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The Masterball

Emburn

<3
102
Posts
10
Years
In every game, you receive the master ball and you have a choice of what Pokemon to make with it. What do you do? Do you use it on the first legendary you see? Do you wait for that certain legendary that you want? Or do you save it for a different reason, maybe in case you run into a shiny.

I'm not gonna lie, I hate battling legendaries. They annoy me. Therefore, I always use mine pretty quick.
In FireRed and LeafGreen I use it on Articuno.
In RSE, I use it on Rayquaza.
And in Diamond I used it on Dialga. The other games I haven't really played enough to recall what I used it for.
 
6,266
Posts
10
Years
Most of the time, I use mine on a legendary that's hard to catch (like Azelf, Kyurem, or a roamer).

There's not much else i'd think to use it on, except maybe that shiny that can end battle at any second.
 

Sirfetch’d

Guest
0
Posts
I often will forget to use my Master Ball because I just use other balls to catch things. I like the challenge of battling and catching Pokemon with normal balls such as Dusk and Ultra. I do however use it if I encounter a roamer because I am too lazy to put forth the effort to tracking it down and trapping it. I'll also use it if I encounter a shiny Pokemon.
 
284
Posts
10
Years
I don't really like using it. I have used it before but i really like legendary battles. I remember resetting about 12 times to catch Rayquaza before giving up and using the Master Ball. But the victory felt so hollow that i decided to try not to use it anymore...
 

Shrew

is a Shrew
838
Posts
10
Years
I've never used a master ball. I save them for shinies that cannot be caught with the other 100 of each pokeball I have, such as selfdestructing 'mons.
 

ImBlue

dabbadeedabadai
65
Posts
10
Years
As someone who goes to great lengths to complete his Pokedex, I save them for roamers to take out a lot of unnecessary struggling. Although it would probably be a good idea to save them for shinies, as the only one I've ever seen selfdestructed on me when my first ultra ball didn't work. :(
 
8,571
Posts
14
Years
In the older games, I would generally use the Master Ball on one of the main legendary Pokemon (Mewtwo in Yellow, Lugia in Gold, Kyogre in Sapphire). After having an unfortunate encounter with a Paras in FireRed though, I began relegating my Master Ball to my last resort if I ever found a shiny Pokemon. Thankfully, this plan helped me in catching a shiny Ducklett on White, though it does look a little ridiculous to see that I caught it with my Master Ball.
 

Starlight Sprite

Resident Moon Fairy
213
Posts
10
Years
I just use it on a roaming Pokemon to save myself at least a couple of headaches. I don't mind dragging out fights with stationary legendaries since they can be caught with Ultra Balls, even if the catch rate is low. I can't stand chasing roamers around only for them to move on by the time I get to where they were.
 
1,103
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 31
  • Seen Feb 20, 2024
I don't really hunt down my Legendaries or anything and when I really have to catch them I usually do it without using the Master Ball. So 99% of the time, I end up not using it at all.
 

Emburn

<3
102
Posts
10
Years
I don't really hunt down my Legendaries or anything and when I really have to catch them I usually do it without using the Master Ball. So 99% of the time, I end up not using it at all.

It'd be cool if you can transfer them to later generations and stock up on them.
 
50,218
Posts
13
Years
I only use the Master Ball on some Legendaries if my other catching methods fail. Roamers especially since they are a pain to catch!
 

Cerberus87

Mega Houndoom, baby!
1,639
Posts
11
Years
"The Master Ball is the ultimate Poké Ball. It will unfailingly catch any Pokémon in the wild. But it is not anything that I require. Unlike you Trainers, I do not make Pokémon my friends or partners. Unlike other Team Galactic members, I don't use Pokémon as tools. Instead, I make the power of Pokémon my own." (Cyrus)

I've never seen a situation in which I had to use the Master Ball. The other Balls are usually quite effective at what they do. Dusk Balls make catching legendaries almost too easy, and Quick and Repeat Balls have very good catch rates as well.
 
12,284
Posts
11
Years
  • Seen Oct 22, 2023
I usually catch the main legendary Pokémon with Ultra Balls. It takes a lot of time to catch them with those, but I do it anyway. I tend to save the Master Ball for roaming Pokémon like Latios, Latias, Raikou, Suicune, Entei, Cresselia, and so on. They are very hard to find, and they're even harder to catch. If you don't have a good strategy, then it's highly unlikey for you to be able to catch these Pokémon without a Master Ball. D:
 
Last edited:

Miau

If I fits...
812
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 33
  • Seen Oct 31, 2022
Nope, I never use my Master Balls. I actually like it when Pokemon are playing hard to get, hehe. I like battling the legendaries, so I always use Dusk Balls or Ultra Balls on them, though I have caught Uxie in a Quick Ball in B2, hehe. It is tougher if it's a roaming legendary, like the user above said, they're actually hard to catch without a good strategy to prevent them from fleeing, but I just love the thrill. Back in my White run, I insisted chasing after Thundurus and capturing it without using the Master Ball, and it was a great feeling in the end when I finally got it.
 

Captain Oshawott

The Otter Pirate
236
Posts
10
Years
It'd be cool if you can transfer them to later generations and stock up on them.

Actually, my brother has like, twelve Masterballs in his Pokemon White 2 version *he hasn't obtained his in White 2 yet*. It started with trading a Pokemon that held the Masterball from his ruby to his sapphire. Trading two Pokemon that held the two Masterballs to his Firered. Trading three Pokemon that held the three Masterballs to his Leaf-Green. Pal-parked all four Masterball carrying Pokemon to his Diamond Version. Traded five Masterball wielding Pokemon to Pearl. Six to Platinum, Seven to HeartGold, Eight to Soulsilver. Transferred Nine to Pokemon White. Traded Ten to Pokemon Black. Traded Eleven to Pokemon Black 2, and finally traded all twelve over to his White 2, where he will soon gain his Thirteenth.

All in all, he could develop two teams with all of the ones he has currently. It is possible, just time consuming. He probably won't ever use them either :P .

As for me, I used to use it for Roamers, or Mewtwo in Firered. However, I have recently slowed up on using the Masterball, and much like my brother, keep it for collection purposes.
 

Synerjee

[font=Itim]Atra du evarinya ono varda.[/font]
2,901
Posts
11
Years
I save my Master Ball for shinies that have the tendency to explode or flee. Not that I've actually used it on any shiny before - I've always managed to catch it with a normal ball. I actually don't prefer catching any legendary with the Master Ball, roamer or not. It takes all the challenge out of running into it randomly, battling it and catching it with my own efforts.
 
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