Read this article to find out the meaning of abbreviations & terminology often used in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Learn about IVs, EVs, pseudo legendaries and more!!!
Table of Contents
Pokemon Sword And Shield Terms
Dynamax
A new feature which allows Pokemon to grow massive, become stronger, & gain access to new moves.
Find Out More About Dynamax Pokemon Here!Gigantamax
A similar phenomenon to Dynamax, but your Pokemon will also change their appearance. Gigantamax Pokemon are considered rare.
Find Out More About Gigantamax Pokemon Here!PokeJobs
A new feature where you can send your Pokemon out on missions to gain exp and even Base Points!
Find Out The Other Advantages Of Poke Jobs Here!Wild Area
A new massive zone in the Galar region where you can go camping, encounter many Pokemon, cook curry, and battle special Dynamax (or even Gigantamax) Pokemon.
Check Out What Else You Can Do In The Wild Area HereMax Raid Battles
Battles against powerful wild Dynamaxed Pokemon. Can be done with up to 4 people.
Learn How To Catch Dynamax Pokemon In Max Raid Battles Here!Camp
An activity to do with your Pokemon. You can also join other players' camps and play with their Pokemon.
See What Else You Can Do In Camps Here!Curry
A food that can be cooked at camps. There are many recipes to cook and collect.
Find Out More About Curry Here!Pokemon Stat Terms
Base Stats
These are the fundamental, unchanging stats of every individual species of Pokemon. There are 6 stats:
HP
Determines how much health your Pokemon has.
Atk (Attack)
Increases the damage of physical moves.
Def (Defense)
Reduces the damage you take from physical moves.
Sp. Atk (Special Attack)
Increases the damage of special moves.
Sp. Def (Special Defense)
Reduces the damage you take from special moves.
Speed
Determines which Pokemon goes first.
Learn About Base Stats In Detail!Individual Strengths (Individual Values, IVs)
These are values assigned to each stat (from 0-31) which are unique to every Pokemon, even those of the same species.
Get More Information On IVs HereBase Points (Effort Values, EVs)
These points increase a particular stat. They are obtained when you defeat Pokemon. One Pokemon can earn a maximum of 510 Base Points.
Find Out How To Maximize Your Pokemon's Stats With EVs HereLegendary Pokemon
These are Pokemon which are unique and extremely powerful. There is typically only one of them in the game. They cannot breed.
Find Out Everything About The New Legendary Pokemon!Pseudo Legendary Pokemon
These are Pokemon which are extremely strong, but are not unique. Typically they have a Base Stat total of 600.
Check out Base Stat Ranking In Galar Guide Here!| Pseudo Legendaries From Previous Games | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragonite | Tyranitar | Salamence | Metagross |
| Garchomp | Hydreigon | Goodra | Kommo-o |
Breeding
The process of pairing up two Pokemon to create a new one. This is used to create the strongest possible Pokemon.
Learn How To Breed Strong Pokemon HereNatures
Natures are passive effects that change the stat growth of a Pokemon. Natures usually boost one stat and lower another.
Check Out All The Natures HereAbilities
Abilities provide a passive effect to every Pokemon. A Pokemon can only have one ability.
Learn About Abilities And Hidden Abilities In Detail Here!Pokerus
A virus which can sometimes infect Pokemon. It causes your Pokemon to earn much more Base Points from defeating Pokemon. It has no negative effects.
Check Out How To Get Pokerus!Pokemon Battle Terms
STAB
STAB stands for "Same Type Attack Bonus" and it refers to the 1.5x damage bonus a Pokemon gets when it uses a move which is the same type as itself.
Contact Move
These are moves which directly hit the opponent. They are usually physical moves. They will then trigger certain abilities or moves.
Status Condition
This is a temporary condition that affects how your Pokemon performs in battle. These include Burn, Paralysis, Frozen, Sleep, Poison, etc.
Type Matchup
A type matchup refers to the effectiveness of one Pokemon against another Pokemon.
Check Out All The Type Matchups Here!Weather
The weather during a Pokemon battle can be changed and provides different effects on different Pokemon. Weather effects include Rain, Sunny Day, Hail, and Sandstorms.
Check out How Weather Affects Pokemon Guide here!Other Terms
Starters
Most main Pokemon games feature 3 Pokemon you can choose at the beginning of the game. These are known as starters, and their types have always been Grass, Fire, and Water respectively.
Find Out About The New Starters in Sword And Shield Here!Eeveelutions
The Pokemon Eevee has 8 possible evolutions: Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Umbreon, Espeon, Glaceon, Leafeon, and Sylveon. All of these are referred to as the "Eeveelutions".
"Gen"
Previous games in the Pokemon series are generally referred to as Generations, or "gen" for short.
| Generation Number | Included Game Titles |
|---|---|
| 1 | Red, Blue, Yellow |
| 2 | Gold, Silver, Crystal |
| 3 | Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Leaf Green, Fire Red |
| 4 | Pearl, Diamond, Platinum, Heart Gold, Soul Silver |
| 5 | Black, White, Black 2, White 2 |
| 6 | X, Y, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire |
| 7 | Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon, Let's Go Pikachu, Let's Go Eevee |
| 8 | Sword, Shield |
Pokemon Sword and Shield - Related Articles
Go Back To The Top PageMust Reads For Beginners
| Popular Beginner Tips | |
|---|---|
| Recommended Starters | Story Walkthrough List | Best Team For Story |
Breeding
| Popular Breeding Articles | |
|---|---|
| Step By Step Guide On How To Breed | |
| All Egg Group List | Useful Items For Breeding |
Post Game Content
| Must Read | |
|---|---|
| What To Do After Beating The Game | |
| Ranked Battle Tier List | Ranked Battle Builds List |
| Battle Tower Guide | Ranked Battle Guide |
Database
| Popular Databases | |
|---|---|
| Galar Pokedex | Base Stats Ranking | Clothes & Hairstyles List |
