trick

When a Pokémon is placed in a PC storage box, the game saves, among other things, its experience (to calculate its level), its DVs, and the number of Stat Exp it currently has for each stat. When the Pokemon is removed from the storage system, its stats are recalculated based on its Stat Exp, without actually gaining a level. This effect is called the "box trick."

Stat Points

There is another value called "Stat Points" which is based on Stat Exp. As the game recalculates a Pokemon's stats, the game determines the number of Stat Points it has earned and updates its stats using the Stat Formula. Stat Points can be found using the formula below.

Stat Points = (SQRT(StatExp-1)+1)/4

Contrary to previous information, the game does not use a Pokemon's level to find Stat Points.

Special Stat Exp in GS

In the second generation versions, a Pokemon's Special Attack and Special Defense are calculated using its Special DV and Special Stat Points. A battle's participants gain Special Stat Exp according to the base Special Attack of the enemy when it is defeated.