Rare Poké Balls
Get rare Poké Balls in Sword and Shield with Ball Guy gifts, Cram-o-matic Apricorn recipes and other rewards. Compare sources and check your odds.
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Collect Ball Guy’s free gifts, then use the Cram-o-matic for more Apricorn Balls. Choose a ball below to check your odds.
Cram-o-matic chances
Choose a ball and the number of attempts in the interactive calculator. More attempts improve your chance, but do not guarantee a ball.
| You want | Do this | You need |
|---|---|---|
| Your first rare balls | Collect the free gifts | Base game |
| More Apricorn Balls | Use the Cram-o-matic | Isle of Armor DLC |
| Safari Ball | Use four matching Apricorns | Isle of Armor DLC |
| Sport Ball | Use mixed Apricorns | Isle of Armor DLC |
| Dream Ball | Check the Watt Trader | Crown Tundra DLC |
| Beast Ball | Buy one at the Max Lair | Crown Tundra DLC |
Free balls
Look for Ball Guy, the mascot with the large Poké Ball head, in each stadium lobby below. Talk to him to receive that stadium’s free ball. Each gift is available once per save, with no DLC needed. Tap a stadium to see it on the Galar map.
| Ball | Stadium lobby |
|---|---|
| Friend Ball | Turffield |
| Lure Ball | Hulbury |
| Level Ball | Hammerlocke |
| Heavy Ball | Stow-on-Side |
| Love Ball | Ballonlea |
| Moon Ball | Circhester |
| Dream Ball | Wyndon |
| Ball | What to do |
|---|---|
| Fast Ball | Complete 11 Rotom Rally races with the Wild Area Watt Traders. Rewarded once. |
| Beast Ball | Become Champion, then speak to the bargain shopkeeper in Stow-on-Side. Rewarded once. |
Note — Screenshot pending: Rotom Rally reward: Wild Area Watt Trader: the reward message after the eleventh completed race.
Note — Screenshot pending: Stow-on-Side gift: Bargain shopkeeper: the Beast Ball gift after becoming Champion.
Cram-o-matic
The Cram-o-matic is in Mustard’s room inside the Master Dojo in the Isle of Armor’s Fields of Honor. Give Hyde 500 Watts to repair it; after that, each attempt costs four items. For balls, all four must be Apricorns.
1. Unlock the machine
Enter the Master Dojo, find Hyde beside the Cram-o-matic and pay the one-time 500-Watt cost.
Note — Screenshot pending: Unlock the Cram-o-matic: Master Dojo, Mustard’s room: Hyde, the machine and the 500-Watt repair prompt.
2. Gather Apricorns
Shake berry trees on the Isle of Armor. After you complete the Isle of Armor Pokédex, the roaming woman also sells four Apricorns for 100 Watts. Keep the colour you need for your chosen ball.
| Wanted ball | Put in | Chance per attempt |
|---|---|---|
| Lure Ball | 4 × Blue Apricorn | 0.999% |
| Friend Ball | 4 × Green Apricorn | 0.999% |
| Level Ball | 4 × Red Apricorn | 0.999% |
| Heavy Ball | 4 × Black Apricorn | 0.999% |
| Love Ball | 4 × Pink Apricorn | 0.999% |
| Moon Ball | 4 × Yellow Apricorn | 0.999% |
| Fast Ball | 4 × White Apricorn | 0.999% |
3. Choose four Apricorns
Select your recipe and accept the save prompt. The machine uses all four Apricorns even when it gives you an ordinary ball. Repeat with a fresh batch if you want another try.
How Cram-o-matic odds work
Mixing colours splits your Apricorn Ball chance between them. Two Blue Apricorn and two Red Apricorn give a 0.4995% chance of a Lure Ball and a 0.4995% chance of a Level Ball. Putting the same ingredients in a different order does not improve the odds.
Warning — The machine saves before it runs: Do not count on reloading to recover spent Apricorns. Each ordinary attempt consumes a new batch; the calculator shows your chances across those attempts, not a guaranteed result.
Safari and Sport
| Ball | Recipe rule | Chance per attempt |
|---|---|---|
| Safari Ball | 4 Apricorns of the same colour | 0.1% — 1 in 1,000 |
| Sport Ball | 4 Apricorns with at least 2 colours | 0.1% — 1 in 1,000 |
These are separate recipes: a matching-colour batch cannot give the mixed-colour reward, or vice versa. Even after 1,000 attempts, a 1-in-1,000 result has only about a 63.2% chance of appearing at least once.
A rare-ball result normally gives one ball. There is a separate 0.1% chance to receive five instead; this bonus changes the quantity, not your chance of getting the ball type.
Dream and Beast
Dream Ball and Beast Ball do not come from the Cram-o-matic. The Crown Tundra adds these repeatable sources:
| Ball | Where | Cost or condition |
|---|---|---|
| Dream Ball | Snowslide Slope · Watt Trader | 39,980 Watts when stocked; check the daily selection. |
| Beast Ball | Snowslide Slope · Watt Trader | 39,980 Watts when stocked; check the daily selection. |
| Beast Ball | Max Lair · trader | 150 × Dynite Ore |
| Dream Ball | Crown Tundra rare Delibird Max Raids | Possible reward from 3–5-star raids in purple-beam dens. |
Earn Dynite Ore by completing Dynamax Adventures at the Max Lair, then spend it with the trader inside. This lets you work toward a fixed purchase instead of hoping for a random ball.
Note — Screenshot pending: Snowslide Slope shop: Watt Trader shop with a rare ball in stock and its 39,980-Watt price.
Note — Screenshot pending: Max Lair shop: Beast Ball selected in the shop, showing the 150-Dynite-Ore price.
Note — Screenshot pending: Delibird raid reward: Crown Tundra rare Delibird Max Raid: Dream Ball in the rewards list.
There is also a one-time Beast Ball gift from the Max Lair’s lead scientist after you catch and keep Necrozma from a Dynamax Adventure and show it to Peony.
Note — Screenshot pending: Necrozma gift: Max Lair lead scientist: the Beast Ball reward after showing the caught Necrozma to Peony.
Champion Cup
After becoming Champion, win more Champion Cup tournaments at Wyndon Stadium. The first win of each day gives a Wishing Piece; later wins roll the prize table, including each of the seven Apricorn Balls and the Beast Ball at 0.125% each.
The Galarian Star Tournament in the Crown Tundra expansion uses the same rare-ball rewards. These are bonuses for battling; they are slow if you only want one specific ball.
Note — Screenshot pending: Tournament reward: Wyndon Stadium: Ball Guy handing over a rare ball after a repeat tournament win.
Rare Poké Ball questions
- Does the Cram-o-matic guarantee an Apricorn Ball?
- No. Four matching Apricorns give a 0.999% chance of their special ball. Most attempts return ordinary shop balls.
- Can I get Safari Balls without the Isle of Armor?
- You cannot craft them without the DLC. Another player can trade you a Pokémon holding one.
- Can I make Dream Balls in the Cram-o-matic?
- No. Collect the Wyndon gift, check the Crown Tundra Watt Trader or beat the eligible Crown Tundra Delibird raids.
- Do old rare-ball Mystery Gift codes still work?
- The 2019–2021 rare-ball distributions have ended. Use the permanent gifts and repeatable methods above.
- Where do I get rare balls in Scarlet and Violet?
- Use the auctions or Blueberry Academy’s Item Printer. See Scarlet and Violet in the rare Poké Balls guide.