A Pokemon like Charizard is a little tougher to EV train since its stats are more balanced. Its base stats for Special Attack and Attack are only 23 points apart. For situations like these, you'll want to think about the kinds of moves you want to give your Pokemon and use EV training to maximize their effectiveness. For a Charizard that uses moves based on Attack (Dragon Claw, Fire Fang, Earthquake, etc.), you should have it trounce some Weepinbells (two Attack EVs). A Charizard with moves based on Special Attack (Flamethrower, Hyper Beam, etc.) should conquer some Magnetons for two Special Attack EVs.

We hope this gives you a basic understanding of the ridiculously complex world of EV training. We're going to delve even further into the topic over the next few issues of Pokemusings, talking about things like the best places to EV train and items you can use to manipulate EV points. That's later though. Let's get to this week's giveaway!

Above: Chikorita - The only Pokemon starter that's cute throughout its three evolutions

This week we're going with some more blasts from the past: the Johto starters! One lucky winner will receive a Chikorita, a Cyndaquil, and a Totodile. (We're particularly fond of Chikorita, since it's the only starter Pokemon that remains super cute throughout all its evolutions.) They're all freshly hatched, which makes them perfect for EV training. To win these special Pokemon, head on over to our Pokemon forums and look for a thread called "Pokemusings, Week Seven: Win the Johto Starters!!!" Be sure to come back next week when we'll be talking about some excellent areas to EV train in Pokemon Diamond/Pearl.