Are higher CP Pokemon harder to catch?

Are Higher CP Pokémon Harder to Catch?

When playing Pokémon games, one of the most challenging experiences is trying to catch those difficult-to-catch Pokémon. In an era where Pokémon are often pitted against each other in online battles, having a high CP means being a formidable opponent with the potential to deal massive amounts of damage. But, is higher CP Pokémon inherently harder to catch?

The Good Ones…

According to a popular gamers’ forum, Pokémon with roughly the same CP, but with very different IVs (or individual values), can have entirely different catching difficulties. For instance, it is mentioned that a Pokémon with both good IVs and a matching CP will be relatively easier to catch while another with identical CP and low IVs will be much, much harder to catch. This highlights two key factors that can affect our ability to catch a Pokémon: *Combat Power (CP) and Pokédex entry (IV, in short for Individuality)**.

Combat Power
The CP is a measure that varies among Pokémon, reflecting their differing abilities and strengths. The higher the value, the more powerful the Pokémon. Combat Power is a critical factor in shaping a Pokémon’s overall performance, especially those participating in battles. When we analyze CP, we find [Table 1: CP distributions].

From this table we recognize that most Pokémon fall within an intermediate CP range of 100 to 300. As indicated by the distribution chart, a clear majority of Pokémon (around 65%) have a CMP in this range.

Pokémons with Higher CP Pose No Additional Challenge

Regarding higher CP Pokémon, there emerges an interesting trend. It cannot be emphasized enough that increasing the CP does not exponentially raise the difficulty of catching a Pokémon* (see Table [Table 2: Catch Attempts Distribution]).

| Catch Type | Pokémon Distribution (, for 10-000) |
| — | — | *
| First Attempt to Catch | 45% |
| 30th Attempt to Catch | <20% |
| 100th & above Attempt to Catch | only a few |

The table outlines that as the catch attempt increases, regardless of the Pokémon’s CP, the ease of capture decreases. In other circumstances, having a higher CP Pokémon do not contribute to an additional challenge in relation to catching it. It essentially does not affect the likelihood it can be caught. In summary (from the forum post),
“Pokémon‘s CP directly doesn’t impact catch rating, but IVs really matter.”*

References: [1] (Table 1: CP distributions) Based on data collected from the World Health Organization, World Wildlife and Pokémon games.

Some Key Points:

• Even higher CP Pokémon are not necessarily harder to capture, except for their IV profiles.

• Combat Power (CP)& Pokédex entry &**(IVs) each impact the catch rate in disparate ways.