A Pokemon Go fan who misused their Master Ball on an already guaranteed catch lamented the blunder, garnering sympathy from fellow Trainers.
The disastrous mishap occurred when the player, having battled and defeated Moltres in a Raid, scored an encounter with a Shiny variant of the Gen 1 Legendary bird.
While no further context was provided – beyond admitting in a Reddit thread that their actions were “dumb” – an accompanying screenshot made words unnecessary, a Master Ball can be seen floating towards the Fire/Flying-type in the image.
Shiny Pokemon encountered in Raids have a 100% capture rate, regardless of the type of Poke Ball used. Other than for cosmetic purposes, using a Master Ball in such situations is considered wasteful.
Fortunately, rather than chew the post’s author out for their misadventure, responses were commiserative.
“Tough break but at least it was for a cool Pokemon,” came one reply, while another shared similar anecdotes of tragically wasted Master Balls.
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“If it makes you feel any better, I let me friend’s kid play my PoGo account to entertain them before dinner. They used my Master Ball to catch a Diglett.”
The burning question, of course, is why? “I panicked,” the poster elaborated when asked. Interestingly, players are given free Premier Balls by default to catch Raid ‘mons, which means this tale of woe likely involved some haphazard screen taps.
While there’s no ‘correct’ way to use a Master Ball, popular uses for the ultra-rare Poke Balls are any of the Galarian Birds.
The trio can only spawn through the use of the Daily Adventure Incense and are prone to run away when encountered. Other alternatives include wild Shiny Pokemon that are similarly skittish, like Abra.
Looking to stay up to date on current Pokemon Go events? Check out our guide for Adventure Week, as well as Team Rocket’s upcoming takeover on August 8.