Pokemon Sun & Moon: How to Boost Base Stats Fast

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If you’re new to Pokemon, EVs (or Base Stats) are the hidden values that dictate how your Pokemon grow after every level-up. The Base Stats always increase a set-amount in Pokemon Sun and Moon, but there are ways to increase your EV gains early and often. Using certain items and upgrades will make it much easier to turn weak Pokemon into eventual powerhouses.

Let’s keep things simple. EVs (Effort Values) are the attributes that provide bonuses to individual stats, and each stat improves differently after every battle. The six stats are; HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. Some Pokemon are naturally better at specific stats, and their gains in those areas will be higher than others — but using items, you can earn exponentially more EVs.

How to Boost Base Stats Fast | EV Farming Guide

To increase your EV gains, there are certain items you’ll want to equip on your Pokemon while training. Basically, these are the four types of items you’ll want to collect to get the most EVs possible.

Using the steps below, it is possible to gain 252 EVs in a single battle.

Basic Items You’ll Need:
- Power Items
- Adrenaline Orbs

Advanced EV Training:
- False Swipe
- Pokerus

Power Items and Adrenaline Orbs are easier to get in Pokemon Sun and Moon, while False Swipe and especially Pokerus are rare. If you have them, use them — but you can still increase your EV gains plenty without False Swipe or Pokerus.

In previous Generations, Pokemon EVs could only increase to +4 with the use of items. Not anymore in Generation 7 — now Pokemon can gain up to +8 EVs.

#1: Equip Power Items

Power Items are held-items that can be purchased at the Battle Royale Dome. Power Items increase EV gains, but slow your Pokemon in battle. Here’s a list of the Power Items — pick the ones you want for your Pokemon.

Power Weight: +8 HP EVs per battle. | Cuts Speed in half.
Power Bracer: +8 Attack EVs per battle. | Cuts Speed in half.
Power Belt: +8 Defense EVs per battle. | Cuts Speed in half.
Power Lens: +8 Special Attack EVs per battle. | Cuts Speed in half.
Power Band: +8 Special Defense EVs per battle. | Cuts Speed in half.
Power Anklet: +8 Speed EVs per battle. | Cuts Speed in half.

These provide bonus EVs, on top of the EVs gained naturally from defeating Pokemon in battle.

#2: Get Lots of Adrenaline Orbs

Adrenaline Orbs are available to purchase at any Pokemon Centers in the Alola Region. Buy lots of these — they’ll help you farm EV immensely because, when used, Wild Pokemon are more likely to call for help. The more Pokemon you can defeat in a battle, the more EVs you’ll gain.

Adrenaline Orb: Using it makes wild Pokemon more likely to call for help. If held by a Pokemon, it boosts Speed when intimidated. It can be used only once. (Per battle.)

You can only throw one Adrenaline Orb, but throwing it will cause SOS Pokemon to show up at a higher rate. To train EVs, you’ll want as many Pokemon to appear in a single battle as possible for the biggest gains.

NOTE: Only defeat the SOS Pokemon — do not knock out the first (regular) Pokemon.

#3: Turn on Exp. Share

Exp. Share is a feature unlocked in all modern Pokemon core titles, so there’s nothing special here. Just turn it on so all your Pokemon gain Exp. Even if your lead Pokemon is maxed-out, Pokemon that have not yet been maxed will gain Exp. and EVs.

All Exp. and EVs are shared, so if you’re using a Pokemon with Power Items equipped, those bonus EV gain will be rewarded to all of your Pokemon.

#4: False Swipe Makes Things Easier

This is a simple step, but you don’t want to make the ‘main’ Pokemon faint. Only defeat the SOS Pokemon, and the lower the health of a Pokemon, the more likely they are to call for help.

Use False Swipe on the original Pokemon in a battle to avoid defeating it and ending the battle prematurely. We want SOS Pokemon to appear! Once you’ve defeated enough SOS Pokemon (14~ or so to max out a stat.) you can make the original Pokemon faint.

#5: If You’re Lucky, Get Infected With Pokerus

Pokerus makes this all much, much easier. Pokemon infected with the Pokerus virus gain EV twice as fast as normal Pokemon. The only way to get infected is through online trading, and it helps to know someone that already has a Pokerus-infected Pokemon.

NOTE: Munchlax, the Mystery Gift Pokemon (Ends Jan. 11, 2017) is often infected with Pokerus.

If you have an infected Pokemon, here’s how to spread the virus:
1. Place your Pokemon in Slot 2-3-4
2. Enter a battle and defeat a Pokemon.
3. After the battle, there is a chance the Pokerus will spread to another Pokemon.
  - Only Pokemon adjacent to the infected Pokemon have a chance to become infected.
  - That’s why you’ll always want infected Pokemon in slots 2, 3, 4, or 5. Never 1 or 6.
4. Rinse and repeat until the virus spreads to the Pokemon you want to catch Pokerus.

Pokerus only lasts 1-4 days in real time. If you have a Pokerus infected Pokemon, place it in the PC Bag to effectively stall the timer and save it for another time.

Using these tips, you can easily max out a single EV stat, in a single battle. That’s pretty nuts, and if you’re all about power-leveling, this is the way to do it.

Got any questions? Have your own EV boosting strats? Let us know in the comments!

Source: [1]

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