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  • Pokémon Evolution Guide — How to Evolve Every Pokémon

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    Nintendo SwitchEvolution GuideSystem Complexity

    Pokémon Evolution Guide

    Every evolution method explained — level, stone, friendship, trade and special conditions. Instant answer for every Pokémon.

    Last updated: May 2026 · Always current
    ⚡ Instant Answer
    The Fix
    Level-up: Most Pokémon evolve by reaching a specific level. Just battle and gain XP.

    Stones: Use a Fire/Water/Thunder/Leaf/Moon/Sun/Shiny/Ice/Dusk Stone from your bag. No level required.

    Friendship: Raise friendship by walking, battling and using vitamins. Evolves when levelled up with high friendship.

    Trade: Some Pokémon only evolve when traded. Use the Link Trade option and trade with a friend (or back).
    Evolution Types
    7
    Games Covered
    Scarlet / Violet
    DLC
    The Indigo Disk

    01 —Stone Evolutions — Which Stone Does What

    Fire Stone: Eevee → Flareon, Growlithe → Arcanine, Vulpix → Ninetales

    Water Stone: Eevee → Vaporeon, Poliwhirl → Poliwrath, Shellder → Cloyster

    Thunder Stone: Eevee → Jolteon, Pikachu → Raichu, Magneton → Magnezone

    Leaf Stone: Gloom → Vileplume, Weepinbell → Victreebel, Exeggcute → Exeggutor

    Moon Stone: Nidorina → Nidoqueen, Nidorino → Nidoking, Clefairy → Clefable

    Ice Stone: Eevee → Glaceon, Galarian Darumaka → Darmanitan

    Shiny Stone: Togetic → Togekiss, Roselia → Roserade, Minccino → Cinccino

    💎 Stone Tip
    Don’t use stones on Pokémon that learn important moves via level-up. Evolving early locks you out of moves your evolved form can’t learn. Check the move list before using any stone.
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    02 —Friendship Evolutions — How to Max Friendship Fast

    What raises friendship: Walking (use the Picnic feature), winning battles (without fainting), using vitamins (Carbos, Protein etc), giving Pokémon held berries like Grepa Berry.

    What lowers friendship: Fainting in battle, using bitter herbal medicines.

    How to check friendship: Talk to the Friendship Checker NPC in Cascarrafa. ‘It looks really happy!’ means you’re ready to evolve.

    Common friendship evolutions: Eevee → Espeon (daytime), Eevee → Umbreon (nighttime), Budew → Roselia, Riolu → Lucario, Togepi → Togetic

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    Pokémon
    Best Starter Guide
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    Competitive Build Guide
    Pokémon
    Best Starter Guide
    Pokémon
    Competitive Builds

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  • Pokémon Competitive Build Guide — EVs, IVs & Natures

    Home › Switch › Pokémon › Competitive Build Guide
    Nintendo Switch
    Competitive
    System Complexity

    Pokémon Competitive Build Guide

    EVs, IVs, natures, and abilities — everything you need to build a competitive team.

    Updated: May 2026
    Instant Answer
    The Basics
    Every competitive Pokémon needs: correct Nature (+10% to key stat, -10% to dump stat), maxed IVs (31 in important stats), targeted EVs (252 in two stats, 4 in a third), and the right Ability.

    01 Natures — +10% / -10%

    Natures boost one stat by 10% and reduce another by 10%. Common competitive natures:

    • Adamant: +Attack, -Sp.Atk (physical attackers)
    • Modest: +Sp.Atk, -Attack (special attackers)
    • Jolly: +Speed, -Sp.Atk (fast physical)
    • Timid: +Speed, -Attack (fast special)
    • Bold: +Defense, -Attack (physical walls)

    02 IVs — Individual Values

    IVs range 0-31 for each stat. Competitive Pokémon want 31 in all relevant stats. Breed with a Destiny Knot (passes 5 IVs) and use Bottle Caps at level 100 to fix the rest.

    03 EVs — Effort Values

    510 total EVs, max 252 per stat. Standard spreads:

    • Physical sweeper: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
    • Special sweeper: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 HP
    • Bulky attacker: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
    • Wall: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

    04 Team Composition

    A balanced team needs: a physical attacker, a special attacker, a wall/tank, a speed control (fast sweeper or Trick Room setter), a hazard setter, and type coverage across the team. Don’t stack too many weaknesses to one type.

    More Pokémon
    Best Starter Guide Evolution Guide
    Switch Games
    Zelda: TotK Mario Kart

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  • Best Pokémon Starter Scarlet Violet 2026 — Fuecoco Sprigatito or Quaxly

    Home›Switch›Pokémon›Best Starter Guide
    Nintendo SwitchStarter GuideScarlet / Violet + DLC

    Best Pokémon Starter Guide
    Scarlet and Violet 2026

    Sprigatito, Fuecoco or Quaxly — which starter to choose for your playstyle, the story, and competitive. Honest comparison above the fold.

    Last updated: May 2026 · Scarlet / Violet · Indigo Disk DLC included
    ⚡ Instant Answer
    Which Starter to Pick
    Best for beginners: Fuecoco (Fire). Evolves into Skeledirge — bulky, easy to use, fantastic special attack. Ghost/Fire typing in its final form gives excellent coverage. The story is most forgiving with a Skeledirge.

    Best for competitive: Sprigatito (Grass). Meowscarada's Grass/Dark typing and high speed tier (Speed: 123) make it one of the best lead Pokémon in competitive. Protean hidden ability changes your type to match your move for strong STAB on everything.

    Best for style: Quaxly (Water). Quaquaval (Water/Fighting) hits hard and looks great. Competitively viable but more situational than the other two.

    All three starters are viable for the entire story. The choice rarely causes a fail state — pick based on which design you like and read below for what each brings.
    Game
    Scarlet / Violet
    DLC
    Indigo Disk
    Starters
    3
    Difficulty
    Any starter works

    01 — Fuecoco — Best for Story

    Fuecoco is the easiest starter to use through the main story. It evolves into Crocalor at level 16 and Skeledirge at level 36. Skeledirge is a Ghost/Fire type with 104 base Special Attack and 99 base HP — it is one of the bulkiest and hardest-hitting final starters in the game.

    StatSkeledirgeNotes
    HP104Second highest HP of the three starters. Survives hits that would one-shot faster Pokémon.
    Special Attack110Excellent. Torch Song is its signature move — Fire-type, 80 power, always raises SpAtk by 1 stage.
    Speed66Slow. Fuecoco is a tank, not a sweeper. You will often take hits. Plan for this.
    TypingFire / GhostOnly weak to Ground, Rock, Water, Dark, Ghost. Ghost immunity to Normal and Fighting is extremely useful against the story.
    🔥 Fuecoco Signature Move
    Torch Song is one of the best moves in the game. It raises your Special Attack every time you use it, and a Skeledirge with +2 SpAtk is often a run-ending condition for opponents. Paired with Leftovers or a Shell Bell for recovery, this makes Skeledirge a consistent story-clearing machine.

    02 — Sprigatito — Best for Competitive

    Sprigatito evolves into Floragato at level 16 and Meowscarada at level 36. Meowscarada is a Grass/Dark type with 123 base Speed — fast enough to outspeed most of the competitive tier without investment — and access to the Protean hidden ability.

    StatMeowscaradaNotes
    Speed123Fastest of the three starters. Outspeeds the majority of Scarlet/Violet competitive tier without any EV investment.
    Attack110Physical attacker. Flower Trick (signature move, always crits, never misses) is exceptional.
    Special Attack70Low. Build physically or mixed at most.
    HP / Defense76 / 70Frail. Gets one-shot by strong super-effective moves. Play it as a lead sweeper, not a tank.
    Hidden AbilityProteanChanges your type to match your move before it hits — giving STAB (50% damage bonus) on every move you use.
    🏏 Getting Protean
    Protean is a hidden ability and not available in the base game without specific breeding or catching. The most reliable route in 2026 is trading for a Sprigatito with Protean on the GTS or from a raid. For story play, its regular abilities (Overgrow, Magician) are fine — Protean is a competitive upgrade only.
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    03 — Quaxly — Best Style Pick

    Quaxly evolves into Quaxwell at level 16 and Quaquaval at level 36. Quaquaval is a Water/Fighting type with a fun, high-energy playstyle built around Aqua Step — a Water-type move that raises Speed every time it hits.

    StatQuaquavalNotes
    Attack120Highest Attack of the three starters. Hard-hitting physical attacker.
    Speed85Moderate. Faster than Skeledirge, slower than Meowscarada. Aqua Step raises Speed further in-battle.
    HP85Reasonable but not as bulky as Skeledirge.
    TypingWater / FightingGood offensive typing. Weak to Electric, Grass, Flying, Psychic, Fairy. Covers Rock, Fire, Normal, Ice, Steel, Dark.

    Quaquaval is genuinely strong but sits slightly below the other two in both story ease (it is not as tanky as Skeledirge) and competitive tier (it is not as fast or ability-dependent as Meowscarada). It is the correct pick if you simply like how it looks and plays — which is a completely valid reason in a Pokémon game.

    04 — Which Gyms Does Each Starter Help With

    Gym / BossTypeBest StarterNotes
    Katy (Bug)BugFuecocoFire destroys Bug. Sprigatito (Grass) is also effective.
    Brassius (Grass)GrassQuaxlyWater and Fire both handle Grass well. Fuecoco slightly easier.
    Iono (Electric)ElectricFuecocoGhost typing makes Skeledirge immune to Thunder Wave — no paralysis cheese from the AI.
    Kofu (Water)WaterSprigatitoGrass is super-effective against Water. Meowscarada or Floragato dominant here.
    Larry (Normal)NormalAnySkeledirge is immune to Normal moves. Easiest gym in the game regardless of starter.
    Ryme (Ghost)GhostQuaxlyMeowscarada is Ghost-weak. Normal types are immune to Ghost — Quaquaval has coverage.
    Tulip (Psychic)PsychicSprigatito / FuecocoMeowscarada (Dark) is immune to Psychic moves. Skeledirge resists. Quaquaval is weak.
    Grusha (Ice)IceFuecocoFire is super-effective against Ice. Skeledirge handles this gym cleanly.
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