Breeding Basics: Advanced Breeding

Learn about Egg Groups, Compatibility, Egg Moves, Chain Breeding, and IV Breeding in pokemon sun moon. The Masuda Method doubles shiny chances.

Terminology to Know:

Egg Group: Pokemon are categorized into Egg Groups, and only Pokemon within the same or compatible Egg Groups can breed. For example, Gastly is in the Amorphous Egg Group, while Dratini is in the Dragon and Water 1 Egg Groups. Ditto can breed with any Pokemon except unbreedable ones, making it essential for genderless or monogender Pokemon. Some Pokemon belong to two Egg Groups, increasing their breeding utility.

Compatibility: This affects the rate at which Eggs are produced. Compatibility is lowest between Pokemon of different species from the same Trainer OT (Original Trainer). It is highest between Pokemon of the same species from two different Trainer OTs. Same species from the same trainer and different species from different trainers have the same compatibility level.

Different Language Version Pokemon: Having Pokemon from a different language version of the game triggers the Masuda Method, which doubles the chance of hatching a shiny Pokemon, approximately from 1 in 4096 to 1 in 2048.

Egg Moves: These are special moves a Pokemon can only learn through breeding with a father who already knows the move. They are rarely learned via TM or level up. For instance, Gible can learn Outrage as an Egg Move, a move it cannot learn otherwise.

Chain Breeding: This technique is used to obtain specific combinations of multiple Egg Moves onto a single offspring. It is a more advanced process that will be covered later.

IV Breeding: The process of breeding Pokemon to achieve as many perfect IVs (Individual Values) as possible, often utilizing the Destiny Knot.

Ability: A Pokemon's special characteristic. Hidden Abilities are often only available through SOS Chaining. An Ability Capsule and breeding cannot grant a Hidden Ability if the parents do not already possess it.

Nature: A Pokemon's Nature modifies one stat by +10% and another by -10%. Choosing the correct Nature is crucial for optimizing a Pokemon's performance.

Base Stats and Base Stat Total: Base Stats are the innate, unchangeable numbers that define a Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses. For example, Alakazam has high Special Attack and Speed but low Defense, while Blissey has the highest HP but poor Attack. Alakazam has a base 135 Special Attack, and Blissey has a base 255 HP. The Base Stat Total is the sum of all a Pokemon's base stats. Arceus has the highest non-mega Base Stat Total at 720.

IVs (Individual Values): These range from 0 to 31 and are added to a Pokemon's stats. They are most impactful at level 100. Aiming for 31 IVs in relevant stats is generally recommended.

EVs (Effort Values): Earned by defeating Pokemon, 4 EVs provide a +1 stat increase at level 100 (8 EVs at level 50). A Pokemon can have a maximum of 252 EVs in a single stat (resulting in a +63 increase at level 100) and a total of 510 EVs. A common EV spread is 252/252/6.

Supplies You Will Need:

• Pokemon with Synchronize of every decent nature: Excluding neutral natures, Lax, and Gentle, these help in catching base Pokemon and Dittos with desired natures without relying on luck. Mass breeding Abra is recommended, which also helps unlock the IV Judge.
• Dittos of every decent nature, with some having at least 1 perfect IV: The more perfect IVs a Ditto has, the easier breeding becomes. Dittos can be found on Mount Hokulani and can be SOS chained to obtain up to four perfect IVs. Dittos are ideal for passing down IVs and Natures due to their ability to breed with any Pokemon.
• A Pokemon with Flame Body: Catch a Fletchinder from Route 8 or evolve a Fletchling from Wela Volcano Park. Fletchinder and Talonflame's regular ability is Flame Body. The Talonflame received from an NPC (non-player character — anyone the game controls, not you) trade outside the Battle Tree has the Hidden Ability Gale Wings and will not work for this purpose.