How To Unlock The IV Checker In Pokemon Sword And Shield - IGN

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Pokemon Sword and Shield include a way to see the Individual Values (often shortened to IVs) of a Pokemon just by looking at it in your box. IVs are a set of hidden stats that affect each individual Pokemon's base stats, which is what each Pokemon's stats unique, and why they're such an important factor in strong Pokemon. This page covers how IVs work and how to unlock an IV checker, or IV judge, in Pokemon Sword and Shield.  

How to Unlock the IV Checker in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Unlocking the IV Checker in Pokemon Sword and Shield isn't too involved, but is more straightforward than it was in Pokemon Sun and Moon. Once it's unlocked, you'll be able to see your Pokemon's IVs in the box just by pressing +, like in the screenshot below. 

1. First, you need to beat the main story of Pokemon Sword and Shield.

1. Then, you must get to the Battle Tower, and challenge it. 

1. You must accrue six victories - your last battle should be against Leon. When you defeat him, your Battle Tower rank will increase to Rank 4, and you will unlock the IV checker, or judge function, for the Pokemon Box!

1. Simply open your Pokemon Box and press + to see your Pokemon's Individual Values from here. 

How to Read IV Judge Statements, and Why IVs Matter 

You want your Pokemon to have the best Individual Values because of how they affect its stats. The higher its IVs, the higher its stats. If a Pokemon has the "Best" IV for a stat, that means it can reach the highest potential stat for that species. A Pikachu with a 31 IV for Speed and is EV trained for max speed will have the highest speed any Pikachu can. 

So, if your Pikachu has a "Best" value of 31 for its Speed, it will be faster than a Pikachu with a "Pretty Good" value of 20 for its Speed.

Once you unlock the IV Checker, when you press + in your Pokemon Box, you'll be able to see a judgment of your Pokemon's stats. Here's what they mean.

• No Good: zero

• Decent: 1- 10

• Pretty Good: 11 - 20

• Very Good: 21 - 29

• Fantastic: 30

• Best: 31

If no EV points are invested in a stat, there will be no difference between 30 and 31 IVs at Level 50 (the level Pokemon are auto-leveled to for competitive battles.)With this in mind, 31 IVs are only necessary for Stats you intend to invest EVs into. See Effort Values for more information.

How to Change IVs

Though Individual Values technically can't be changed, they can be altered by Hyper Training.

In the Battle Tower, speak to the NPC on the far right of the counter. Exchange a Bottle Cap to Hyper Train a Lv. 100 Pokemon in a single stat. This stat will then be considered "Best".

You can also use a Gold Bottle Cap to Hyper Train all of a Pokemon's stats, so they all work as "Best".

See How to Get Bottle Caps and Gold Bottle Caps in Pokemon Sword and Shield for more information on Bottle Caps.

We say it "technically" can't be changed because even after a Pokemon is Hyper Trained, it won't pass on these IVs when Breeding.

Up Next: How to Get Mystery Gifts

PreviousHow to Use Surprise TradeNextHow to Get Mystery Gifts

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