Pokemon Go’s notoriously difficult catches actually serve a genius purpose

Pokemon Go players have been sharing in each others’ pain, venting about some of the game’s more difficult catches.

Niantic’s mobile game doesn’t require a precision throwing arm, by any means, but has added nuance over the mainline games.

Some members of the Pokedex are naturally harder to catch than others. Pitching a Poke Ball at Shadow Mewtwo and having it stay put should be more of a triumph than, say, scoring a Trubbish. In practice, however, life as a Trainer isn’t always so straightforward.

Singling out some of Pokemon Go’s more troublesome wildlife on Reddit, the thread’s creator points fingers at Chespin, Trubbish, and Tangela as unjustified consumers of Poke Ball stockpiles, but all three pale in comparison to the winner of The Most Annoying Pokemon to Catch award.

“Hitmontop. I’m only ever Shiny checking that guy,” one user replied, prompting others to pile on with their own experiences attempting to catch the Tyrogue evolution. “They get one attempt. If I miss or he comes out, I’m not bothering,” replied another.

Humorously, the reputation for being a headache to catch has led to the likes of Hitmontop and Sudowoodo becoming meta choices for completing certain quests.

“I used Hitmontop for my ‘make five Great Throws in a row’ step for the Zarude quest,” came one response. “I did this with a Sudowoodo. Not the same quest but I hit about 25 Great curveballs before it caught,” claimed another.

Stubborn ‘mons aside, Zubut, Combee, and Yanma all drew ire for their erratic movement and tiny hitboxes. The consensus is that none of the trio are worth the effort to catch.

The lesson of the day? Pokemon Go is packed with nonsensically nightmarish critters that exist just to waste your time and resources.

Been exploring Pokemon Go’s Shared Skies update? Check out our full guide on all the new content.