Of the 23 different Poke Balls you can find in Pokemon Sword & Shield, the Quick Ball easily ranks among the best of the bunch. While their usefulness tapers off immediately past the first turn, it's within that inaugural moment that Quick Balls shine like diamonds and pearls. Ignoring the Master Ball, with its 100 percent success rate but obvious scarcity issue, no other Poke Ball is better suited to that first-round toss.

RELATED: Pokemon Sword & Shield: The Best Characters, Ranked

Quick Balls have been around since Generation IV. Their arrival was a welcome one, and no aspiring Pokemon Master should ignore their greatness. Here's where to find them, as well as how exactly they work their magic.

Updated January 9, 2022 by Quinton O'Connor: Pokemon Sword & Shield are experiencing something of a resurgence as the fandom finishes up with Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl and looks forward to the looming launch of Pokemon Legends: Arceus. The fact remains that Sword & Shield remains the eighth generation's official competitive scene, so catching and breeding stellar specimens is still a hot topic. With that in mind, we've gone ahead and tidied up this guide, adding another method of acquiring Quick Balls and clarifying a few key factors.

Where to Find Quick Balls

There are four key places you can snag Quick Balls in Pokemon Sword & Shield without breaking your wallet in the process. Barely worth mentioning is a single Quick Ball on Route 7 in the grass just before the tunnel, but considering it's a one-time find, we can't exactly label it as some sort of "pro strat."

For an ample shot at more, be sure to chat up Ball Guy each time you win the Championship Cup (and with The Crown Tundra DLC, the Galarian Star Cup) during the post-game. There's a one-in-28 chance that the reward he gives you is a three-pack of these swift spheres, but some of the other prizes include a Big Nugget, a Wishing Piece, some Rare Candy, and even a Life Orb. It suffices to say that you should never leave the stadium without hitting him up.

You should also make good use of Poke Jobs, those missions at Pokemon Center Rotomi (Galar's spin on PCs) that let you can send your boxed Pokemon out on errands to gain experience, stat boosts, and several miscellaneous items. Taking on any jobs with star ratings of 7, 8, or 9 grants a chance at your pals returning with a few Quick Balls, so you can easily have a small supply if you keep a regular eye on what jobs are available each day.

Last but not least, if you've purchased the Expansion Pass and journeyed to the Isle of Armor, don't neglect that weird device at the Master Dojo. The Cram-o-matic pops out a wide assortment of items depending on what you happen to drop into it. Four Yellow Apricorns translates to a roughly 25 percent chance of acquiring a Quick Ball. Best of all, you can find Yellow Apricorns in Berry Trees, so they're fairly common.

Related:Pokemon Sword & Shield: The Best Fire-Type Pokemon For Online Ranked Battles

Where to Buy Quick Balls

On the other hand, you can always just drop wads of cash to secure a surefire supply. The most consistent place to do so is the Southern Wyndon Pokemon Mart, where the store will sell them for 1000 Pokemon Dollars. (That's the official name for the Pokemon world's currency. The more you know.)

If you’re short on cash, another way to purchase them is through Watt Traders in the Wild Area. The twist here is that these sellers rotate their item selection each day, so there’s no guarantee that they'll have Quick Balls when you need them most. Thankfully, they cost a mere 50 Watts a pop, so when you do get lucky, seize the day and stack them high.

How Quick Balls Work

The in-game description for Quick Balls is fairly unclear, saying that it has a more successful catch rate at the start of a wild battle. While it’s not incorrect, it’s a massive understatement, as Quick Balls will increase the capture rate to five times better than a regular Poke Ball if you use it on the first turn of an encounter. That might not sound like much without context, but consider this: even an Ultra Ball merely doubles the Poke Ball's catch rate. That doesn't make Ultra Balls bad; it simply goes to show that there's no good reason not to toss a Quick Ball at the outset.

NEXT: Pokemon Go: The Rarest Pokemon And How To Get Them