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This week will be my first, and only, evolution of a Magikarp. Towards getting the best CP and HP yield on the evolution, I wanted to power-up the Magikarp to the max CP before the evolution. I don't think it matters, but why take the chance?

Then, I noticed that the combined (candy / stardust) cost of a Magikarp power-up is stardust = 4500 and candy = 4. That power-up incredibly expensive. It is the 2nd most costly in my entire Pokemon portfolio...

Is that massive power-up cost for a lowly Magikarp just a meaningless idiosyncrasy? Or, is there something that you'd get for paying such a high price?

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  • ...An eventual powerful Gyarados?
    – Frank
    Sep 27, 2016 at 0:00
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    It doesn't matter whether you power up then evolve or vice versa---you'll end up with the same pokemon in the end.
    – jrennie
    Sep 27, 2016 at 2:05

1 Answer 1

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The candy and stardust cost to power up a Pokémon does not vary by species. A level 22 Magikarp will take just as many candies and stardust to level up as a level 22 Alakazam. This is also true for different evolutionary stages (as they are different species). If you evolve this Magikarp without powering it up first, the Gyarados will need 4 Magikarp candy and 4500 stardust to level up, too.

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  • I get it now. And, that makes pokemon with high max CP cheaper to train.
    – Jaqaex
    Sep 27, 2016 at 0:35
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    What I mean is that to get a Flareon and Arcanine of equal power, the Arcanine is cheaper because of its higher max CP.
    – Jaqaex
    Sep 27, 2016 at 2:19
  • @Jaqen well, not necessarily. The goal of training is not to get even with everyone else for the least cost, it's to have the best Pokemon. Naturally the ones that get stronger earlier will end up being the strongest, but by that point, you'll have spent just as much candy/stardust as someone with a weaker Pokemon
    – Vemonus
    Sep 27, 2016 at 13:32

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