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18. Unlocking other Poke Balls
Of course, sometimes the Pokemon you’re trying to snag breaks out of your bog standard Poke Ball. It happens to the best of us.
Fans of the game know there are plenty of different types of Poke Balls — Bulbapedia, a fan-run wiki, lists 26. However, most importantly, the first generation only introduced five types. Since Pokemon GO takes plenty of nods from the original games, that’s where you need to look to figure out which kinds of Poke Balls you can use.
We’ve already covered Poke Balls in detail; they unlock when you begin the game, and you’ll have to use them for a while.
However, Trainers who reach level 12 can begin using Great Balls. As you level up, you encounter stronger Pokemon, which are harder to catch. Great Balls increase your catch rate; they have blue tops with two red stripes. Polygon also reports that the level 12 item bonus includes 20 Great Balls for free.
There’s a still-better ball out there, though. In the above screencap from one of the Pokemon GO trailers, you can spy an Ultra Ball being given out at a PokeStop. Ultra Balls unlock at level 20, and Polygon writes that the level 20 item bonus hands out 20 Ultra Balls for users to start with. Ultra Balls further increase the catch rate of Pokemon, and should become your bread and butter as soon as you can use them.
While reports have floated around about Master Balls, and while they have been found in the game’s data, users cannot currently obtain them. Master Balls guarantee a catch. Typically, in the games, you can only have one, so it’s best to reserve it for a legendary Pokemon.
