How To Get the Master Ball in Pokémon Crystal

All Master Ball Locations
#	Location	Repeatable?
1	New Bark Town. Given to you by Prof. Elm after obtaining all eight Johto Gym badges.	No
2	Goldenrod Radio Tower, 1F. Possible prize if one of your Pokémon’s ID numbers matches the number announced in the Lucky Number Show.	Yes

There are two ways to get a Master Ball in Pokémon Crystal:

Method #1: You’ll receive one from Prof. Elm at his lab in New Bark Town after you collect all 8 Johto Gym badges.

Method #2: You can also win multiple Master Balls from the Lucky Number Show. Each Friday this show broadcasts a new number, and if one of your Pokémon’s Trainer IDs perfectly matches that week’s Lucky Number then you’ll win a Master Ball as a prize.

You can tune into the Lucky Number Show from anywhere in Johto with the Radio Card. This method is repeatable, but the odds of getting this lucky are astronomically low.

Prerequisites

Each of the acquisition methods listed in this guide has one prerequisite:

Method #1: Collect all eight Johto badges by defeating every Johto Gym Leader.
Method #2: Obtain the Radio Card at Goldenrod Radio Tower so you can tune into the Lucky Number Show.

Method #1: Collect All Johto Badges & Show Prof. Elm

Make sure you have all eight Johto gym badges by checking your character profile.

You can do this by going into the START menu, then choosing your character’s name from the menu. (In my case, it’s KRIS.)

Choosing the character profile on the START menu.

There, you can press the right arrow on your controller to reveal your badges.

How your character profile looks when all Johto badges are collected.

If you have all 8 badges then go to Prof. Elm’s laboratory in New Bark Town.

Prof. Elm’s Lab in New Bark Town.

Talk to Prof. Elm at the back of the laboratory and show him your badge collection.

Approaching Prof. Elm in his laboratory.

He’ll then give you the Master Ball.

Receiving the Master Ball from Prof. Elm.

Method #2: Redeem as a Prize from the Lucky Number Show

You can tune into the Lucky Number show by choosing the 8.5 frequency on your Radio.

Note that you can only tune into this station if you’re in Johto. Here’s how:

Go to START, then PokéGear, then all the way right to the little Radio icon. There, you can tune the radio manually by hitting up or down on your controller. Set it to 8.5 and you should get the Lucky Channel.

Tuning into the Lucky Channel in the PokéGear’s Radio.

You’ll see a five-digit number announced during the broadcast as the Lucky Number.

If you own a Pokémon that has a perfect matching ID number (ie. matching all five digits) then you can claim a Master Ball as your prize.

Tip: You don’t have to manually check all of your Pokémon’s IDs yourself, because an NPC in the Goldenrod Radio Tower can tell you whether you’ve won or not.

So next you’d just want to visit the Goldenrod Radio Tower and head inside.

About to enter the Radio Tower in Goldenrod City.

Talk to the well-dressed man with blue hair behind the counter on the first floor.

The NPC that handles the Lucky Number draw.

He’ll check whether any of your Pokémon’s ID numbers match the Lucky Number. This includes Pokémon in your Party and Storage Boxes.

You’ll get other prizes for three or four digits matched, but we need a five-digit match to win the Master Ball.

Receiving the Master Ball from the Lucky Channel clerk.

This will only happen if one of your Pokémon has the exact same 5-digit ID number as was announced on the show that week.

Tip: Lucky Numbers change every Friday, so make sure to try again each week if you have time.

Which Pokémon are worth using a Master Ball for?

There are only a few situations where it makes sense to use up a precious Master Ball in Pokémon Crystal:

Pokémon	Reasoning
Raikou	Tends to flee on the first turn. Considered one of the hardest to catch.
Entei	Tends to flee on the first turn. Considered one of the hardest to catch.
Shiny Pokémon	Chances of finding one are around 1/10,000. Don’t let it go!

Using it to catch Suicune, Ho-Oh, or Lugia sounds tempting. But a Master Ball isn’t necessary when you can just save the game before those fights to keep trying with Ultra Balls.

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Nelson Chitty

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Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.

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