Top 10 Worst PokéBalls
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the host ranks the top 10 least useful Pokéballs in the Pokémon games, focusing on catch rate modifiers and practical usage rather than aesthetics. From the specialized Dive Ball to the highly specific Moon Ball, each Pokéball is scrutinized for its effectiveness in different in-game scenarios. The list concludes with the Love Ball, which, despite its appealing design, is deemed practically useless due to its extremely narrow catch rate boost condition.
Takeaways
- 🎾 Pokéballs have varying catch rate modifiers based on their type and situation of use.
- 💦 Dive Ball has a 3.5 times catch rate modifier for water-dwelling Pokémon but is less versatile than the Net Ball.
- 🔄 Repeat Ball offers a 3.5 times modifier but is most useful when catching Pokémon already registered in the Pokédex.
- 🛌 Dream Ball has a 4 times catch rate modifier for sleeping Pokémon but is difficult to obtain and not always necessary.
- 🔴 Level Ball increases catch rate based on the level difference between the wild Pokémon and the one used for catching.
- 🌿 Nest Ball provides a modifier up to 4 times for low-level wild Pokémon but is expensive and not useful for high-level ones.
- 🎣 Lure Ball's catch rate modifier varies by game and is generally less effective than the Net Ball for fishing.
- 🐾 Beast Ball is highly effective for Ultra Beasts but nearly useless for other Pokémon.
- 🌙 Moon Ball has a 4 times modifier for specific evolutionary lines involving moonstones but is rarely helpful due to its specificity.
- 👞 Heel Ball fully heals the caught Pokémon but its catch rate is the same as a regular Pokéball and its healing benefit is limited.
- ❤️ Love Ball has the highest catch rate modifier at 8 times but only works under very specific and rare circumstances.
Q & A
How does the catch rate modifier work for different types of Pokeballs?
-The catch rate modifier is a multiplier that affects the base catch rate of a Pokémon. A normal Pokeball has a modifier of 1x, meaning it has no impact on the catch rate. Other Pokeballs, like the Great Ball, have a modifier of 1.5x, and the Ultra Ball has a 2x modifier, increasing the chance of successfully catching a Pokémon.
What is the primary advantage of the Dive Ball and in which situations is it most useful?
-The Dive Ball has a 3.5x catch rate modifier when catching water-dwelling Pokémon. It's most useful when the player is in situations like surfing, fishing, or diving, and the Pokémon being caught is in the water, as it significantly increases the catch rate for these types of Pokémon.
Why is the Net Ball superior to the Dive Ball in most situations?
-The Net Ball also has a 3.5x catch rate modifier for water-type Pokémon, but it applies regardless of where they are found, including on land. Additionally, it works on all bug-type Pokémon, making it more versatile than the Dive Ball, which is only effective in water-related situations.
How does the Repeat Ball function and in what scenarios might it be useful?
-The Repeat Ball has a 3.5x catch rate modifier for Pokémon that have been registered in the player's Pokédex before. It's primarily useful in situations where the player is trying to catch multiple of the same species, such as for competitive battling or shiny hunting, especially when the Pokémon has been caught before.
What was the original purpose of the Dream Ball and how has its function evolved in later generations?
-The Dream Ball was initially used in Generation 5 to catch Pokémon from the Dream World. In later generations, such as Sword and Shield, it was updated to have a 4x catch rate modifier on sleeping Pokémon, and players could obtain more than one through late-game events.
How does the Level Ball's catch rate modifier change based on the levels of the Pokémon involved?
-The Level Ball's catch rate modifier varies depending on the comparison between the levels of the wild Pokémon and the player's Pokémon. If the player's Pokémon is the same or lower level, it functions as a regular Pokeball. If it's less than double the level of the wild Pokémon, it's an Ultra Ball. If it's two to less than quadruple the level, the modifier is 4x, and if it's quadruple or higher, it reaches an impressive 8x modifier.
What is the Nest Ball's catch rate modifier and how does it differ from the Level Ball?
-The Nest Ball uses a formula of 41 minus the target Pokémon's level, divided by 10, to determine its catch rate modifier. Unlike the Level Ball, which compares the levels directly, the Nest Ball's modifier is most effective for catching low-level Pokémon, reaching a maximum of 4x for wild level one Pokémon.
How has the Lure Ball's catch rate modifier changed across different game generations?
-The Lure Ball's catch rate modifier has varied across generations. In Generation 4, it was 3x when fishing. In Alola, it was 5x, and in Galar, it was 4x. However, in Scarlet and Violet, it's expected to function like the Dive Ball when the Pokémon is physically in the water, but this has been reported as a bug by Bulbapedia.
What is the Beast Ball's catch rate modifier and why is it so specific?
-The Beast Ball has a 5x catch rate modifier when used on an Ultra Beast. It's designed this way because non-Beast Balls have a catch rate of 0.1x when used on Ultra Beasts, making the Beast Ball almost mandatory for catching them. However, it's less effective on any other Pokémon, where it functions as a regular Pokeball.
What makes the Moon Ball less useful in practice despite its high catch rate modifier?
-The Moon Ball has a 4x catch rate modifier for Pokémon that are part of an evolutionary family involving a Moon Stone. However, this is very specific and only applies to a small number of Pokémon. Additionally, due to a programming error in Generation 2, the Moon Ball does not actually get the boosted catch rate, making it almost as useful as a regular Pokeball in those games.
Why is the Love Ball considered one of the least practical Pokeballs in the game?
-The Love Ball has an 8x catch rate modifier, tied with the Level Ball for the highest possible, but this only applies when the target Pokémon is the same species and opposite gender as the active Pokémon. This scenario is extremely rare and specific, making the Love Ball effectively a hard-to-obtain regular Pokeball with a unique design in most situations.
Outlines
🏆 Top 10 Worst Pokéballs Based on Usefulness
This paragraph introduces the concept of ranking Pokéballs based on their practical use rather than their appearance. It explains the catch rate modifiers and how different Pokéballs affect the chances of capturing Pokémon. The Dive Ball is discussed, highlighting its higher catch rate for water-dwelling Pokémon but also its limitations, especially in older generations of the game.
🥇 The Dive Ball's Limitations and Net Ball's Superiority
The paragraph delves into the Dive Ball's specific use case and compares it with the Net Ball. It explains why the Net Ball is more versatile and effective in most situations due to its catch rate modifier for water-type Pokémon regardless of location and its additional effect on bug-type Pokémon. The Dive Ball's lower utility and the Net Ball's broader application are emphasized.
🥈 Other Underwhelming Pokéballs: Repeat, Dream, and Level Balls
This section discusses the Repeat Ball's situational usefulness for catching Pokémon already registered in the Pokédex, its higher cost, and its limited applications. The Dream Ball's history and its effectiveness on sleeping Pokémon are explained, along with its challenges in acquisition. The Level Ball's catch rate modifier based on level differences is analyzed, highlighting its limited utility due to the ease of catching low-level Pokémon and its difficulty in obtaining.
🥉 The Nest Ball's High Price and Lure Ball's Specific Use
The Nest Ball's catch rate modifier is discussed, emphasizing its high price and limited effectiveness for low-level Pokémon. The paragraph also covers the Lure Ball's changing catch rate modifier and its primary use for fishing, but notes its inferiority to the Net Ball in most situations.
🏅 The Beast Ball's Ultra Beast Focus and Moon Ball's Limitations
The Beast Ball's high catch rate modifier for Ultra Beasts is highlighted, but its near-uselessness for other Pokémon is critiqued. The Moon Ball's specific use for certain evolutionary lines involving moonstones is discussed, along with its limitations due to a programming error in Gen 2 and its narrow applicability.
🎾 The Heel Ball's Redundancy and Love Ball's Rarity of Use
The Heel Ball's lack of a significant advantage over regular Pokéballs is criticized, as its unique feature of healing the caught Pokémon is easily replicated at Pokémon Centers. The Love Ball's extremely specific conditions for its catch rate boost are outlined, emphasizing its near-impossible scenario for practical use.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Catch Rate Modifiers
💡Dive Ball
💡Net Ball
💡Repeat Ball
💡Dream Ball
💡Level Ball
💡Nest Ball
💡Lure Ball
💡Beast Ball
💡Moon Ball
💡Heel Ball
💡Love Ball
Highlights
The Dive Ball has a 3.5 times catch rate modifier for water-dwelling Pokémon.
In Gen 3, the Dive Ball only worked underwater while diving, limiting its usefulness.
The Net Ball is superior to the Dive Ball as it has a 3.5 times catch rate for water type Pokémon on land as well.
The Repeat Ball has a 3.5 times modifier if the Pokémon has been registered in the Pokedex before.
The Repeat Ball is more expensive than a regular Pokeball and not always useful for completing a Pokedex.
The Dream Ball has a four times catch rate modifier on sleeping Pokémon.
The Level Ball's catch rate modifier varies based on the level comparison between the wild Pokémon and the one you're using.
The Nest Ball's catch rate modifier is calculated by the formula 41 minus the target Pokémon's level, divided by 10.
The Lure Ball's catch rate modifier changes depending on the game version, with the highest being five times in Alola.
The Beast Ball has a five times catch rate modifier when used on Ultra Beasts, but only 0.1 times on other Pokémon.
The Moon Ball has a four times catch rate modifier on Pokémon that require a Moon Stone for evolution.
The Heal Ball fully heals the caught Pokémon, but its use case is limited compared to free healing at Pokémon Centers.
The Love Ball has an eight times catch rate modifier, but only if the target Pokémon is the same species and opposite gender as your active Pokémon.
In Gen 2, the Love Ball had a glitch making it work on the same species and same gender Pokémon.
The Friend Ball makes it easier to evolve Pokémon by friendship, providing a unique benefit over regular Pokeballs.
The Luxury Ball is primarily used for its aesthetic appeal and doesn't offer any catch rate advantage.
The Safari Ball and Sport Ball don't increase catch rate but were useful in specific game areas or events.
The Timball increases catch rate after 10 turns in battle, making it useful for stalling strategies.
Transcripts
pokeballs are a central piece of the
Pokémon games but not all are created
equal today I'll be counting down the
top 10 worst Pok balls based solely on
their usefulness or should I say
uselessness and not their appearance in
other words this video is meant for
people who could not care less what
Pokeball their Pokémon are caught in and
just want to know which ones not to
waste their money on number 10 the dive
ball before I get too deep into this pun
intended I should explain how catch rate
modifiers for pokeballs work this is the
complicated formula that runs every time
you try to catch a Pokemon and what
Pokeball you use determines this Bonus
Ball number a normal Pokeball has a
catch modifier of one times meaning it
has no impact on the overall formula
other pokeballs do modify it though such
as the great ball multiplying it by 1.5
times or Ultra by two and a higher
modifier means a higher chance of
success the dive ball has a 3.5 times
catch rate modifier if the Pokémon is
water dwelling in most games that means
while the player is surfing fishing or
diving and in scarlet and violet it
means the Pokémon is literally in the
water it's a useful Pokeball when
catching Pokémon when that situation
applies since 3. five times is quite a
bit higher than the Ultra Balls two
times however there are two reasons it
made it onto this list the first and
less important reason is that in gen 3
when the dive ball was introduced it
only worked under water while diving do
you know how many different wild Pokémon
can be found underwater in gen 3
hoen it's three chincha relicanth and
clam Pearl a dive ball only helps you
get a grand total of six deck entries
this does not apply today though so it's
not that big of a deal the second reason
the more significant one in my eyes is
that there's basically no reason to ever
use a dive ball over a net ball if you
don't care about Aesthetics I'll admit
the dive ball looks a lot better than
the net ball does but this video isn't
about Aesthetics a net ball also has a
3.5 time catch rate but it has that for
water type Pokémon regardless of where
they're found a wug trie in the beach is
not affected by a dive Ball but it is by
a net ball since the vast majority of
Pokémon you encounter surfing fishing or
diving are water type Pokémon that means
a net ball applies everywhere a dive
ball does
and more since it works on water type
Pokémon on land oh and I haven't even
mentioned net balls also work on all bug
type Pokémon which tend to not be in the
water overall so like that is so many
more Pokémon a netball is superior to a
dive ball in virtually every situation
there are exceptions like Dratini or
Tynamo or Hui and quill fish but those
are so few and far between a net ball is
going to work basically everywhere that
a dive ball does and cost the exact same
so that forces dive ball onto this list
number nine the repeat ball a repeat
ball has a modifier of 3.5 times same as
the dive ball so that's pretty good but
only if the Pokemon has been registered
in the person's Pokedex before that
means that in the process of completing
one's Pokedex a repeat ball is just not
useful to you unless un you're trying to
catch a second Slowpoke to make into a
slow King for example that means it's
just a more expensive Pokeball most of
the time and therefore not worth the
money however it's not completely
useless at least it hasn't been for me
throughout all of the John Michael Cup
competitions I have with pm7 over on
mjtv plays we use a lot of repeat balls
since the competitions often involve
catching a lot of Pokémon and we're
playing in games where we've completed
the Pokedex repeat ball is usually our
best bet if the quick ball fails another
situation where the repeat ball could
come in handy is when shiny hunting most
of the time when you find a shiny
Pokémon and virtually every time if
you're an avid shiny Hunter with the
shiny charm it's a Pokemon you've caught
before if no other specific pokeballs
apply to the catching situation and you
don't care about what ball you get it in
a repeat ball is a very solid option to
snag that shiny but for the average
player once you catch a specific species
there will be few times you'll want to
catch it again in the same game
therefore the repeat ball is not very
useful for most casual Players Number
Eight the dream ball the dream ball is
an odd ball in generation 5 it was used
to catch Pokémon in entree Forest that
the player imported to their DS game
from the dream world the online function
that is no longer available these balls
were guaranteed to catch those dream
world Pokémon and they weren't used or
seen anywhere else the ball then became
absent for several Generations until it
returned in sword and shield where the
ball guy would give you a single dream
ball at Winden Stadium but with no way
to get any more outside of an event this
new updated version of the dream ball
has a four times catch rght modifier on
Pokémon that are asleep the dream ball
returns in scarlet and violet with the
same four times on sleeping Pokémon
catch rate situation and there are ways
to get more than one I'll be at late
game and not easy as for the usefulness
of the ball it's solid four times catch
rate is better than most equal to a
timer ball after 10 turns and
considering sleep is the status
condition that improves catch chances
the most it combos well the problem is
that if you have no way to induce sleep
in the Target Pokémon then a dream ball
is only as good as a Pokeball unless
you're battling a Pokemon that has rest
but that's only very few of them if
you're using a Pokemon like a false
swiped Spore Braum which I like to use
for catching Pokemon then it works very
well however if you're trying to catch
Pokemon with just your playthrough team
whether you have a sleep inducing move
kind of depends on your play style and
me personally I don't most of the time
which means the dream ball doesn't work
well for me most of the time but even if
you have a way to force sleep the dream
ball is still here due to its difficulty
to obtain if you could just buy it in
any Mart I don't think it would be on
this list but it's exceedingly difficult
to get very limited in gen 8 very late
game in gen 9 and all I can do is tie a
timer ball I don't see why you'd go to
all that effort if you don't care about
the looks number seven the level ball I
think the level ball looks pretty cool
even despite the L being rotated making
it look like a V the level ball Works
based on how the target Pokémon's level
compares to the Pokemon you're using if
your Pokemon is the same or lower level
than the wild one a level ball is just a
regular Pokeball higher but less than
double it's an Ultra Ball two times more
than double but less than quadruple four
times then quadruple or higher a huge
catch rate modifier of eight times eight
times is super impressive there's only
one other non-master ball ball that can
reach that high however the problem
though comes from the situation in which
you get that cat rate modifier due to
the comparison situation a level ball is
more useful the higher level you are and
the lower level the wild Pokémon is but
low-level Pokémon are famously easy to
catch in most situations
trying to catch an early route Pokémon
with a level ball is like trying to kill
a bug with a
bazooka level balls are also difficult
or impossible to obtain in most games
and are often found late this hurts
their viability since in modern Pokémon
games late game Pokémon you encounter
will be up in the 60s or 7s meaning it's
impossible to get to double their level
which means a level ball is just an
Ultra Ball at best a level ball could be
great for a shiny you happen to find on
an early route but prac tactically
they're not worth the effort to obtain
number six The Nest ball The Nest ball
is another Pokeball that cares about the
level of the Pokemon that you're trying
to catch however it differs from the
level ball because it does not care what
your Pokemon's level is it uses a
formula of 41 minus the target Pokemon's
level then dividing that Difference by
10 so if the Pokemon is level five the
catch rate modifier is 3.6 times because
of the way this formula works a nest
ball is only as effective as a poke ball
on any Pokémon level 30 or above I
thought it would be above 30 but
apparently there must be some coding
reason why you can't have a catch rate
modifier of 1.1 times you know cuz 41
minus 30 11 divid by 10 1.1 but like
apparently that's not a thing the nest
balls catch rate modifier Maxes it four
times for wild level one Pokémon which I
should mention are extremely few and far
between now four times is a really good
cat rate modifier as I've discussed but
as I mentioned in the level ball section
low-level Pokemon tend to be really easy
to catch and the four times is just the
best it gets but for me what's really
the nail in the coffin or should I say
the large industrial spike is its price
one Nest ball is 1,000 Pok dolls the
same as the quick timer Dusk and net
balls all of which are more useful in
more situations if it cost just just a
little bit more than a Pokeball I think
it would be a pretty solid Pokeball at
least for the early game but it's not
it's hella expensive and it's only
useful for catching low-level Pokemon
which you're probably just going to
catch with a quick ball anyways number
five The Lure ball The Lure ball has had
its catch rate modifier changed more
than any other ball its effect is always
activated when fishing but in jotto it's
three times alola five times Galler four
times and ala one times supposedly the
lore ball in scarlet and violet is
supposed to function like the dive ball
or if the Pokemon is physically in the
water you get the Boost which of the
boosts we don't know because it doesn't
actually do anything Bulbapedia says
this is a bug but despite scarlet and
violet being full of them I'm still
skeptical because fishing isn't a thing
in Pala and the lore balls always just
been for fishing but even in the games
where it does work as normal it's still
not great a dive ball Works in all the
same places and more and I already
discussed how a netball is better than
that yes the lore ball has a higher
catch rate than those in a Lola and
Galler but not in Johto where it's the
easiest to obtain of all the regions in
summation if you are trying to catch
something in the water use a net ball if
it happens to not be water type use a
dive ball a lure ball is basically never
worth it number four the Beast ball the
Beast ball was designed for Ultra beasts
to an extreme degree if used on an ultra
Beast the catch modifier is five times
which is quite high it's the second best
you can get outside of the guaranteed
capture master ball however that catch
rate might as well be higher because
trying to use any other Pokeball on an
ultra Beast is a recipe for misery
that's because any non Beast ball used
on an ultra Beast except a master ball
has a catch rate of
0.1 times you heard that correctly all
of them become as tenth of a
good Jesus you heard that correctly all
of them except the master ball become
oneth as good as a poke ball the Beast
ball is not immune to that though It
suffers the same Fate on every other
Pokémon a beast ball used on any
non-ultra Beast Pokémon gets a catch
rate of 0.1 times which in case I
haven't mentioned but should be obvious
is the worst in the game trying to use a
beast ball anywhere except a guaranteed
capture Terror raid is just like you're
just taking on an intentional challenge
but it's not even really a challenge
that you can get better at there's no
skill it's just making yourself less
lucky it's awful scarlet and violet do
not have the ultra beasts which means
you're only going to use a beast ball in
a terror raid for Aesthetics or make
yourself miserable that means it's a
really bad Pokeball in scarlet and
violet but it's not higher on this list
because if you are dealing with an ultra
Beast they're mandatory number three the
moonball the moonball sounds like it
would do what the dusk ball does work
better at night it was introduced in Gen
2 the same generation that added day and
night cycles so that's another reason to
think it's a nighttime focused Ball but
it's not instead it gives you a four
times modifier on any Pokemon that's
part of a family that involves a
moonstone that is way too specific that
means the moonball only works on the
neid king Neo Queen clefable Wigglytuff
Del catti and masara evolutionary lines
that's only 16 Pokémon out of over 1,000
and the delcat and masar lines aren't
even present in the Johto games where
the moonball is easiest to obtain but
even worse due to a programming error it
never gets the catch rate in gen two
which means it only ever gets a boosted
rate in Haron Soul Silver just those two
games on a list of very specific Pokémon
I will readily admit that the moonball
looks cool but for practical purposes
it's almost never going to be helpful
number two the heel ball the heel ball
is spectacularly terrible it was added
in Gen 4 alongside the Dusk and quick
balls balls that would immediately
become Titans of the game that most
players keep on them at all times
meanwhile the heel ball is almost the
worst Pokeball ever made it's a perfect
example of that three-headed dragon meme
immediately the heel ball sets off red
flags for me because it always has a one
times catch rate meaning it's the same
as a Pokeball it's far from the only
Pokeball to be that way though and the
others tend to have some kind of benefit
that makes you still want to use them
even if it doesn't increase your
catching chances for example the friend
and luxury balls make it easier to
evolve Pokémon by friendship and premier
balls are given to you for free the
Safari and sport balls don't do anything
but they used to be 1. five times back
when they could only be used in the
Safari Zone or bug catching contest so
they don't really count so what's the
added benefit that the heel ball gets it
fully heals the Pokemon after catching
it oh yeah of course that thing that
every Pokemon Center does and the heal
ball can only do it once in Generations
4 to 6 a heel ball only had the chance
to do anything anything if you did not
have a full party of six Pokémon meaning
it became obsolete almost immediately
even if you don't have a full party
healing up the Pokemon is only useful if
you want to use that Pokemon
immediately but you could also just run
back to a Pokemon Center it's early game
you don't have a full party the Pokémon
centers are never that far away starting
in gen 7 you get the ability to
immediately add a caught Pokémon to your
party regardless of whether it's full so
there are more use cases like you're
deep within a and you found something
cool and you want to use it but even
then it's not that big of a deal to just
go back to a Pokemon Center and if
you're deep within a dungeon you should
just use better Pokeballs that you would
have by that point like a dusk ball
people also tend to figure out teams of
six and then just have that for their
party for the rest of the game so like
the maximum amount of times you would
use a heel ball to heal the Pokémon as
like a real benefit it's like maybe five
the heal ball is not much more expensive
than a Pokéball 300 versus 200 but it is
still more expensive why pay more for
something that is virtually always just
a Pokeball before I reveal the number
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you all right now here's number one
number one the love ball it is insane to
me that this Pokeball exists like don't
get me wrong I think it looks cool the
nice pink heart you know it works
aesthetically with certain Pokémon but
practically this is just a hard toobtain
Pokeball because its catch rate boost
scenario will almost never you know what
no screw it it will never happen the
love ball has an astounding eight times
catch rate modifier tied with the level
ball for the highest possible outside
the master ball but that catch rate
boost only occurs if the target Pokémon
is the same species and opposite gender
as your active Pokémon um what when the
hell is that going to happen the repeat
ball was on this list because most
Pokémon players don't care to catch a
Pokémon that they already own the love
ball only works if the Pokémon is not
only one that you already own but is one
you have with you at the time and it has
to be the exact same Pokémon an evolved
form is not the same species and even
then it may not work because it has to
be the opposite gender therefore always
female always male and genderless
Pokémon can never have the love ball
work on them and if you have Pokémon in
your party that can't be found in the
wild like I don't know a starter most of
the time then that's part of your party
that already disqualifies love ball
usage and you want to know what makes
the love ball even worse in Gen 2 due to
a glitch it only worked on Pokémon of
the same species and the same gender it
was Progressive and inclusive and it's
not anymore more unacceptable I have
been playing Pokémon for over 20 years
and not once have I used a love ball
with the boosted catch rate it is
effectively you know what no not
effectively it is just a hard toobtain
Pokeball with a pretty heart on it and
how pretty it is doesn't matter here
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