How To Keep A Pokemon In The Pokeball

In order to impress friends with your Pokemon prowess, there is one essential thing to learn in "Pokemon Go" — how to keep a Pokemon in the Pokeball. There is nothing more frustrating than making the perfect shot, only to have a rare, high level Pokemon break out of its Pokeball and disappear in a poof of smoke (*shakes fist at sky*).

I think it's safe to say that "Pokemon Go," the augmented reality game released by Nintendo and Niantic last week, has taken over our phones and minds (and hearts?). A huge part of the of the intoxicating mystery of the game is that it was released with little to no instructions, so we have had no choice but to figure out how to best play the game as a community. Before getting into more advanced strategy, we have to first get these darn Pokemon to stay in their Pokeball!

First, let's tackle why Pokemon break out of their Pokeballs (I don't blame them — I bet it's pretty cramped in there). Every Pokemon has a colorful circle surrounding it that signals how difficult it will be to catch. Green is the easiest, yellow is more difficult, and red is the hardest. The yellow and red circles are signs that the Pokemon in front of you has a higher CP (combat power) and thus is more desirable.

If you are hitting a higher level Pokemon with regular Pokeballs, they are very likely to escape. Even if you make the perfect shot, and get the Pokeball through the center of the circle, the Pokemon may still break free (sooo frustrating). Too many tries, and the Pokemon may get bored and run away all together.

To increase the likelihood of capturing the desired high level Pokemon on the first try, you will want to utilize your Razz Berries. When facing off against a rare Pokemon, select the item option located in lower righthand side of your screen (It looks like a backpack). Scroll through your items until you reach the Razz Berry option, if you feed this treat to the Pokemon, they will be easier to catch. Once selected, the Razz Berry will appear at the bottom center of your screen, where your Pokeball was.

Throw the Razz Berry at the Pokemon just like you would a Pokeball. The Pokemon will eat it, and a heart will appear ('cause the game is freakin' adorable). After they have enjoyed the treat, your Pokeball will return to the bottom of your screen — launch it at the Pokemon, and they should be more willing to join your Pokedex.

If for some reason, the Pokemon still will not be caught, I recommend using a Great Ball. These fancy Pokeballs give you a higher catch rate than the regular red and white Pokeballs, and are also located in the "items" section.

Follow this advice, and you will be a Pokemon Master in no time!

Images: Screenshots/"Pokemon Go"