It’s time for Pokemon Go to finally introduce the Master Ball

Pokemon Go is celebrating its five-year anniversary, but the series’ iconic Master Ball is still missing from the popular mobile title. 

We’ve all been in situations where you battle a Legendary Pokemon, use numerous berries, toss out plenty of excellent thrown Poke Balls – only to have them all effortlessly swatted away. After draining all your resources and testing your patience, the Pokemon inevitably flees, leaving you to question what exactly you did wrong. 

This is particularly frustrating when the ‘mon in question is shiny or has amazing stats, making the failed catches even more painful. While the Pokemon series has always had a certain element of RNG to catching its colorful critters, trainers have always been able to rely on one thing – the ultra-rare Master Ball. 

Pokemon Go needs a Master Ball

As the name suggests, the Master Ball is the best Poke Ball in the game. Not only does it catch any Pokemon without fail, but it gives you a final trump card that can instantly rid you of your low catch rate woes. Despite being featured in every mainline title to date, the Master Ball has yet to be implemented in Pokemon Go. 

However, back in 2017, data miners uncovered that the Master Ball was actually present in the game’s code. To make matters even more interesting, the ultra-rare item also had its very own icon. This obviously excited trainers, with many believing the Master Ball would eventually be made obtainable during a special event. 

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. In fact, Niantic has yet to make any statement on whether the Master Ball will ever make its way to Pokemon Go. Since the data mine reveal, players have been discussing how this game-changing ball could work in the mobile title. 

How the Master Ball could work in Pokemon Go

Throwing the Master Ball and missing the Pokemon completely or watching it get hit away would be incredibly frustrating. However, Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! famously shared the same catching method as Niantic’s mobile title.

Instead of having to both time throws and aim the ball, trainers could simply toss out the Master Ball and watch a brief animation. After this exciting sequence had finished, the monster onscreen would instantly be added to the trainer’s collection. It’s a simple method, but one that could also work in Pokemon Go. 

In order to make the Master Ball extremely rare, the item could be made obtainable from special events or battles. For example, getting the Master Ball from beating Team Go Rocket Leader, Giovanni, would make for an extremely satisfying reward.

Giovanni’s event is also only available for a limited time, which would ensure the Master Ball remains a rarity. Even if you do beat him, only one would be dropped per event, which would also keep players from farming Master Balls.

While battling and catching powerful monsters is part of what makes the series so satisfying to play, there are times where the odds just aren’t in your favor. 

Whether the Master Ball is given out as part of future events or featured in the 25th-anniversary updates remains to be seen, but it is one addition that Pokemon Go desperately needs.