Why Pokemon GO’s May 14 Update is a Big Deal

Pokemon GO continues to give players a reason to check out the game in 2024 with an exciting update coming later this month. Throughout the ongoing World of Wonders season, Pokemon GO has provided players with new critters like Armarouge and Ceruledge to catch, Community Day events featuring fantastic shiny mons like Litten and Bagon, and special timed research tasks available via the Wonder Ticket. To add to this content, Pokemon GO will be giving players another chance to earn a coveted Master Ball during the upcoming Catching Wonders event, meaning it’s a perfect time for both new players and veterans to hop into the game.

Although Pokemon GO‘s popularity is not on the same level as when the game first launched in 2016, it is still going strong nearly eight years later. Developer Niantic recently stated that they plan to keep Pokemon GO supported for the next 10 years, which would be quite a feat to pull off for a live-service mobile title. However, Niantic is putting Pokemon GO in a great position to fulfill this plan with continuous updates to the game and generous opportunities for players to obtain rare and useful items like the Master Ball.

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Pokemon GO: World of Wonders’ Master League Explained

Pokemon GO’s World of Wonder Battle League is underway, and there are a few things for fans who want to participate in its Master League to consider.

Pokemon GO is Adding Another Chance to Earn a Master Ball

Between May 14 and 19, Pokemon GO players will be able to participate in the Catching Wonders event where they can earn additional XP and Stardust, and access the free Masterwork Research. Completing this research will earn players a Master Ball, among other rewards, so it’s definitely worth it for both new players and veterans to jump into the game to work through this research. The Masterwork Research doesn’t expire, so players won’t have to worry about completing it before the end of the event or risk losing out on their Master Ball.

There have only been two other opportunities to claim a Master Ball in the past, and they were only obtainable by players who logged into the game during their availability. The first time the Master Ball was obtainable in Pokemon GO was during the Rising Heroes season, where the Let’s GO! special research rewarded players with a Master Ball for a limited time. The second opportunity to grab a Master Ball was during the Adventures Abound season, which featured the free Timed Investigation: Master Ball research as well as the purchasable Special Research: Master Ball for those who missed out on the timed investigation.

Why Master Balls are Exciting for Pokemon GO Players

The Master Ball is infamous among Pokemon fans as an exceedingly rare item, but one that is well worth trying to obtain since it is guaranteed to capture whatever mon players use it on. This same ability applies to Pokemon GO as well, giving players the power to capture some of the game’s toughest mons without fail. Given how frustrating it can be to try and catch rare or Legendary creatures with the regular set of Poke Balls, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls, the Master Ball is a precious item for all types of Pokemon GO players.

Given the Master Ball’s guaranteed catch rate, it is the perfect ball to use on rare mons like the Legendary Galarian bird trio, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, since they are hard to find and will flee from players very quickly. For players looking to build the strongest party of critters possible, the Master Ball is also a great tool to use on mons with perfect IVs like those from Pokemon GO Raids, since they have an increased chance of having 100% perfect IVs. Shiny Pokemon can also make great candidates for players’ Master Balls since they are very rare outside boosted odds events like Community Days.

Pokémon GO

Released

July 6, 2016

Genre(s)

Augmented Reality

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

Unity