what's your strategy for catching legendaries?

Started by Flowerchild November 25th, 2017 1:25 AM
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  • 21 replies

Flowerchild

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Age 24
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Posted July 7th, 2022
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13 Years
do you try to status them? do you use false swipe or just try to get them to approximately 1 HP? do you spam ultra balls or try to use balls with different contextual effects (quick ball, timer ball, dusk ball)? in other words, what's your usual approach and how well does it work out?

HeroLinik

To this day, he still can't beat Air Man...

Age 25
Male
UK, happy now?
Online now
Posted April 13th, 2023
920 posts
6.1 Years
What I usually do is, first of all, lead with my Synchronize user to try and get the optimal nature. Then, I switch in my False Swipe/Hold Back user to get them down to 1 HP, and when that's done, paralyze them because my team usually carries an Electric that can Thunder Wave them. At this point, I start chucking Ultra Balls in the hopes that I get lucky. After many rounds have passed, I start chucking Timer Balls alongside them. After the legendary's caught, I check to see its nature, and if it's not optimal, I reset and try again.

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ZeoStar

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Always start with a quick ball, which usually fails. Inflict status, even poison if im feeling desperate. Try getting it close to 1 HP, then spam Ultra Balls ----> Great Balls ----> Pokeballs

Flowerchild

> it’s nice out

Age 24
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Posted July 7th, 2022
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13 Years
I should try with a Quick Ball at the start, that would be cute if it worked. I usually wait until they're super low HP to status them, then chuck ultra balls. Never bother resorting to worse generic ball types, if it's gotten to that point I've already given up lmao
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PairFamilyPalArt
Age 25
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Seen June 19th, 2019
Posted March 5th, 2018
1,259 posts
13.7 Years
First throw a Quick Ball in case that magically works, then reduce to red HP and maybe paralyze it, and then start chugging balls. I don't consider which ball fits the 'Mon best because that never works; I always use the 3 basic balls. I actually circulate through them, throwing each one a few times before changing, to see with which ball I seem to have 'most' luck with. Sometimes I notice the legendary sits in the Great Ball a bit longer than Ultra, so I go to throwing Great Balls from that point on. Once I pass 15 or-so turns I start throwing Timer Balls. And the only other thing I can do is pray it gets in for once.

...This is why I don't like soft resetting for static legendaries.

Flowerchild

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Chuck all my poke balls, too lazy to attack it. Sometimes KO it without saving. I mean it's just gonna collect dust in my PC anyways.
Without damaging at all? How does that work out for you D:
Age 32
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Posted December 13th, 2022
505 posts
8.2 Years
I always just throw a Quick Ball first for the hell of it, because I once caught Dialga in Alpha Sapphire with the first Quick Ball. It's never worked since though.

After that it's paralysis, False Swipe and spamming Ultra Balls. I might also try other balls depending on the situation. E.g. I've caught legendaries with Timer Balls before because the battle has slogged on forever, and Dusk Balls have worked when I'm in a cave.
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Seen November 16th, 2020
Posted November 16th, 2020
43 posts
5.2 Years
That depends if: 1) I am shiny hunting for Legendaries, then I want the best nature and hope for a good set if IVs. Get Alakazam with Synchro and stock on Ultra, Quick, Luxury, premier balls. Skill swap with harvest and Trick with item Leppa. Throw balls at it when HP half or lower. Keep throwing balls "rinse and repeat". 2) If I am catching Legendaries, then I just stock up on the pokeballs mentioned. Throw balls and repeat until caught.
Age 21
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Brazil
Seen June 28th, 2019
Posted February 28th, 2019
495 posts
5.1 Years
Yes, i do spam ultra balls, i have tried to catch moltres and zapdos in fire red, which i even paralyzed them, spammed the maximum of ultra balls and great balls, not knowing what i was doing, i wasted all of my balls, the only ball that i saved is the master ball that i gained from the old man of the silph co.
I do have fainted the two of them, because i wanna save my master ball for the mewtwo when i beat the game.
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tokyodrift

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11.9 Years
Usually I use a status element and try to get them as close to being fainted as possible. If I have any spare quick balls, it doesnt hurt to try and chuck and a few during the first couple turns.
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England
Seen April 27th, 2018
Posted April 21st, 2018
16 posts
5.1 Years
Step 1: Save
Step 2: Promise myself I wont use the Masterball
Step 3: Get the health bar low (ish)
Step 4: Either poison or send it to Sleep
Step 5: Throw a Ultraball
Step 6: Hold down that button that I know makes Know difference but Im too deep to stop now
Step 7: Catch it and shout YES really loudly
Step 8: Put the legendary in the PC and never use it again

HeroLinik

To this day, he still can't beat Air Man...

Age 25
Male
UK, happy now?
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Posted April 13th, 2023
920 posts
6.1 Years
Step 4: Either poison or send it to Sleep
Not really a fan of poisoning it, to be honest, unless you want the challenge of catching it on a timer - cuz when you poison something you're basically limiting the amount of turns you have to catch the legendary you want.

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Male
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Seen April 27th, 2018
Posted April 21st, 2018
16 posts
5.1 Years
Not really a fan of poisoning it, to be honest, unless you want the challenge of catching it on a timer - cuz when you poison something you're basically limiting the amount of turns you have to catch the legendary you want.
Yeah I see what you mean about the timer, But once Ive saved it beforehand Ill try anything and tbh poison normally works for me.

Enpatsu Shakugan

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Seen November 4th, 2018
Posted November 4th, 2018
1,824 posts
5.1 Years
Honestly, I just save the Master Ball because I literally don't care about them at all.

I only use them to lure in GTS trades for Pokemon I DO want.

But if you want an actual strategy; it's simple: whittle down, status, ultra ball. If you screw up, soft reset.

Not that hard.

Megan

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10.3 Years
Let's see if I can remember my old setups...

1. throw Quickball (because why not)
2. if it's a Ghost Type/immune to Paralysis (often times I prefer para over sleep, because it's permanent) -> use Soak
3. put it to sleep/paralyze it
4. get its HP down to 1 (False Swipe is the best distributed of those moves afaik)
5. use balls that fit the situation best (some are better than Ultra Balls in certain situations)
6. at some point start using Timer Balls
7. either success or restart of the capturing process

In case an ability prevents the Legendary from being statused, then picking something like Mummy or one of the ability changing moves is a good way to still get a status on them.

If it tends to explode for whatever reason you may want Sleep+Damp.

Healing items are obviously nice to have, especially if you have to deal with weather or status conditions.

Most people would use Smeargle as part of their capturing strategy because it does role compression best. However, I tend to pick whatever and try to come up with a strategy that makes it work.

In terms of Nature a fainted Synchronize mon with respective Nature at the top of the party does the trick well.
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Seen December 30th, 2022
Posted December 29th, 2022
8,974 posts
18.1 Years
It really depends on the kind of Pokemon that I have on my team at the moment, but I generally go for accuracy reducing moves first so I have more of an opening to reduce their health, and then if possible, inflict status conditions like paralysis and sleep.

The accuracy reducing moves are pretty important because you don't want the legendary in particular trying to whittle down your Pokemon's health while your tossing out Pokeballs trying to catch it.