pokemon-go
I have 2 Grimers with the following stats:
I have read that the CP formula values Attack more than Defense or Stamina, this is why the lower percentage Grimer has an overall higher CP. Question is, should I also value Attack and therefore CP more? Which Grimer is better?
NOTE: I am not asking about CURRENT CP vs IVs like this question, I am asking about MAXIMUM CP at level 40 versus IV%.
Attack and Defense greatly affect damage.
There is an equation used by the game, but it never reveals exactly what that formula is. However, after lots of testing I believe we've finally figured out what that formula is. You can see how it was done on Reddit here!
Damage = Floor(0.5 * (Attack / Defense) * (CpM_Atk / CpM_Def) * STAB * Type * Power) + 1
Note: Testing has determined that critical damage is not currently implemented in Pokemon GO, so it is not included in the formula.
Note: Some versions of the formula do not have "CpM_Atk / CpM_Def". This means that those numbers were already factored into "Attack / Defense". I choose to separate these so that it is more clear how a pokemon's level affects damage.
The base Attack and Defense stats for all pokemon: here.
The CP_Multiplier for each pokemon level: here.
The type effectiveness for all 18 types: here
Information about what IV's are: here.
Attack = 100
Defense = 50
CpM_Atk = 0.7317 (level 30)
CpM_Def = 0.5974 (level 20)
STAB = 1.25
Effectiveness = 1.25
Power = 25
Damage = Floor(0.5 * (100 / 50) * (0.7317 / 0.5974) * 1.25 * 1.25 * 25) + 1
Damage = Floor(0.5 * (2) * (1.2248) * 1.5625 * 25) + 1
Damage = Floor(1.9138 * 25) + 1
Damage = Floor(47.845) + 1
Damage = 47 + 1
Damage = 48
Now for a real example, and I will go into much more detail this time. Let's say a level 20 Venusaur attacks level 20 Bulbasaur with Razor Leaf. Let's also assume Venusaur's IV's are all 12, and Bulbasaur's IV's are all 9.
Attack = 210
Venusaur's base attack stat is 198. Its Attack IV is 12, so we add those together to have a combined attack stat of 210 (198 + 12).
Defense = 135
Bulbasaur's base defense stat is 126. Its Defense IV is 9, so we add those together to have a combined defense stat of 135 (126 + 9).
CpM_Atk = 0.5974
Venusaur is level 20, and the CP_Multiplier for that level is 0.5974.
CpM_Def = 0.5974
Bulbasaur is level 20, and the CP_Multiplier for that level is 0.5974.
STAB = 1.25
Venusaur is a Grass/Poison type pokemon. Razor Leaf is a Grass type attack. Since the attack type matches one of Venusaur's types, the attack deals bonus damage.
Type = 0.64
Vine Whip is a Grass type attack being used against a Grass/Poison type pokemon.
Grass type attacks are not very effective against Grass type pokemon (x0.8).
They are also not very effective against Poison type pokemon (x0.8).
These two damage multipliers combine to make the attack double ineffective. 0.8 * 0.8 = 0.64.
Power = 15
The base damage for Razor Leaf is 15.
Damage = Floor(0.5 * (210/135) * (0.5974 / 0.5974) * 1.25 * 0.64 * 15) + 1
Damage = Floor(0.5 * (1.5556) * (1) * 0.8 * 15) + 1
Damage = Floor(0.6222 * 15) + 1
Damage = Floor(9.333) + 1
Damage = 9 + 1
Damage = 10
Now let's do the reverse of the above: Bulbasaur attacks Venusaur with Razor Leaf.
Attack = 135 (126 + 9)
Defense = 212 (200 + 12)
CpM_Atk = 0.5974 (level 20)
CpM_Def = 0.5974 (level 20)
STAB = 1.25
Type = 0.64
Power = 15
Damage = Floor(0.5 * (135 / 212) * (0.5974 / 0.5974) * 1.25 * 0.64 * 15) + 1
Damage = Floor(0.5 * (0.6368) * (1) * 0.8 * 15) + 1
Damage = Floor(0.2547 * 15) + 1
Damage = Floor(3.8205) + 1
Damage = 3 + 1
Damage = 4
Example 1 showed how both attack/defense and level affect damage.
Example 2 & 3 showed that when pokemon are the same level, attack and defense play a large role in damage. Venusaur did 10 damage to Bulbasaur with Razor Leaf, while Bulbasaur only did 4 damage with the same attack.
The formula also shows why Magikarp deals damage even though Splash has a base damage of 0. One damage is always added onto the end of every attack.
"CPScalar" is an incidental constant which varies by level range. Breaking this particular value out from its exponent and level coefficient (as per level*(CPScalar)^2) isn't actually productive, it's just a bit of unsimplified work showing through from how the value was reverse engineered.
In truth, that component of the formula can be consolidated in a piecemeal function of level. As per reddit user __isitin__ (whom your linked article also cites), the definitions for this function appear to be:
f(lvl) = ( 0.01885225 * level ) - 0.01001625f(lvl) = ( 0.01783805 * ( level - 10 ) ) + 0.17850625f(lvl) = ( 0.01784981 * ( level - 20 ) ) + 0.35688675f(lvl) = ( 0.00891892 * ( level - 30 ) ) + 0.53538485Keep in mind that pokemon get two increments for every player level, so a level input of, say, 11.5, for example, is legitimate.
This function should fit into the CP formula like so:
Attack * sqrt{Defense} * sqrt{Stamina} * f(lvl) / 10
I'm certain there are some imprecise breakpoints in there where I've discounted rounding steps or added my own. I wouldn't be surprised if the underlying function is actually founded on different (but similar) ratios, either. But unless I've made a mistake, these numbers should be accurate to the greatest practical degree.
Best Answer
It depends on your use of the Pokemon.
For example, a Pokemon with a higher defense takes less damage, and a higher stamina means they lose less CP when defending a gym. A higher attack means they deal more damage, (obviously).
So it's up to you what you prefer more; an attacker or a defender, or you can simply keep both - one for attacking the gym, and the other for defending it once you take it down.