Pokémon GO Glossary

Last updated: May 2026 · Author: Aria T., Data & Stats Editor

This glossary collects the vocabulary used across Pokémon GO guides, raid coordination, GO Battle League discussion, and the broader trainer community. Definitions are kept practical: what a term means in actual play, not the most general possible explanation. For full mechanical detail on any term, see the linked Pogodex articles.

A – C

Best Buddy: The maximum buddy level (after walking 100 km with a Pokémon). Best Buddy gives a temporary +1 effective level boost when the buddy is active, useful for breaking PvP CP caps.
Buddy CP boost: The +1 effective level a Best Buddy provides when active. Equivalent to a half-level powerup without spending stardust.
Candy: Species-specific resource needed to evolve and power up Pokémon. Earned by catching, transferring, walking with a buddy, or hatching.
Candy XL (XL Candy): Rare resource needed to power up Pokémon past level 40. Drops at low rate from level-31+ catches and is a binding constraint for max-level builds.
Catch Bonus: Multipliers applied during catching: Curveball (+10%), Throw Excellent (+100%), Razz Berry (+50%), Type-medal Gold (+30%). Stack with the base catch rate of the species.
Charge TM (Charged TM): An item that randomly rerolls a Pokémon’s charged move. Useful when you do not have an Elite TM.
Community Day: Monthly 3-hour event featuring a specific Pokémon with boosted spawn rates, increased shiny rates, and an exclusive move available by evolving during the event window.
CP (Combat Power): Single number combining base stats, IVs, and level into one display value. Higher is not always better; what matters is the underlying stats and moves.

D – F

Damage Window: The frames during a charged move’s animation when damage is dealt. Important for dodging in raids and timing in PvP.
Dodge Window: The frames during which a defender can dodge an incoming attack. PvE-relevant only.
DPS: Damage Per Second. PvE metric for raid attacker effectiveness.
Egg (Pokémon Egg): 2km, 5km, 7km, 10km, or 12km distance-walked-to-hatch container. Different distances have different hatch pools.
Elite Charge TM (Elite TM): Rare item allowing you to teach any charged move (including legacy and Community Day moves) without rerolling.
Elite Fast TM: The fast-move equivalent of Elite Charge TM.
Elite Raid: Rare in-person-only raid tier introduced in 2022. Cannot be Remote-Raided.
Energy Generation (EPT): Energy Per Turn. PvP-relevant rate at which a Pokémon’s fast move generates energy for its charged move.
Field Research: Daily research tasks earned from spinning Pokéstops. Reward stardust, encounters, items, or rare encounters.

G – L

GBL (GO Battle League): Pokémon GO’s PvP ladder system. Three core leagues (Great, Ultra, Master) plus seasonal Cup formats.
Great League: GBL league with a 1500 CP cap. Strategically the deepest format; large viable Pokémon pool.
Hundo (100% IV): A Pokémon with 15/15/15 IVs. Maximum stats from the IV rolls.
IV (Individual Value): Hidden 0–15 modifier added to base attack, defense, and HP. Generated when the Pokémon is caught and immutable thereafter.
League Cup: Seasonal GBL format with specific Pokémon eligibility rules (single-type cups, banned-list cups, regional cups).
Legendary: Rare Pokémon typically obtained from Tier 5 raids. Cannot be traded with high stardust cost; cannot be Lucky Trade-special.
Lucky Pokémon: A Pokémon with halved stardust costs and a guaranteed minimum 12/12/12 IV floor. Obtained through trading.

M – P

Master League: GBL league with no CP cap. Highest stats win; expensive in stardust and XL candy to build for.
Match-up Spread (MUS): The set of common opponents a Pokémon beats and loses to in a given league. Documented for tier-listed Pokémon on Pogodex.
Mega Energy: Species-specific resource needed to Mega Evolve. Earned from Mega Raids, walking with the species after first Mega Evolution, and certain research tasks.
Mega Evolution: Temporary form change boosting stats and granting type-bonus to teammates of matching types in raids. Lasts until expiration; cooldown applies before re-evolving.
Move Pool: The full list of fast and charged moves a Pokémon species can have. Moves outside the current pool can sometimes be obtained via Elite TM or Community Day.
Niantic: The developer and operator of Pokémon GO. Pogodex is not affiliated with Niantic; see Trademark Notice.
Nundo (0% IV): A Pokémon with 0/0/0 IVs. Minimum stats; collectible curiosity rather than functional.
PokeMiners: Community datamining group maintaining a public archive of the Pokémon GO game master file. Primary technical source for stat verification; see our Sources & Citations.
PvP / PvE: Player-vs-Player (GBL, friend battles, team rocket battles) versus Player-vs-Environment (raids, gyms, wild encounters).
Purified Pokémon: A Shadow Pokémon that has been purified, removing the Shadow status and reducing IV variance to a 2/2/2 minimum.

R – T

Raid: Group-PvE encounter at a gym. Tiers 1, 3, 5, Mega, Elite, and Shadow.
Raid Pass: Item required to participate in a raid. Free Daily Raid Pass from gym spin; Premium Raid Pass purchased; Remote Raid Pass for raids you cannot reach in person (capped daily).
Remote Raid: Joining a raid without being physically near the gym. Costs more PokéCoins per pass than Premium Raid; subject to a daily participation cap.
Routes: Player-created walking paths introduced in 2023. Offer rewards including Zygarde Cells (for Zygarde unlock progress) and bonus stardust.
Shadow Pokémon: Pokémon obtained from defeating Team GO Rocket grunts and leaders. Have boosted attack stats but reduced defense; cannot be Lucky Trade-special.
Shiny: Rare alternate-color variant of a Pokémon. Standard rate is roughly 1 in 500 wild encounters; boosted during Community Days, certain events, and for some featured species.
Spotlight Hour: Weekly 1-hour event featuring boosted spawns of a specific Pokémon, often with a stardust, XP, candy, or transfer-candy bonus.
STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus): 20% damage bonus applied to a Pokémon’s moves matching its own type.
Stardust: Universal resource needed to power up Pokémon. Earned by catching, hatching, raiding, and certain research. Limiting resource for most trainers.
Star Piece: Item that increases stardust earned for 30 minutes. Stacks with stardust events; valuable during Community Days.

U – X

Ultra League: GBL league with a 2500 CP cap. Bridge between Great and Master Leagues.
Wayfarer: Niantic’s external review system for player-submitted Pokéstop and gym candidates. Has trainer-level eligibility requirements.
Weather Boost: In-game weather (clear, sunny, rainy, partly cloudy, cloudy, windy, snowy, foggy) that increases the spawn rate, IV minimum, and damage of Pokémon of matching types.
XP (Experience Points): The currency for advancing Trainer Level. Earned by catching, evolving, raiding, and certain research; doubled with a Lucky Egg active.

If a term you wanted is not on this list, email info [at] pogodex [punto] space. We add new entries as the vocabulary evolves.

Related pages: Beginner’s Pokémon GO Guide · Sources & Citations · How We Verify Data · FAQ · About Us