Pokemon Button Holding Myth - Is It True?

[wizh]

Just made an account so I could tell this.

Well,

Yesterday I hacked my PSP so I could play Pokémon on it, and after hours of playing and by accidentally coming across Articuno, I decided to try my luck on Moltres.

After clearing the cave I paused right in front of him, but I discovered I only had 25 ultra-balls, so I knew it would take alot of reloading.
And I got so frustrated that I searched on google for any kind of code you could use to easier catch a pokémon, and I stumbled across this site.

So, after browsing through the first comments, I tried holding "down" on the D-pad at the same time as holding A as soon as the ball hit the bird, and it worked!

Happened just now and I just had to tell. So maybe it's just dumb luck or maybe it actually works

 

[JuicieJ]

I'm pretty sure it's a myth, but, boy, did it sure seem to work a lot!

 

[Reaca]

I always used to tap A every time the pokeball bounced or rolled. I used to do that when I tried to catch legendaries.

 

[Ventus]

It is partially true, I can't exactly confirm it but I know for a definite fact that holding the buttons after throwing the Pokeball increases your chances. There are obvious cases where this will never work, such as in the case of trying to catch another trainer's Pokemon, and then there are the times where it just doesn't work because the RNG hates you, but it increases your chances nonetheless. I've tested it at least one hundred times, on full health Pokemon and on Sleep induced PKMN.

I tested using save states. On full health, awake Pokemon using a Poke Ball (not an Ultra, not a Master), the rejection rate was close to 100 percent without holding buttons. While holding buttons, the rejection rate wasn't 0 percent, but it was certainly lower than 60 percent based upon the tries I did

Reaffirming: it doesn't work ALL of the time. But it works a LOT.

 

[sigurd]

All i have to say is it works for me and even if its not true we wont ever know so do it anyway

 

[Conor]

This myth never really circulated where I lived, I only got into pokemon much later, I do however sometimes stand up, point at my DS and scream "JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM, ANYWAY?" I caught a Tauros that way

 

[Justeazy]

First off, I know it's a myth, at least in Red/Blue (where the myth originated) up until Crystal, because I have looked through the game codes specifically for that for all of the games (Japanese Red, Green, International Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal). There is no code anywhere that can be manually input that has any effect on catch rates. =(

Despite that, however, I swear it works. My method is different than anyone else's here. It involves rapidly tapping B while turning the D-Pad counterclockwise, and you must start at right, the instant the "bwoo" sound of the Pokeball being thrown happens. You have to make one complete counterclockwise revolution in exactly each second and press B once for each direction pressed (four times a second) in sync with the time you hit each direction on the D-Pad. And I swear it works! I've caught each and every catchable pokemon in Gen I and II with this method using only Pokeballs.

I managed to capture a mewtwo using ultraballs (over 50 of them), this trick, sleep attacks and i had to get him down to a blip of health lol it was intense but i owe part of that capture to this trick even if it doesn't help you at all it was still a part of the process, ya know?

Here's the secret to catching Mewtwo and any other legendary with pokeballs.

1: Thunderwave, or another 100% paralyze move. 2: Sand-Attack, or another -accuracy move. 3: Double Team, or another +evade move. 4: Leech Seed. 5: As many pokeballs as possible.
Do it all in that order. Start with Pikachu, Thunder Wave him. Next, Switch to Pidgeot and use Sand-Attack six times. Switch to Venesaur and use Leech Seed. Finally, switch back to Pikachu and use Double Team six Times. When it's all said and done, Mewtwo will have a 1/128 (I think it is, it's been a while since I've crunched the numbers) chance of hitting you. Attack it with whatever you like until it gets into the red. (Team should be ~Lv. 50 for this, so you don't kill him.) Use defense or items, until Leech seed drains those one-four pixels of red until there is only one vertical column of red pixels left in Mewtwo's health bar. Start throwing Pokeballs like there's no tomorrow. The secret is Leech Seed will only take 1 health from Mewtwo at a time, and by the time there is only one column of red pixels left in Mewtwo's health, and if he's paralyzed, he's weak enough for a Pokeball to catch him. And, to top it off, you get, I think, like 50 tries because it has a crap-ton of health left in that one pixel. It's how I always catch my legendaries; I have a specific "legendary catching" team, built of the old Gen I starters, that I can use to catch each and every pokemon with a simple Pokeball (except those who require special balls). But man, it takes a long time!

 

[WW IsDa Bombchu]

I was told many different ones. In the beginning, I was told to repeatedly mash the Start and Select buttons, alternating after every mash. Later on, at about D/P-era, I was told to hold the shoulder buttons down at the exact second after the Ball snaps shut, and it was this method that I switched with the Start/Select one. Later, a couple of days after HG/SS release, my friend told me the I have to circle the pokeball at the bottom screen of my DS twice, and then draw a line through the middle. Most ridiculous, I know, but I used it.

This forum is giving me the urge to pick up a Pokemon game for the first time in over 2 years.

 

[LOGANITE]

In blue red fire red and leaf green,
pressing a and then b every time the ball clicks makes it do better.
Only works on pokeballs though. Tapping a and b fast works on anything in other games.

 

[PK Love Omega]

There is a 100% catch rate when you circle the Pokeball in D/P

 

[arkvoodle]

I don't believe that it does actually work, but, I have an odd habit of forcing down the A button as soon as i'm low on pokeballs. Just in case it actually does work.

In more recent games, Nintendo said that blowing into the DS mic increases the chances of catching a pokemon. Which works, for me at least. The button holding helps too, but I guess it's just pure luck, as it doesn't work all the time. Certain pokemon are more...stubborn and refuse to be caught despite these two methods. >_<

There is a 100% catch rate when you circle the Pokeball in D/P

Circle it? As in, with the stylus? I better try that.


EDIT: It doesn't work 100%. I tried it with several pokemon using a regular, great and ultra ball. Only one was caught immediatley. (With great ball) Anyone else care to share results?

 

[Dragon Master]

I use math to play pokemon and I know for a fact that the codes distributed by pressing the buttons have no effect on the mathematical codes used to determine the capture. I still do it for tradition though. It's a force of habit that I've been stuck doing my entire gaming life for pokemon.

 

[Crimson_Pearl]

Ive been doing it for so long that I dont know why I started, maybe just fiddling because i was anxious as to whether or not I was going to catch the pokemon... I don't know, but I click the B button everytime the pokeball shakes. Ive also heard of moving your head left and right with the pokeball.

 

[Timeless]

I was told to scroll the D-pad clockwise and tap 'A' I still do it today.

 

[Ice Sage]

I'm pretty sure that it is merely a myth. But, sometimes I feel compelled to do it, just because I always had done it before.