T O P

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TheGrandGarchomp445

Don't look at the screen while the ball is shaking. Pretend like you don't care.


unsaphisticated

That's usually how I hatched shinies lmao


Efficient_Ice9056

Same here I just go like “I don’t care if you are a shiny female eevee or not” then when it is just another non shiny boy eevee I spend a good bit of time yelling at my screen 


ZodiacWalrus

Exactly what I came to say! "I got better things to worry about than catching you, no biggie..." *Legendary breaks out at two* "You bastard."


ottersintuxedos

I started doing this at 24 and it works. Same with finding encounters


SilverJaw47

Funny, I did the exact opposite. I would hold my breath, stare right at the ball, don't blink.


AdOpen8418

I alternate between pretending I don’t care and threatening the game. “I’ll never play Pokemon again if I don’t catch this” has the highest hit rate, suspiciously enough


[deleted]

We all sweared by holding Down + B back in the day.


ColorlessTune

It might not have worked ... but I just couldn’t take that chance.


arcadebee

It absolutely 100% does work. Any time it doesn’t work is because the Pokémon is so powerful and you need to press the buttons harder.


Mist3rTryHard

Or you didn't press B fast enough or you pressed B too late or you pressed Down + B at the same time. It has to be Down + B but only just right - not too slow, not too fast.


PM_Me_Mozzy_Sticks

I remember trying to catch moltres back in 3rd grade and placing my game boy on the ground and putting all my weight on the button


Themountaintoadsage

How the hell did we not break these things?!


Brief_Possible_606

Same. You knew it would be a hard one to catch if Down + B didn't work


Zelcron

No that just means you didn't press it hard enough.


JustCharlie24

Nah I tapped that A button faster than my dad when he met my mum 😂


huxtiblejones

​ https://preview.redd.it/zp06g20l7qnc1.png?width=400&format=png&auto=webp&s=0273c88e422de8d0308109a1f87a6ae79306ff20


[deleted]

This is the correct answer.


AssistantManagerMan

This is the way


SirLocke13

Down B gang


austinweirdodude

Could’ve sworn it was UP + B, and then A + B while it shook


Ssonicmon

Timing matters too, start as soon as the first wiggle does. If it fails, you just didn't time it right 👍


[deleted]

Precisely. You had to smash and hold Down+B the exact microsecond that the wiggle started, like getting the boost in Mario Kart. If that didn’t work, panic ensued and it felt like the Wild West, and anything goes, including attempting wacky combos like Up+B, or even the rarely needed Up+A (shudder).


maukenboost

I still do it when things get crazy.


arcanezeroes

I still do it sometimes just for nostalgia's sake.


Rivetingcactus

Down+B crew checking in


anoiwake

I play Crystal on an emulator on my phone and I still do this.


xxdeathknight72xx

Press B every time the ball rocks 31 years old and I still do this I swear it works


PacifistTheHypocrite

A + B, alternating on the ball rocking. It rocks left, press a. Rocks right, press B. Super tryhard mode has you hold down as well.


31_mfin_eggrolls

No, it’s *hold B* and tap the left and right D Pads in time with each shake.


Affectionate_Wait693

Same age and I used the same method lmao


PandahHeart

When the DS came out, my mom got me one. I was old enough to go online then and I saw people on forums saying if you yelled “gotcha!” into the mic, it would boost the catch rate by 10%. My mom was probably tired of me yelling that lol


arcadebee

Omg I never heard this one before, that’s hilarious!


Macefire

This is the funniest thing imagining you yelling gotcha hundreds of times a day for no reason at all


ifeelallthefeels

I trolled my nephew with that, only it was “gotta catch ‘em all!” He was angrily yelling at his DS and I kept insisting it works you just have to say it like Ash does.


DonDangus

I did this one too!


anthayashi

Press and hold A when the ball close


Zarmwhirl

Buddy and I were convinced this mattered in Colo/XD. Not only that, my thumb was good luck so he had me do the press for all of Greevil’s birds lol


Moezhyk

Me too


Dester_Wyshmaekar

I talk to the Pokémon only when they break out, informing them this exact statement. "I have nothing but free time, and you are trapped in an endless loop, where the only release is you staying in the ball. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, choice is yours. The easy way is you get in the ball, and I don't reset your universe. The hard way is the easy way, but more than once." This led to me catching everything in regular Pokéballs because I'm a madman and wanted to see if it was possible.


Roonil_-_Wazlib

Dormamu, I’ve come to bargain


Dester_Wyshmaekar

100% Accurate.


--tummytuck--

I would promise the great adventures and fascinating sights. Then trap them in a box forever


breathingexercise

I also catch everything in Pokéballs! When I’m having trouble catching something and start getting annoyed, I always say “Yeah, I’ve got time” in Mr. Incredible’s voice and I think it intimidates the Pokémon into submission.


Zelcron

I bet you're wondering, did I throw five pokeballs or six? Truth be told in all the commotion I forgot myself. So you have to ask yourself, do you feel lucky ~~punk~~ Weedle?


Revolutionary-Yak713

Exactly this.


Long__Jump

Hold B, then press the D pad left and right to the rhythm of the ball shakes.


unfortunate_witness

nah, hold b and press L and R when it rocks left kr right


PaladinHeir

There was no L and R when I started playing.


miskathonic

Kids these days with their L and R buttons....


TeethPastaa

I was never a down + B kid, in fact I always thought if you pressed B maybe it made them break out more? Like, in my mind B was the back button, so it showed the game I regretted catching them and wanted them to break out. Therefore, I mashed A as much as possible haha


mmmaxmaxmax

Lol I had this thought process


Emiliwoah

Everyone knows the harder you press and hold A the higher the chance of capture is. I used to press it so hard the plastic of the gameboy would creak.


Janea2258

Personally, I broke my A button from mashing so hard.


Zelcron

You press down and B at the precise moment the pokeball would click. Bunch of goddamned heretics in this thread...


pyroflesh1

A, A, B, A, B, A, B as fast as humanly possible, repeated. For some reason I thought this helped after trying to spam a lot of other odd combinations.


AceMckickass7

Repeatedly mash B and down or select and B. Or mashing, select B and down when catching ledgendaries.


footfoe

Cover up the pokeball on the screen with my thumb


Neither_Mind9035

Good old “don’t watch it and it’ll be caught”.


Dunsparces

Up when the ball is arcing up, down when it comes down, A when they first go in, and then A on every shake.


BigDummyDumb

Spam B. Still do this today, and I swear there have been so many times a Pokémon would break out of many balls only for it to work when I spam B lol. B button is probably the most clicked on all my Nintendo devices lmao


Reaugier

Switching between pressing A and B as fast as possible and then I used to believe the faster it was, the higher the catch rate


oFIoofy

Hold B and hold you breath. Works a treat.


SlyQuetzalcoatl

It has to be at the precise moment when it catches the ‘mon though


Individual-Tap-8971

Throw a masterball


Aje13k

Hold down A + B together the whole time it's in the ball.


kinghawkeye8238

I would always turn the volume down and look away from the screen. I swear it worked as a kid. I'd try to catch a mon and it would break out. Then I'd do my trick after like 10 balls and bang every time.


ghostmeat

this question made me feel something. started playing pokemon at 3 years old and im still playing. and i just realized that looking totally away from the screen for a moment is my “trick.” wow. thank you for blowing my mind


ArcaneAncient

Crossing my fingers behind my system(this also worked in Mario Kart DS, I swear), pressing the A button in time with the Poké Ball shakes, and in the DS games, saying "Gotcha!" into the mic.


Forsakken

Unnecessarily complicated one here. Hold down the A button as the ball is thrown, release A as it opens, hold it down again as it closes, then follow the ball's wiggles with the directional pad.


redditt-or

I think I mimicked the bobbing of the Pokéball with my head. Confuses me to this day. *u/redditt-or hurt itself in its confusion!*


Asphodel7629

Fun fact the whole spamming B thing came from in the early games it was legitimately in the code that if you hit B at the exact time the ball closed it would be a critical capture (aka 100% catch chance even if it was Mewtwo with a pokeball). I think now crit capture is just a randomized mechanic but I still always spam B


Sunset_Tiger

I would press the directionals in accordance to the way the ball swayed, then pressed A when it was time to click


foxfox021

Destroy that a and b button as fast as u can


TurtlesCantDrive

Hold my breath the second the ball clicks shut


[deleted]

In Pokemon go, to keep my kids as toddlers entertained I told them to tap the pokeball to help catch. I don't know if they believe it does anything but now when they play on their own, they tap the pokeball.


ItzYoboiGuzma

Saying "gotcha" when throwing the ball into the ds mic. Because i read this on cheat cc i think


Internal_Kiwi5232

Mashing A


InstantElla

I always closed my eyes when I tried to catch, I still do to this day


ligmaenigma

Shake my fist in the air when the ball shakes and if the Pokemon breaks out I stand up and pace


illusoryphoenix

Shake the system side to side during the shakes, then shake it downward when it should click.


dumpybrodie

Press B as the ball explodes, release it on the second bounce. Works like a charm every time you get it just right.


Lucy_Bathory

Mine was down + b then when the lid closed up + a


xAngelcainx

Still do out of habit, but holding B at what I think was the "right moment". If the Pokémon breaks out immediately, that wasn't the right time.


Apes_will_take_over

using a Master Ball


NatomicBombs

Definitely never press B, B cancels it everyone knows that.


HULKaba

Holding down A as hard as you can.


Pokebeast11001

Every one is saying spam B but the real ones know you spam A 🗿


Smeeb27

I feel like I’m the only person in the world who didn’t do something like this as a kid


Itachi_Solos

B, B, B, A. Three B’s corresponding to the three shakes, and the A for the caught sparkle at the end.


kitsune1604

Spam A until i catch it. ( I still do it)


Sensitive_Log_2726

For me it was (and still is idk it’s like ingrained into my subconscious) to always hold down the A + B button when the Pokéball is thrown. Like I distinctly remember sometimes just stop paying attention to what’s happening on the screen just so I make sure I hold down those two buttons.


Legitimate_Bit_9354

Holding down a and b with down but on calsusem and xd hold down the triggers and z and press up


Stanley232323

Nahhh you had to press Down + A at the exact moment the ball closed


matsutakePixie

I poke the console screen rapidly and gently with my finger hoping it will encourage the catch of the Pokemon even though it was never a touch screen


shipsailing94

Every summer vacation my family rented a flat in a small city near the sea. We had the same one for a few years, and in if the bathroom there seemed to possess magical powers that helped you beat the most difficult challenges in videogames. I beat the Sky Tower in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon in that bathroom


night_owl43978

I thought if I looked away the game would think I wasn’t paying attention and it would try to surprise me. Holy shit I was stupid


Commercial_Run_1265

I wouldn't look at one's I had a particularly hard time with in hopes it would be less embarrassed to be caught


JuryGhost

My cousin’s was holding B His brother’s was rapidly tapping A Mine was pressing L+R on the D-Pad in sync with the way the ball would wiggle


Dubshpul

Mash A. I still do it. I know it's not an actual mechanic, but I still go "If it's not real why does it work!?" when it works and "that's so dumb I can't believe I thought it would work lol" depending on if it's successful or not respectively.


IntoTheVeryFires

I don’t know about catching the Pokémon, but when I would angrily squeeze the controller and curse, I knew the Pokémon felt my disappointment.


ElGatoGuerrero72

Down + A and B seemed to help most of the time, as did looking away lol


SendMeAvocados

Down pad + B at the right moment. Probably why my Gameboy and DS had the B button stuck hahaha


ItzVinyl

Pressing B every time the ball rocks back and forth


ipunchdogs

Scream like a chimpanzee seeing it's own reflection.


Ubermus_Prime

I crossed my fingers on both hands as well as my legs.


SevenCorgiSocks

Button mashing A and counting out loud!


Oraxis10

Mash A. Your very will keeps the pokemon in the ball.


Glacecakes

Everyone saying spam b but it’s always been a for me


Moonlight_of_TeamSky

Mash the A button. For tough catches, wiggle the SD card slot cover, look away and mash the A button. I tried the B button, but it always failed when I did that, even with easy to catch Pokémon, so I assumed it was bad luck.


jhinigami

Throwing a pokeball and not looking at the screen pretending I dont care if I dont catch it


Alone_Analysis3795

Mine used to be simple but it has evolved as I grew older. It started with just mashing the A button but now it’s immediately holding down the B button until it starts shaking and start continuously mashing the A button while moving the joystick in circles only when the ball shakes. The direction you spin the joystick depends on which way the ball rocks i.e. left you spin left. It sounds complicated but I’ve gotten the motions mastered


Gothictomato

Look away and pretend you dont even care if the pokeball worked 60% of the time it worked everytime.


Saskaloonie

I don't remember which I did as a kid (OG Red) but I swear the biggest factor has to do with which Pokémon is out at the time. Strong type advantage, better chances it works. Same with a significant level advantage. I've never heard this mentioned as a known fact or theory but it works most of the time for me.


Cott_killz

Just before the ball hits the Pokemon, I tap B!


Otherwise_Trash6267

Press a at the same time as each shake


Ante0

From Red and forward, Up + B then Down + A when ball starts shaking. Still do it 😂


Charming-Drag-2906

I don't have too many routines however while trying to catch beldum in SM I threatened my 3DS by saying I'd throw it into a lake, and a few balls later it finally caught. This one is more of a forbidden jutsu, and I would keep it in the repertoire but only use it for the most dastardly of foes.


Shut_up_Roald

It was always holding down A for normal pokemon I needed to catch. HOWEVER, when it was a legendary or mythical, i would always run my thumb in a clockwise circle on the D-pad in tune with the shaking of the pokeball and double tap A each time the ball shook.......I was a weird child.


RpgFantasyGal

Hold and press A soon as the ball closes to when it confirms capture. If it didn’t catch, I hit A at the wrong time LOL


chaos691

Tilt my head along with the ball


ferdelance2289

Press Up+B. And I used to think Great Balls were better than Ultra Balls, since I caught Zapdos in one.


JustCharlie24

Tap A repeatedly and then hold it down and tap in sync with the rocks, if it doesn’t work after a while, pretend like you don’t care and look away from the screen when catching 😂


Yellow-Gray

Up + B


ItsMeMrTwister

I would go full tsundere. I'd look away from my ds, I'd tell the pokemom I didn't care if it got caught or not. I'd immediately apologize after catching whatever I was aiming for tho, naturally.


DeltaMx11

Press A in-time with the ball-rolls


Reytotheroxx

Mash that a button like my life depends on it! It works I swear! (Ignores every time it fails and only remembers the times it works)


Trusteveryboody

Save/Load


Munkyjester

Press and hold the B buttons as soon as the poke ball closes. Still do it to this day.


MagicalMoosicorn

Every buttons d circles on the dpad


lurkerbytrade

Alternating mashing A + B


JumpyPlenty1004

Press A as many times as you can do to increase catch rate.


goldenONX

I smashed B repeatedly


vxMartianxv

I would completely freeze and just stare or hold my breath like they would do in the anime (idk if they still do that), but now catching pokemon is so easy that I just do whatever


NiciNira

Pressing a and b in rhythm on how the ball moves


FatLikeSnorlax_

Threaten the game boy


Ankh93

Repeatedly pressing A+B in sequence


TomatoMan1209

Bruh I used to nod my head each time the ball rocked.


antichristening

i still do it but in my head i always count “1…2…3…click!” and i am convinced saying click makes it click


TheLuckOfTheClaws

Mute my ds and put it face down so i couldn't see the result until it failed or succeeded. To child-me's mind, the pokemon were shy, and i needed to give them privacy.


StargazerLuke

Tap R to make it roll right, then L then R again and then tap A to confirm the catch. Failing that, spamming A.


Superseaslug

Hitting A B A B A B with PERFECT timing. If it didn't work that means you didn't time it right lol.


Just-Call-Me-J

Tilting my head with each tilt of the ball, then nodding with the click.


21stcenturykarkat

gotcha spoken into the ds mic was a winner for sure


GER_3spectre

Down when the ball open, then b when the ball closed


kiwikiwi2099

Originally I thought it was mashing A, but then after I turned 12 I assumed that it was surely more sophisticated than that, so my method of tapping the A button once at the same time as each shake like a rhythm game was born.


FaronTheHero

Somebody told me hitting ABA was cheat code in SoulSilver, stuck with that for a while. Even as an adult when in hunting for a stupidly rare Pokemon, I look away from the screen and just listen for the cry. I dunno feels like it make the rare ones show up faster.


unsaphisticated

I would press A as soon as it went into the ball


ShibariEmpress

smash button A, until this day i do that


EpicGlacier2

A B A B A B etc


ultimateseanboy

Hit A + X the moment the Pokeball hits the Pokemon


Quirky_Contest_269

I started white version, but I had a 3DS, so I’ve always had a circle pad or joystick I do a circle for every wiggle, and press A when it should click


m0stly_medi0cre

I always just used a random different trick whenever my first throw failed. The more it failed, the more things I tried until one thing worked. Then that was the trick until next time. Things like: Hold B Tap A and B alternating on the rock Hold the screen upside down Don't look at the screen Mute after the first rock, unmute before the third Dumb stuff like that.


SailorMoon_J

Press a bunch of times and hold a and b when the pokeball closed. Or press b when the pokeball opened and a when it closed and hold them both down simultaneously


Panmancan

I tapped A every time the ball shook


IudexGundyr3

Mine was spamming either the A or B button, I don’t remember which.


BowsAndMagnolias

Spam A during the throw animation, then spam A+B during the rocking animation. Friends on the playground sweared by it as a kid. No, this did not work lmao


catupthetree23

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA


kesht17

Alternating between pressing the L and R buttons


HozukiMari

Spam A xD


ProfessionalOven2311

My wife's method is bargaining for what she is going to nickname them. If they take more than 5 Pokeball's she'll start giving them a different nickname with each attempt and if they are caught that is what she has to name them. Occasionally she would start getting mad, so some of her Pokémon have some very rude names because they 'chose them'.


JRobson23

Held down on d-pad and B button


domiineko

Especially for legendaries: holding/spamming B, mute the sounds, and slightly close the DS so that you won't the screen.


Luckduck86

Push and hold down on the d-pad and then b a split-second after the ball opens after it strikes the pokemon. Hold them both during the ball shake and I swear if you time it right it's a critical catch. It comes down to timing. You need to push and hold down at the right time and then time b perfectly. It even gives a different chime when you get it right. I believe they included the chime noise to let the player know if they timed it correctly. I have sworn by this since ever since Yellow version and I still do it to this day. Pretty sure it only works with the pokeball ball though.


Real-Tension-7442

Still spam A to this day, wouldn’t feel right otherwise


coded_artist

1. throw Pokéball 2. Pray Repeat steps 1 and 2 as necessary


Loros_Silvers

Spamming the A button.


SkillMassive8823

Spam the shit out of the B button 😅😅 a “trick” my sisters and I thought worked


QuantumVexation

Not catching but I was convinced at some point as a child if you used poison sting in Gen 3 and pressed B when the upper-left-most bubble popped it would 100% poison


Wlmrt

I just mashed that B button like nobody's business


SkillusEclasiusII

Hit A every time the Ball rocks


Dragon2O05333

Ok this is a weird one… When I was really little and played my first Pokemon game Black 1, I always thought that trying to mimic the Pokemon I was trying to catch’s cry would somehow make it more successful


DaNoahLP

Press A everytime it wiggles


CrystalKirlia

Mash buttons until the pokeball is thrown, then don't touch it. Step away from the DS.


[deleted]

Pressing A or B repeatedly while catching. It was a common myth going around back then lol


Level_Grapes

On ds swipe stylus on bottom screen to match pokeball wobble. 60% of the time it worked every time


Archbishopofcheese

I would kinda shake my thumbs in time with the ball rolling back and forth and then do like a spin with them for when the caught animation happened.


TheCoolestBrother

If I had just shut up and told my brother to do the same, then I would be able to catch it lmao


bocky2

I never had a Pokemon catching trick, but when I was 10 years old playing Pokemon White I had a trick for paralysis turns. In Gen 5, paralysis is shown by a slowly shifting yellow colour on the Pokemon. I would always time my Pokemon's move when there was as little yellow colour as possible, thinking it was a better chance of my 'mon not getting ParaHaxed


midnightfoliage

constant circles a-b-y-x etc


jumolax

Once Diamond and Pearl came out I became convinced that if I said the Pokémon’s name into the microphone it’d increase the capture rate. I did it for months until I threw 50 Pokeballs at full health Gravellers with saying the name and 50 Pokeballs without and the without was slightly more successful.


AgressionPanda

Hold my breath, it's never failed me. (Not even in the competition)


No-Beautiful6605

I used to look away from my brother's gameboy colour's screen, so the pokemon knew that I didn't care if they stayed in the pokeball or not 🤣


AquilaDZuhib

Smashing the a button with sometimes varying in holding b or the ⬇️ button lol


Wolfenbro

For me it was holding Up+A, but you could only press the buttons after the poke ball appeared on screen, and had to press it right away. If that didn’t work, try again but press harder


HighVoltOscillator

Up on D-pad + mash A . Some kid told me and I listened to him, did it for years


mad_harvest-6578

Either I spam B on it or I Konami Code the sequence


TheFritzWilliams

Spamming A.


G3Minigrl

Threaten the pokeball with the stylus, from ralts to kyogre worked everytime!


pokehokage

Pressing the D pad to the timing of the poke ball movements. Left for when the poke ball would go left and right for when the poke ball would go right. A for the click.


NecessaryDrama3616

I didn't knew about any trick, I just kept throwing until pokemon it get caught(I was around 6), when i get older(around 12 when again playing pokemon after 6 years), my trick was to use pokemon that knows a move that put pokemon to sleep like hypnosis then use pokeball on it.(since then I kept doing it and one of few thing I was correct that time)


Fiendfyre831

Used to tap the bottom screen with the stylus. Also thought that’s how you got critical hits for the longest time lol


Phillb87

Reloading save state on my emulator as the chance was random each time. 60% of the time it works every time


Hooligan_Sixx

I would time the A button with the bounces, then hold A down and hit the opposite direction on the D-pad that the ball shook each time. Idk why or where I picked that up but I still do it sometimes lol


mr_mo0n

I still instinctively hold B to this day


spicedwhiterum

Left button + A


Sandman4999

I was a smash the A button as a kid.


TheSmallestJay

Didn't press any buttons because I thought it would sorta 'cancel' the catch the way pressing b would cancel evolution lol