Pokemon Breeding Guide

Master the art of Pokemon breeding to create perfect competitive Pokemon with ideal IVs, natures, and egg moves.

🥚 Breeding Basics

How Breeding Works

Leave two compatible Pokemon at the Day Care or Nursery. If they can breed, an egg will be produced after you walk a certain number of steps.

Breeding Requirements:

  • • Pokemon must be opposite genders (except with Ditto)
  • • Must share at least one Egg Group
  • • Cannot be in Undiscovered Egg Group (legendaries)
  • • Baby Pokemon cannot breed (must evolve first)

Egg Groups

MonsterReptilian Pokemon
Water 1/2/3Aquatic Pokemon
BugInsect-like Pokemon
FlyingBird Pokemon
FieldMammalian Pokemon
FairyCute Pokemon
GrassPlant Pokemon
Human-LikeHumanoid Pokemon

💡 Ditto Breeding: Ditto can breed with any Pokemon except those in the Undiscovered group. The offspring will always be the species of the non-Ditto parent.

🧬 IV Breeding

Passing Down IVs

IVs (Individual Values) are inherited from parents. Use these items to control IV inheritance:

Destiny Knot

Passes down 5 random IVs from both parents combined

Essential for competitive breeding

Power Items

Guarantees specific stat IV from holder

  • • Power Weight (HP)
  • • Power Bracer (Attack)
  • • Power Belt (Defense)
  • • Power Lens (Sp. Attack)
  • • Power Band (Sp. Defense)
  • • Power Anklet (Speed)

Perfect IV Breeding Strategy:

  1. 1. Start with high IV parents: Use a 6IV Ditto if available
  2. 2. Give Destiny Knot to one parent: Usually the one with better IVs
  3. 3. Give Everstone to other parent: If it has the desired nature
  4. 4. Breed and check offspring: Keep ones with better IVs
  5. 5. Replace parents: Use better offspring as new parents
  6. 6. Repeat until perfect: Aim for 5-6 perfect IVs (31)

Egg Moves

Egg moves are special moves that Pokemon can only learn through breeding. They're passed down from parents to offspring.

How to Pass Egg Moves:

  • Father must know the move (older games)
  • Either parent can pass moves (newer games)
  • Move must be compatible with baby's species
  • Can pass up to 4 egg moves
  • TM/TR moves can also be inherited

Popular Egg Moves:

Belly Drum on Charmander
Dragon Dance on Larvitar
Wish on Eevee
Aqua Jet on Marill
Brave Bird on Talonflame
Stealth Rock on many Pokemon

⚠️ Chain Breeding: Sometimes you need to breed through multiple species to get a move combination. For example: Move A from Species 1 → Species 2 → Target Pokemon.

🌟 Nature & Ability Inheritance

Nature Inheritance

Everstone

Parent holding Everstone passes its nature 100% of the time

Without Everstone, nature is random (25 possibilities). Always use Everstone on the parent with your desired nature.

Ability Inheritance

  • Mother's Ability: 80% chance to pass (60% for Hidden Ability)
  • Ditto Breeding: Non-Ditto parent's ability chances apply
  • Hidden Ability: Must have parent with HA to pass it down
  • Ability Capsule: Can switch between regular abilities (not HA)

Shiny Breeding (Masuda Method)

Masuda Method

Breeding Pokemon from different language games significantly increases shiny odds.

1/4096

Normal Odds

1/683

Masuda Method

1/512

Masuda + Shiny Charm

Shiny Breeding Tips:

  • • Get a foreign Ditto through online trading
  • • Complete Pokedex for Shiny Charm
  • • Use Flame Body/Magma Armor for faster hatching
  • • Prepare boxes for eggs (can take 1000+ eggs)
  • • Consider using egg hatching routes/circuits
  • • Be patient - it's still RNG!

🔥 Hatching Eggs Efficiently

Hatching Speed Boost

Flame Body Ability

Halves steps needed to hatch

Found on: Talonflame, Chandelure, Volcarona

Magma Armor Ability

Same effect as Flame Body

Found on: Camerupt, Magcargo

Steam Engine Ability

Halves steps (Gen 8+)

Found on: Coalossal, Rolycoly

Egg Cycles

Each Pokemon species requires different steps to hatch:

Breeding Quick Reference

Essential Items:

  • ✓ Destiny Knot - Pass 5 IVs
  • ✓ Everstone - Pass nature
  • ✓ Power Items - Guarantee specific IV
  • ✓ Shiny Charm - Better shiny odds

Breeding Checklist:

  • ☐ Compatible parents (egg group/gender)
  • ☐ Desired nature on one parent
  • ☐ High IVs on both parents
  • ☐ Egg moves learned
  • ☐ Flame Body Pokemon in party