Breeding in Gen 7

By Clouds and TJ.

Introduction

Breeding Pokémon Eggs has been a very important part of Pokémon games since its introduction in Generation 2, and in this guide, we will assist you in breeding Pokémon to the best of your abilities. In Sun and Moon, Pokémon can be bred at the Pokémon Nursery at Paniola Ranch on Akala Island. Numerous breeding mechanics in Sun and Moon were changed from those in Gen VI (see below), and in this guide, you will find all you need to know about those changes and how you can become a breeding expert.

Breeding Tips and Tricks

Species Determination

When a male and female Pokémon breed, the female determines what species the offspring will be. For example, if a female Bagon and a male Charmander breed together, the offspring will be a Bagon.

Egg Groups

Egg Groups are categories that determine which Pokémon are compatible with one another when breeding. All Pokémon belong in at least one Egg Group, while some belong in two, similarly to typings. If two Pokémon are of different genders and share at least one Egg Group (excluding Undiscovered and Ditto), they will be able to breed when placed in the Nursery. There are 15 different Egg Groups:

  • Bug Group: Some examples include Butterfree, Scizor, Flygon, Yanmega, Volcarona, Vivillon, and Golisopod.
  • Dragon Group: Some examples include Charizard, Kingdra, Salamence, Hydreigon, Goodra, and Kommo-o.
  • Fairy Group: Some examples include Clefable, Azumarill, Delcatty, Roserade, Whimsicott, Carbink, and Ribombee.
  • Field Group: Some examples include Raticate (both formes), Typhlosion, Manectric, Luxray, Stoutland, Pyroar, and Lycanroc.
  • Ditto Group: Ditto is the sole Pokémon in this Egg Group.
  • Human-Like Group: Some examples include Hitmonlee, Gardevoir, Toxicroak, Electivire, Conkeldurr, and Hawlucha.
  • Grass Group: Some examples include Victreebel, Bellossom, Ludicolo, Tangrowth, Torterra, Ferrothorn, Trevenant, and Comfey.
  • Flying Group: Some examples include Pidgeot, Crobat, Swellow, Staraptor, Sigilyph, Noivern, and Oricorio.
  • Amorphous Group: Some examples include Muk, Magcargo, Swalot, Banette, Eelektross, Gourgeist, and Mimikyu.
  • Mineral Group: Some examples include Golem, Steelix, Shedinja, Probopass, Gigalith, Aegislash, and Minior.
  • Monster Group: Some examples include Kangaskhan, Tyranitar, Aggron, Rampardos, Haxorus, Aurorus, and Salazzle.
  • Water 1 Group: Some examples include Poliwrath, Mantine, Gorebyss, Floatzel, Greninja, and Araquanid.
  • Water 2 Group: Some examples include Seaking, Lanturn, Sharpedo, Lumineon, Basculin, Malamar, and Wishiwashi.
  • Water 3 Group: Some examples include Tentacruel, Corsola, Cradily, Drapion, Carracosta, Barbaracle, and Crabominable.
  • Undiscovered Group: Some examples include Mew, Ho-Oh, Deoxys, Mesprit, Zekrom, Yveltal, and Lunala. Pokémon in this Egg Group can't breed at all.

Ditto

Having access to a Ditto with 31 IVs in 5 or 6 stats is strongly encouraged because Ditto can breed with almost any Pokémon, as well as being required to breed genderless Pokémon. This will come into effect more when we learn about breeding perfect Pokémon. A Ditto with these IVs may be obtained here or by chaining using SOS encounters for some time.

Flame Body and Magma Armor

If a Pokémon with the ability Flame Body or Magma Armor is present in your party, the steps it takes for an Egg to hatch will be halved. An easy Pokémon with Flame Body to catch would be Fletchinder, which can be found on Route 8 on Akala Island.

Hidden Power Checker

The Hidden Power NPC is found at Paniola Ranch inside the Nursery. She gives you the Hidden Power TM and will tell you what type the Hidden Power for each Pokémon will be, which is based on IVs.

New Breeding Mechanics and Features

Here, we'll have a look at the various breeding mechanics and features in Pokémon Sun and Moon.

Hyper Training

Introduced this generation, Hyper Training is a unique feature that allows you to modify Pokémon as if they had 31 IVs. Prior to Sun and Moon, it was difficult and tedious to breed a Pokémon with a specific Hidden Power as well as with the desired IVs, but with the advent of Hyper Training, it's been made a bit easier. Before you can use Hyper Training, you must be Champion of Alola first. Once you have achieved that, speak to Mr. Hyper at the shopping mall in Hau'Oli City, bring a Pokémon that you wish to Hyper Train (a Pokémon must be at level 100 for it to be Hyper Trained), and then exchange either a Bottle Cap (1 maximized stat per Bottle Cap) or a Gold Bottle Cap (all stats Hyper Trained at once). Once done, your Pokémon will be as if it was hatched with 31 IVs. Incredibly handy!

IV Checker

The IV checker is now accessed by going to the PC, hovering over the Pokémon whose IVs you want to check, and selecting "Judge". It is received after hatching 20 eggs and talking to the Ace Trainer at the Battle Tree on Poni Island.

Key Changes from Pokémon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire to Pokémon Sun / Moon

  • Both gendered and genderless Pokémon can pass down Poké Balls to their offspring.
  • The Pokémon Nursery does not level up Pokémon anymore (results in a 500 Poké Dollar fee).
  • There are no longer any O-Powers.
  • Previously, to hatch Eggs faster, you would ride your Bicycle, but that is replaced with Tauros using the Ride Pager. You can hold B to sprint with Tauros.
  • Instead of a loop, there is a fenced-in area below the Nursery where you can ride Tauros in a small circle by moving the circle pad around.
  • The Nursery lady crosses her arms and rests her right hand under her chin when an Egg is found.

Important Items

Everstone

The Everstone is an immensely important item for breeding, as it allows you to effortlessly pass down the nature of the holder to the offspring. Without it, you will have to breed two Pokémon continuously until the offspring hatches with the nature you want, which can take quite a long time if you're not lucky. The Everstone can be found in Hau'Oli City as a gift from Ilima after battling him. It can also be found on wild Roggenrola, Boldore, Gigalith, Geodude, Graveler, and Golem or bought for 16 BP at the Battle Royal Dome.

Destiny Knot

The Destiny Knot is also a very important item, as it lets you control the IVs to an extent. Basically, what this item does is make sure 5 of the offspring's IVs are passed down from the parents, rather than the usual 3. This raises the chances greatly for producing offspring with the desired IVs. The Destiny Knot can be bought from the Battle Royal Dome for 48 BP. Alternatively, it can also be obtained via the Pickup ability; however, the odds of finding a Destiny Knot through this method are low, and it can take hours just to find one.

Incenses

Incenses come in the following forms:

  • Sea Incense: If Marill or Azumarill hold this, they are able to produce an Azurill Egg in the Nursery.
  • Rock Incense: If Sudowoodo holds this, it is able to produce a Bonsly Egg in the Nursery.
  • Luck Incense: If Chansey or Blissey hold this, they are able to produce a Happiny Egg in the Nursery.
  • Wave Incense: If Mantine holds this, it is able to produce a Mantyke Egg in the Nursery.
  • Rose Incense: If Roselia or Roserade hold this, they are able to produce a Budew Egg in the Nursery.
  • Odd Incense: If Mr. Mime holds this, it is able to produce a Mime Jr. Egg in the Nursery.
  • Lax Incense: If Wobbuffet holds this, it is able to produce a Wynaut Egg in the Nursery.
  • Pure Incense: If Chimecho holds this, it is able to produce a Chingling Egg in the Nursery.
  • Full Incense: If Snorlax holds this, it is able to produce a Munchlax Egg in the Nursery.

These Incenses are the only ways to hatch these baby Pokémon from Eggs. Pichu, Cleffa, Igglybuff, Togepi, Tyrogue, Smoochum, Elekid, Magby, and Riolu are baby Pokémon as well but do not require the use of an Incense to be bred. All 9 of the Incenses can be bought from a woman in Konikoni City on Akala Island. Also, some Pokémon can only learn certain moves via their baby stage (e.g. Snorlax can only learn Recycle as a Munchlax, meaning the Full Incense is required for a Snorlax to learn Recycle).

Power Items

These items are an alternative to Destiny Knot. When a parent Pokémon is holding a Power Item, the corresponding stat's IVs will be passed down. For example, if a Charizard has 31 Attack IVs and is holding a Power Bracer, the offspring will have 31 Attack IVs as well. This can be especially helpful in times where you have two 4 x 31 IV parents and it's taking a long time to get the final IV. Giving one parent the Destiny Knot and one a Power Item gives you a 1 / 10 chance of receiving a 5-IV offspring. However, it may have the wrong nature, so from there you may need to replace the old 4-IV parent with the new 5-IV parent and breed it with the Pokémon that you gave the Everstone earlier on with the nature you want.

  • Power Bracer: If a parent Pokémon holds this item, it will always pass down its Attack IVs.
  • Power Anklet: If a parent Pokémon holds this item, it will always pass down its Speed IVs.
  • Power Band: If a parent Pokémon holds this item, it will always pass down its Special Defense IVs.
  • Power Belt: If a parent Pokémon holds this item, it will always pass down its Defense IVs.
  • Power Lens: If a parent Pokémon holds this item, it will always pass down its Special Attack IVs.
  • Power Weight: If a parent Pokémon holds this item, it will always pass down its HP IVs.

Other Items

  • Shiny Charm: The Shiny Charm raises the base odds of hatching a Shiny Pokémon from 1/4096 to 3/4096 and the odds of hatching a Shiny Pokémon using the Masuda Method from 1/683 to 1/512. The Shiny Charm can be obtained by completing the Alola Pokédex (minus Mythical Pokémon), visiting the Heahea City Game Freak office, and talking to the Game Director.
  • Oval Charm: The Oval Charm increases the chances of an Egg being found in the Pokémon Nursery. The Oval Charm can be obtained by defeating Morimoto (for the first time) in the Game Freak office in Heahea City. The Oval Charm is a Key Item, so it isn't required for a Pokémon to hold it while breeding.

Breeding Rates

  • If the two parent Pokémon are of the same species (for example, two Turtwig) and have different Trainer IDs, the chance of an Egg being found in the Nursery after 256 steps is 70% (increased to 88% with possession of the Oval Charm). The Nursery lady will tell you "They really seem to like hanging out!" if this is the case.
  • If the two parent Pokémon are of the same species and have the same Trainer ID, the chance of an Egg being found in the Nursery after 256 steps is 50% (increased to 80% with possession of the Oval Charm). The Nursery lady will tell you "They seem to get along all right." if this is the case.
  • If the two parent Pokémon are of different species (for example, Turtwig and Bulbasaur) and have different Trainer IDs, the chance of an Egg being found in the Nursery after 256 steps is 50% (increased to 80% with possession of the Oval Charm). The Nursery lady will tell you "They seem to get along all right." if this is the case.
  • If the two parent Pokémon are of different species and have the same Trainer ID, the chance of an egg being found in the Nursery after 256 steps is 20% (increased to 40% with possession of the Oval Charm). The Nursery lady will tell you "They don't seem to like each other very much, though." if this is the case.
  • If the two parent Pokémon are in different Egg Groups, the same gender, or in the Undiscovered Egg Group, they will not be able to produce an Egg whatsoever. The Nursery lady will tell you "They don't seem to like playing together, though." if this is the case.

Probability Checker

Your chances of obtaining specific offspring from two parent Pokémon can be checked using the IV Breeding Probability Calculator by Agnaktor. Using this calculator can give you a good idea of how long it will take to complete a breed.

Breeding Perfect Pokémon

Now that you've got all the information you need to know how to breed, here's how to put what you now know into breeding your desired Pokémon.

To start, catch a Pokémon in the wild or find whatever Pokémon you wish to breed. If the Pokémon has the nature you would like for it, then you are all set. If not, you will need to catch a Pokémon with the desired nature in the wild.

If you have one, we recommend putting a Pokémon with the Synchronize ability and the nature you want the Pokémon you're breeding to have in the front of your party. This is because Synchronize gives the wild Pokémon you encounter a 50% chance to have the same nature as the Pokémon with the ability. If the Pokémon you want to breed is unable to be found in the wild, you will have to either hatch Eggs until you get one with the desired nature or obtain one by other means (trade, PokéBank, etc.).

If you have a Ditto, then that would be the ideal parent Pokémon to breed with the Pokémon you're going to breed, as Ditto is able to breed with any Pokémon capable of breeding. However, if needed, catch a different parent Pokémon that shares at least one Egg Group with the Pokémon you are breeding. Catching another Pokémon that is the same species as the Pokémon you're breeding would be ideal, as it raises the chances of Eggs being found in the Nursery.

A Ditto with 4 IVs or more can be obtained in the wild by doing the following. First, acquire a Pokémon with the move Recycle. Munchlax and Trubbish are two Pokémon capable of learning Recycle that can easily be found in-game. Secondly, acquire a Pokémon capable of learning Trick or Switcheroo. Abra and Hypno are two options that can also easily be found in-game. Give a Leppa Berry to the Pokémon that knows Trick or Switcheroo. You will also need one or more high-leveled Pokémon with False Swipe and a strong damaging move with a lot of PP. Finally, you will need Adrenaline Orbs and extra Leppa Berries to restore PP to your False Swipe user.

Go to Route 10, then go to Hokulani Observatory and head south. Look for a Ditto in the first patch of grass with Munchlax and Hypno. When you encounter Ditto, make sure you switch out your Pokémon for Munchlax so Ditto can transform into it. After, switch out Munchlax for Hypno and use Switcheroo so the Ditto will have Recycle and a Leppa Berry. Then switch into your False Swipe user and use False Swipe on the Ditto until it is at 1 HP. After you've done this, use an Adrenaline Orb.

Finally, KO as many Ditto that are called by the original Ditto, and if Ditto's help does not arrive on any given turn, use an Adrenaline Orb again, as the use will fail, and it will waste a turn. You can also continuously use False Swipe, but this will use up the PP of the move. Once you reach a chain of 30 Ditto, you may catch the incoming 31st Ditto or any Ditto after that to have a much better chance of catching a Ditto with 4 or more perfect (31 in the respective stat) IVs. You can check its IVs by selecting "Judge" in the Ditto's PC summary. Repeat this process in the same manner until you are satisfied with the Ditto you have captured.

You will want the parent Pokémon of the Pokémon you're breeding to have the IVs you would like to breed onto the offspring so you can give it the Destiny Knot, and the IVs will be able to be passed down. If you have a Ditto or another compatible Pokémon with the IVs you need, then you are all set to try breeding for your perfect Pokémon. If not, you will need to chain down the IVs onto the Pokémon you will wind up giving the Destiny Knot to.

Example

I want to breed a Jolly Trapinch that is flawless in all stats except Special Attack, and I have a Trapinch with an IV spread of x / 31 / x / x / 31 / x, a Jolly Ditto with an IV spread of 31 / x / x / x / 31 / 31, and a non-Jolly Ditto with an IV spread of 31 / 31 / 31 / x / x / x.

To begin, I will put my Trapinch in the Nursery with a Destiny Knot and my Jolly Ditto in the Nursery with an Everstone. I will then hatch Eggs until I receive a Trapinch with an IV spread of x / 31 / x / x / 31 / 31 or better.

After hatching a few Eggs, I hatch the Trapinch with the x / 31 / x / x / 31 / 31 IV spread that I wanted. Now, I just need to pass down one (or more) of my other Ditto's perfect IVs. I put the Trapinch I most recently bred in the Nursery with the non-Jolly Ditto.

After some time, I breed a Trapinch with an IV spread of 31 / 31 / x / x / 31 / 31. Since this Trapinch is objectively better than the current parent Trapinch, I will swap out parents in the Nursery and use the new parent. If I breed any Pokémon that are objectively better than the parent I have just put in the Nursery, I will swap them as well.

Once I have more 4-IV parents to work with that have the missing Defense IVs I am looking for, it will only be a matter of time before I breed my 31 / 31 / 31 / x / 31 / 31 Trapinch!

Other Breeding Features

  • Masuda Method: If you've tried to breed Shiny Pokémon, there's a good chance you've heard of or used the Masuda Method. The Masuda Method is a relatively simple concept—if you breed two Pokémon from different language games, the odds of a Shiny Pokémon hatching from an Egg produced by them is greatly increased from the base odds (1/4096 → 1/683).
  • Poké Balls: When an Egg is produced, there is a 50% chance of the offspring inheriting either parent's Ball if they are the same species. If the parents are of separate species, then the Ball passed down will be that of the female. Ditto's Ball has no effect on the offspring's Ball, so when breeding with Ditto, the offspring will always be in the other parent's Ball. Cherish Balls and Master Balls will never pass down when breeding, however.
  • Egg Moves: You may have seen a Pokémon use moves that aren't TMs, HMs, level-up moves, or even Move Tutor moves. Aside from event moves, they are most likely Egg moves. Egg moves are moves that a Pokémon can only learn through breeding. To breed for Egg moves, what you need to do is have a female Pokémon breed with a male Pokémon of the same Egg Group that already has the move you want to pass down to the offspring. When successfully bred, the offspring will know the move the male Pokémon had in its current moveset. For example, for Bagon to learn Dragon Dance, you will need a female Bagon, Shelgon, or Salamence to breed with a male Pokémon in the Dragon Egg Group. If the male (for example, Haxorus) currently knows the move Dragon Dance, when bred with a female Salamence, the resulting Bagon will know Dragon Dance. In the event that both parents combined have more than four Egg moves, there is a priority bracket put in place to determine the order of the moves inherited. The priority of the Egg moves is as follows: Volt Tackle (Pikachu / Raichu + Light Ball), the mother's Egg moves, the father's Egg moves, moves inherited through level-up, and then the baby's default moveset.
  • Hidden Abilities: When an Egg is produced and the parent has a non-hidden ability, there is an 80% chance that the non-hidden ability is passed down, leaving a 20% chance of passing down the other non-hidden ability should the Pokémon have one. If the Pokémon has its hidden ability, there is a 60% chance it will be passed down, with a 20% chance of passing down each of the other two abilities—or a 40% chance if there is just one non-hidden ability. This applies for both gendered parents. If a Pokémon doesn't inherit its ability from a parent, it can only be hatched with one of its non-hidden abilities. Males cannot pass down hidden abilities when bred with a female, only when bred with Ditto.
  • Alolan Formes: In Alola, breeding a normal forme of a Pokémon that was given an Alolan forme is still possible. If either parent Pokémon is the normal forme and is holding an Everstone and the offspring is in the same evolutionary family as the parent(s), the offspring will hatch in its normal forme. For instance, say you have a female Ninetales from Kanto breeding with a male Alolan Ninetales. If the Ninetales from Kanto is holding an Everstone, the resulting Vulpix will be a regular Vulpix instead of Alolan Vulpix. In all other cases, however, the offspring will hatch in its Alolan forme. Pokémon whose evolution is an Alolan forme but have no Alolan forme themselves (Cubone, Pichu, and Exeggcute), will not evolve into their normal forme if bred using this method. They will always evolve into their Alolan forme.

That's just about all you need to know about breeding Pokémon in Sun and Moon. We wish you luck on your breeding endeavors and hope you are able to take some valuable information from this guide and breed your desired Pokémon!