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I created this page in response to difficulties I noticed people had catching Latios/Latias in their Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald games. While many people do simply use their single Master Ball per game to catch these time-consuming legendaries, Latios and Latias actually can be fairly easy to catch. Or even fun to catch!
The first step to catching Latios/Latias is to get the legendary on your Pokédex.
- If you have Sapphire, you are looking for Latias
- If you have Ruby, you are looking for Latios
- If you have Emerald, you choose which Lati you want after beating the game
If you’re playing Ruby or Sapphire and you’ve already beaten your game, you’ve likely bumped into your Lati at least once. However, if not, getting your Lati registered in the day can be very time consuming. Since the chance of bumping into your Lati in the while randomly is fairly low, I recommend being patient and continuing to play your game normally and traveling around the grass until your Lati appears rather than actively seeking it out.
However, if you have a friend who has the Lati you are looking for, you can easily register the Lati on your dex by having your friend put the Lati in their party and then mixing records with you. If you go to their secret base in your game, you should be able to battle them, and they will have the Lati in their party!
After that, the next step it to find a Pokémon with an ability that stops opponents from running away. There are two abilities in the game that do this: Shadow Tag and Arena Trap. However, Arena Trap does not work on flying or levitating Pokémon, and the only Pokémon with that ability anyways is the unevolved Trapinch.
So that leaves us with two Pokémon who have the Shadow Tag ability.
 Wynaut |
 Wobbuffet |
Wobbuffet and Wynaut are the only Pokémon who have Shadow Tag. Since Wobbuffet has the higher defensive capability, it is the option I recommend.
You can get a Wobbuffet by evolving Wynaut egg you get from the old man in Lavaridge or catch one from the Safari Zone west of Lilycove. You’ll want to train your Wobbuffet to about level 60, so it can take your Lati’s attacks fairly well. Since Wobbuffet’s limited moveset make it a pain to train, I recommend using Experience Share and Rare Candies.
Once you have your Lati Catcher ready, try to meet the legendary. Remember to stock up on a lot of Poké Balls, several Full Restores, and maybe a few X Defends first.
Since your Lati will be level 40, you can also put a Pokémon lower than level 40 first in your party. If you use Repels, your Lati would still be able to appear because it is a higher level than your lead Pokémon. This trick saves time by allowing you to skip extra wild Pokémon battles, but is optional.
Once you’re prepared, go to a place where two routes meet. Go back and forth between the two routes and check your Pokédex each time to see if your Lati is on the same route as you. Once you find that you are on the same route, save (in case your Lati faints), then search the grass and water on the route until you bump into the legendary.
Now, you’re at the catching. If you don’t already have your trapping Pokémon first in your party, switch to it.
If you’re using Wobbuffet, keep using Mirror Coat until your Lati uses Psychic for the first time. Make sure to take note of approximately how much HP damage the Mirror Coat returned. Then keep using Mirror Coat until the Lati is down to approximately a third of its HP. If you’re using another Pokémon, just use a move that does damage and keep track of how much damage you’re doing.
Don’t lower your Lati’s HP too much lower than 1/3 because it is likely to start using Struggle soon.
Once the HP is at a good amount, keep throwing Poké Balls of any type while using healing items on your Pokémon as necessary. If the Lati starts using Struggle, you should use an X Defend or two if you brought any to lessen the recoil damage it does to itself.
If the legendary faints, turn off your game and start going back and forth between routes again. But if not….
Congratulations on your new Latios/Latias!