How to catch Pokemon
The catch formula, what each ball is worth, and the two things that matter more than the ball.
In short
- Lower the target's HP, put it to sleep or freeze it, then throw. Health and status matter more than the ball.
- Each species has a catch rate from 3 to 255. The higher, the easier.
- A Master Ball never fails. Everything else is a roll the server makes.
- Only wild Pokemon can be caught, and some wild Pokemon belong to somebody and cannot be.
The formula
PokeRival uses the Generation 9 catch formula. For a throw:
a = floor( (3 × maxHP − 2 × currentHP) × catchRate × ball × status ÷ (3 × maxHP) )
If a reaches 255 the catch is certain. Otherwise the ball shakes up to four times, each shake succeeding with probability b ÷ 65536 where b = floor(65536 ÷ (255 ÷ a)^(3⁄16)), and the Pokemon is caught if all four succeed. You see up to three shakes on screen.
Status: sleep and freeze multiply by 2.5; paralysis, burn, poison and bad poison by 1.5.
HP: at full health the HP term is 1⁄3. At 1 HP it is almost 1. Taking a Pokemon from full to a sliver triples your odds before any ball or status is counted.
The balls
| Ball | Multiplier | Shop price |
|---|---|---|
| Poké Ball | 1 | 200 |
| Great Ball | 1.5 | 600 |
| Ultra Ball | 2 | 800 |
| Nest Ball, Dusk Ball | 3 | 1,000 |
| Net Ball, Dive Ball, Repeat Ball | 3.5 | 1,000 |
| Timer Ball | 4 | 1,000 |
| Quick Ball | 5 | 1,000 |
| Master Ball | catches | not sold |
| Premier, Luxury, Heal Ball | 1 | 200 to 1,000 |
Every Poké Mart stocks Poké, Great and Ultra Balls, and some clerks add the specialist balls; each ball's item page lists where it is sold. A Master Ball is not sold anywhere.
Worked example
A wild Pikachu, catch rate 190, 35 max HP, asleep at 5 HP, Ultra Ball:
a = floor( (105 − 10) × 190 × 2 × 2.5 ÷ 105 ) = floor( 859 ) → certain
The same Pikachu at full health with no status and a Poké Ball:
a = floor( 35 × 190 × 1 × 1 ÷ 105 ) = 63
b = floor( 65536 ÷ (255 ÷ 63)^0.1875 ) = 50,462 per shake ≈ 77%
four shakes ≈ 35%
Same Pokemon, three throws' difference.
What cannot be caught
The keepers' Pokemon at a training ground and the specific Pokemon a quest sends you to fight battle like wild Pokemon but refuse a ball; the screen says so before you waste one. Nothing in a trainer, gym or player battle can be caught.
After the catch
A caught Pokemon goes into your party if there is room, otherwise into the first free PC slot. It keeps the status it was caught with, so a Pokemon you put to sleep wakes up in your party. Its nature, IVs, ability, Tera type and whether it is shiny were rolled the moment the encounter began; the ball does not change them. Its Pokédex entry is recorded.
