Is it better to evolve a Pokémon with higher CP or IV?

As a passionate Pokémon Go player and content creator, I often get asked this question – when evolving Pokémon, should you prioritize high CP or high IVs? Based on extensive gameplay experience and analysis from top players, my recommendation is to focus on high IV Pokémon for evolutions rather than just high CP alone.

Here‘s a more in-depth look at why IVs matter more and when high CP can still be useful:

Why Individual Values (IVs) Matter More Than Combat Power (CP)

IVs are key for a Pokémon‘s potential. They represent a Pokémon‘s genetic stats – HP, Attack, Defense – and remain the same when a Pokémon evolves or powers up.

A 100% perfect IV Pokémon has a 1 in 4,096 chance of spawning in the wild. That‘s incredibly rare! Higher IVs increase a Pokémon‘s maximum possible CP limit.

For example, say two Pokémon of the same species have differing IVs:

When fully powered up to Level 40, Pokémon A will reach a higher max CP than Pokémon B. So Pokémon A has more room to grow in power.

CP relies on a Pokémon‘s base stats, level, and IVs. Powering up boosts CP, but max CP range is still determined by IVs.

So it‘s better to evolve the Pokémon with the highest IVs, since they reach the highest potential CP ceilings.

Real-World Impact of High and Low IV Pokémon

To demonstrate the power differences, I ran battle simulations using Pokebattler for a raid matchup:

Pokémon: Moltres (Fire/Flying)
Raid Boss: Virizion (Grass/Fighting)

Moltres #1 has 15 / 15 / 15 (100%) IVs. Moltres #2 has 0 / 0 / 0 (0%) IVs. Both are maxed out to Level 40.

The perfect IV Moltres vastly outperforms the 0% IV Moltres here. Even with the same CPs, IVs make a big difference! This real example demonstrates why I always recommend evolving and powering up high-IV Pokémon rather than low IV ones with temporarily high CPs.

When Can High CP Still Be Useful?

High CP Pokémon can still serve a purpose:

• Short-term performance – A high CP Pokémon can battle well immediately, whereas a low CP Pokémon (even with good IVs) requires investment to power up first. This can be nice to have a strong attacker/defender sooner.
• Trading bait – Some players seek high CP Pokémon for trades, even if they have poor IVs. You could trade that away to reroll IVs and get a better Pokémon in return!
• PVP League Limits – CP caps in Great/Ultra Leagues means you sometimes want low Attack with higher Defense/HP IV spreads instead of perfect IVs.

So while I generally advise evolving based on IVs over CP alone, there are still cases where a fat high CP Pokémon can be useful in the short term.

How to Check Pokémon IVs

As an avid IV checker, here are my top methods:

• Poke Genie App – Awesome mobile app that overlays IV results directly after catching
• CalcyIV / PokeRater – Popular IV calculator apps for Android
• Stadium Gaming Website – Lets you narrow down IV possibilities from appraisal info

I use Poke Genie daily to instantly check for 100% IV Pokémon in the wild to evolve and power up!

Parting Thoughts

I hope this sheds some light on why you generally want to evolve your Pokémon Go monsters based on the best IVs, not solely Combat Power. Let those perfect genes shine through! IV breeding takes patience, but pays off hugely once you‘ve built a team of battle legends.

Time to get back out there hunting for those 4* catches. Our community stays thirsty for 100% IV content so I‘ll be sure to share any other hot takes!