Base Stats are a part of the formula used to calculate a Pokémon’s in-game stats. Every different species of Pokémon has its own set of Base Stats, representing a value from 1 to 255 for each of its six stats.
If you catch two different Marill, they are always going to have exactly the same Base Stats as each other, even though their actual in-game stats may be slightly different. That’s because they are the base used in the stat calculation; there are a few other factors that go into calculating stats, such as Nature, Individual Values (IVs), and Effort Values (EVs), as well as its level, though that last one is pretty obvious.
What Are Good Base Stats to Look For?
Everyone has a different opinion of what a “good” Base Stat amount is. There’s also the “average” value, which can be gleamed from either averaging the Base Stats for each Pokémon or finding its median. However, to keep things simple, especially if you are newer to Base Stats, below you’ll find some important number ranges to look for and an explanation. Speed generally won’t be discussed in the explanations, because a difference in one point determines who goes first and second, but it is still important to remember that Speed is an important factor.
Keep in mind that these values are generally geared towards fully evolved Pokémon. In the early parts of any Pokémon game, you’ll almost certainly have to utilize Pokémon with “low” Base Stats and that’s perfectly fine—instead, look at what their final evolutionary stage ends up having to give you an idea of if it is a good choice or not, if you’re basing your decision on Base Stats.
Very Low (Less Than 40)
Anything fully evolved with a Base Stat of less than 40 is almost unquestionably really bad. It’s a definite weakness of that Pokémon.
It’s not as uncommon to see this for slower, but stronger Pokémon, that are built a lot more defensively but have low Speed as a result. This can actually be a good thing for certain teams, such as teams utilizing the move Trick Room that causes turn order to be reversed and thus slower Pokémon acting before faster ones.
It’s also fine to see a Pokémon with, say, extremely high Attack but very low Special Attack, since chances are you weren’t going to use its Special Attack stat even if it were 70 because its Attack stat is just so much higher. Darmanitan is a good example of this.
On the Marriland website, the stat bars shown in the Pokédex and other pages is competely empty (minimum) if the Base Stat is at 30 or less.
Low (40 to 65)
Anything in this range is absolutely on the lower side for that stat, but it’s not so low that it is absolutely critical.
Offense-wise, this is basically at the point of being unusable, with neither Attack nor Sp. Atk stats in this range being capable of doing a meaningful amount of damage (barring some excellent Ability, such as Huge Power or Pure Power). It’s not uncommon to see a Pokémon with high Attack and low Sp. Atk, or vice versa, so just because one of these stats is low doesn’t mean it’s a bad attacker, just a bad Physical/Special attacker.
Defense-wise, this is also the point where it is considered to have rather flimsy defenses. It doesn’t take hits very well at this range of Base Stat and you’ll have to watch out for incoming hits or, in the case of just one of its two defensive stats (Defense or Sp. Def) being low while the other is average or better, watch out for incoming attacks of the category you’re weak against.
Average (65 to 80)
This is typically the range where Base Stats are just “average” or “mediocre.” They’re not bad, but they’re certainly not good either. Although the true average (or median) is not definitively the same for each individual stat, this range gives a good idea of what can be considered average in quality rather than numerically average.
Offense-wise, a Pokémon with average Base Stats isn’t great, but it can at least do some damage in a pinch, especially when targetting weaknesses or utilizing STAB for its moves. It’s not ideal, though, but not completely unusable, and, in the case of having one attacking stat substantially higher and one in the average range (for instance, Attack of 75 and Sp. Atk of 110), it’s at least possible to have a move with the category of the weaker stat (Physical in this example) and have it at least somewhat workable, although still not ideal.
Defense-wise, you’re going to be fairly likely to find at least one defensive stat in this range. Often times Pokémon lean towards one end on the defensive spectrum—either Physical or Special—so the other end will often be below average or just around average. Ideally, a “Physical wall” (very high Defense) will have at least average Sp. Def while a “Special wall” (very high Sp. Def) will appreciate having at least average Defense—that way, even if they are hit by the opposite type, it won’t be catastrophic. That’s why this average range is a good range to remember when considering different defensive options.
Decent (80 to 90)
The “decent” range is definitely not enough to be called “good,” but it is also a definite step above merely “average.” Think of it more as “average plus,” because it’s really where you want to see stats that aren’t the primary stat. It means that stat isn’t weak, but not usually strong enough to be the star of the show.
In the case of offensive stats (Attack and Sp. Atk), this is best when it is the lower of the two stats, because it at least gives a semi-viable option to include the opposite attacking type—Special moves when used with a Physical attacker, or Physical moves when used with a Special attacker. It’s far more effective than if the stat were just average or below, although still only a good idea to counter specific threats.
As for defensive stats (Defense and Sp. Def), these are very solid numbers and, while not being enough to completely repel damaging moves, they’re high enough to comfortably take a hit or two without panicking, unless it’s from a very strong attacker or a double-weakness. Having both defensive stats at this range also means the Pokémon is generally quite durable, especially if it has good HP to boot.
Good (90 to 110)
This is generally the range where Pokémon with these Base Stats are considered pretty good for those particular stats. Although not exceptionally high, they are certainly high enough for any Base Stat in this range to be a viable option for that stat.
For offense (Attack and Sp. Atk), this is a good range and usually means the Pokémon is capable of doing reliable damage with its attacks. It won’t necessarily be scoring OHKOs left and right, but it also should be able to score a few while hitting weaknesses or with some increases to stats.
For defense (Defense and Sp. Defense), this is also a very solid number to have and indicates a good amount of resiliance. At this level, they should be able to handle even super effective hits reasonably well, especially from weaker Pokémon, although of course try to keep this to a minimum.
Great (110 to 130)
This is a fantastic range to see any Base Stat in. While it is not the top tier for stats by any means, it is definitely in the higher tier of possible stat ranges and you should see any Pokémon in this range performing quite well for that stat, at least assuming other low stats, poor move options, or bad Abilities aren’t weighing it down.
For offensive stats (Attack and Sp. Atk), this is a very solid amount of power behind the Pokémon. A species with this range will usually have no trouble doing serious damage on either side. As mentioned in the lower ranks, it isn’t uncommon to see a Pokémon with “great” Attack and then low Sp. Atk or vice versa—rarely will you see non-Legendary Pokémon have both of its offense stats in this range and, if so, it’s usually at great cost for its other stats, especially since you’re likely to only use one of them anyway.
For defensive stats (Defense and Sp. Def), this is solid defense as well, but an interesting thing with defensive stats is that non-Legendary Pokémon can have much higher defensive stats than offensive stats. Seeing a non-Legendary Pokémon with, say, 150 Attack would be insane (Rampardos and Slaking are the only base form Pokémon that fit that criteria), but there are several non-Legendary Pokémon with that much Defense (Shuckle, Steelix, Avalugg, Aggron, Cloyster, Bastiodon, Onix, Toxapex, Doublade, and even Carbink all have 150 or greater base Defense). A lot of that is because defensive “wall” Pokémon need to do their job at defending, so thus need to have an even higher Defense or Sp. Def stat than the opponent’s Attack or Sp. Atk stat to do their job properly. A Pokémon with 110–130 base Defense or Sp. Def isn’t bad by any means, but it tends to be a little less of an indicator of defensive prowess versus offensive prowess for the offense stats being in this range.
Excellent (130 or Higher)
Any Pokémon with a Base Stat of 130 or higher is generally an excellent choice, at least for that stat. Although the upper limit is 255, the reality is very, very few Pokémon will ever have a Base Stat higher than 150, and thus anything at or above 130 is usually indicative of the top tier. Obviously, something with 150 is better than 130, but 130 is a good number to consider as the starting point of the top tier for that stat.
On the Marriland website, the stat bars in sections like the Pokédex fill up when they reach 130. To represent numbers higher than 130, a special white stat bar is used instead, with it overlapping the full bar. While browsing other sites or guides, it’s important to be mindful of how their stats are represented—for instance, the official Pokémon Pokédex Pro app would show a stat of 130 filling up approximately half of the bar (since the max is 255), which makes it look far worse than it actually is.
Why Are Base Stats Are Used Online?
You may be wondering, “Why is it that Base Stats are used in online Pokédexes and websites, but not the Pokémon’s actual stats?” That’s actually a good question!
The other parts of the stat equation—level, Nature, Effort Values, and Individual Values—all have nothing to do with the Pokémon’s species. You could take those same other parts and apply them to any other Pokémon and they will provide roughly the same bonuses. They don’t do a good job at showing the strengths or weaknesses a Pokémon species has with its stats.
By using Base Stats as the standard, it becomes easy to compare a Charizard with an Infernape. Infernape has slightly higher Speed (108 vs. 100) compared to Charizard, a little bit lower Sp. Atk (104 vs. 109), but a lot more Attack (104 vs. 84). Although ultimately most of these in-game stats will become closer to the low-300s for any properly EV Trained Pokémon, this also means that they might not be EV Trained, or there are situations where Charizard will have higher Speed than Infernape, even though Infernape is statistically faster than Charizard.
Because there are parts of the stat formula that can be influenced by the user, Base Stats are the best representation of what a Pokémon’s true stat capabilities are—under the same parameters (level, EVs, IVs, Nature), an Infernape will always have more Speed than a Charizard, but if any of those parameters differ, that fact can’t always be shown unless the static part of the equation, Base Stats, are used.
That’s why you’ll see Base Stats used almost universally when referring to the stats of a Pokémon rather than its actual in-game stats.