There aren’t many things when playing Pokemon that will give you as satisfying a feeling as catching a Legendary — especially if you do it without using your single Master Ball. Most of the time, you only get one Master Ball, but there are multiple Legendaries to catch. When you don’t want to use it yet (or you already have), you’ll have to get crafty.

There are, of course, many ways to catch a Legendary without using a Master Ball. It’ll just require some strategy and work up-front. With these tips, you’ll be a Legendary collector in no time — without using a Master Ball.

12 Sunny Day

There are few things more frustrating than getting a Legendary Pokemon’s health down to around 1 HP just for a sandstorm or hail to knock them out. Weather effects are especially notorious for knocking out wild Pokemon in the Wild Area and both the Crown Tundra and Isle of Armor.

It’s a great idea to make sure that one of your Pokemon knows Sunny Day. This will clear out any weather effects, ensuring that the sandstorm or hail don’t take away your opportunity.

11 Paralysis

Inflicting a status condition has many benefits. Paralysis, for example, can make or break a battle when used. If a Pokemon is inflicted with paralysis, there’s a 25 percent chance it will not be able to attack. It also reduces their speed by a significant amount.

However, it also makes a Pokemon’s catch rate increase. When you are trying to catch a legendary, inflict some paralysis, and there’s a much better chance it won’t be able to break out of the ball. Popular paralysis moves include Thunder Wave and Stun Spore.

10 Level Up Your Pokemon

It’s more often than not that a Legendary battle is a long and grueling one. As it breaks out of Ultra Ball after Ultra Ball, it’ll likely be inflicting a ton of damage on your team. You’ll need to make sure they can take all those hits without going down too quickly.

Furthermore, your Pokemon should have enough power to inflict damage on the Legendary in the first place, as having little health makes them more susceptible to capture. Spend some time getting your Pokemon to the highest level you can before an important Legendary battle attempt.

9 Pack Healing Items

As mentioned, your Pokemon will be taking a ton of damaging hits from the Legendary as you attempt to catch it. Because of this, you’ll need to pack a good number of potions, revives, and status condition healers. The last thing you want is all of your team fainting while trying to catch a legendary.

Many legendaries are incredibly powerful and pack a serious punch. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that they can take you down in only a couple of hits. Make sure you’re prepared before you head into the fray.

8 Dusk Balls

It’s often better to invest in a good stack of Dusk Balls instead of Ultra Balls. For only a bit more money, Dusk Balls have a much better catch rate than Ultra Balls in certain situations, namely in caves or at night.

An Ultra Ball typically has a modifier of x2, whereas a Dusk Ball has a modifier of x3 when used at night or in a cave. It’s worth considering waiting until nightfall before tackling that Legendary, as Dusk Balls have an extremely superior chance of catching it.

7 Save Your Game

Many people have been left feeling defeated after accidentally knocking out a Legendary when trying to catch it. When you’re trying to keep its health bar around 1 HP, it’s very easy to knock that down to 0 after inflicting a burn, poison, or another hazard.

Many Legendaries also have moves with recoil, meaning they can do it to themselves. Right in front of that Legendary is the best spot to save your game, meaning you’ll be able to quickly reset it if you accidentally knock it out.

6 Heal Block or Taunt

It’s not uncommon for Legendaries to have moves that let them recover their HP. Lugia and Ho-oh in Gold & Silver are just some examples of these. Both have Recover, meaning it can be a long grind to get their health down to the right point for a quick catch.

Using a move like Heal Block or Taunt to prevent these Legendaries from using recovery moves can be vital in some situations. Heal Block prevents the opponent from healing their HP, while Taunt prevents the use of status moves.

5 Leppa Berries

Since these battles are pretty long, you’ll end up using up a bit of your PP, especially on moves like Hypnosis, Thunder Wave, False Swipe, or Heal Block. In order to combat the PP usage, you’ll need to bring some items that restore it.

Leppa Berries are a great option. In most games where berries can be planted, these amazing little red berries come in virtually-unlimited supply. They’re much more common than ethers or elixirs, and a Pokemon can use them on their own as a held item.

4 Timer Balls

Every turn that goes by increases the frustration level of a player. But, it also increases the effectiveness of a Timer Ball. After ten turns, the Timer Ball has a catch modifier of x4. This makes it one of the best balls in the games.

Like Dusk Balls, these are often a much better option than Ultra Balls, depending entirely on the situation. It’s pretty common for a Legendary battle to go for several turns, meaning a Timer Ball is a great option. Its effectiveness begins increasing after a single turn before maxing at x4 after ten turns and onward.

3 False Swipe

This move was probably created purely for capturing Pokemon. It’s a fantastic Normal-type move that always leaves the opponent with a single HP, no matter what, even if they only have 1 HP to begin with. It’s fantastic to use for catching Legendaries, as you won’t have to worry about doing too much damage and accidentally knocking them out.

Many Pokémon can learn False Swipe naturally, but there is a TM available otherwise. Unfortunately, Normal-type moves don’t hit Ghost-type Pokemon, so you’ll have to get creative against Legendaries like Giratina by using Odor Sleuth, Foresight, or the Scrappy ability.

2 Sleep

Paralysis is great, as is lowering the Legendary Pokemon’s health. But, inflicting sleep is far and away the best strategy and is widely-held as the go-to strategy for capturing a tough Pokemon. Sleep will add a very significant boost to your ability to catch a Pokemon.

Of course, you’ll have to think critically about which is better — sleep or paralysis. While sleep’s modifier is much better, a Pokemon can wake up and you’ll have to inflict it again. Paralysis cannot be removed after a certain number of turns. But, sleep gets the job done more often than many other strategies.

1 Be Patient

At the end of the day, one of the most challenging parts of catching a Legendary Pokemon is the attempt to not get frustrated. Regulating a natural human emotion can sometimes be much more difficult than catching a Legendary Pokemon.

Do your best to be patient, as sometimes these battles can be very tedious and time-consuming. Every time that Pokemon breaks out, it’s going to be a bit more anger-inducing. It’s a game that’s meant to be fun, so try to make sure you remain calm and keep having fun, otherwise, what’s the point?

NEXT: Sword & Shield: The 10 Rarest Pokémon Based On Encounter Rate (& How To Catch Them)