This page explains the ideas behind every rating you see on doctorpokegogo.com — the four content evaluations (Gym, Raid, Battle League, Max Battle) and the PvP optimal-IV metric (SCP). Use it as a companion when you want to know why a Pokémon landed at its current tier and how it compares to others.
Rating Tiers (6-grade scale)
Gym, Raid, Battle League, and Max Battle metrics are bucketed into S+ / S / A / B / C / D based on each Pokémon's percentile rank within the full roster (~1,500 Pokémon). For example S+ means top 7% of the pool for that content, while C is the bottom 40%. The tier tells you how a Pokémon stacks up relative to others in that specific content — not an absolute power number.
| Tier | Percentile | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| S+ | ≥ 0.93 | Top 7% (defining attackers for that content) |
| S | ≥ 0.80 | Top 20% (excellent) |
| A | ≥ 0.60 | Top 40% (practical) |
| B | ≥ 0.40 | Above median |
| C | ≥ 0.20 | Bottom 40% |
| D | < 0.20 | Bottom 20% |
| — | — | Not applicable (excluded forms, missing data) |
Weak Pokémon are graded on the same scale. C / D ratings are preserved as decision-making material: "should I invest in this Pokémon?"
Raid Rating (ER)
For raid attackers we use ER (Equivalent Rating), a single score that blends damage output and bulk. A higher ER means the Pokémon can deal heavy damage and stay alive long enough to keep dealing it.
TDO = cDPS × HP × Defense / 900
The first term cDPS is the Pokémon's combat DPS from its best fast + charge move combo. The second term gently rewards bulk — living longer lets you get in more damage. TDO (Total Damage Output) estimates the total damage a Pokémon will deal in one raid attempt.
We brute-force every fast × charge move combination and pick the one that maximises ER, reporting it as the Pokémon's recommended moveset on the individual page. Because the best moveset depends on which moves your individual has access to, cross-check before investing resources.
Gym Rating
The gym-attack rating boils down to one simple question: "How fast can this Pokémon clear three rounds against a typical defender?" For each type we place a representative defender, simulate every moveset combination, and record the fastest combo as the recommended moveset on the individual page. Shorter clear times earn higher tiers.
The defensive angle (bulk / staying power) is surfaced separately as a HP × Defense type-sorted ranking, rather than rolled into the 6-grade scale.
DPS / EPS (per-move evaluation)
Each move is scored on two axes: DPS (damage per second) and EPS (energy gain per second). Same-type attack bonus (STAB = 1.2×) and the opponent's type resistance both change the effective numbers, so fast and charge moves are tracked separately.
Charge DPS = Charge power × STAB × TypeEff / Charge duration
EPS = Fast energy gain / Fast duration
The combat DPS (cDPS) used in raid rating reflects the full fight loop — charging fast moves, burning charge moves, and doing it again. It factors in the timing of second and third special moves, so movesets that can keep going rate higher than movesets that front-load a single big hit.
SCP (PvP Optimal IVs)
In PvP, within each league's CP cap (Great 1500 / Ultra 2500 / Master unlimited), the IV spread and Pokémon Level that maximise Attack × Defense × HP produce the strongest individual. SCP (Stat Control Product) quantifies this; we scale it by the 2/3 power for readability.
Shown SCP = (Raw SCP ^ (2/3)) / 10
CP caps: Great 1500 / Ultra 2500 / Master 10000 (effectively unlimited)
Each Pokémon page lists the Top 10 IV spreads per league with a mirror-match rank (the Pokémon's own SCP position among all its possible IV combinations). That mirror rank tells you whether the individual you caught is worth investing in. Mega forms are evaluated for Master only; Shadow forms share base stats with their normal counterparts, so they reuse the normal SCP values. Gigantamax forms are PvP-excluded.
Battle League Ratings (GL / UL / ML)
Battle League ratings are derived from the ranking scores (0–100) published by the community-standard PvP simulator pvpoke.com, converted to our 10-point scale. pvpoke is distributed under the MIT license, and our Battle League ratings rely on its scores (Credit: pvpoke.com).
Great / Ultra / Master scores are tracked separately. On each Pokémon page the 10-point value from the league where the Pokémon shines most is shown as the representative Battle League score. Mega League (mega-only) runs under the same no-CP-cap rules as Master and gets its own score.
Max Battle Attack Index
For Max Battles (Dynamax), we grade Max-move damage with a unified Attack Index combining base Attack, Max-move power, and the same-type bonus (STAB 1.2×). We deliberately exclude upside noise like crits and stat buffs, so the index reflects raw damage potential only.
Top 10 per type is published at the Max Move Rankings by Type. Pokémon that can't join Max Battles (Mega, Shadow, unsupported species) are out of scope.
Rocket Speed-Kill Score
For GO Rocket battles, the speed-kill score answers "how quickly can this Pokémon clear a Rocket boss, 1-on-1, without shields?" We enumerate every fast × charge combo, take the average clear time across the boss lineup, and convert it into a 10-point score. Shorter clears earn higher ratings.
The "Top 30 Rocket speed-kill picks" is surfaced on the All-Pokémon Ratings page.
Update Cadence
This page is revised whenever the Pokémon GO game updates or the evaluation logic changes. Each individual Pokémon page's update timestamp is synced whenever the rating logic changes, so the latest calculation baseline always matches the individual page.
Major changes: 2026-04 — unified the evaluation grade to 6 tiers (S+ / S / A / B / C / D) with thresholds shared across every content type.
Contact & Feedback
Found a formula or value that looks off? Have a suggestion? Please reach us via the contact form. Reader feedback regularly drives refinements of thresholds and equations.
