How to Catch a Pokémon (Advanced)
Stock up on effective Poké Balls., Teach one of your Pokémon False Swipe., Weaken the wild Pokémon., Inflict a Status Ailment., Start throwing Poké Balls., Go for a Critical Capture.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Stock up on effective Poké Balls.
For super-tough Pokémon such as Legendaries and other rare breeds, you may need a good stock of Poke Balls.
If you're hunting the big guys, try to have around 50 of your best Poké Balls handy.
See the table below for the more common balls and their effectiveness, which as shown as a modifier that is taken into account when calculating the capture.
Poké Balls Name Use Modifier Poké Ball Standard Poké Ball 1 Great Ball Better catch rate
1.5 Ultra Ball Better catch rate 2 Master Ball Always captures N/A Net Ball Best for Bug/Water Pokémon 1 or 3 Dive Ball Best in water battlefields 1 or
3.5 Repeat Ball Best for Pokémon already caught 1 or 3 Timer Ball More effective after long battles 1-4 Quick Ball Most effective during the first 2 turns of the battle 1, 4, or 5 Dusk Ball Most effective during the nighttime 1 or
3.5 -
Step 2: Teach one of your Pokémon False Swipe.
False Swipes is a move that doesn't do much damage, but it can't knock out the enemy.
This may not seem like a useful attack under normal circumstances, but it's great for whittling a tough Pokémon down to 1 HP without knocking it out.
False Swipe (TM54) can be found at Veilstone Dept.
Store (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum), Goldenrod Dept.
Store (HeartGold, SoulSilver), Professor Juniper (Black and White after you catch 25 Pokémon), Reversal Mountain (Black 2, White 2), Professor Sycamore's lab (X, Y), a man in the Rustboro City Pokémon Center (Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire).Scyther, Scizor, Farfetch'd, and several others learn False Swipe naturally. , Use powerful attacks to take off large chunks of the wild Pokémon's HP.
Once you get the bar down so that it turns yellow or red, start using your False Swipe attack to get it to 1 HP.
Lowering the wild Pokémon's health is the single most important factor in capturing it. , Status Ailments are negative effects that are applied to the enemy Pokémon by certain attacks.
Different Status Ailments will affect your capture chances by different amounts.
See the chart below to see which ailments work best.
Status Ailments Status Modifier None 1 Frozen 2 Sleep 2 Burn
1.5 Poison
1.5 Paralyzed
1.5 , Once your opponent is weakened and under the effects of a Status Ailment, you can start throwing your Poké Balls.
When you throw a ball, calculations are made behind the scenes based on a variety of factors, including the Poké Ball used, the status ailment, the Pokémon's health, and its unique catch rate. , Newer versions of Pokémon have introduced the concept of Critical Capture.
When a Critical Capture occurs, the Poké Ball pauses in midair, and makes a metallic clanking noise.
It will then only shake once when it hits the Pokémon.
This essentially removes two of the four random calculations that occur when a Pokémon capture is attempted.
Critical Capture is determined by the number of Pokémon you have caught.
You need to have at least 30 Pokémon for the chance to even occur, but you won't see significant increases until you have at least
300. -
Step 3: Weaken the wild Pokémon.
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Step 4: Inflict a Status Ailment.
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Step 5: Start throwing Poké Balls.
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Step 6: Go for a Critical Capture.
Detailed Guide
For super-tough Pokémon such as Legendaries and other rare breeds, you may need a good stock of Poke Balls.
If you're hunting the big guys, try to have around 50 of your best Poké Balls handy.
See the table below for the more common balls and their effectiveness, which as shown as a modifier that is taken into account when calculating the capture.
Poké Balls Name Use Modifier Poké Ball Standard Poké Ball 1 Great Ball Better catch rate
1.5 Ultra Ball Better catch rate 2 Master Ball Always captures N/A Net Ball Best for Bug/Water Pokémon 1 or 3 Dive Ball Best in water battlefields 1 or
3.5 Repeat Ball Best for Pokémon already caught 1 or 3 Timer Ball More effective after long battles 1-4 Quick Ball Most effective during the first 2 turns of the battle 1, 4, or 5 Dusk Ball Most effective during the nighttime 1 or
3.5
False Swipes is a move that doesn't do much damage, but it can't knock out the enemy.
This may not seem like a useful attack under normal circumstances, but it's great for whittling a tough Pokémon down to 1 HP without knocking it out.
False Swipe (TM54) can be found at Veilstone Dept.
Store (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum), Goldenrod Dept.
Store (HeartGold, SoulSilver), Professor Juniper (Black and White after you catch 25 Pokémon), Reversal Mountain (Black 2, White 2), Professor Sycamore's lab (X, Y), a man in the Rustboro City Pokémon Center (Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire).Scyther, Scizor, Farfetch'd, and several others learn False Swipe naturally. , Use powerful attacks to take off large chunks of the wild Pokémon's HP.
Once you get the bar down so that it turns yellow or red, start using your False Swipe attack to get it to 1 HP.
Lowering the wild Pokémon's health is the single most important factor in capturing it. , Status Ailments are negative effects that are applied to the enemy Pokémon by certain attacks.
Different Status Ailments will affect your capture chances by different amounts.
See the chart below to see which ailments work best.
Status Ailments Status Modifier None 1 Frozen 2 Sleep 2 Burn
1.5 Poison
1.5 Paralyzed
1.5 , Once your opponent is weakened and under the effects of a Status Ailment, you can start throwing your Poké Balls.
When you throw a ball, calculations are made behind the scenes based on a variety of factors, including the Poké Ball used, the status ailment, the Pokémon's health, and its unique catch rate. , Newer versions of Pokémon have introduced the concept of Critical Capture.
When a Critical Capture occurs, the Poké Ball pauses in midair, and makes a metallic clanking noise.
It will then only shake once when it hits the Pokémon.
This essentially removes two of the four random calculations that occur when a Pokémon capture is attempted.
Critical Capture is determined by the number of Pokémon you have caught.
You need to have at least 30 Pokémon for the chance to even occur, but you won't see significant increases until you have at least
300.
About the Author
Kelly Long
Creates helpful guides on crafts to inspire and educate readers.
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