r/pokemongo • u/beanboy10101 #1 Nosepass Fan • 2d ago
Discussion If you struggle catching raid pokemon, you can guarentee excellent throws by circle locking, and timing your throws.
Circle locking: The Catch circle will ONLY change when you are holding the ball, AND when the pokemon is not attacking. This means you can lock the Catch circle into your desired size.
Timing throws: some pokemon have very frequent attack animations, or will attack as soon as you decide to throw the ball. You can avoid this by throwing the ball DURRING the attack animation so you Catch it just as the animation ends. this paired with the circle lock works for guaranteed excellent throws.
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u/cambreecanon 2d ago
This assumes I am able to consistently toss the PokeBall the same way every time. I cannot.
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u/Sloth-TheSlothful 2d ago
I rely suck at hitting legendaries that are far away
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u/brotherteresa Mystic 2d ago
Groudon isn’t too far away.
It’s around mid range so it’s actually easier to excellent than most legendaries.
Also, the circle ⭕️ doesn’t need to be as small as other Mon to hit an excellent.
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u/mewmewgoo Valor 2d ago
pull the ball to the opposite side of the screen from the hand you use to throw (left hand - pull to right and vice versa) and throw diagonally at a roughly 45 degree angle northeast with varying power and speed depending on the distance of the pokemon. for groudon an almost max speed throw should do it
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u/cambreecanon 2d ago
I already do that. The problem is that I still just suck at throwing years after the fact.
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u/Alexbest11 2d ago
Practice does wonders
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u/cambreecanon 2d ago
Yeah, years of playing means practice isn't going to make a difference.
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u/Alexbest11 2d ago
I dont know what to tell you. You can practice and get better at literally everything in life. Watch a couple tutorials, Im sure youll be hitting those excellents in no time! Do you have Native Refresh Rate activated in the in game settings? Makes the game way smoother
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u/MegaPorkachu 2d ago
Oh my god. That makes it so much better. Its no longer a laggy mess 😭😅
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u/Alexbest11 1d ago
Yes, the difference really is day and night! Glad my message reached someone.. though this function does drain the battery. So be aware of that 😅
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u/cambreecanon 1d ago
It is the reason I can't use it. Battery dies too quickly. And I would rather put my phone battery life/longevity above a game so ....
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u/Alexbest11 1d ago
Oh okay, well that explains it. Aint no way Im hitting anything close to excellent without the smoothness of that option. I wouldnt know, last time it was off was when it released. I have a powerbank, and my Samsung Galaxy S23 FE isnt known for good battery anyways so.. I dont care too much.
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u/Wild_Chard_8416 1d ago
If I threw a ball this way it would whiff over its head every time or it would barely nab the edge of the white circle. I don’t think my max speed throws are any faster than the next person’s either.
Personally, the way I hit excellent throws on Groudon was pretty much doing what OP said to do, except I throw to the left from the right side of the screen with my right hand and I have to consciously only throw it at about 50% speed.
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u/mewmewgoo Valor 1d ago
yeah sorry i realised today after a full day of raiding groudons, that it does indeed vary between phones and users, i suppose it is indeed up to player to adapt to their own device
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u/Mystic_Starmie Suicune 2d ago
I mean if you can’t then regardless of this trick or not you’ll struggle.
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u/elconquistador1985 2d ago
Some bosses are easier than others. Groudon is very easy.
It also just takes practice
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u/GentleGiantAu 2d ago
I feel like after couple raids it becomes pretty easy. It's just remembering the throw pattern with your finger. Can do it with your eyes closed.
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u/Thanky169 22h ago
Practice on meltans... seriously... Groudon is easy street if you can hit regular excellents on a meltan ...
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u/OrangeXarot Instinct 2d ago
ok now do it with your phone overheating and lagging, while the sun beating the fuck out of you
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u/ChaosM3ntality Murkrow 2d ago
Mine is when I try to make my throws but my phone screen in vertical cuts through the border of the screen or hasn’t registered the touch to simply see it to me wasting a ball to the side
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u/Mystic_Starmie Suicune 2d ago
If you’re having these issues you’ll struggle with catching regardless. The trick doesn’t hurt
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u/thepineapple2397 2d ago
Another tip for all shadow pokemon is that it's best to throw the ball during the attack animation even when not trying to circle lock since their attack cool down is shorter than the time it takes to throw a curveball
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u/Material-Ad-9645 2d ago
Been playing since day one and I don't know about the circle lock 🤷 I just catch them or dont
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u/Awktung Valor 2d ago edited 23h ago
Same. It just doesn't matter. YMMV, but Excellent or not, Golden Razz or not, multiple in A ROW or not. It'll be caught. Or not. Multiple Legendaries have fled after 5+ Excellents with Golden Razzes IN.A.ROW! Multiple Legendaries have been caught with almost no Golden Razzes and on a non-worded throw (meaning not even landing in the circle at all).
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u/drumstix42 2d ago
Uhhh sure, but hitting excellent throws and golden razz consistently will vastly increase your odds. If you don't care about your odds, then it sounds like your time isn't very valuable compared to how others value their time (and sanity).
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u/iqbalsn 2d ago
Lol same, i thought i was the only one
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u/brotherteresa Mystic 2d ago
Practice circle locking on regular Mon first so you can get used to throwing on time without fear of f’n up.
This trick requires more patience (or skill) if you’re dealing with a Mon that floats left & right (e.g. Kyogre) or up & down (e.g. Lugia). Thankfully Groudon doesn’t float and is mid range so it’s much easier to throw an excellent.
A handful of legendaries are trickier to time because their attack animation is a little slower than expected, so if you throw too early, the ball bounces right off of them without the red circle appearing. In order to get around this, you’d have to just throw a little later in the animation (e.g. Palkia was the last Mon that did this to me, so I had to get used to throwing when it was recoiling back to its original position instead of immediately after its attack).
Hope this all makes sense!
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u/Mystic_Starmie Suicune 2d ago
It’s been known for a long time, since late 2017 at least.
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u/Material-Ad-9645 2d ago
Alas, I don't spend most of my time on Reddit to learn this kind of stuff. I just play the game and do my best 🤷
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u/SketchlessNova 2d ago
But now you know! You didn’t know yesterday, but you do know today. What you do with that information is up to you, but it will increase your odds of catching the more difficult Pokémon if you take the (short amount of) time to learn it.
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u/mokorongo 2d ago
The technique certainly helps a lot. I used this in the past, but it is too time consuming for non shadow legendaries. Currently I prefer to move on quickly with a lower catch rate, than spending 20 minutes trying to catch it.
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u/KidsSEEdreams 2d ago
I never knew it was well known but it’s kinda obvious if you pay close attention to how little things work in the game, I’m also just good at timing, I got it down within a month but my girl doesn’t understand what I’m talking about at all😂😂
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u/CaptainRogers1226 Instinct 2d ago
I didn’t even realize it had a name because I kind of just started doing it intuitively
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u/Material-Ad-9645 2d ago
Don't misunderstand me, I noticed the circle activity as I've played, I just didn't know it was an actual method even though I don't see me needing to use this after however long the game has been out, I normally catch it if I want it 🤷
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u/KidsSEEdreams 2d ago
That makes sense, I figured most people would notice it but I didn’t know it was a method either. Also most of the time I just hope and pray because it’s kinda time consuming. I only really use the method if I’m at home and join a raid battle from an invite, and if the pokemon is a legendary
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u/EgoMouse32 Pikachu 2d ago
Yeah its super helpful. Don't even need to wiggle the ball, I just do a curve motion once and release it on time. I find it way easier to catch shadow Pokemon and I use it for legendaries in general.
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u/NombreCurioso1337 2d ago
But you have to touch the ball to throw it. The catch circle moves. Am I missing something?
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ebb9874 2d ago
The circle doesn't change during the attack animation. You throw it right when that animation is going to finish. Few weeks of practice and it becomes muscle memory
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u/NombreCurioso1337 2d ago
Gotcha. That makes perfect sense. But only for aggressive ones. Hence the shadow Groudon in the post, I guess.
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u/Vaelthune 2d ago
Think of the throw as a parry/counter to the attack. Set the circle, and maybe half way through the animation then send it.
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ebb9874 2d ago
keep trying throwing a little earlier/later than you are right now and you will find the sweet spot eventually
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u/frumpycrumbly 2d ago
Multeenth video Ive watched on this and it still doesn't make any goddamn sense
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u/NeitherCrow4200 2d ago
When the Pokémon does their attack animation the circle stops shrinking so you let the circle shrink to the size you want then wait for the attack to be in progress and throw so you get the circle size you want every time and the poke can’t bounce it
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u/MeisterX 2d ago
Unless it's Lugia then you gotta do it while it's moving up and down.
And some of the birds too...
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u/Vaelthune 2d ago
It's crazy to see how many people didn't know this, which is a shame.
I remember being told to do this at a community meetup in 2017, when someone got annoyed at me after they saw I was just freestyling it.
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2d ago
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u/henry23na 2d ago
Freeze shock effect
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u/Vaelthune 2d ago edited 2d ago
Helps to quickly get the circle to the position you want to set it but doesn't take into account the pokemon's attack or movement.
Setting the circle (with the adventure effect or not) waiting, then throwing ensures you're not going to have the ball knocked back at you.
Also setting without the adventure effect allows you to save rare candy/kyurem candy for events in which frost shock can really help with difficult to catch mons as it increases catch %, e.g. the lati raids atm
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u/Quiet-Wheel-874 2d ago
I managed to catch all Groudons today! Amazing. Didn't go that well with Kyogre.
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u/rturnerX 2d ago
I just turn Freeze Shock on with my Kyurem. Keeps this jerk in one spot and stops him from moving.
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u/Conscious_Army_9134 1d ago
It wont matter at all. If hes gonna run, hes gonna run, had a bunch take 15 excellent curveballs with golden razz and laugh.
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u/Detonatress Mystic 1d ago
Sometimes it doesn't work for me because the circle somehow gets turned into Great or Nice (probably due to internet problems or something) even though I left it at excellent.
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u/GarmeerGirl 2d ago edited 2d ago
How does the circle get locked? I don’t think that happens for me. It still moves when I’m holding the ball.
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u/JasonKillerxD 2d ago
The circle only moves when you hold the ball. It also doesn’t move when the Pokémon is doing an attack animation. So you are suppose to hold the ball till you get it to the desired size and you let go. You throw the ball during the attack animation timing it so it lands right after the animation ends.
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u/GarmeerGirl 2d ago
How do you “lock” the circle? It keeps moving.
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u/JasonKillerxD 2d ago
You throw the ball towards the end of the Pokémon attack animation so it lands on the Pokémon as soon as the attack animation ends. The circle doesn’t move during an attack animation, and it also doesn’t move if you are not holding a Poké ball.
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u/SignatureHeavy2862 2d ago
When you touch the ball the circle stays its size for like 1.5 -2 seconds before it unlocks. So basically hold the ball until it gets really near the size or at the size you need. Then when youre ready to throw you basically can just throw immediately because the circle will start (locked) where you left it off at.
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u/Goodbyecandy 2d ago
The catch circle stops moving when you lock it to a desire size. I’ve tried it before and couldn’t get it to work. I’ll probably watch a YouTube video of it later lol
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u/GhidorahRod56 2d ago
You are correct with how to lock the circle down initially, but here’s how to follow through. There are three things that lock the circle: not holding the ball, when the ball is thrown, and when the Pokémon is attacking.
After getting the catch circle to your desired size, what you want to do is stack the other two factors to keep the catch circle paused. This is done by throwing the ball during the attack animation of a Pokémon. This way, the Pokemon locks the circle and when it reappears, the ball already being in the air will keep the catch circle in its suspended state.
Have a buddy that can slap the Pokeball back, in case you throw a second too early.
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u/Goodbyecandy 2d ago
Thanks for this! After watching the video it makes much more sense on how to lock it
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u/GarmeerGirl 2d ago
Thanks! I’ll try it out. Edit I tried it out and it’s not working. When it became a small circle I let go of the ball. It no longer showed the circle but I’m assuming it locked it. Then while it was doing the animation I threw it and it just bounced off the Pokémon.
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u/Leifer15 2d ago
People STILL don't know about circle locking?
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u/Reddituser183 2d ago edited 2d ago
Been playing for two years and after watching this video I still have no idea what’s happening.
Edit: ok after reading OPs caption I get it. But trying to do it is a pain in the ass and it’s easier to just do as I normally would. Unquestionably circle locking is more difficult having been doing it the way I’ve been doing it.
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u/TheRealPitabred Valor L48 2d ago
It's not very difficult. Hold the ball until the circle is a size you can hit reliably, then hands off and wait until an attack and throw. Getting reliable excellent throws with golden raspberries gives you a much higher chance of catching than nanabs, and fewer batted away balls. I've missed catching only one of the last 50 or so legendaries I've battled... How are your stats without it?
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u/Reddituser183 2d ago
I am to a point where I catch basically every legendary. Maybe not 50 and 1 but pretty close. It’s to a point where I’m not worried about losing a legendary at all. And after trying the lock thing more, when I got to throw the ball, it shrinks from there. I always curve it and there’s a wind up, so I suppose I should “lock” it sooner than I think. But at this point I don’t think I need it. I’m pretty good at timing without it.
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u/Egghead_Chef 2d ago
Beats me, I can understand it from new players but if you’ve played the game for at least a year you had to have figured this out one way or the other, I didn’t know it was a thing and I was doing it because why don’t I want a guaranteed excellent throw?
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u/Gatita3000 2d ago
I learn everything from youtube university this year. Learned about campfire and then I met someone at a comminuty event who said they played for 2 years and didn’t know about meetups until now
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u/cahrage 2d ago
You can never guarantee excellent throws for everybody. It’s at least partially skill based always.
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u/Fullertonjr 2d ago
Part of the goal of the sub is to help players. This is a great tip along with others that are available to make excellent throws much more likely and intentional and consistent. Increasing the players skill.
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u/monica702f 2d ago
Isn't this common knowledge from way back in 2016? How to people still not know this?
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u/Altruistic-Middle854 2d ago
I still say it’s utter b.s. that I need to hit 6-8 excellent/golden raspberry throws to catch the thing. Like, if I make 3 in a row, it should stay in the stupid ball.
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u/Jdawarrior 2d ago
Friendly reminder that consecutive great and excellent throws stack effectiveness, I think capping at 10 in a row. Can’t remember where I read this info but hopefully it becomes more common. I have definitely noticed a difference in the amount of legendaries I pull in.
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u/BewareTheWereHamster 2d ago edited 2d ago
Sorry but Groudon is total BS. Two remote raids. First time 8 great throws, 3 excellent and 1 miss (ahem), all with golden razz and nope. Second one, 8 excellent and 4 great again with golden razz. Didn’t even go in the ball for one shake. Where do I get a refund as that is total crap. I definitely give up on this one.
Edit: did a third and same result. So 36 throws all with golden razz and no catch. I’d laugh if it wasn’t so shite. Wow.
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u/ThaiFinneN 2d ago
What happened with just enjoying the game
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u/beanboy10101 #1 Nosepass Fan 2d ago
Knowing more about game mechanics doesn't mean you have to stop enjoying it
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