Game mechanics
Things the games never explain but that decide how a battle goes: where stats come from, what natures are for, how breeding works. Each guide links straight to the pages it talks about, so there is nothing to look up separately.
How stats, types and evolution really work.
Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, Dynamax, and Terastallization: What Each One Really Changes
Mega Evolution gives exactly a hundred stat points, and almost none of it goes into Speed. Gigantamax doesn't change a single number: all 34 forms have the same stats, types, and Abilities as the base variant. Four mechanics that only work in battle, and what they really do.
Regional Forms: Alola, Galar, Hisui, and Paldea. What Really Changes
Alolan Ninetales isn't a Fire type but Ice/Fairy, and Galarian Meowth is pure Steel. All 59 regional forms change type, and almost none of them change power. They aren't stronger versions, just different Pokémon under the same name.
Abilities That Change Damage: A Full Rundown from the Calculator
Levitate zeroes out Earthquake, Huge Power doubles Attack with no strings attached, and Fluffy can cancel itself out on a single move. All 52 Abilities in the damage calculator: what they do, and why a few well-known names aren't on the list.
Stat Stages and Critical Hits: What a Crit Ignores and What It Doesn't
Swords Dance doubles your Attack, Intimidate cuts your opponent's, and a critical hit ignores only what works against the attacker. What a single stage on the −6 to +6 scale is really worth, and why a crit against a dug-in opponent hits four times harder rather than one and a half.
Weather, Terrain, and Status in Battle: When They Actually Pay Off
Sun gives Fire moves half again as much power but takes the same amount from Water. A burn still hurts on a critical hit, while screens do nothing at all against one. How weather, terrain, status, and screens factor into battle damage.
Pokémon Breeding Step by Step: Eggs, IVs, Natures, and Egg Moves
216 species can't breed, 241 have no gender, and Ditto gets along with almost everyone. How breeding works: Egg Groups, IV inheritance, Everstone, Destiny Knot, and Egg Moves.
Every Way Pokémon Evolve: From Leveling Up to the Weird Stuff
Level, stone, friendship, trade, plus turning your console upside down and taking 294 points of recoil damage. A rundown of every evolution method in the Pokémon series, with a stone table and a list of oddities.
The Pokémon Type Chart: How Move Effectiveness Works
Multipliers of ×2, ×0.5, and ×0, plus ×4 and ×0.25 against dual types, and the STAB bonus on top. We explain how move effectiveness is calculated and which matchups are actually worth memorizing.
IVs, EVs, and Natures: How Pokémon Stats Really Work
A Pokémon's stats aren't one number but four layers: species base, IVs, EVs, and nature. We explain where the values on your screen come from and work through an example step by step.