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In Generation VIII and later, you can use Protein to raise a Pokémon’s Attack EVs by 10 per use, up to 252 Attack EVs and the overall 510-EV limit. Starting with 0 Attack EVs, 25 Protein provide 250 EVs; a 26th reaches the 252 cap. In Generations III–VII, vitamins stop at 100 EVs in a stat, so a Pokémon starting at zero can take at most 10 Protein for Attack. Generations I–II use a different stat-experience system.
What Protein does
Protein is the vitamin for Attack: in the modern effort-value (EV) system, each successful use adds 10 Attack EVs. It trains Attack rather than raising a Pokémon’s level. The effect is subject to the rules and limits of the game you are playing.
For example, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet list Protein as the Attack vitamin. Nintendo announced both games for Nintendo Switch with a release date of November 18, 2022 (Nintendo’s announcement; Scarlet and Violet EV training guide).
How many Protein work in each generation?
| Games | Protein limit | What sets the limit |
|---|---|---|
| Generations I–II | There is no modern EV-based Protein count. | These games use the older stat-experience system, not the modern EV system. |
| Generations III–VII | Up to 10 Protein for Attack if starting at 0 Attack EVs. | Vitamins cannot raise a stat beyond 100 EVs. |
| Generation VIII and later, including Scarlet and Violet | Up to 26 Protein from 0 Attack EVs to the 252-EV stat cap. | Protein adds 10 EVs per use, subject to the 252-per-stat cap and 510-EV total cap. |
The generation-specific vitamin rules and effects are summarized in Bulbapedia’s Protein reference. The 252-per-stat and 510-total limits are also described in the Pokémon Database EV reference and the Scarlet and Violet guide linked above.
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Why 26 Protein reaches the cap
Starting from zero Attack EVs, the first 25 uses add 250 EVs. There are only 2 EVs of room before Attack reaches 252, so the 26th Protein fills those 2 remaining EVs; it does not raise Attack to 260.
This count assumes the Pokémon has no Attack EVs yet and has room under the 510-EV total limit. The count is lower if either condition is not met.
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Work out how many more you can use
- Check the game’s generation. Generations III–VII have the 100-EV vitamin ceiling; Generation VIII onward allows vitamins to raise a stat beyond 100, up to the modern caps. Generations I–II do not use modern EV counts.
- Find the Pokémon’s current Attack EVs. In Generation VIII and later, subtract that number from 252 to find the remaining Attack room.
- Check its total EVs across stats. Subtract its current total from 510. Protein cannot add more EVs once the overall limit is reached, even if Attack is still below 252.
- Apply the smallest limit. Divide the available Attack room and the available total EV room by 10, rounding down for the number of full Protein uses. In Generations III–VII, also stop when Attack reaches 100 EVs.
For instance, in a modern game, a Pokémon with 242 Attack EVs has room for only one more Protein’s worth of EVs: the 10-EV increase is limited to the 2 points needed to reach 252. If the Pokémon has already used all 510 EVs across its stats, none will work.
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Why the game may say Protein has no effect
- Attack has reached its limit. In a modern game, that limit is 252 EVs; in Generations III–VII, vitamins stop at 100 Attack EVs.
- The total EV allowance is used up. The modern 510-EV total applies across all stats, not separately to each one.
- You are playing an older generation. The 10-EV-per-use calculation and 26-use maximum do not apply to the stat-experience system in Generations I–II.
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