Catching ’em all is a fundamental part of the Pokémon experience, but sometimes, you might want to keep your Pokémon just as they are. Evolving Pokémon can be a great way to increase their power and learn new moves, but it can also change their appearance and sometimes even their type. If you’re not ready to say goodbye to your favorite Pokémon’s current form, there are a few things you can do to prevent them from evolving.
One of the simplest ways to prevent Pokémon from evolving is to simply not level them up. Pokémon evolve when they reach a certain level, so if you don’t want them to evolve, you can simply stop leveling them up. However, this can be a bit difficult to do, especially if you’re playing through the main story of a Pokémon game. Most of the time, you’ll need to level up your Pokémon in order to defeat the next Gym Leader or Team Leader. If you’re really set on preventing your Pokémon from evolving, you can try to find ways to level up without actually battling. For example, you can use Rare Candies, which will level up your Pokémon without increasing their experience points.
Another way to prevent Pokémon from evolving is to use an Everstone. An Everstone is a held item that prevents the Pokémon holding it from evolving, even if it reaches the level required to evolve. This can be a very effective way to prevent your Pokémon from evolving, but it can also be a bit limiting. If you ever decide that you do want your Pokémon to evolve, you’ll need to remove the Everstone first. Everstones can be found in the wild or purchased from certain shops in the Pokémon games. They’re not particularly rare, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding one if you need it.
Understanding Pokemon Evolution Triggers
Pokemon evolution is a complex and fascinating process that can be influenced by a variety of factors, including:
- Level – Many Pokemon evolve simply by reaching a certain level, which is typically indicated in their Pokedex entry. For example, Pidgey evolves into Pidgeotto at level 18, and Pidgeotto evolves into Pidgeot at level 36.
- Friendship – Some Pokemon, such as Eevee and Eevee’s evolutions, evolve based on their friendship with their trainer. Friendship can be increased by petting, playing with, and battling alongside your Pokemon.
- Special Techniques – A small number of Pokemon evolve when they are taught and use a specific technique. For example, Feebas evolves into Milotic when it knows and uses the move “Beauty.”
- Trade – Certain Pokemon, such as Kadabra and Haunter, only evolve when they are traded to another trainer. This is likely a nod to the real-world concept of trading animals to improve their genetic diversity.
- Evolution Stones – Evolution stones are special items that can be used to force-evolve certain Pokemon. For example, using a Fire Stone will evolve Eevee into Flareon, a Water Stone will evolve Eevee into Vaporeon, and a Thunder Stone will evolve Eevee into Jolteon.
- Happiness – Some Pokemon, such as Riolu and Budew, evolve based on their happiness stat. Happiness can be increased by giving your Pokemon berries, using a Soothe Bell, or leveling it up.
- Location – A handful of Pokemon evolve when they are in a specific location. For example, Magnemite evolves into Magneton when it is leveled up in Mt. Coronet, and Shelmet evolves into Accelgor when it is leveled up while holding a Metal Coat.
- Day/Night – Some Pokemon, such as Murkrow and Misdreavus, evolve based on the time of day. Murkrow evolves into Honchkrow when it is leveled up at night, and Misdreavus evolves into Mismagius when it is leveled up during the day.
- Gender – A few Pokemon have different evolution paths depending on their gender. For example, Magmar evolves into Magmortar if it is male, and Magmortar evolves into Magmortar if it is female.
- Keeping a Pokémon at a lower level to make it easier to train or use in certain competitive formats.
- Preserving the unique moves or abilities of a pre-evolved Pokémon.
- Maintaining a specific aesthetic or thematic for a Pokémon team.
- Evolution through Evolution stones.
- Evolution through trading.
- To keep a Pokémon at a lower level for competitive battling.
- To preserve the unique moves or abilities of a pre-evolved Pokémon.
- To maintain a specific aesthetic or thematic for a Pokémon team.
- To prevent a Pokémon from evolving into an undesirable form.
- Don’t level up your Pokémon too quickly. Evolving a Pokémon can only happen when it has reached a certain level, so if you don’t want your Pokémon to evolve, then you can try to keep it at a lower level. Use a Lucky Egg to reduce the amount of experience points your Pokemon earns.
- Use the Everstone. The Everstone is an item that prevents a Pokémon from evolving, even if it has met all the other requirements for evolution. This is a great way to prevent a Pokémon from evolving if you’re not sure if you want it to evolve yet.
- Trade your Pokémon. Trading a Pokémon will reset its happiness and friendship levels, so if you’re having trouble keeping them low, then you can try trading your Pokémon to someone else and then trading it back.
- Status Effects: Trapping or incapacitating opponents with status ailments like paralysis, sleep, or freeze prevents them from using moves that trigger evolution, such as level-up or move-based evolutions.
- Priority Moves: Using priority moves to eliminate opponent Pokémon before they reach the required level or conditions for evolution can be effective.
- Eviolite: Holding an Eviolite prevents unevolved Pokémon from evolving, allowing them to retain their evolutionary advantages while gaining stat boosts.
- Disable: The move Disable blocks the target from using specific moves, including those that trigger evolution.
- Protected Field: Pokémon that create a Protected Field, such as Gastrodon or Quagsire, prevent opponents from using two-turn moves, including those that trigger evolution.
- Fairy-Type Moves: Fairy-type moves can prevent certain Dragon-type Pokémon from evolving into their Mega Evolutions.
- Killing the Opponent: Simply eliminating the opponent Pokémon before it has a chance to evolve is an effective way to prevent evolution.
- Perish Song: The move Perish Song forces all Pokémon in battle to faint after three turns, preventing any Pokémon from evolving during that time.
- Delaying Leveling: Using entry hazards like Sticky Web or Spikes can damage opposing Pokémon and delay their leveling, preventing them from evolving too quickly.
- Taunt: The move Taunt prevents the target from using status moves, including those that trigger evolution, such as King’s Rock or Razor Fang.
- Remove the evolutionary stone (Fire Stone, Water Stone, or Thunder Stone) from Eevee’s inventory.
- Turn off the Auto Evolve option in the game’s settings.
- Keep Eevee below the required level to evolve.
| Evolution Trigger | Example |
|---|---|
| Level | Pidgey evolves into Pidgeotto at level 18 |
| Friendship | Eevee evolves into Umbreon if it has high friendship and is leveled up at night |
| Special Technique | Feebas evolves into Milotic when it knows and uses the move “Beauty” |
| Trade | Kadabra evolves into Alakazam when it is traded to another trainer |
| Evolution Stone | Eevee evolves into Flareon when it is exposed to a Fire Stone |
| Happiness | Riolu evolves into Lucario when it has high happiness |
| Location | Magnemite evolves into Magneton when it is leveled up in Mt. Coronet |
| Day/Night | Murkrow evolves into Honchkrow when it is leveled up at night |
| Gender | Magmar evolves into Magmortar if it is male, and Magmortar evolves into Magmortar if it is female |
Blocking Evolution with Everstone
What is an Everstone?
An Everstone is a held item in the Pokémon games that prevents the Pokémon holding it from evolving, even if it meets the other requirements for evolution. This can be useful for a variety of reasons, such as:
How to Use an Everstone
To prevent a Pokémon from evolving, simply give it an Everstone to hold. The Everstone will take effect immediately, and the Pokémon will not be able to evolve until it is removed.
Limitations of Everstone
The Everstone does not prevent Pokémon from evolving through other methods, such as using a specific Evolution stone or trading with another player. Additionally, if a Pokémon is holding an Everstone when it is traded to another player, the Everstone will be removed and the Pokémon will be able to evolve normally.
| Effect | Prevents evolution through leveling up. |
|---|---|
| Does Not Prevent |
When to Use an Everstone
There are many different situations in which you might want to use an Everstone on a Pokémon. Some common reasons include:
Using Pokemon with Inhibitor Abilities
Certain Pokemon possess special abilities that can prevent other Pokemon from evolving. These abilities are known as Inhibitor Abilities. When a Pokemon with an Inhibitor Ability is in the party, it will suppress the evolution of Pokemon in the same party that are eligible to evolve. This can be a useful strategy for preventing certain Pokemon from evolving until you are ready for them to do so.
Common Pokemon with Inhibitor Abilities
Some of the most common Pokemon with Inhibitor Abilities include:
| Pokemon | Ability |
|---|---|
| Smeargle | Own Tempo |
| Whimsicott | Prankster |
| Grimmsnarl | Prankster |
To prevent a Pokemon from evolving, simply add one of these Pokemon with an Inhibitor Ability to your party. As long as the Pokemon with the Inhibitor Ability remains in your party, the target Pokemon will not be able to evolve. This effect will persist even if the Pokemon with the Inhibitor Ability is fainted or withdrawn from battle.
It’s important to note that Inhibitor Abilities only affect Pokemon in the same party. They will not prevent Pokemon in other parties from evolving. Additionally, Inhibitor Abilities will not prevent Pokemon from evolving if they are traded to another player.
Preventing Evolution through Specific Items
Certain items held by Pokémon can effectively prevent their evolution. These items typically work by suppressing the Pokémon’s ability to communicate with the evolutionary stones or other triggers that would otherwise initiate the transformation.
Everstone
The Everstone is the most well-known item that prevents evolution. When a Pokémon holding an Everstone is traded or levels up, it will remain in its current form. The Everstone has no effect on Pokémon that evolve through other methods, such as by happiness or friendship.
Magmarizer and Electrizer
The Magmarizer and Electrizer are held items that prevent certain Pokémon from evolving when traded. The Magmarizer prevents Magmar from evolving into Magmortar, while the Electrizer prevents Electabuzz from evolving into Electivire. Unlike the Everstone, these items have no effect on Pokémon that evolve through other methods.
Reaper Cloth
The Reaper Cloth is a held item that prevents Dusclops from evolving into Dusknoir. It has no effect on Dusclops that evolve through other methods, such as by holding a Dawn Stone.
| Held Item | Prevents Evolution from |
|---|---|
| Everstone | All Pokémon that evolve by leveling up or trading |
| Magmarizer | Magmar |
| Electrizer | Electabuzz |
| Reaper Cloth | Dusclops |
Manipulating Happiness and Friendship Levels
Happiness
Happiness is a hidden stat that affects a Pokémon’s evolution, as well as its effectiveness in battle. You can increase a Pokémon’s happiness by interacting with it outside of battle, such as walking with it or playing with it at the Poképark. You can also increase a Pokémon’s happiness by giving it items that it likes, such as berries or poffins. If you want to prevent a Pokémon from evolving, then you can try to keep its happiness low by avoiding these actions.
Friendship
Friendship is another hidden stat that affects a Pokémon’s evolution, as well as its effectiveness in battle. You can increase a Pokémon’s friendship by spending time with it, such as walking with it or battling with it. You can also increase a Pokémon’s friendship by giving it items that it likes, such as berries or poffins. If you want to prevent a Pokémon from evolving, then you can try to keep its friendship low by avoiding these actions.
Additional Tips for Preventing Evolution
Controlling Pokemon Experience Gain
Managing your Pokemon’s experience (EXP) gain is crucial for preventing premature evolutions. Each time a Pokemon defeats an opponent, it earns EXP, which accumulates until it levels up and may evolve. Here are several strategies to control EXP gain:
1. Avoid Battles: The most straightforward approach is to minimize battles. When exploring areas with wild Pokemon, avoid engaging in unnecessary battles, especially if your Pokemon are approaching an evolution level.
2. Use Level-Appropriate Opponents: When battles are unavoidable, choose opponents that are significantly weaker than your Pokemon. This will reduce the EXP gained while still allowing your Pokemon to weaken the opponent and gain battle experience without leveling up.
3. Lower Friendship: A Pokemon’s friendship level can influence its EXP gain rate. Pokemon with lower friendship levels gain EXP more slowly, as they are less motivated to battle and train. While this method is not ideal, it can be temporary measure.
4. Use EXP-Reducing Berries: Certain berries, such as Wiki Berries and Kee Berries, reduce the EXP gained from battles. These berries can be used strategically to slow down your Pokemon’s EXP accumulation.
5. Use Pokemon with EXP-Reducing Abilities: Some Pokemon, such as Throh and Sawk, possess abilities that decrease the EXP gained by their teammates. Including these Pokemon in your party can effectively suppress EXP gain.
6. Use Experience Share Sparingly: The Experience Share item distributes EXP evenly among all Pokemon in your party. While it can be valuable for leveling up weaker Pokemon, use it judiciously if you wish to prevent evolution. Consider turning it off or limiting its use to specific Pokemon.
| Berry | Effect |
|---|---|
| Wiki Berry | Reduces EXP gained by 50% |
| Kee Berry | Reduces EXP gained by 25% |
Utilizing Wonder Trade for Randomized Evolution
Wonder Trade serves as a fascinating avenue for acquiring unpredictable Pokemon evolutions. It involves trading your Pokemon anonymously with another random player. This feature can be particularly advantageous when you want to evolve a Pokemon without knowing its specific evolution.
The key to successful Wonder Trade evolution lies in understanding the trade odds. Generally, you have a higher chance of receiving a Pokemon that is the same species as the one you traded. However, you can increase the likelihood of receiving a different evolution by adding an Everstone to the Pokemon you’re trading.
The Everstone prevents a Pokemon from evolving, regardless of its experience level or the use of Evolution Stones. By attaching an Everstone to your Pokemon, you signal to the other player that you’re only interested in receiving its pre-evolved form.
While Wonder Trade can be a fun and unpredictable way to evolve Pokemon, it’s important to note that it’s not a guaranteed method. The Pokemon you receive may not always be the one you desire, and you could end up losing your Pokemon if the other player doesn’t send anything in return.
| Pokemon | Trade Odds | Recommended for |
|---|---|---|
| Eevee | 1/3 chance of receiving a different evolution | Evolving into Umbreon or Espeon |
| Magikarp | 1/10 chance of receiving Gyarados | Evolving into a stronger Water-type Pokemon |
| Pidgey | 1/4 chance of receiving a different evolution | Evolving into Pidgeot or Pidgeot |
Avoiding Evolution-Inducing Trainers
8. Analyzing the Trainer Class
The Trainer Class of the NPC (non-player character) you’re facing can provide valuable insights into their Pokémon’s potential to induce evolution. Here’s a breakdown of different Trainer Classes and their evolutionary tendencies:
| Trainer Class | Evolutionary Tendencies |
|---|---|
| Lass | Often uses Pokémon with low evolution levels, such as Pidgey and Caterpie. Unlikely to induce evolution in your Pokémon. |
| Youngster | Similar to Lasses, typically uses Pokémon with basic evolutionary stages. However, they may occasionally have Pokémon that evolve at higher levels, such as Onix or Geodude. |
| Black Belt | Known for their fighting-type Pokémon. While they can have Pokémon that evolve, they are often trained to prioritize physical attacks, which may not trigger evolution. |
| Psychic | Specialize in Psychic-type Pokémon. These Pokémon have a higher chance of evolving through leveling up, but the Trainer may use moves that prevent evolution, such as “Mean Look” or “Encore.” |
| Cool Trainer | Use a variety of Pokémon, including some that evolve through happiness or time-based methods. Observe their actions and gameplay style to determine their evolutionary intentions. |
| Scientist | May have Pokémon that evolve through special conditions, such as trading or using an evolution stone. Be cautious when battling them, as they may try to manipulate your Pokémon’s evolution. |
By carefully analyzing the Trainer Class and their Pokémon’s moveset, you can make informed decisions about whether to dodge or engage in battles that could potentially trigger unwanted evolution.
Exploiting Glitches and Bugs
Certain glitches and bugs in the Pokemon games can be exploited to prevent Pokemon from evolving. These exploits typically involve manipulating the game’s code or utilizing specific in-game mechanics.
Glitch Manipulation
By manipulating the game’s code through hacking or other means, it’s possible to prevent Pokemon from evolving. This can be achieved by modifying the Pokemon’s internal data or altering the evolution criteria.
Item Blocking
Certain items, such as the Everstone, can be used to block a Pokemon’s evolution. The Everstone prevents the Pokemon from evolving, even if it meets the necessary criteria. This can be useful if you want to keep a Pokemon in its current form.
Shiny Pokemon
Shiny Pokemon have a unique coloration and are extremely rare. Shiny Pokemon cannot evolve, even if they meet the evolution criteria. This is a natural game mechanic that prevents players from evolving their Shiny Pokemon.
Other Glitches
Numerous other glitches have been discovered that can prevent Pokemon from evolving. These glitches typically involve exploiting specific in-game scenarios or manipulating the game’s mechanics. Some of these glitches are temporary, while others can be permanent.
Preventing Level-Up Evolution
Certain Pokemon, such as Haunter, evolve solely by leveling up. However, it’s possible to prevent these Pokemon from evolving by keeping them at a lower level than the evolution threshold. This can be achieved by controlling the Pokemon’s experience gain rate or by using Exp. Share to distribute experience among other Pokemon.
Preventing Stone Evolution
Pokemon that evolve using evolution stones, such as Eevee and Poliwhirl, can be prevented from evolving by withholding the corresponding stone. This can be achieved by simply not giving the Pokemon the stone or by storing it in a location inaccessible to the Pokemon.
Preventing Happiness Evolution
Certain Pokemon, such as Golbat and Togepi, evolve based on their happiness level. To prevent these Pokemon from evolving, it’s necessary to keep their happiness level low. This can be achieved by avoiding actions that increase the Pokemon’s happiness, such as petting or battling.
Preventing Time-Based Evolution
Some Pokemon, such as Feebas and Milotic, evolve based on in-game time. To prevent these Pokemon from evolving, it’s necessary to keep them in the game for less than the required amount of time. This can be achieved by stopping the game clock or by resetting the game before the evolution criteria is met.
Preventing Trade Evolution
Pokemon that evolve through trading, such as Kadabra and Machoke, can be prevented from evolving by simply not trading them. This can be achieved by keeping the Pokemon in your party or by storing them in a location inaccessible to other players.
Circumventing Evolution in Competitive Play
In competitive Pokémon play, preventing opposing Pokémon from evolving can provide a significant advantage. Certain strategies exploit this concept to counter or limit the effectiveness of specific enemy Pokémon.
Here are some common methods used to circumvent evolution:
| Method | Effect |
| Status Effects | Traps or incapacitates opponents, preventing them from using evolution-triggering moves. |
| Priority Moves | Eliminates opponents before they reach evolution requirements. |
| Eviolite | Prevents unevolved Pokémon from evolving while boosting their stats. |
| Protected Field | Blocks two-turn moves, including those that trigger evolution. |
| Fairy-Type Moves | Prevent Dragon-type Pokémon from Mega Evolving. |
How to Prevent Pokemon from Evolving
Preventing Pokemon from evolving is a common goal for players who want to keep their Pokemon at a certain level or with a specific moveset. There are a few different ways to prevent evolution, which are explained in the following paragraphs.
One way to prevent evolution is to remove the Pokemon’s evolutionary stone. Evolutionary stones, such as the Fire Stone or Water Stone, are required for certain Pokemon to evolve. If the stone is removed, the Pokemon cannot evolve. Another way to prevent evolution is to turn off the Auto Evolve option in the game’s settings. When Auto Evolve is enabled, the Pokemon will automatically evolve when it reaches the required level. By turning off Auto Evolve, the player can manually control when the Pokemon evolves.
It is important to note that preventing evolution does not stop the Pokemon from gaining experience points. The Pokemon will still level up, but they will not evolve. This can be helpful for players who want to keep their Pokemon at a low level for certain strategies, or for players who want to teach their Pokemon specific moves before they evolve.
