How To Tell If You Have Pokemon Appraisal

While I was busy trying not to spill coffee all over myself this morning, Niantic released a new update for “Pokemon Go” and it’s definitely worth checking out! An exciting new feature has been added where the team leaders will size up individual Pokemon. If you’re wondering how to tell if you have Pokemon Appraisal, all players who download the update will automatically get this feature. “Pokemon Go” version 1.5.0 does not offer any major changes (along with the appraisal function it also fixes a bug concerning hit points), but it does add another dimension for those who enjoy the stats and strategy of the game. If you are a trainer who is hungry to dominate in their next gym battle, this download is a must.

With this function we finally get to meet and interact with our team leaders. When appraising an individual Pokemon, Mystic’s Blanche, Instinct’s Spark, and Valor’s Candela analyze the creature's IVs, or “individual value.” For those who are not familiar with the term "IV" you won't find it clearly listed in your Pokedex. A Pokemon's IVs are secret stats that point to their raw talent for battle, and could (until now) only be gauged by using complex IV calculating tools online. Those who want to have the strongest Pokemon instead of focussing on catching 'em all, use a Pokemon's IVs to determine which Pokemon are worth evolving and giving candies, and which should go straight back to Professor Oak's Pokefarm.

During an appraisal, the leader will usually comment on the size of the Pokemon, its best characteristic, and give an overall determination on their battle readiness. The phrases can be fairly vague, but passionate players have already codified the recurring responses and posted findings to Reddit communities and other gaming sites. According to Gamepress, when Spark says, "Overall, your Flareon is really strong" (pictured above), it means that the IV range of my Flareon is between 67 and 80 percent (not as strong as I was hoping).

Make sure you have the latest version before devoting that lunch break to catching some sweet ‘mons by going to the App Store on your phone’s home screen. Choose the option labelled “updates” from the menu that runs along the bottom. This will bring you to a list of all the available updates for the apps on your phone. Scroll through the list until you see “Pokemon Go” and click the "update" option.

After the update has downloaded, it will give you the option to open the app. Test the appraisal function by selecting a Pokemon from your Pokedex and click on the blue circle in the lower right-hand corner. You should now see three options: "Favorite," "Appraise," and "Transfer." Experiment with the appraisals and let your team leader help you "understand the power that's inside!"

Images: Screenshots/"Pokemon Go"