Pokemon GO Trainer's Decision to Use Master Ball on Galarian Moltres Backfires

Highlights

A Pokemon GO player wasted their precious Master Ball on a fake Galarian Moltres, a painful mistake that could have been avoided with closer inspection.

The Galarian Moltres imposter was easily identifiable by certain clues, including being adorned with a Best Buddy Ribbon and having the ribbon icon displayed above its Combat Power rating.

Unfortunately, due to their enthusiasm, the player failed to notice the deception and mistakenly believed the disguised Zorua to be the genuine Galarian Moltres. In their eagerness, they ended up using their sole Master Ball on it. However, there is hope for more chances to obtain additional Master Balls in the near future.

One unfortunate player of Pokemon GO made the unfortunate mistake of using their highly coveted Master Ball on a cleverly disguised Zorua pretending to be a rare Galarian Moltres. Sharing their heartbreaking experience on social media, this incident adds to the growing collection of tales depicting the unfortunate encounters of Pokemon GO enthusiasts with legendary avian creatures.

Interestingly, the Master Ball has been a longstanding feature in the mainline Pokemon RPGs, being an invaluable tool for trainers since the inception of the franchise. Surprisingly, it took nearly seven years for this incredibly useful item to make its way into Niantic's augmented reality game. Currently, the only means of obtaining a Master Ball is by successfully completing the time-limited Pokemon GO Timed Investigation Master Ball Research, which will be available until November 21 at 8:00 p.m. local time.

Mistakes happen, even though the rarity of Master Balls in Pokemon GO often makes players hesitate to use them. A recent incident involving Reddit user 5nnn serves as evidence of this. They mistakenly used their only Master Ball on what they believed to be a wild Galarian Moltres, only to discover it was actually a playful Zorua in disguise.

Many fans who heard this unfortunate story pointed out that this disaster could have been avoided if they had carefully examined the creature. The fake Galarian Moltres was wearing a Best Buddy Ribbon, and the ribbon's icon was displayed above its Combat Power rating. It is worth noting that Zorua always takes on the appearance of the player's Buddy. To make spotting the creature easier, players who want to catch Zorua in Pokemon GO are advised to assign a unique companion.

The player admitted that their excitement prevented them from noticing the indications that the Galarian Moltres was counterfeit. In this specific case, it is noteworthy that the player was not actively seeking to capture the Generation 5 Pokemon. Instead, they had a Galarian Moltres as their designated Buddy, likely with the intention of earning its exceptionally rare Candy. Consequently, upon encountering another Galarian Moltres, they immediately believed that they had struck gold and impulsively used their Master Ball on the disguised Zorua. Reflecting upon this regrettable incident, the player acknowledged that their enthusiasm had blinded them to the telltale signs of the fake Galarian Moltres.

Fortunately for this unfortunate fan, it is likely that Niantic will introduce new opportunities soon for obtaining additional Master Balls in Pokémon GO. The Timed Investigation Master Ball Research, which is scheduled to expire in November, was preceded by a similar event during Season 10: Rising Heroes, which ended on June 1. In the meantime, players who encounter a Galarian Moltres in Pokémon GO are advised not to use their Master Ball(s) on it if they already have one as their Buddy Pokémon.

Pokémon GO

Pokemon GO, initially tested as an April Fools' joke on Google Maps, was officially launched to the public in the summer of 2016. This AR mobile app achieved extraordinary success and remains one of the most popular mobile games globally, generating billions in revenue for its developer, Niantic. The game was developed by Niantic in collaboration with The Pokemon Company and is available on iOS and Android platforms. Pokemon GO utilizes the Unity engine and combines augmented reality with multiplayer gameplay.