How To Keep Your Pokemon In Their Poke Ball

When you're in the initial throws of your "Pokemon Go" quest, it's easy to get sloppy with your catching. After all, grabbing Doduos and Weedles are as easy as flicking your finger (like, literally). But when you level up in "Pokemon Go," you start to encounter more tempestuous Pokemon who just don't want to stay put, and that'll have you wondering: why do Pokémon break out of their Poké Balls?

Well, it's very plausible that, if you're asking this question, you took a long sabbatical from the franchise, because the answer is simple: it's too strong. OK, that may be oversimplifying; let me explain. When you encounter rare Pokémon or a Pokémon with a high CP (or a rare Pokémon with a high CP), it's going to be more difficult to catch than your garden variety Pidgey. And, just like you wouldn't try to catch Mewtwo without a bundle of duplicated Master Balls in the OG games, you're not going to try to get a Scyther by flippantly throwing Poké Balls at it. It'll end up a wasteful endeavor.

The first thing you might want to do when approaching a powerful Pokemon is pacify it. Do you remember how, in the Safari Zone, you'd have a higher likelihood to catch a Pokémon if you used bait to distract it? "Pokemon Go" implements the same concept here with Razz Berries. The item, which can be acquired after Level 8, can be found at random Poké Stops, and it's one of the easiest things to stock up on. Frankly, they're a lot more expandable than wasting your Poké Balls, so that's what you want to use first when encountering something a little bit special.

Simply go to your backpack and select the Razz Berry. Then, click the Razz Berry on screen to feed to the Pokémon. So long as you implement a successful throw, this should make the Pokémon easier to catch. But if that isn't enough, you may need to upgrade your Poké Balls.

At Level 12, this is possible: you're blessed with Great Balls. Great Balls definitely help when catching those higher CP Pokemon, and switching them out is virtually the same as getting a Razz Berry. Just retrieve them from your backpack and throw them like you would any other Poké Ball. Think of it as a higher security establishment where wild Pokémon are less likely to break free. Of course, the upgrades don't stop there: Level 20 brings the beloved Ultra Balls into play. But friend, if you have Ultra Balls in hand and are still confused about why a Pokémon would break out of it's ball, I am mystified about how you got this far in the game.

So there are a couple of different approaches to take when making sure a Pokémon will stay put, but my general rule of thumb is this: a Razz Berry and a Poké Ball for common Pokémon with high HP, a Great Ball for strong, uncommon, but not super rare Pokémon I need (think a Tangela versus a Moltres) and a Razz Berry/Great Ball common for Pokémon I'm desperate to have. You'll find your own method, I'm sure, and pretty soon you'll be the most powerful trainer in the world.

Or at least the most powerful Gym Leader at Chipotle.

Images: 4Kids Entertainment; "Pokemon Go"