What should I use my Master Ball on in Pokemon Violet?
As an avid Pokémon trainer since the first generation, I cannot recommend enough saving your extremely limited Master Ball for a rare shining Legendary encounter with ideal stats for competitive battling.
Weighing the Worthy Contenders for Master Ball Use
We first meet the box legendaries Koraidon and Miraidon near the beginning of Violet. And while capturing these time-traversing mounts remains integral to exploration in Paldea, their higher base catch rates compared to previous elusive cover stars means securing either through manual effort is quite feasible:
| Legendary Pokémon | Base Catch Rate % |
|---|---|
| Koraidon/Miraidon | 30% |
| Mewtwo | 3% |
| Rayquaza | 3% |
As this sample data shows, Violet‘s flagship legends prove far easier to catch than the virtually un-catchable final bosses of previous generations without the Master Ball‘s certainty. So while Koraidon and Miraidon may seem like obvious targets as version exclusives, consider preserving that invaluable Poké Ball for more elusive quarry.
Shiny Legendary Encounters
Beyond the primary legends, Violet also brings recurring roaming Legendaries via Tera Raids, random field encounters, and through late-game story progression. While their catch rates see some increase in raids, shiny versions of these formidable combatants appear randomly at the base 1/4096 rate.
Securing even one of these prized specimens likely requires multiple failed capture attempts. However, enabling the Shiny Charm through late-game content completion halves those grueling odds to 1/2048. So should players encounter a shining Legendary specimen, using the Master Ball provides guaranteed insurance on these rarest of Pokémon.
Competitive IV Legendaries
In addition to their sheer rarity, shiny Legendary Pokémon hold further value if caught with ideal stats for competitive battling.
Through manipulation of Violet‘s TM and Nature Mint mechanics, we can alter a Pokémon‘s moveset and hindering attributes. However, a Legendary‘s innate base Individual Values – determining HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed stats – remain fixed after capturing.
With Hyper Training only providing a superficial boost, finding a Legendary with naturally best IVs across all six attributes is incredibly uncommon. Thus, when discovered, Master Ball use again gives flawless capture assurance on this once-in-a-lifetime battle-ready beast.
Recommended Master Ball Targets
Based on rarity, power-potential, and late-game availability, below I highlight my top suggested Master Ball recipients for Pokemon Violet trainers:
1. Iron Valiant/Iron Thorns
These ancient Legendary titans tower among Paldea‘s most lethal battle Pokemon. They also only become available after intense story progression within difficult 5-star raids. Considering the effort in simply encountering one, plus their immense competitive utility, Iron Valiant and Iron Thorns make supreme Master Ball candidates.
2. The Ruinous Quartet
This nefarious foursome composed of Ogerpon, Dondozo, Tatsugiri, and Great Tusk embody both force and difficulty to catch. As post-game story triggers unleash these wandering menaces, if discovered in Shiny or ideal IV form, showing them Master Ball mercy could prove wise.
3. Shiny Tera Raid Legendaries
Recurring Legendaries like Zacian, Yveltal, and Necrozma grace Paldea‘s 5-star Tera Raids on a constantly rotating schedule. Though stronger here than wild encounters, their shiny versions hitting ideal IVs make them Master Ball worthy.
For more details on ideal stat spreads, calculating IVs, and currently available raids, check out my ongoing advanced competitive guides!
Over a decade of Pokémon mastery leads me to endorse saving that infinitely rare Master Ball for a shining Legendary specimen primed for competitive dominance in Violet. But however you choose to use it, may your bond with those precious Pokémon partners only continue to grow!
