1. Generation 2.

1.1. Point calculation formula.

The game follows this calculation process in order to find the amount of points our Pokémon will get:

(Max HP * 4) + (Atk + Def + SpA + SpD + Spe) + (DVs) + (⅛ of Current HP) + (item)

Let’s take a better look at each part one by one:

• Max Hp - the maximum HP of the Pokémon.
• Atk, Def, Spa, SpD, Spe - the amount of attack, defense, special attack, special defense, and speed stats that the Pokémon has.
• DVs - up to 29 points depending on the DVs of the Pokémon:
  • If the defense DV divided by 2 (rounded down) results in an odd number: +16 points.
  • If the attack DV divided by 2 (rounded down) results in an odd number: +8 points.
  • If the special DV divided by 2 (rounded down) results in an odd number: +4 points.
  • If the speed DV divided by 2 (rounded down) results in an odd number: +1 points.
• ⅛ of Current HP - the current HP during the moment the Pokémon is caught, divided by 8 (rounded down).
• Item – an extra point if the Pokémon was holding an item.

This means that the current stats and anything related to them (DVs, level) of your Pokémon, have a big influence on the final result. One thing to note here is that shiny Pokémon will always receive all 29 points of the DVs, due to the way shininess works in this generation:

All of these numbers yield an odd number as a result when they’re divided by 2 (rounded down), so it checks all the conditions mentioned above. This is also somewhat referenced by Cooltrainer Nick, one of the possible contestants:

1.2. List of points.

Now that we know how the formula works, we can run some calculations. The next list shows some of the points each Pokémon can get. In the minimum, we use the lowest level Pokémon of that species with 0 DVs on everything, while, in the maximum, we use the highest level Pokémon, with perfect 15 DVs on each stat, holding an item if possible. Both of these cases will also be calculated at full HP, and at exactly 1 HP.

The first thing we can notice is that the current HP doesn’t have a game-changing presence in the result. The highest amount of extra points we may get in the entire contest would be 6, which is always welcome, but not strictly necessary to grab the win. This is under specific conditions, so we may not even be able to get those 6.

1.3. Catch rates.

The fact that the bonus points for the current HP are low, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t bother catching them at full HP, but it gives some breathing room if you prefer to increase your capture chances. Here are some calculations of the hardest to catch Pokémon, for more perspective:

In this generation, putting the Pokémon to sleep is considerably less beneficial than in the following ones, so we can focus on how important it is to lower the HP in this case, as it can almost triple the chances.

You’d need around 8 balls to reach a 50% chance if you keep the Pokémon at full HP (6 balls if it’s asleep), while only needing 3 at 1 HP (2 if it’s asleep), keeping in mind that you only receive 20 Park Balls during the contest. Any other Pokémon that doesn't appear in the previous list will be much easier to catch, so it won't be a problem.

1.4. Pokémon catcher.

The best option available up to this point in the story is catching a Paras from the Illex Forest, and level it up until it learns Spore (which will never miss) and then evolve it immediately to Parasect (more bulk and power, you will only have one Pokémon so it's better that it can easily tank hits). To add to this, if you don't mind waiting, you can also grab a Scyther and use it to pass down false swipe as an egg move to Paras, before leveling one up, and start preparing your designated catcher early in the playthrough.

Butterfree is also another accessible strong Pokémon with a high accuracy sleeping move. Sleep powder's 75 accuracy easily beats the other pokemon's hypnosis (like Drowzee), with only 60 accuracy.

If you would like to see other catcher sets available at other points of the playthrough, check the Utility Pokémon guide.

1.5. Win percentage.

Now that the topic on HP is settled, let’s continue with the average amount of points. This number is an aproximated representation of what the average Pokémon of each species may get, which was calculated in the previous sections. First, we have to check at the list of NPCs, and their possible points:

5 NPCs will be chosen randomly, with one of their 3 scores. These are also accompanied by a small bonus of up to 7 points, also random. Cooltrainer Nick is the contestant with the highest amount of points, and will usually win most of the contests, as you would need a very strong Scyther or Pinsir to beat him. Because of this, the best choice is to save before entering the contest, check if Nick is there (see reference picture below), and reset until he doesn’t appear. Nick will be kept out of any the next calculations.

With this information, we can now find out the chances of winning. Keep in mind that the purpose of this calculation is to find a middle ground for the average Pokémon, and you may find weaker or stronger Pokémon that will have a different chance.

Using the average points and comparing them to the possible points of the contestants, we can find the number of wins and losses, which will result in a winning percentage.

To the surprise of no one, Scyther and Pinsir are the ones with the highest win percentage, although Butterfree and Beedrill also have a somewhat high chance of winning.

2. Generation 4.

2.1. Point calculation formula.

Heart Gold and Soul Silver get a new, reworked formula for the points calculation of the contest:

(Level * 100 / MaxLevel) + ((HP + Atk + Def + SpA + SpD + Spe) * 100 / 186) + (CurrentHP * 100 / MaxHP) + Rarity

Let’s take a better look at each part one by one:

• Level - the current level of the Pokémon.
• Max Level - the maximum possible level that the pokemon can have in the contest.
• HP, Atk, Def, Spa, SpD, Spe - a sum of the amount of HP, attack, defense, special attack, special defense, and speed IVs of the Pokémon.
• CurrentHP - the current HP of the Pokémon.
• MaxHP - the maximum HP of the Pokémon.
• Rarity – an extra amount of points depending on the species of the Pokémon, divided in 3 groups that we will call “common”, “uncommon”, and “rare”:

The first difference we can see with the gen 2 formula, is that everything is pointed more towards percentages, and the base stats aren't as important now. The first big three pillars are the level, IVs, and HP, all of which are represented as percentages. This means that the points will theoretically range from 1 to 100 in each category. In the case of the rarity, the amount of points is set to three values (as previously seen).

This means that the most important characteristic is the rarity: 2 Pokémon from different species that have a different rarity, with the same IVs, at full HP, and highest level, will only differ from each other thanks to the rarity.

The biggest difference from generation 2 is how critical the HP has become. This time around, the range of points between max HP and low HP is significantly more substantial: at full HP, you will always get 100 points, no matter the species. This interferes with the catching strategy, as now we will want to keep the Pokémon as healthy as possible. But first, in the next section we will run some calculations to see how impactful the HP really is.

2.2. List of points.

The next list shows some of the points each Pokémon can get. In the minimum, we use the lowest level Pokémon of that species with 0 IVs on everything, while, in the maximum, we use the highest level Pokémon, with perfect 31 IVs on each stat. Both of these cases will also be calculated at full HP, and at exactly 1 HP.

-Before the national dex-

-After the national dex (Tuesday)-

-After the national dex (Thursday)-

-After the national dex (Saturday)-

2.3. Catch rates.

Even though the HP is essential to be full, luckily the boost to the catch chance that we get through sleep has been modified since generation 2, doubling the chances, so we don't have to worry about the Pokémon being significantly harder to catch this time around. Here are some calculations, once again with the hardest to catch Pokémon of the contest:

An almost 20% chance isn't the best (there's a 50% chance to catch it at 4 balls, and 95% at 14 balls) but it's worth it for those 100 extra points. Any other Pokémon that doesn't appear in the previous list will be much easier to catch, so it won't be a problem.

2.4. Pokémon catcher.

The same sets as in generation 2 can work here. Paras can be found in the Illex Forest (and later evolved into Parasect), with the difference that it is now able to learn spore at level 17. The ability should preferably be dry skin to avoid any effect spore shenanigans.

Butterfree is also an easy option to get, appearing early in the adventure, and may even be on your team by now. It also gets compound eyes, so sleep powder will have a 97% accuracy.

If you would like to see other catcher sets available at other points of the playthrough, check the Utility Pokémon guide.

3. Calculators.

If you are interested in running your own calculations, here you can test with this tool. If you know the stats of your Pokémon (or an approximate) you can enter them in the calculators below to find out the points the game will give them.

Notes: The special attack and special defense IVs in generation 2 are shared (similar to the special stat in generation 1) so you only need to write one of them. Additionally, a shiny Pokémon in generation 2 is the easiest to calculate, as you don't need to know the IVs for it.