What is the Pokémon Go Master Ball? If you have to ask that question, you must be a new trainer in, well, training. Pokémon Go has been going for plenty of years now, and the Pokémon Go Master Ball is finally here to help you bag the rarest of the rare. Of course, such a powerful ball is tough to find, and you have to complete some serious challenges to get your hands on one. So, we’re going through everything you need in this guide.
Whether you’re a Pokémon Master or a Pocket Monster padawan, we have more great guides than Ash Ketchum has Tauros. Visit some of our guides to help you out on your Pokémon journey, including articles covering Pokémon Go codes, Pokémon Go Shaymin, Pokémon Go raids, Pokémon Go Giovanni, Pokémon Go’s best Pokémon, and get ready to bag yourself some shiny mon’s with our guide to each month’s Pokémon Go Community Day.
What is the Pokémon Go Master Ball?
Everyone and their grandmother knows what the Pokémon Go Master Ball is, with the item being instantly recognizable thanks to its iconic purple design and emblazoned M on the front. It’s perhaps the rarest item in the franchise, guaranteeing you catch the Pokémon that you use it on. It doesn’t matter how strong they are; it has a 100% success rate, making it perfect for catching the rarest Pokémon.
While we’d never try to force you to use your precious Master Ball on a specific ‘mon, we will offer a bit of advice, as nobody should ever use this thing on something like Pidgey – the heartbreak you’d feel. We highly recommend you consider using it on a legendary Pokémon, one that doesn’t come around often. Some are only available through raids for short periods of time, and they’re the Pokémon that should be the real contenders for a Pokémon Go Master Ball. We have a really solid option for the Master Ball, actually, but more on that in a minute.
How do I find a Pokémon Go Master Ball?
You can earn the Pokémon Go Master Ball by completing in-game research tasks, though these involve some tough challenges. Initially, the Master Ball arrived in Pokémon Go in 2023 as part of the “Let’s Go” special research, though that concluded on June 1, 2023. That’s right, it took nearly seven years for the iconic ball to arrive in Pokémon Go.
If trainers missed their first opportunity to get the ball, they didn’t have to wait long for a second opportunity to arise with the Season 12 Adventures Abound timed investigation. The word ‘timed’ is important as the way to get a Master Ball left upon the conclusion of the event on November 21, 2023, though you could purchase the Special Research: Master Ball quest in-game until November 28, 2023, technically making it the third way to get the item.
There was a fourth opportunity to grab a Master Ball in October 2024, as you could purchase a pass during the Galaraian Expedition event, which rewarded you with the prestigious ball upon completion. The pass was available for one week between October 4 and October 11.
Thankfully, if you missed those events, you can get the Master Ball whenever you like now, thanks to the Masterwork Research: Catching Wonders quest. As it doesn’t have a deadline, you don’t have to worry about missing out on one of the rarest items in the Pokémon universe.
How do I use the Pokémon Go Master Ball?
It’s pretty easy to use the Pokémon Go Master Ball, just follow these steps:
- Encounter the Pokémon you want to catch
- Select the Poké Ball icon on the bottom right of the screen
- Scroll across to find and select the Master Ball
- A text box appears, asking if you want to use the Master Ball
- If you do, select ‘use’ to throw your single-use Master Ball
- That Pokémon is now yours, hope it was worth it!
What Pokémon should I use the Pokémon Go Master Ball on?
It’s vital you remember that the Pokémon Go Master Ball is single-use and is very rare. One use, and it’s gone. So, the one Pokémon you choose to use it on had better be worth it. Yes, we know every ‘mon is amazing in the eyes of Arceus, but that’s not actually true, and if you use your Master Ball on a Caterpie, we’ll be forced to judge you.
One good way to use it is with legendary Pokémon from raids. However, remember that raids reward you with lots of premier balls, and they can do the trick with legendary creatures; you just need to be a little bit patient and be willing to play the waiting game. You also have the option to complete numerous raids, offering multiple chances to catch the legendary ‘mon in question.
Next, it might also seem like a good idea to use a Master Ball on a shiny legendary Pokémon, but we don’t recommend this at all. When you complete a legendary raid and have the luck to find a shiny version of the Pokémon (such as Rayquaza or Giratina, etc.), you have a vastly increased capture rate on your first throw. That’s right, your first encounter with a shiny legendary Pokémon is almost a guaranteed success. Please don’t waste your Master Ball here.
Instead, we recommend saving your Master Ball for the Galarian forms of the Kanto legendary birds. You can encounter Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, or Moltres whenever you use your daily adventure incense. This daily item attracts rare Pokémon for fifteen minutes, and this is the only way you can encounter the Galarian birds. Plus, these three love to run away; it often takes just one throw of a pokéball for them to bolt. Due to this, we have to say that this is an optimal time to use your Master Ball; who knows when you’ll next get an opportunity to go catch one of these legendaries.
Another good time to use the Master Ball is when you encounter powerful shiny Pokémon after battling the various members of Team Rocket. However, you can go one step further, as once you defeat plenty of grunts, Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo, the Team Rocket leaders consider you enough of a threat to deal with you themselves. Upon defeating them, you have the opportunity to catch one of their powerful shadow Pokémon. Sometimes, they might even have a very rare one, and that can be a good opportunity to use your Master Ball.
Well then, Pokémon masters, we hope this Pokémon Go Master Ball guide helps! If you want to fill out your Pokédex a little more, check out our Rockruff evolution, Ralts evolution, Shellder evolution, Floette evolution, Salandit evolution, and Bisharp evolution guides. We can even tell you how to defeat various ‘mon with our psychic Pokémon weakness, ice Pokémon weakness, dark Pokémon weakness, and steel Pokémon weakness articles.