To some players, every Pokemon on their team is unique and different. Longtime fans were able to tell apart two of the same Pokemon through their Natures, Gender Differences, or IVs. Pokemon GO adds a new way for players to see the individuality and strength of their Pokemon.

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Competitive Trainers may be familiar with IVs, but Pokemon GO includes a feature called CP. While they may seem more straightforward than their IV counterpart at a first glance, CP and increasing CP levels can be a little confusing to newcomers.

The Basics of CP

CP stands for Combat Power and determines a Pokemon's strength. These are different from IVs (Individual Values) because they are a total stat instead of individual stats. A Pokemon's maximum CP level is influenced by their species, size, and the Trainer Level. A Pokemon's CP functions like a Pokemon's Level in the mainline games, meaning it can have high CP while having poor IVs, or have low CP and high IVs.

The CP gives players an idea of the amount of damage they will inflict on an opponent. If a Pokemon's CP is higher than a Gym's Pokemon, then they will inflict more damage. Likewise, a Pokemon with a lower CP will have a lower damage output.

Players can view the CP in Pokemon GO by the white arc and number behind and above the Pokemon respectively. Because Pokemon GO doesn't use the traditional battle system, the CP is treated as the Pokemon level instead. A Pokemon's CP placement on the scale will not increase when it evolves, but depending on the stats, the CP has a chance of increasing.

For example, a Wooper with a CP of 104 and 3/4 of the semi-circle may have a CP of 164 once it evolves into Quagsire. However, the 164 will still be read at only 3/4 of the circle. So while the base number increases (104 - 164), its movement on the scale will not. When the Trainer levels, the CP level will not increase, but they will move up the scale.

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Determining CP

A Pokemon's Combat Points are influenced by the HP (Hit Points), Attack, and Defense. Additionally, there is the Pokemon's level and the IVs that Combat Points are based on. Since they are connected, some Trainers have used the Combat Power of Pokemon to help predict Legendaries' IVs.

Individual Values are on a scale from 0 to 15 while the value of CP is 10. The formula for Max Combat Power is: ((Base Attack + 15) X ((Base Defense + 15)^0.5 X (Base Stamina + 15)^0.5 X (Total CP Multiplier)^2 ÷ CP's value of 10.

Increasing CP

A Pokemon's level will not go up through battle and, unlike Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Let's Go Eevee, they won't level up when players capture wild Pokemon either.

Instead, players receive "Stardust" each time they capture a Pokemon or when their Trainer Level goes up. Compared to candy, the Stardust can be used on any Pokemon. The drawback is CP also needs a certain amount of candy in order to Power Up the Pokemon. Since the candy is not universal, this, along with the Trainer Level, can limit the CP of the Pokemon if a player does not have the required amount of candies.

A Pokemon's CP will get stronger usually through 1-4 pieces of candy and 200-2000 Stardust. So, a 9-12 Power-Up for a Pidgey would require 600 Stardust + 1 Pidgey Candy.

While there is no doubt some players prefer to stick to traditional games and level up the usual way, others may prefer the method in Pokemon GO. Understanding the mechanics of CP is one way to get a Pokemon with the best IVs for the team.

Pokemon GO is currently available on mobile devices.

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