Does encounter CP affect max CP?
When I first started Pokemon GO, I was under the assumption that with enough candy and stardust, a Pokemon of a given species would cap out at the same max CP no matter what it was at when you first encountered it. A few articles later, and I'm not so sure.
Was my initial assumption correct? If not, then what's the deal?
Answers
Well, in pokemon go all spiecies of pokemon have 3 fixed stats: attack, defense and stamina. However, every individual pokemon has its individual bonus stats, called Individual Values (IV). These go from 0 to 15 for each stat. So, for example: the best pidgey will have 15 more in each of those stats than the worst pidgey, and since these are used to CP calculation they affect max CP.
Your assumption was not correct. The max CP of any pokemon is determined by its species and its IV (individual values). IVs range from 0 to 15 for each of three characteristics - HP (stamina), A (attack) and D (Defense). Each pokemon of the same species with the same IVs will cap out at the same max CP, but not otherwise.
