Using the Master Ball

Sometimes I receive creative reminders of even the most basic issues in Pokémon that I haven't covered on this blog. One of those issues cover the usage of a very rare kind of Poké Ball that is also a certain guarantee in some ways. That ball would certainly be the Master Ball, the ultimate ball that guarantees captures and is itself guaranteed once (if not more) in each game in the main series of Pokémon games. All of its related characteristics consequently have implications on the best methods of usage for this kind of Poké Ball.

In the past, certain games have included "roaming Legendaries", which would be Legendary Pokémon that are not encountered at a specific place, but travel throughout their respective regions, with encounters being quite fleeting as they can and do flee after just one turn in battle, sometimes even after certain actions have been taken. They have a reputation for being notoriously difficult to encounter, let alone catch, so using the Master Ball on them makes complete sense, even if it may become the one and only chance. One would have to choose wisely on who to catch in this manner.

Meanwhile, some Legendary Pokémon possess exceptional strength that makes them difficult to be weakened and then captured after those efforts. This includes resisting Poké Ball after Poké Ball and the subsequent weakening of one's own team as well. Rather than to go through this effort and spend a lot of time - especially if the Legendary Pokémon may be Shiny after numerous soft resets - it may be just preferable to throw the Master Ball and get things over with, without all the hassle.

Personally, though, since I would have only one of the ball in most cases, I prefer to go through the hassle and save the Master Ball for a momentous occasion. This is unless I have at least one more, which can happen if I win the raffle for it, even if this is not likely to happen since the chances are so dire. In this case, I end up not using the ball at all in this way since the occasion that would be momentous ends up not happening.

When it comes down to it, the usage of the Master Ball really is a basic issue, whether to do all the work (which may result in nothing, leading to repetition) or to forego all the work and instantly resolve things with the Master Ball. The choice - including for myself personally and all other Trainers - may have to be decided on circumstances and the work that they entail; yet it may be that the choice is also dependent on a creative way of solving situations, just like how I was creatively reminded of this matter.

One year ago: Virtual Reality (VR) and Pokémon

Two years ago: Sword and Shield Uptake

Three years ago: Much Ado About Figures

Four years ago: The Rainbow Feather of Ho-Oh