Summary
- 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 fake Galarian Moltres had signs indicating it was not genuine, such as wearing a Best Buddy Ribbon and having the ribbon icon above its Combat Power rating.
- The player's excitement led to their oversight, as they mistook the disguised Zorua for a real Galarian Moltres and used their only Master Ball on it. However, new opportunities for additional Master Balls may be introduced soon.
One unlucky Pokemon GO player ended up wasting their Master Ball on a Zorua disguised as a Galarian Moltres. They later took to social media to share this devastating anecdote, adding to the list of stories about Pokemon GO players having terrible luck with legendary bird encounters.
Although the Master Ball has been a staple of the mainline Pokemon RPGs since the very beginning of the franchise, this immensely useful item took nearly seven years to reach Niantic's AR game. The only way to obtain one right now is to complete the Pokemon GO Timed Investigation Master Ball Research, which is available until November 21, at 8:00 p.m. Local time.
And while the extremely rare nature of Master Balls makes most Pokemon GO players think twice before using one, mistakes do happen. Reddit user 5nnn can attest to that fact, having just recently wasted their sole Master Ball on what appeared to be a wild Galarian Moltres, but ended up being just a mischievous Zorua in disguise.
As several fans reacting to this unfortunate anecdote pointed out, the disaster could have actually been avoided with a closer inspection of the creature, as the fake Galarian Moltres not only wore a Best Buddy Ribbon, but also had the ribbon's icon appear above its Combat Power rating. For clarity, Zorua always takes on the appearance of one's Buddy. That's why players looking to catch Zorua in Pokemon GO are recommended to assign a unique companion, which makes spotting the creature easier.
The player explained they were "too excited to notice" the signs that the Galarian Moltres was fake.
In this particular instance, not only was 5nnn not looking to catch the Generation 5 Pokemon, but they had a Galarian Moltres as their assigned Buddy, presumably in order to grind its extremely rare Candy. As a result, they thought they hit the jackpot as soon as they saw another Galarian Moltres, and immediately proceeded to use their Master Ball on the disguised Zorua. Reflecting on this unfortunate event, the player explained they were "too excited to notice" the signs that the Galarian Moltres was fake.
Fortunately for this unfortunate fan, it's likely that Niantic will soon introduce new opportunities for obtaining additional Master Balls in Pokemon GO. After all, the Timed Investigation Master Ball Research that's set to expire in November was already preceded by a similar event during Season 10: Rising Heroes, which ran until June 1. In the meantime, players lucky enough to encounter a Galarian Moltres in Pokemon GO are advised not to use their Master Ball(s) on it if they already happen to be walking one such creature as their Buddy.
WHERE TO PLAY
Pokémon GO is an immersive open-world multiplayer RPG that enables you to live your own RPG adventure in augmented reality. Find and evolve all Pokémon and battle with other players in AR online in this multiplayer adventure RPG.
COMPLETE YOUR POKÉDEX AND INCREASE YOUR TRAINER LEVEL!
Catch your favourite Pokémon as you explore the open world in augmented reality, trade them with other Trainers, or get the chance to catch a Pokémon after winning a Raid. You can also collect Pokémon by hatching eggs through walking! Evolve your Pokémon in your Pokédex, gain levels to catch more powerful Pokémon and earn adventure rewards during a Raid in multiplayer or online PvP battle.
EXPERIENCE THE ADVENTURE IN MULTIPLAYER AND PvP!
Start your own adventure and challenge other Trainers online in PvP during epic Gym battles or in the GO Battle League. You can also enjoy multiplayer by facing off with other players in PvP battles to win rewards, or team up with other Trainers for a chance to catch Pokémon after a Raid Battle.
CREATE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE!
Customise your avatar, join one of the three teams and pick your Buddy Pokémon from your Pokédex to journey by your side in this AR adventure RPG.
SWITCH BETWEEN THE REAL WORLD AND THE VIRTUAL WORLD WITH THE AR+ MODE!
Bring the RPG to the real world and search for Pokémon in locations around you. With the AR+ mode, Pokémon appear right in front of you — Catch it with your PokéBall and add it to your Pokédex.
Catch your favourite Pokémon in AR as you explore the world and battle online with other Trainers in PvP and Raid battles.
