Pokemon Go low IV catches are better than you think
NianticSeeing bad IVs on your Pokemon Go shinies and Legendaries can play spoilsport but you’ll be surprised to know how valuable they are in PvP and PvE.
Pokemon Go players grind hard to find Pokemon with the best IVs (individual values) and power them up for PvP and PvE battles. A perfect 100 IV is certainly the best shot for Raids and the Master League, while lower GBL bouts require stats inclined towards Defense and HP.
But, when a Reddit user named ‘Crying_still’ found a rare wild shiny Gyarados and was disappointed to discover its low IVs, several players had some surprising tidbits to add about IVs in Pokemon Go.
A user stated that IVs are overrated, to which a player mentioned, “It almost never matters. Some breakpoints, especially in mirror matches, in super high level PvP, worst IV’s possible vs best will mean best has 1hp and switch advantage.”
Another commented: “If you actually really look at how much the IVs affect the quality it’s really not that much.”
Many agreed with this, with one even adding that their 1-star Blaziken and Gyrados are “absolute monsters in PVP.” You should know that a 1-star species in Pokemon Go has the lowest range of IVs possible, with a 4-star being a 100 IV.
A trainer stated that a 100 IV Pokemon is only around 2% stronger than a 0 IV one, and the negligible difference hardly matters. While a Pokemon with 15 Attack IV does have a slight advantage in mirror matchups, players vouched that “the level of a Pokemon matters much more.”
IVs are far from the be-all and end-all in Pokemon Go, even in intense battles. High levels, choosing the right moves, and switching Pokemon at the right time are far more important than the IVs of your Pokemon
So, if you have rare shinies with low IVs, feel free to use them in any Pokemon Go battle.