Many, many years ago, this little mathematician learned about the world of Pokemon EV training.

For those of you who are still here, I’ll satisfy your masochistic tendencies by presenting a brilliant mathematical theorem, answering a life-long concern for us all:

Whether it is better to invest your Pokemon’s Effort Values in Health Points or Defense/Special Defense when considering an attack by a Physical/Special move (respectively)?

Because I’m also a philosopher, I couldn’t resist posing the question in the format of the Summa Theologiae.

In any event, for those of you who inexplicably actually want to know the solution to the problem, I’ll give a simple answer and a more complicated answer.

The simple answer is: add EVs to whichever is lower.

The more complex answer: if HP is lower, always, without exception, add EVs to HP. However, if HP is higher, it might be better to add EVs to HP or Defense/Special Defense, depending on complicated equations at the very bottom of the attached proof. See the final paragraph for more details.

I left off some of the calculations at the bottom. It’s a math document, after all; the student has to put some effort into it!

Math: Pokemon EV