IV and IV breeding Guide

Hey I wrote a guide on Iv's and how to Iv breed so I decided to post it here. If you see any wrong info, see I'm missing something, or have any questions feel free to ask. This guide based on 5th generation and some things about ivs and iv breeding may be different depending on what generation game you are playing.

What are IV's
IVs are numbers 0-31 that determine how well each stat grows. Every pokemon have 6 IV's one for every stat (HP, attack, sp.atk, defense, sp.def, and speed). 0 is the worst growth for a stat and 31 is best growth.

How do I know a Pokemon's IV's
The best way to determine a Pokemon's IVs is to use an IV calculator. I recommend using Serebii's Calculator. Remember in order to use this calculator correctly you must know the pokemon's Evs.

Characteristics can also be used to determine a Pokemon's best IV. A Characteristic is a small phrase seen on a Pokemon's info phrase. An example would be Alert to Sounds. Whatever phrase pops up stands for the pokemon's best IV. However characteristics can stand for mutliple numbers. For example Alert to Sounds could stand for a 31 IV in Speed or it could also stand for a 1 in speed. Click here for a full list.

The Judge in the Battle Subway also helps with IV's. He will give you a phrase that will tell you what your IV's total and will also tell you your best IV. The Battle Subway Judge can say...

The Pokemon is decent = The Pokemon has IV's totaling to somewhere between 0 and 90
The Pokemon is above average = The Pokemon has IV's totaling to somewhere between 91 and 120
The Pokemon is relatively superior = The Pokemon has IV's totaling to somewhere between 121 and 150
The Pokemon is outstanding = The Pokemon has IV's totaling to somewhere between 151 and 186

The Best Stat is ______ it is rather decent = The best stat is a number between 0 and 15
The Best Stat is ______ it is very good = The best stat is a number between 16 and 25
The Best Stat is ______ it is fantastic = The best stat is a number between 26 and 30
The Best Stat is ______ it can't be better = The best stat is 31

When are a Pokemon's IV's generated
As soon as you see the pokemon the IV's are generated. Roaming pokemon will keep there IV's once you see them. You can change these by defeating the pokemon and then beating the elite four. After this the pokemon will regenerate with new IV's. An egg's IV's are not determined until after they hatch. Once generated they CAN NOT be changed.

IV Breeding
When breeding pokemon some IV's are transfered to the baby. 3 iv's are picked randomly from the parents (2 from one parent and 1 from the other) and the other 3 are randomly generated. So if you have parents with good iv's you can stick them in the daycare and hope they transfer the stats that you want. However there is a easier way.

When a parent pokemon has a power item attached (Ex: Power Weight) then it will transfer that stat to the baby. For example lets say I'm breeding a ditto with 31 in HP with a Charmander. If I give ditto the Power Weight then the baby Charmanders will always have 31 iv for HP. However if both parents are holding power items then there will only be a 50% chance of the IV being passed down. For example lets say my Charmander from earlier had a perfect speed stat and I gave it the power anklet. Then the baby charmanders have a 50% chance to have perfect HP, a 50% chance to have speed, and (didn't check the math on this part) a 25% chance to get both.

Hidden Power
IV's also determines a Pokemon's hidden power typing and power. This is by using a formula that you can look up online because to tell you the truth I really have never tried to breed for a hidden power on a pokemon. Just thought it was worth mentioning.

Nice guide! I'd also like to point out another reliable way to check Pokemon IVs without having to know their EVs is to upload a Pokemon to pokecheck. Doing so will require access to the GTS and Wi-Fi. You can find the OT's Trainer info, your Pokemon's EVs, IVs, and its legitimacy. The downside is that you can't check Pokemon with those event ribbons like Classic Ribbon since the GTS rejects those.

I find IV's really confusing. When you catch a pokemon, is there a way to tell what its IV values are for each stat?

here's a calculator that doesnt require EV's

http://veekun.com/dex/gadgets/stat_calculator

Hmm, that calculator seems alright, but you could upload your pokemon to pokecheck to know the exact Ivs. Thought it is undeniably a slightly complex procedure, you will be able to literally just look at your pokemon's exact Ivs.Just follow the instructions at their home page. It isn't as tough as it seems.

You should add updates for G6:

Destiny Knot: Held item that allows a parent to transfer 5 IVs (selected at random), instead of the usual 3. Combine this with the Power items, and you can produce perfect Pokes in very short order.

Everstone: Held item that guarantees the parent will transfer it's nature (ie. Adamant, Timid, etc) to its progeny.

Also for G6, the Instacheck Hotspot program allows you to view IVs, which is nice since Pokebank isn't up for X and Y yet.

Also, every pokemon found in the Safari has at least two maxed Ivs. So it's a good idea to catch a couple of them to breed.