The Easiest and Hardest Pokémon to Catch In Pokémon Go

If it seems like some pokémon in Pokémon Go are a lot harder to catch than others, you’re not crazy. Every pokémon in the game has a predetermined base difficulty when you try to catch them.

This video from the Tech Insider YouTube channel highlights some more secrets that folks have learned from Pokémon Go’s programming. According to the game’s code, pokémon all have different base capture rates that determine how difficult they are to catch. A base capture rate means the likelihood a regular PokéBall will catch a pokémon without any help. Here are some examples:

• Magikarp are the easiest to catch, with a 56% base capture rate. Oddish are the second easiest, with a base capture rate of 48%.
• Caterpie, Weedle, Pidgey, and Rattata all have a base capture rate of 40%.
• Venusaur, Blastoise, Charizard, and Dragonite are currently the hardest to catch with a base capture rate of 4%.

There are other things at play when you try to catch a pokémon, however. The pokémon’s level, flee rate, and your throwing accuracy all affect your odds, not to mention items like Razz Berries and better PokéBalls. Legendary pokémon like Mew, Mewtwo, Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres all currently have a base capture rate of 0%, suggesting that acquiring them will be some sort of special event.