Should you transfer high CP Pokémon?

Hey there fellow trainer! As a hardcore Pokémon GO fan, I totally get the dilemma of deciding whether to transfer high CP Pokémon. On one hand, transferring them gives you loads of candy to power up your other Pokémon. But on the other, you‘re losing a strong battler. As a data analyst and tech geek who loves optimizing my Pokémon roster, let me share my insights on when transferring high CP Pokémon makes sense and when you should definitely keep them.

What is CP and why does it matter?

CP stands for Combat Power – it‘s a measure of how strong a Pokémon will be in gym battles and raids. CP is calculated using a Pokémon‘s IVs, level, and base stats. The higher the CP, the better performance you can expect from that Pokémon in combat.

For defenders, high CP translates to longer time defending gyms. For attackers, it leads to greater damage output and survivability. A 3000 CP Dragonite is going to crush a 500 CP Bulbasaur in any head to head matchup.

So in general, you want to evolve and power up the Pokémon with the highest CP potential. Transferring high CP Pokémon means giving up a strong fighter, so you don‘t want to do it lightly. But there are scenarios where it makes sense…

When transferring high CP Pokémon is smart

1. You have multiple high CP duplicates

Let‘s say you already have a 2800 CP Gyarados and catch another wild 2700 CP Magikarp. There‘s no real need to evolve the new Magikarp when you already have a stronger Gyarados. In cases like this, I‘d transfer the high CP Magikarp without hesitation.

Use those candies to power up your existing Gyarados further. Having multiples of the same species beyond maybe a couple isn‘t very useful. You can only place 1 Pokémon in a gym at a time, after all.

2. The Pokémon has low IVs and bad moves

IVs determine how much potential CP a Pokémon can reach. Even a currently high CP Pokémon will lag behind in the long run if it has poor IVs.

Similarly, bad moves will lower battle performance compared to the optimal movesets.

Don‘t invest in powering up Pokémon with multiple deficiencies. Transfer them to boost your good IV, ideal moveset Pokémon instead.

3. You need candy for another Pokémon of that species

Let‘s say you just hatched a perfect IV Dratini. To evolve it into Dragonite will take 125 candies, so you need a bunch.

Meanwhile, you also have a 2500 CP Dragonite with bad IVs taking up space. In that case, transferring the Dragonite to expedite evolving the good Dratini is the smart play.

4. It‘s a very common species you routinely transfer

For frequent spawns like Pidgey, Ratatta and other junk mons, you shouldn‘t think twice about transferring high CP ones. Use a Lucky Egg and transfer tons of them for mass XP gains!

When to keep high CP Pokémon

Here are some cases where I‘d be very hesitant to transfer a high CP Pokémon:

1. It has perfect or high IVs

IVs range from 0-15 for each stat – HP, Attack, Defense. A Pokémon with IVs of 15/15/15 across the board has 100% perfect IVs. They are very rare – odds are 1 in 4096!

Even 80%+ IV Pokémon are pretty strong. Don‘t make the mistake of transferring them away! You can power up high IV Pokémon over time to maximize their potential.

2. It‘s a rare or limited edition Pokémon

Pokémon like regionals, legendaries and shinies are only obtained rarely from events or long quests. Even if their IVs and moves are subpar, you shouldn‘t hastily transfer them.

Who knows when you‘ll have another chance at catching them again? These should be treasured as collectibles.

3. You want a living Pokedex

For Pokémon collectors aiming to fill up their Pokedex, getting one of every species matters more than IVs or CP.

I try to keep at least one of every Pokémon I catch, just for completion‘s sake. It helps me remember the journeys I took to catch them all!

4. It has sentimental value

Maybe it was your first rare catch, or the Pokémon that delivered the final blow versus a tough raid boss.

Some Pokémon have memories attached and are worth keeping for sentimental reasons. Stats aren‘t everything in this game!

Evolving vs Powering Up

When you‘ve got enough candy, should you evolve a Pokémon first or power it up beforehand?

I generally recommend evolving first before spending any dust/candy on power ups.

Why? Because for many species, evolving gives a huge CP boost for a low candy cost.

For example, Magikarp only costs 400 candy to evolve into the mighty Gyarados. But each Gyarados power up takes 6000 dust and 1 candy.

Here are some of the Pokémon that gain the biggest CP surges from evolving:

As you can see, the CP gain from evolving is massive compared to the slow power up grind. Use your candy to evolve first, then invest stardust in power-ups.

How rare are perfect and zero IV Pokémon?

Perfect 0% IV Pokémon are incredibly rare. Each IV stat has a 1/16 chance of being 0. The odds of getting a Pokémon with all IVs of 0 is therefore (1/16) x (1/16) x (1/16) = 1/4096.

And perfect 100% IV Pokémon are equally rare, with odds of (1/16) x (1/16) x (1/16) again = 1/4096.

Of the two, 0% IV Pokémon are even harder to get because they can never hatch from eggs, be obtained from raids/research or trading – only wild catches can be 0%.

So if you‘re lucky enough to catch a 100% or 0% IV Pokémon, do not transfer them! These are incredibly rare trophies.

Parting thoughts for your Pokémon journey

• Be selective when transferring high CP Pokémon. Consider IVs, movesets and uniqueness.

• Keep an eye out for perfect and zero IV Pokémon – they are golden catches!

• Evolve Pokémon with best stats first before spending on power ups.

• Hold onto sentimental Pokémon and useful ones like Blissey.

• Remember to have fun! At the end of the day, use Pokémon you enjoy using.

I hope these tips help you build the ultimate Pokémon team for battles, raids, and gym dominance! This data analyst is signing off for now. Happy hunting, and may you catch them all!