Why is cheating common in Pokémon?
There are a few reasons cheating is common in Pokémon. The main reason is that the Pokémon games have complex and time consuming stat systems. Each Pokémon has six stats that determine how powerful they are in relation to each other, including how strong they are in relation to other Pokémon of the same species. Cheaters hope to get these stats without sinking in too much time into the game, or to rely on luck to do so.
Additionally, there some Pokémon that are only available for a limited time via download only. If you miss these special Pokémon (such as Mew), or mess up their stats, you may want to cheat to get them. It is due to this reason that official tournaments do not allow the use of these Pokémon, no matter how strong or weak they may be.
If you don’t understand how time consuming getting ideal Pokémon is, it may be time to explain how the stat system works. Be warned, this information is complex, and may not be something all readers want to see.
Pokémon stats are actually not just one number each. The number you see on screen is actually a combination of four different numbers that the game calculates for you. The simplest number is called a “base stat” by the fan base. This number always applies to the Pokémon of that species and form. For example, every Pikachu has a speed base stat of 90. This can be seen as the possible range that stat can be. To elaborate, a level 50 Pikachu’s speed is always between 85 and 156. If that number is higher or lower at level 50, that Pikachu is hacked. All other Pokémon with a base stat of 90 has a possible speed between 85 and 156, no exceptions.
Next is the most frustrating part of the system. They are called “individual values” or “IVs” for short. Every Pokémon when caught has their six stats randomized between two values. IVs can be anywhere from 0 to 31. Any or all of them could be at their lowest value, highest value, or any number in between.
Players typically seek Pokémon with all or most of these six stats with an IV value of 31 each. Traditionally, IVs could not be changed on the Pokémon once caught. Since each stat has a 1 in 32 chance to be at a value of 31, the odds of finding a Pokémon with all six stats maxed out is 1 in 1,073,741,824 or slightly higher than 0.00000009%. The odds of finding this is almost impossible, and that doesn’t take another randomized factor that determines a Pokémon’s stats into consideration. Thankfully, Pokémon Sun and Moon versions introduced the Hyper Training feature that allows you to instantly increase these stats to the highest value.
The next factor that effects a Pokémon’s stats are called “effort values” or “EVs” for short. While these points are controllable by the player, they are difficult to optimize. The typical way a Pokémon gets EVs is when it acquires experience points from defeating a Pokémon. The Pokémon usually gets 1 EV in one stat per Pokémon knocked out. It takes 4 EVs in one stat to increase that stat by one point for a Pokémon at level 100. There are a few catches here. First, a Pokémon can only have 252 EVs in one stat. Next, a Pokémon can only have 510 EVs total, so you can have 2 stats with 252 EVs, and have 6 EVs leftover to increase one stat by one. You can also split those 510 EVs more evenly among multiple stats and can choose to not have one or more stats maxed out. The best sets ultimately complement the strengths of the Pokémon in question, and ignore stats that the Pokémon doesn’t use at all. There are certain items that can reset EVs on a Pokémon, if you want to try another setup.
The last factor that impacts a Pokémon’s stats are natures. Every Pokémon has one of 25 different natures. Each nature boosts one stat by 10%, while another stat is reduced by 10%. 5 natures enhance and reduce the same stat, leading to all stats being unaffected by the Pokémon’s nature. Also, there aren’t any natures that alter the HP stat. A Pokémon’s nature cannot be changed once caught. Players choose natures based on which stats the Pokémon ends up using, often dropping Attack, Special Attack, or Speed while boosting any other stat. The natures that don’t effect any stat usually aren’t used.
It is due to this complexity and the time commitment that leads to players to resort to cheating, so they don’t have to put in the effort to find an ideal Pokémon. They just want more time to play the game against other players. The fact that some of these numbers cannot change, particularly for Pokémon you only find once per save file also encourages cheating.
Go to page 3 to see how to play without cheating.
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