Have you ever wondered why your friend's Pokémonhappens to do more damage with the same move, even though they're at the same level? Well, there's a complex system of numbers underneath the typical Pokémon battle, and Natures play a big role within it.
Every single Pokémon has its own individual Nature that is randomly generated when encountering it. They all have different names and can be confusing at first glance, but there are many ways to manipulate them and integrate them into your everyday Pokémon playing.
10 What Do Natures Actually Do?
Natures are essentially a give-and-take system based on a Pokémon’s personality and demeanor. Imagine it like a dog with an anger issue having a super strong bite, but he’s a little lacking in swiftness. Natures are usually a randomly determined factor when encountering a Pokemon, with the few exceptions being from spin-off games.
Taking an Adamant Nature as an example, it raises the attack stat by 10% and lowers the special attack stat by 10%. Most Natures will lower and raise a stat by 10% to determine said Pokemon’s stat growths.
9 How Do Natures Affect Stats?
When Natures are applied to a Pokémon's overall stats, a few key things are taken into account. First, the base stats of the Pokémon are used as a starting point, and they're essentially the basic stats that said Pokémon has. Next, EVs and IVs are added to determine the actual stats of the Pokémon.
EVs stand for Effort Values and are gained from things like training items such as vitamins. IVs stand for Individual Values, and are equivalent to a Pokémon's genetics, making them better in specific areas. The modifiers from Natures are added to the total of all these factors, all capable of adding up to the most optimal form of a Pokémon.
8 Picking The Right Nature
When looking at the massive amount of factors that go into creating a competitively viable Pokémon, it can be daunting as to where to start. The arguably most important part of any Pokémon is their stats, as they’ll be in charge of determining what moves they should use, what role they should play, and what items and abilities will benefit them the most. Stats are the unseen cornerstone of Pokémon battles, and Natures give the flexibility to customize your Pokemon’s stats as you see fit.
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A good example of picking the best Nature would be looking at those with a high Speed stat like Dragapult or Cinderace, where they’ll want to focus on attacking before the opponent can with as much damage as possible. Since they’re both physical attackers, a Jolly Nature that raises Speed and Lowers Special Attack would be a great fit.
7 Synchronize
This is an ability that is almost exclusive to Psychic-type Pokémon, and it is a massive help when attempting to catch wild Pokémon with a specific Nature. From Sword & Shield onwards, if a Pokémon with Synchronize is in the front of your party, any encounters are guaranteed to have the same Nature as that team member.
So, if you’re looking for an Eevee with a Nature that will benefit whichever evolution you desire, using a Pokémon with Synchronize is a sure-fire way to ensure those sweet, optimal stat growths.
6 Breeding
Breeding Pokémon has been a staple in the series for a long time, and it has the ability to create some extremely powerful Pocket Monsters. When breeding, it's possible to pass down factors from the parents like IVs, and most importantly, Natures. To give the child Pokémon the Nature from the parent, an item called an Everstone is used.
In Pokémon Sword & Shield, Everstones are quite a common item, and one can be acquired as early as Turffield. The parent that is holding the Everstone during breeding will be guaranteed to pass on their Nature, which is essential if the parent already has the desired Nature.
5 An Acquired Taste
Besides just lowering and raising stats, Natures also determine what kind of flavors your Pokémon likes and dislikes. For example, a Pokémon with a Lonely Nature will prefer spicier foods and hate sour ones. This can play a big role when whipping up some Curry or Malasadas, as catering to your Pokémon's tastes will render them more effective.
Pokémongames have different methods of cooking or ways for food to affect your teammates, and the taste is important across the board. In older titles where yourPokémon can partake in shows to get on stage and give it their best, feeding them certain foods will change their conditions and performance.
4 Old School Friends
When attempting to trade up Pokémon from earlier generations, it might be a bit worrisome when it comes to the specifics. Natures are determined slightly differently between generations, starting all the way back in Ruby & Sapphire. For example, generations III and IV have a different way of generating natures than generations past Sinnoh.
If you're trading a Pokémon from an earlier game to a newer one, that Pokémon's Nature will be set in stone once it is stored in something like Pokémon Bank. If you're going as far back as Red & Blue, the Pokémon's total experience points are used to dictate what kind of nature it will have.
3 Minty Fresh
Sword & Shield have introduced a lot of mechanics to cut down the time needed to do some of the more menial and tedious tasks within the game. One of the biggest inclusions for more competitive players is Mints. These brightly colored leaves will instantly change the nature of one of your Pokémon, essentially getting rid of things like farming for specific Natures or complicated breeding methods.
These miraculous Mints can be bought in the Wyndon Battle Tower for 50 Battle Points each, meaning that you’ll need to do a bit of battling before you can get some. Although, if you’re looking to use thesefor competitive reasons, a battle or two will already be on your agenda.
2 Madam Celadon
Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee has an extremely convenient way of controlling Natures with ease, as Madam Celadon in the Celadon City Pokémon Center can be paid to change the Nature of all encountered Pokémon for the whole day. For 10,000 Poké Dollars, you can have a nice talk about different colored flowers to pick and choose the Nature you need.
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This not only affects wild Pokémon, but also gifted Pokémon and, most importantly, those found in the GO Park. If you're an avid Pokémon GO player and would like to transfer over your beloved buddies at their best, be sure to pay Madam Celadon a visit.
1 Can't Win 'Em All
There are currently 25 different Natures that a Pokémon can have, but a few of them stick out for a particular reason. Hardy, Docile, Serious, Bashful, and Quirky natures are essentially useless, not raising or lowering stats whatsoever. One could argue that having neutral stats makes a Pokémon more well-rounded, but there will never be a time where each stat will be equally as important as another, and sacrificing one for another is way more beneficial.
In older generations, having one of these natures was the equivalent to having a horse with a bad leg, and the unfortunate Pokémon was usually forever banished to a box. But with Sword & Shield’s inclusion of Mints, those poor souls can finally have a chance for redemption.
NEXT:The 10 Most Powerful Pokémon Of Each Type
