GV Guides: Catching Tips & Calculator
Our Catching Guide
There are many good Pokémon that can be used to catch to fill up your dex or make profit. Some of these Pokémon stand out way above the rest; this guide will go through the best ones for each job.
Standard Catching
Starting with standard catching, you have a couple of solid options. (Any IVs not mentioned should be as high as possible.)
Breloom
EVs / IVs / Nature: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / Adamant
- 31 Attack IV
- 31 Speed IV
Ability & Item: Poison Heal & Toxic Orb
Moves: False Swipe, Spore
Breloom is the gold standard for basic catching. Fast, strong, and reliable thanks to Spore and Poison Heal.
Parasect
EVs / IVs / Nature: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / Adamant
- 31 Attack IV
- 31 Speed IV
Ability & Item: Damp & Leftovers
Moves: False Swipe
Parasect works similarly to Breloom, but its Damp ability prevents Self‑Destruct and Explosion, making it perfect for explosive Pokémon.
Smeargle
EVs / IVs / Nature: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / Adamant
- 31 Attack IV
- 31 Speed IV
Ability & Item: Technician & Silk Scarf / Metronome
Moves: False Swipe, Spore, Soak
Smeargle is the most versatile catcher in the game. Soak allows you to hit Grass‑types with Spore and Ghost‑types with False Swipe.
Other useful move options:
- Taunt – stops healing moves
- Substitute – prevents taking damage
- Mean Look – prevents fleeing
Beware of recoil moves — catch quickly. Standard flow: Spore → Soak (if needed) → False Swipe → Throw balls.
Alpha Catching
Alpha catching is a lot more difficult than regular catching. If you fail, the Pokémon disappears for 2 minutes, and the catch rates are significantly lower. Another challenge is that every time an Alpha breaks out of a ball, it has a chance to raise its stats making the battle harder the longer it goes on.
This brings us to the main Pokémon used for Alpha catching:
Spinda
EVs / IVs: 252 Spe / 31 IV / Any Speed boosting nature
Moves: Skill Swap
Ability: Contrary
Spinda’s only job is to outspeed and apply Skill Swap on turn 1. Once Contrary is applied to the Alpha, it will lose stats instead of gaining them when breaking out of balls. This makes the rest of the catching process dramatically easier.
Breloom (Alpha Catching Build)
EVs / IVs / Nature: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / Adamant
Moves: False Swipe, Spore, Substitute
Ability & Item: Poison Heal & Toxic Orb
The standard Breloom build is already perfect for Alpha catching. Poison Heal + Toxic Orb allows it to stall safely while Timer Balls become stronger. Substitute is added here for extra stalling and safety.
Smeargle (Alpha Catching Build)
EVs / IVs / Nature: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / Adamant
Moves: False Swipe, Spore, Soak, Super Fang
Ability & Item: Technician & Wide Lens
Make sure you have another Smeargle with the Soak utility build. Soak allows False Swipe to hit everything and makes Steel‑types easier to damage.
Super Fang always deals half HP, and Wide Lens increases its accuracy.
Murkrow
Moves: Haze
Ability: Prankster
When an Alpha’s stats drop too low, it may become Indignant and reverse its stats (e.g., -6 Speed becomes +6 Speed). Haze resets all stat changes to 0, and Prankster ensures Murkrow always moves first. Just avoid switching Murkrow in on an attack.
Check Catch Rates
Use the tool below to estimate your catch chance based on HP, status, ball choice, and Alpha modifiers. Perfect for planning your catching strategy before heading out.
GV Catch Chance
Enter a Pokémon and adjust conditions to get your catch chance.
Enter a Pokémon name and adjust conditions.
