October 28 · original v0.8.68 review: Eligible League legendaries now join as soon as they are weakened. The ball interaction is for keeping their shiny; ordinary partners still use the capture workflow.[3]
Decide what you are trying to obtain
Original-game scope: pokebonk.com v0.8.62, checked October 28. Our Play window uses a separate third-party v0.8.27 edition and separate progress. Recommendations here are source-based decisions; no original-game full clear, catch, reward claim or co-op completion was tested.
| Capture context | What to verify | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| League encounter | The partner’s full challenge is done; its permanent League entry is added afterward. | One completed prerequisite is enough. |
| Support Alpha / Friend Ball | The prompt says it fights alongside you this run. | You can choose it as a permanent starting partner next time. |
| Shiny / Classic shiny | Read the collection, Look and support reward displayed for that capture. | A colour variant bypasses the corresponding League challenge. |
| Mewtwo | Use its special Classic encounter after all gates, or distinguish the Survival boss. | It is selected from the normal roaming League pool. |
The original runtime separates League, shiny and support handlers. Read the actual reward message before recording an unlock.[1]
From a finished challenge to the throw
- Inspect League before the run. Confirm all conditions, including any one-run total, League-size or map gate. Pick a target whose challenge the game actually marks complete.
- Enter an eligible run. The ordinary League encounter handler picks from completed, not-yet-captured League challenges and excludes Mewtwo. You cannot select a specific target simply by marking a Build plan.
- Find and weaken the encounter. Follow its banner/marker. Continue until the game changes to the weakened state and offers a throw; ordinary KOs elsewhere are not captures.
- Approach immediately. In the ordinary solo capture path, the weakened window starts at ten seconds and the throw prompt requires proximity. Use the visible action button on touch, or the currently bound Interact action on desktop.
- React to the outcome. If it breaks free, the handler returns it to a fighting state; weaken it again if the encounter remains available. If it flees, there is no guaranteed immediate replacement in that run.
- Confirm the destination. Check the League entry and the same account/profile before expecting it on the next selection screen.
The 50–120 second ordinary encounter schedule is not a guaranteed target arrival: eligibility, competing encounter state and later game changes still matter. Co-op mirror encounters and special boss takeovers have different windows; do not apply the ten-second solo rule to every capture.[1]
When a throw fails
The ordinary League throw uses a species capture-rate term, a bonus for previous failed throws, and a bonus when the target is paralyzed, asleep or frozen. It is not “every E press succeeds.” Special guaranteed handoffs use another branch.
Those three statuses are checked on the target. A high Status Chance stat or a Psychic-type move does not prove the required status is currently applied. We have not measured actual catch rates; this guide does not recommend importing main-series ball formulas.[1]
Challenge full, but still not selectable?
| Observation | Check next |
|---|---|
| Full challenge bar, no catch yet | Eligibility and permanent capture are separate; keep watching the actual eligible encounter. |
| Caught an Alpha | Read whether it says support for this run; use the League card for permanent eligibility. |
| Caught a shiny | Inspect collection/Look rewards and the separate League entry. |
| Caught target, then changed website | Return to the exact host and account used for that result; third-party editions have independent progress. |
| Correct host, entry still locked | Record target, challenge, encounter, result text and version for original-game support; preserve current session. |
Our unlock reference owns the 79 prerequisite rows; this page owns the encounter and capture decisions. No spawn deadline, account repair or capture success has been tested by this guide.
Separate a legendary League join from its shiny
For Mew, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Mewtwo, the .63 notes and current secure() handler separate membership from shiny capture: an eligible League legendary joins when weakened. A Poké Ball is still required to keep its shiny. Other League partners retain their normal capture workflow; prerequisites and encounter eligibility still matter.
[3]Sources & checks
Mechanics and calculations use the original project’s dated data; recommendations are editorial, not measured winning routes.
- PokeBonk client ↗ (external website, opens in a new tab) · Capture interactions and status checks, v0.8.62, 28 Oct 2026.
- PokeBonk definitions ↗ (external website, opens in a new tab) · League and support eligibility, v0.8.62, 28 Oct 2026.
- PokeBonk definitions ↗ (external website, opens in a new tab) · Capture corrections, v0.8.68, 28 Oct 2026.