Now, we all know the basics of catching Pokemon. You reduce their HP to weaken them, hit them with a status (sleep is the most effective here, but it doesn’t last long) and then toss your Poké Ball of choice at their cute little face. That’s all there is to it… except it often isn’t.

If you’re still in the battle 50 Poké Balls later, you’re probably trying to catch yourself a Legendary Pokemon. These critters are well known for refusing to stay in that ball for a third shake and are generally a huge pain in the blood pressure to catch (without a Master Ball). Here are some of the worst offenders.

Updated November 10th, 2020 by Chris Littlechild: The world of Pokemon is a complicated, ever-changing place. To continue wowing the series’ many fans, Game Freak has to keep making changes to the formula (as begrudging and subtle as those changes may be). This also applies to Legendary Pokemon, which are always the biggest draws of all. 

To celebrate the release of Pokemon Sword & Shield’s Crown Tundra expansion, which added several new Legendary Pokemon along with its predecessor The Isle of Armor, it’s time to take another look at this list and add a few brand-new Legendaries that will test the patience of even the most dedicated Trainers. Enjoy!

15 Galarian Articuno, Zapdos And Moltres

The first of several Legendary trios to make this list, the Galarian forms of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were some of the most anticipated new critters added in Pokemon Sword & Shield’s brilliant and distinctly meme-worthy Crown Tundra expansion. With their new typings, awesome signature moves, and creative designs, these birds were always going to be highly sought after.

Sadly, each of them is very tough to catch. Not only do they have the familiar low catch rate of a Legendary Pokemon, they also roam an area of the overworld (the Crown Tundra for Galarian Articuno, Wild Area for Galarian Zapdos, and Isle of Armor in Galarian Moltres’ case) and have to be chased down in order to initiate a battle in the first place. The former may be the most troublesome, using its physic powers to create illusory copies of itself and fleeing if the player engages the wrong one.

14 Necrozma

Necrozma is an unusual case. In the final battle itself in Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, its chance of being captured is actually increased (as can be the case with ‘story’ Legendaries). It remains one of the hardest to catch overall, though, because it really is a wild ride to get to it.

Earlier, Ultra Necrozma appeared as a boss fight. Of course, it can’t be caught in this encounter, but this level 60 powerhouse really is a stiff challenge. Those boosts in every stat and its high-powered moves can be devastating for unprepared teams. By the time players reach the capturable encounter with Necrozma on Mt. Lanakila, they’ve certainly earned it!

13 Cresselia

With a Catch Rate of 3, the chances of nabbing Cresselia equal about 1.6%. These odds aren’t unusual for Legendary Pokemon, of course, but they mean you must be ready for the usual False Swipe, status-inflicting shenanigans that attempts to catch rare Pokemon always reduce fans to.

Compounding this issue in Cresselia’s case, however, is its incredible bulk (base 120 HP, 120 Defense, and 130 Special Defense). Throw in its ability to heal itself with Moonlight and you’ve got a potential nightmare battle on your hands if luck doesn’t favor you. In short: some Psychic-types are easy to catch, while others definitely are not.

12 Zacian And Zamazenta

In a competitive sense, it’s really quite plain to see which is the ‘better’ of Sword & Shield’s mascot Pokemon. Zacian is one of the most fearsome powerhouses in series history, thanks to its sky-high Attack and Intrepid Sword Ability, which gives it a +1 boost to its already absurd power on switching in.

Whether you favor Zacian or its defensive juggernaut counterpart Zamazenta, both will really put you through the wringer when it comes to capturing them. In either case, there’s a super theatrical showdown against Eternamax Eternatus to contend with (the two mascot Legendaries aid you in this battle), as well as the entire matter of becoming champion. Only after finishing the story and the post-game episode can either Zacian or Zamazenta be challenged, and a tough battle it is too.

11 Mewtwo

Back in the fledgling days of Pokemon Red & Blue, there were no shiny Pokemon. It was a simpler time. This meant that there was no real competition, as far as your Master Ball target went.

Kanto’s Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres were problematic to catch as well (particularly Articuno, as we’ll see later), but that Master Ball was really intended for Mewtwo. It was the highest-level Pokemon in existence at the time, incredibly powerful and had access to HP recovery. All these factors, combined with the low natural chances of catching it, made this battle a real pain.

10 Ice Rider/Shadow Rider Calyrex

Meanwhile, back in the Crown Tundra DLC, one of the mysterious and hilarious Peony’s missions is to, ultimately, hunt down Calyrex and add the spindly-legged yet regal Pokemon to your collection. It proves to be quite the long-winded journey.

After a casual fetch quest and NPC-wrangling marathon, you must challenge a lone Calyrex, before going on to battle either Glastrier or Spectrier (depending on the field in which you chose to plant your carrot seeds) later in this little storyline. Finally, after creating the Reins of Unity and uniting Calyrex with its noble steed, the final encounter at the Crown Shrine awaits! Its Ice Rider/Shadow Rider form is very strong at level 80, with an obnoxious catch rate and an Ability (Chilling Neigh or Grim Neigh respectively) that boosts its power when it scores a knockout. Play very carefully around this and good luck!

9 Entei, Raikou And Suicune

So you caught Mewtwo and successfully graduated from Generation I. Nice work! For Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal, however, Game Freak added a new mechanic to make Legendary Pokemon even more of a pain to acquire: Roaming.

Generally speaking, battles with these all-powerful beasts are meant as big setpieces, so they’re encountered in fixed areas. Those first meetings with Entei, Raikou, and Suicune were different, though, as we first had to chase them around Johto to initiate the match. After doing so, they were just as challenging as ever to pin down and catch.

8 Regigigas

Regigigas is a Pokemon whose stats immediately make it seem overpowered on paper. Like Slaking, though, its horrendous ability soon cures any delusions of grandeur it may have had about not being awful.

Slow Start halves its Attack and Speed for the first five turns it’s in battle, which is a real party pooper. Nevertheless, it’s a huge and intimidating Legendary Pokemon that makes for a grueling battle. Especially considering the hoops you have to jump through with Regice, Regirock and Registeel to battle it in the first place.

7 Shadow Lugia (Pokémon XD: Gale Of Darkness)

Pokemon XD: Gale Of Darkness took a lot of liberties with the familiar Pokemon formula. The concept of Shadow Pokemon isn’t something the mainline games really explore, but they’re out in full force here. The dastardly Greevil, in fact, comes at you with Cipher’s XD001, better known as Shadow Lugia.

This monster is supposedly immune to purification, the process by which Shadow Pokemon are restored to their former state. It takes some time to take Lugia back from Cipher’s clutches using a Snag Ball, but once you do, you’re instantly thrown back into battle with the vengeful Grand Master. This time, he’s definitely bringing his A-game: he has all three Legendary birds on his team.

6 Articuno

Speaking of the Legendary birds, we promised earlier that we’d circle back around to how much of a pain Articuno can be to acquire. Let’s get into it, then.

In Pokemon Red & Blue, as fans will know, Articuno was found within the Seafoam Islands, an out-of-the-way spot and an optional dungeon. This place was home to one of the banes of many a young Pokemon player’s existence – a protracted and rather obscure Strength puzzle. Only once you’d beaten it could you challenge this majestic Legendary Pokemon, and you did not want to run out of Poké Balls all the way down here.

5 Arceus

There’s an obvious caveat here: in terms of legitimacy alone, Arceus is one of the rarest Pokemon ever. In the main series, it’s only really been available through occasional events. This is fair enough, we suppose: you wouldn’t expect to find the almighty deity of the Pokéverse wandering around Route 1 and scavenging the garbage of Pallet Town with those Rattatas, would you?

The all-powerful Arceus is a huge pain to catch even if you hack it into the game. Many players have done this with the canceled Azure Flute event that was intended for release in Generation IV, only to find that this high-level Pokemon can both heal its HP and any status problems. Good luck with that without a Master Ball.

4 Giratina

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl were home to more than one super-challenging Legendary Pokemon battle. Deep in Turnback Cave, after running a confusing gauntlet of rooms, pillars and the rising temptation to ragequit, the player eventually found Giratina (Altered Forme), brazenly standing there.

If you’re experienced in competitive Ubers matches, you’ll know that this thing is a heck of a pain to bring down. The trusty False Swipe won’t work on this Ghost either (Odor Sleuth and similar shenanigans aside), meaning a real battle of attrition and a lot of luck will be called for to get the capture.

3 Landorus, Thundurus And Tornadus

In a lot of ways, Generation V’s Landorus, Thundurus and Tornadus are a similar prospect to Pokemon Gold and Silver’s Legendary trio. They’re just as tough to pin down and keep in a ball as Entei, Raikou, and Suicine.

That’s right, friends. The whole ‘roaming Legendary’ mechanic made a glorious return here. Yes, it’s something to keep players journeying around the region later in the game, and these powerhouses are certainly worth the effort, but it can still be a real nuisance to catch them.

2 Rayquaza

Rayquaza, of course, is one of the most formidable offensive Pokemon the series has ever seen. We don’t know who at Game Freak thought it was a good idea to give this thing a Mega Evolution (one that doesn’t even require a Mega Stone, no less), but we respect their chutzpah. Instead of Pokemon much more deserving of a Mega Evolution, they gave one to Rayquaza. Not since Dr. Frankenstein has anyone created such a frightening monster.

In Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Rayquaza is much easier to catch, as it’s a story encounter. In Generation III, meanwhile, chances of catching it were much lower, it was at a very high level and had Rest to cure its HP and status. Not a good time for anyone concerned.

1 Azelf, Mesprit And Uxie

Our final entry is another three-way tie. Of Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie, the lake guardians of Generation IV, two actually have the decency to stay in one spot to be battled, while the other does not. Dang it, Mesprit.

Azelf is battled at Valor Cavern and Uxie at Acuity Cavern. Both have a very low catch rate of 3 (the lowest possible, as with a lot of Legendary Pokemon) and make for a tall order without a Master Ball as it is. It’s the same with Mesprit, with the added challenge that it wants to ‘play,’ so it takes off to roam Sinnoh after you encounter it. Cue the usual Mean Look wrangling to try and keep it in that ball.

NEXT: 10 Tips For Catching Legendary Pokémon When You Don’t Have A Master Ball