If you're playing Pokemon Sword and Shield and are wondering about whether or not you can get a whole lot of extra Master Balls, you've come to the right place.
As it turns out, it's pretty easy to increase your chances of finding Master Balls in Pokemon Sword and Shield, meaning that catching rare and Legendary Pokemon becomes a walk in the park. On top of that, it means you'll always be properly equipped should you be fortunate enough to come across a shiny Pokemon in the wild.
So, without further ado, here's everything you need to know about increasing your chances of finding extra Master Balls in Pokemon Sword and Shield.
What Is A Master Ball?
A Master Ball, for those unacquainted with the rare and highly-coveted item, is a specially-engineered Poke Ball designed to capture any Pokemon without fail.
Basically, Master Balls have a 100% chance of catching any wild Pokemon, regardless of how rare or powerful they are. The only exception to the rule is that you still can't catch other trainers' Pokemon, because that would be theft.
So, if you come across Zacian or Zamazenta in Pokemon Sword and Shield, or simply happen to happen upon a shiny Mega Grimmsnarl in a Max Raid, your Master Ball will ensure that you catch the Pokemon in question right away, without any need to weaken and risk accidentally defeat them, or unintentionally let them escape.
Also, it's worth noting that you get your first Master Ball in Pokemon Sword and Shield after watching the end credits roll and visiting Professor Magnolia at your home in Postwick. After that, it gets a bit more complicated.
How To Get More Master Balls
The only way to get more Master Balls in Pokemon Sword and Shield is to win them from the Loto ID in the Pokemon Centre. All you have to do to enter the lottery is visit the Centre, walk over to the Rotom PC, press X, and select Loto ID.
However, there's a catch: You can only enter the Loto ID once per day, and in order to win a Master Ball — which is the top prize — you'll need to match five digits from one of your Pokemon IDs to the lottery numbers.
While one digit will net you a Moomoo Milk, and two correct numbers will get you a free PP Up, you'll need to match five digits in order to get a Master Ball. As a result, it mostly boils down to luck... unless you know the unlimited Master Balls trick, that is.
Fastest Method To Get Master Balls
So, if you need to match one of your Pokemon IDs to the Loto ID numbers in order to win a Master Ball, obviously the best thing you can do is to have as many different Pokemon IDs as possible.
The fastest and most effective way to do this is to do a lot of Surprise Trades. Every Pokemon you get in return will have a different Pokemon ID because it comes from a different trainer, so by collecting 100 weak Pokemon and shipping them all off to random people in exchange for new IDs, you'll be helping other players collect a variety of different Pokemon as well as bolstering your own chances at winning the lottery.
If you still don't win a Master Ball, don't worry — you won't have to wait 24 hours to try again. Instead, search for an Online Battle and as soon as it's about to begin, disconnect your Switch from the internet. After this, simply change the date and time using the settings menu on the Switch home page and set it one day forward. You should be able to enter the Loto ID again, and again, and again — and you only have to disconnect from a battle once to make this work.
So, do lots of Surprise Trades, forfeit an online battle via disconnect, and voila — unlimited lottery entries with plenty of Pokemon IDs to enter with. You'll be flush with Master Balls in no time.