Niantic claims Raid Pokemon are not guaranteed catches after player fails Shiny Primal Groudon

Niantic support has claimed that Shiny Raid Pokemon have never been guaranteed catches following a player’s heartbreaking Shiny Primal Groudon fail.

Pokemon Go Raids are some of the most challenging aspects of the game. Players can battle with friends against a powerful Legendary or Mega-Evolved Pokemon with a chance of catching it if they succeed.

Many trainers partake in these battles to Shiny hunt the Raid Boss. In some cases, these Raids are the only way for these Legendary Pokemon to be found Shiny, and buying Raid Passes can be expensive for dedicated hunters. Until now, players have operated under the assumption that Shiny bosses found after defeating a Raid were 100% guaranteed catches.

However, after a player failed to catch a Shiny Primal Groudon during the Pokemon Go Tour: Hoenn event, they’ve been told that Shiny Raid Bosses have never been guaranteed catches.

Niantic

Shiny Raid Bosses were “never guaranteed” catches

During the Pokemon Go Tour: Hoenn event, Niantic introduced Primal Raids featuring Groudon and Kyogre’s Primal forms from Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire. And these Raids are as daunting as they sound.

These raids require at least seven high-level trainers to even stand a chance of defeating them, let alone the battle of connectivity issues and bugs. So it’s understandable why Reddit user nelajer21 was upset after Shiny Primal Groudon broke free from each ball resulting in a failed encounter.

Yet, when they confronted Niantic Support about their loss, they were met with the following statement: “Now, on your concern about the Shiny Legendary or Raid Boss, this has never been a guaranteed catch. Like any other Pokemon, it is challenging to catch and can escape or break free as well.”

[deleted by user]
by inpokemongo

Despite these claims, anecdotal evidence and a look at the game’s code seem to show that successful hits with a Pokeball will result in a 100% catch rate. Knowing this, players provided other reasons why nelajer21 may have failed the Shiny Primal Groudon encounter.

“I think you were going fast, so it broke free,” one user commented, assuming OP was in a vehicle at the time of the catch. Another stated, “Either this or you lost GPS signal,” referencing a bug that can soft-lock players out of catching Pokemon.

This is a safety feature Niantic implemented to deter trainers from playing while driving. We have seen players in the past lose Shinies due to moving too quickly during the encounter, and this could be a similar case.