Quality
Every pocket monster rolls a quality the moment you get it — a number from 0.00 to 1.00 that never changes again. It sorts into six named tiers, and it scales every one of its stats together.
The six tiers
The roll decides the tier; the tier is just a name for a band of rolls. Two Refined pocket monsters can sit at opposite ends of their band and be measurably different.
| Tier | Roll | Chance | Effect on stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| unstable | 0.00–0.15 | 39.4% | −10% … −7% |
| diluted | 0.16–0.40 | 24.3% | −6.8% … −2% |
| refined | 0.41–0.65 | 17.3% | −1.8% … +3% |
| potent | 0.66–0.85 | 11.5% | +3.2% … +7% |
| pristine | 0.86–0.95 | 5.3% | +7.2% … +9% |
| absolute | 0.96–1.00 | 2.3% | +9.2% … +10% |
Tier names are the same in every language, like species and nature names. The exact roll is shown on the pocket monster's card in-game and on its public certificate, so you never have to guess where inside a band it landed.
Why a wide band is not a good chance
The roll is not flat. It is a random number raised to a power, which pushes results toward the low end — so the good tiers are rare because of the curve, not because their bands are narrow.
roll = random(0.00 … 1.00) ^ 2 quality = round(roll, 2)
Absolute covers 5% of the range but only 2.3% of catches — roughly one in 44. That gap between the two is the curve doing its work.
What it changes: stats
Quality scales every stat together, from ×0.9 at the worst roll to ×1.1 at the best. Unlike a nature, nothing is traded away for it; unlike IVs, it is one number for the whole pocket monster.
| Stat | Worst roll | Best roll |
|---|---|---|
| HP | 325 | 397 |
| Any other stat | 108 | 132 |
Measured at level 50, on a species whose base stat is 100, with that stat's IV at its maximum of 31. The gap scales with everything else, so it is proportionally the same at any level.
What it changes: price
The Collector pays for the species and then for the individual, and quality is the widest of the individual factors: all else equal, the best roll is worth ×2.29 the worst.
It outweighs IVs on price for a blunt statistical reason: an IV percentage is six rolls averaged together, so it almost always lands near the middle, while quality is a single curved roll and genuinely reaches its extremes.
What each tier means
The descriptions the game shows when you hover a pocket monster's quality. They are flavour — the table above is the exact effect.
- unstable
- Their energy is wild and chaotic; their physical form might flicker or look slightly faded. Hard to train.
- diluted
- Average, everyday specimen. Their magical lineage is a bit watered down, resulting in standard stats.
- refined
- A healthy, well-balanced monster. Their elemental energy is clear and stable.
- potent
- Bubbling with vibrant energy. Their colors might be slightly more saturated, and they learn skills faster.
- pristine
- A flawless physical specimen. They have immaculate fur/scales/feathers, perfect symmetry, and exceptionally high base stats.
- absolute
- A legendary ideal of their species. They radiate a soft elemental aura and possess maximum possible stat growth.
Rolled once, and fixed for life
Quality is rolled the moment a pocket monster becomes yours — a catch, your starter, a gift — and never again. Evolving does not re-roll it, no item changes it, and it is sealed into that pocket monster's public certificate, so anyone can check it was not altered after the fact.
Some quests ask for a catch of an exact tier, and others for a tier or anything better — the second kind is the one where catching something rarer than asked still counts.