Pokemon Go fans are worried Master Ball debut could affect catch rates

Philip Trahan
pokemon go regigigas master ball header

Pokemon Go fans are worried that the newly revealed Master Ball may change one convenient aspect of Legendary Pokemon’s catch rates.

On May 16, 2023, Pokemon Go revealed that the iconic Master Ball from the mainline Pokemon series is making its way to the mobile monster-catching game.

Details about what the Master Ball can do are still scarce, but trainers do know that just like in the main games, it will catch any Pokemon without fail.

However, the introduction of this powerful Poke Ball has some fans worried that it may adversely affect some convenient features of the game, such as the rare instances of 100% catch rates.

Pokemon Go fans worried about Master Ball debut

A post on The Silph Road subreddit brought about the discussion after one user wondered if the Master Ball’s introduction could change the way 100% catch rates work.

The OP created a post titled, “With the catch rates hidden from game master and Master Ball announcement, won’t be surprised if Niantic removes the 100% catch rate for Legendary/Mythical Pokémon from raids.”

For those who may not know, when a trainer encounters a Shiny Legendary or Mythical Pokemon during a Raid, that Pokemon actually has a much higher chance of being caught, though it’s unclear if it’s a completely guaranteed catch.

The trainer goes on to explain their line of thinking and said, “With the recent track record that’s happening with this game (remote raid changes, ToS changes, and severely increasing lack of transparency), I fear this could happen. I am very worried about it.”

The Pokemon Go’s community’s faith in developer Niantic has hit an all time low as of late, thanks to controversial decisions like nerfing Remote Raid Passes and increasing various in-game prices.

The OP was not the only player worried about this potential future. “I am 100% convince they will do this, if for no other reason than to create a minor scandal they can backtrack on to try and quell the remaining complaints and attention the remote changes receives.”

Still, others were more optimistic on the Master Ball’s debut. “Personally, I don’t think the two items are related. To be clear, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did that… But it’s not like hiding the catch rates would keep people from noticing if they were to remove the guaranteed catch for shinies.”

While nothing has been confirmed by Niantic surrounding a potential catch rate change, it’s clear that players are skeptical about how this powerful Poke Ball may affect the game after it’s introduced.

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About The Author

Philip is a Staff Writer at Dexerto based in Louisiana, with expertise in Pokemon, Apex Legends, and general gaming industry news. His first job in the games industry was as a reviewer with NintendoEverything.com while attending college. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication focusing on Multimedia Journalism, he worked with GameRant.com for nearly two years before joining Dexerto. When he's not writing he's usually tearing through some 80+ hour JRPG. You can contact him at philip.trahan@dexerto.com.