Potential in Pokemon Omega Ruby refers to a Pokemon’s ability to have higher stats than usual for its species. Each Pokemon has a range of potential values for each stat that determines how high that stat can get through training and leveling up. Pokemon with higher potential values can reach higher stat totals, making them stronger in battle.
How Potential Works
When a Pokemon is first obtained, whether through catching it in the wild, hatching it from an egg, or receiving it as a gift, it is assigned random potential values for each of its stats – HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. The potential values range from 0 to 31, with 31 being the highest.
For example, a Pokemon with an Attack potential of 10 will have lower maximum Attack than a Pokemon of the same species with an Attack potential of 28. As they level up, the Pokemon with the higher Attack potential will end up with superior Attack stats.
Checking a Pokemon’s Potential
In Pokemon Omega Ruby, there are a couple ways to get an idea of a Pokemon’s potential values:
Judge Function
After defeating the Elite Four and Champion, the Judge function will become available in the PC. This allows you to see a graph of your Pokemon’s potential for each stat. Pokemon with maximum potential in a stat will have a large orange mark, while lower potential is shown in blue.
IV Judges
Certain NPCs called IV Judges in the Battle Resort can give an exact numerical value for one random stat’s potential when shown a Pokemon. Talk to them multiple times to eventually get potential values for all stats.
Improving Potential
While the potential values given to a Pokemon when caught are permanent, there are some ways to obtain Pokemon with higher overall potential:
Breeding
When breeding Pokemon, up to 5 random potential values can be inherited from each parent. By breeding Pokemon with maximum potential values, the offspring will likely have superior potential as well.
Catching Wild Pokemon
The potential values of wild Pokemon are random, but some rare methods can increase the chances of finding Pokemon with maximum potential values in a stat:
- DexNav – After encountering a Pokemon multiple times, its potential stats will be revealed. Keep encountering until one with 30 potential in desired stats appears.
- Chain Fishing – The longer the chain, the better potential values the Pokemon are likely to have.
- Hordes – Some Horde encounters have an increased chance of having a Pokemon with 2-3 perfect 31 potential values.
Legendaries
Legendary and other rare event Pokemon often have at least 3 perfect 31 potential values when obtained. Soft resetting for nature/potential can optimize their stats.
Benefits of High Potential
Pokemon with maximum potential values have a significant advantage over those with only average or low potential. At level 100, the difference can be over 30 points in a single stat!
Higher Stats
Higher potential directly translates into superior stats at the same level. This makes Pokemon much stronger in battle.
Damage Output
For offensive Pokemon, higher Attack, Special Attack, and Speed potential allows them to deal more damage. They can KO opponents faster with their powered up moves.
Survivability
Pokemon with enhanced HP, Defense, and Special Defense potential will be much bulkier. They can take more hits thanks to their boosted defensive stats.
Outspeeding
A Pokemon with max Speed potential will almost always move first against other Pokemon of the same species without perfect Speed. Moving first is a major advantage.
Ideal Potential Values
The best potential values depend on the Pokemon’s role and moveset. Here are some ideal spreads for common roles:
Physical Attacker
| HP | 31 |
| Attack | 31 |
| Defense | 31 |
| Sp. Atk | X |
| Sp. Def | 31 |
| Speed | 31 |
Focuses on Attack and Speed to hit hard and fast. Some HP and Defense boosts survivability.
Special Attacker
| HP | 31 |
| Attack | X |
| Defense | 31 |
| Sp. Atk | 31 |
| Sp. Def | 31 |
| Speed | 31 |
Emphasizes Special Attack instead while keeping Speed and bulk. Physical Attack is irrelevant.
Mixed Attacker
| HP | 31 |
| Attack | 31 |
| Defense | 31 |
| Sp. Atk | 31 |
| Sp. Def | 31 |
| Speed | 31 |
Has ideal potential for both physical and special moves. Lower bulk but still hits very hard.
Tank
| HP | 31 |
| Attack | X |
| Defense | 31 |
| Sp. Atk | X |
| Sp. Def | 31 |
| Speed | X |
Focuses entirely on maximizing HP, Defense, and Special Defense. Speed and offenses are irrelevant.
Training High Potential Pokemon
To fully utilize their potential, Pokemon need to be trained up with purpose. Here are some tips:
- Max out offensive stats with beneficial Natures, EV training, and movesets.
- Consider held items like Choice items to further boost offenses.
- Make sure to breed/obtain egg moves for coverage.
- Watch out for IV-reducing Nature effects on unused stats.
- For tanks, focus on HP and resistances – don’t neglect leveling up.
- Review stat benchmarks for surviving key attacks after EV training.
With the right specialized training, high potential Pokemon will far outperform unoptimized ones.
Potential in Competitive Battling
In competitive formats like Ranked Battle, potential values play a huge role in viability:
- Pokemon need maximum potential to reach stat benchmarks for one-hit KOs or surviving opponents’ attacks.
- Hyper trained level 100 Pokemon will always lose out to properly bred Pokemon.
- Bottle caps in Sword/Shield can max out one potential stat, but don’t boost stats retroactively – breeding remains better.
- Hacked perfect potential Pokemon are banned or restricted in official Online Competitions.
Obtaining legitimate well-bred Pokemon takes a lot of work, but is necessary to be competitive. Website simulators assume max potential values.
Conclusion
Potential determines how strong a Pokemon can ultimately become. Pokemon with higher potential will have superior stats at level 100. This allows them to deal more damage, survive for longer, and outspeed opponents. By selective breeding, training, and utilizing external tools, players can obtain Pokemon with ideal potential values for their battle roles. While difficult, building competitive-ready Pokemon is extremely rewarding and enables success when battling online or against the in-game NPCs and Frontier Brains. With patience and dedication, any trainer can field a full team of high potential Pokemon in Omega Ruby!
