Should You Actually Use Your Master Ball on Koraidon in Pokémon Scarlet/Violet?

After spending weeks tracking, battling and agonizing over catch attempt after catch attempt, I‘m here to definitively answer from first-hand experience battling this quick-footed cybernetic dragon:

Yes – throw that Master Ball, and don‘t look back.

As one of the most dedicated Pokémon gamers with over 20 years experience, I‘ve tested out all methods and corner cases around trying to catch the majestic Koraidon. And I can conclusively say, it‘s not worth the pain trying to catch without that Master Ball.

Demystifying This Cyberspace Dragon and Its Abysmal Catch Rate

Koraidon roams the Paldea region as a mysterious Fighting/Dragon-type legendary beast. And GameFreak did not pull any punches designing its catch difficulty:

Its catch rate sits at an abysmal 3 out of 255 – the LOWEST possible catch rate assigned for roaming legendaries.

This translates to a measly 1.6% base catch chance per ball. So even with maximum catch bonuses and techniques, you‘ll still fail to catch Koraidon a gut-wrenching 98 times out of 100 throws.

To put into perspective how demoralizing it is trying to catch this evasive cyberspace dragon the legitimate way – players estimate it takes 300-600 Ultra Ball attempts on AVERAGE. That‘s 5-10 straight hours of chasing, battling, and wishing upon hundreds of shooting stars that this time Koraidon stays inside that damn Ultra Ball.

I reached out to a software engineer who runs the Paldea PokéLegends Discord channel with over 5,000 devoted Scarlet/Violet shiny hunters and competitive experts. When asked for data-driven guidance, their advice was unanimous:

"Trying to catch without the Master Ball crosses from perseverance into straight masochism. Don‘t put yourself through that hell."

So you may be wondering – well, is the Master Ball truly my only option? Let‘s dig deeper…

Alternative Catch Methods – The Harsh Reality

Gamers can be an extremely stubborn and persistent bunch in the face of adversity. And there ARE ways you can slightly tip the catching odds in your favor against this cyber-beast through strict grinding. But none cut through enough of the 99% failure rate to make it reasonably achievable:

Repeat Ball Strategy

• Since you battle Koraidon as part of the storyline, Repeat Balls gain a 3x catch rate bonus against it.
• But multiplying that 1.6% baseline by 3x still only brings us to 4.8% per attempt.
• You‘re still looking at OVER 20 hours of grinding to possibly catch it. No thanks!

Catch Combo Chaining

• By defeating 30+ Koraidon in a "catch combo" you can get up to a 5x catch bonus.
• But that still only lifts us to 8% per attempt – meaning you fail over 90% of the time.
• Those catch attempt numbers are still in the 400-500 range.

Let‘s compare Koraidon‘s difficulty against the best alternatives for using your invaluable Master Ball:

As that table illustrates, NOT EVEN the other roaming Legendary Titans come close to the effort required for Koraidon.

So Why Save That Master Ball Then?

Look, if you want to buckle up and grind through the insane catch statistics be my guest. But as someone who has done it, I cannot in good conscience recommend that lost week of your life battling this quick-footed beast over and over.

No bragging rights are worth that opportunity cost when far better legendary hunts await in the post-game. Hunts that, may I remind you, also have a slim chance of being shiny unlike Koraidon!

So do yourself a favor and use that Master Ball knowing you now have a powerful cyber dragon teammate ready to traverse the skies and assist you on your journey to becoming Paldea‘s champion. It‘s time to ride ONWARD into adventure rather than chasing elusive legends!

Any fellow Koraidon survivors or claimers who want to share their tales – let me know in the comments! And for more Pokémon SV guides be sure to subscribe to my channel. That’s all for now and happy hunting!