Catching

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Catching is when a trainer encounters wild Pokémon and battles to lower their health enough to be captured using Poké Balls. Poké Balls are consumable item used to store a Pokémon. Some Pokémon may unlock avatars upon capture. Trainers can only encounter Common and Rare spawns at the beginning and would require Ribbons to encounter higher rarity spawns.

Unlike the Main Series, status conditions do not affect catching, nor can they be inflicted in wild battles. It is as simple as lowering their health points to the required threshold for specific Poké Balls. Mystic variant's scare mechanic does not prevent the trainer from capturing.

Indirect Catches

Players may also obtain Pokémon through Daily Login, Sidequest, Fossil Lab, Mystery Boxes, Vortex Store, and Season Shop. Some through restoration process, and some as Promo Codes.

Notes:

  • Though one may consider Promo Code claiming as catches, it is not counted as a seasonal unique in Seasonal Top Trainers
  • Fossil Restorations are considered as seasonal unique

Ribbons

Ribbons are awards given to players as a mark that they are capable trainers. It serves as proof that these trainers have defeated powerful gym leaders from across different regions. It's primary function is to allow you to find high rarity Pokémon such as Legendaries, Ultra Beasts, and Paradoxes from each specific region.

List of Ribbons

Note:

  • Contrary to popular belief, cutting out potential spawns by intentionally not obtaining Ribbons does not increase your chances of getting a specific Pokémon, and in actuality, lowers your chances of encountering higher rarities the fewer Ribbons you have.

Encounters

Wild encounters can provide useful information before battling such as rarity(Based on Pokémon Level) and if it's a grass or water encounter(Based on the Background they are standing on).
The list below is sorted from least to most rare.

Rarity Levels
Common Lv6-18
Rare Lv35-45
Legendary Lv50-70
Ultra Beast Lv75-80
Paradox Lv50-70

Notes:

  • Some Pokémon are classified as Paradox but do not have the same rarity as such.
  • Trainers may find Lv5 Pokémon through PokéBay and Trade as well. These are Legacy Pokémon caught before V4 and is no longer obtainable.

Catch Rate & Threshold

Keep in mind, reducing their health to the requirements only grants you the possibility to capture and would not guarantee your catch. Catch Rates with scaling only starts on the threshold and not the opponent's max hp.

Variant Sprite Threshold Catch Rate Description
Poké Ball   HP ≤ 19 Scales with HP Can not catch Ultra Beast
Great Ball   HP ≤ 99 Scales with HP Can not catch Ultra Beast
Ultra Ball   HP ≤ 199 Scales with HP Can not catch Ultra Beast
Dive Ball   HP ≤ 99 Scales with HP Only for water-based background encounters
Can not catch Ultra Beast
Dusk Ball   HP ≤ 99 Scales with HP Only for night cycle encounters
Can not catch Ultra Beast
Moon Ball   HP ≤ 99 Scales with HP Only for Pokémon that can evolve using a Moon Stone. Includes entire evolution line
Can not catch Ultra Beast
Net Ball   HP ≤ 99 Scales with HP Only for Water or Bug-Type Pokémon
Can not catch Ultra Beast
Love Ball   HP ≤ 199 Scales with HP Can not catch Ultra Beast
Premier Ball   HP ≤ 199 Scales with HP Can not catch Ultra Beast
Master Ball   Max HP 100% Can not catch Ultra Beast
Vortex Ball   Max HP 100% Can catch any Pokémon
Beast Ball   Max HP 100% Can only catch Ultra Beast
Cherish Ball   N/A N/A Cannot be obtained & used in the wild

Catching Tips

See Moves with Secondary Effects.

Whether you are a new trainer, old-fashioned, or one currently facing a dilemma, this guide will prove useful. Any Pokémon can be a catching Pokémon as long as you remember their damage. This guide serves as a recommendation and is not considered absolute.

While throwing Master Ball or Vortex Ball is the safest option, it is not exactly the cheapest, especially for starting players. It is recommended to weaken a Pokémon using non-lethal moves like False Swipe and/or Super Fang, which many Pokémon can learn, and then catch it with a Poké Ball.

Commonly used Pokémon for Catches

 
Farfetch'd
 
Mawile
 
Chien-Pao
 
Tapu Koko
  • Use Dark Variants to weaken opponent faster, and Mystic/Metallic as an extra defense.
  • Super Fang, Nature's Madness and Ruination does not benefit from extra damage as it deals fixed damage based on opponent's current HP.
  • Although Farfetch'd does not have Super Fang, a False Swipe with STAB and Dark Variant's effect would deal higher damage, unless it is ineffective to the opponent.
  • While Mawile does not benefit from STAB, its Dual-Type combination makes it one of the most durable Pokémon.
  • Chien-Pao and Taku Koko has both False Swipe and Ruination/Nature's Madness, respectively, which can hit Ghost-type Pokémon.

Before v6, players use low power Attack Moves. If you are currently in battle and do not have the previously mentioned moves, refer to Damage Calculation.