Like their predecessors, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet both feature a wide variety of Poke Balls which players can use to catch Pokemon throughout the Paldea region. These range from the simple, standard Poke Ball to the high-performance Ultra Ball to rarer variants such as the Fast Ball, Dream Ball, Love Ball, and many more. Of course, the Master Ball, the series' most powerful Pokeball, appears in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet as well. The games continue the series tradition of only allowing the player to obtain one Master Ball, and Scarlet and Violet should have changed this given the sheer amount of rare and difficult-to-catch Pokemon present in the game.
The Master Ball is a particularly special Pokeball that can catch any wild Pokemon without fail. In the original Pokemon games, it was developed by Silph Co. and presented to the player as a reward after defeating Team Rocket's leader Giovanni. Future games have similarly featured the Master Ball as a reward for either beating all the region's Gyms or defeating the game's villainous team or final boss. The Master Ball is typically given to the player only once and is generally used to catch a Legendary Pokemon. However, the sheer number of Legendary and Legendary-like Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet, combined with the current lack of any methods for obtaining additional Master Balls, can be frustrating.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Have Lots of Legendaries
Most previous Pokemon games had between three and five Legendary Pokemon, although some generations added more Legendaries later via special events or giveaways. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have six, as the box Legendaries Koraidon and Miraidon are accompanied by a quartet of Dark-type Legendary Pokemon inspired by the Four Perils of Chinese mythology. While Koraidon or Miraidon is given to the player early in the game, it is severely weakened and cannot be used in battle. The legendary quartet are sealed inside shrines and cannot be caught until late in Scarlet and Violet's story, after receiving information about the shrines' locations from Ms. Raifort, the Academy's History teacher.
In addition to the Legendary Pokemon, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduces Paradox Pokemon, special "Past" and "Future" forms of existing Pokemon from previous generations. The Paradox Pokemon are only found in Area Zero within the Great Crater of Paldea, and cannot be caught until late in the game. Although they are not quite as difficult to catch as Legendary Pokemon, these Pokemon still have fairly low catch rates and limited areas in which they spawn. Some players have found themselves needing to use their singular Master Ball on a particularly strong Paradox Pokemon, rather than saving it for a true Legendary, especially since players do not receive the item until after completing this section of the game.
There Are No Other Ways To Get a Master Ball
While most Pokemon games have limited the player to a single Master Ball, a few have offered at least a very rare chance to obtain more. Some games in the series, beginning with Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, as well as recent main series games Pokemon Sword and Shield, featured a Lottery system where a Master Ball could be won as a grand prize by matching all five numbers. While obtaining a Master Ball via lottery rarely happened, it was not impossible and allowed players in rare circumstances to obtain one and use it to catch Legendaries or other uncommon Pokemon.
Currently, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet does not have any sort of lottery system where players can attempt to earn additional Master Balls. This can be frustrating for players, especially as the games' addition of League Points (LP) as a secondary form of currency would pair well with a raffle or lottery, as acquiring large amounts of League Points is not difficult if players regularly challenge Tera Raids. While there remains some hope that Nintendo may host a giveaway or event that rewards additional Master Balls, these events have often been limited to Japan in the past and left international Pokemon fans disappointed.
More Legendaries Are Probably Coming in DLC
As it has been more-or-less confirmed that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will have paid DLC released sometime in the future, it is likely that more Legendary Pokemon will be added to the game. Previously, Pokemon Sword and Shield's Crown Tundra and Isle of Armor expansions added more Legendaries to be caught, including Galarian forms of the Kantonian Legendary Bird trio. It's likely Pokemon Scarlet and Violet DLC will do the same, as well as add new Paradox Forms based on existing Legendary Pokemon from previous generations.
One Beast Ball is given to players as a reward for completing their Pokedex and catching all 400 species of Pokemon currently available in the game, and this is a major hint of coming DLC. Beast Balls are a special type of Pokeball introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon. They are effective at catching Ultra Beasts, but extremely ineffective when used to catch any non-Ultra Beast Pokemon. Currently, no Ultra Beasts can be caught in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, but the presence of a Beast Ball as an in-game reward is a hint that they may be coming. Previously, Ultra Beasts made an appearance in Sword and Shield's DLC, so it is likely they will do the same in Scarlet and Violet.
With so many Legendary and Legendary-like Pokemon already present in the game, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet desperately need a way for fans to get more than one Master Ball. A lottery system such as the ones appearing in previous games would definitely work, but additional Master Balls could also be added as rare rewards for high-level Tera Raid battles or defeating high-level Trainers such as the teachers at Naranja and Uva Academy. While having only a single Master Ball is a longstanding tradition that has been present since the very first Pokemon games, the constant addition of more and more Legendary Pokemon in current generations means that it is definitely time for this tradition to end.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are currently available for the Nintendo Switch.