Combat Power (CP) is a summary of a Pokémon’s attack, defense and stamina at its current level. It is useful at a glance, but two Pokémon with the same CP can perform very differently.
Three things determine your CP
- Base stats: the species’ inherent Attack, Defense and Stamina. Pokémon GO stats differ from the main-series games.
- Individual Values (IVs): a bonus from 0 to 15 for each stat. A perfect appraisal is 15/15/15, or 100% IV.
- Level: powering up raises the multiplier applied to those stats, increasing CP and usually HP.
Higher IVs are not always better for capped PvP
Attack contributes more heavily to CP. In Great and Ultra League, a lower Attack IV can let a Pokémon reach a higher level before hitting the CP cap, gaining more Defense and HP. A 0/15/15 spread is not universally rank 1; the optimal spread depends on the species and league.
What should I prioritize?
For raids, start with a suitable species and super-effective moves, then consider level and Attack IV. For capped PvP, use a stat-product rank as one reference alongside moves, type coverage, attack breakpoints and the team you are building. For uncapped Master League, high IVs are generally desirable.
Our CP calculator takes IVs as inputs. It does not infer unknown IVs from a screenshot or CP alone.
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