Catching the hardest Pokémon is, well… hard. Unfortunately, Game Freak has done an outstanding job of making the rarest Pokémon tough to find. The introduction of a Timer Ball in Generation III is arguably the most impactful change to how Pokémon are caught. A Timer Ball becomes more effective with each passing turn, making legendary Pokémon a cinch.

For those who don’t have a plethora of Timer Balls equipped, using your only Master Ball or throwing dozens of Ultra Balls and hoping that the third wiggle sticks are the only options. These are the 10 hardest Pokémon to catch. Gotta catch ’em all somehow.

10 Arceus

Widely known for being something of a god to all Pokémon, Arceus created the regions of Sinnoh and Ransei and may be responsible for creating the entire Pokémon universe. Sounds Farfetch’d, but at least it isn’t a Slowpoke.

The stats of Arceus are immensely high and it has a catch rate of 3—the lowest catch rate in Pokémon. You’ll need a bunch of Timer Balls, Ultra Balls, and maybe a Master Ball to catch Arceus. Perhaps Arceus was given low stats considering its powers.

9 Entei

It’s worth noting that Suicune didn’t make this list because it is easily obtainable in Pokémon Crystal. For Entei and Raikou, however, catching them is as easy as catching a cold in summer.

PREVIOUSLY: Ranking The Main Pokémon Games (And Their Remakes), Best to Worst

Entei represents the flames that burned in the Brass Tower, which is where the three legendary dogs (Suicune, Raikou, and Entei) were resurrected. After passing this part in Pokémon Gold and Silver, Entei becomes obtainable… if you can track it in Johto’s landscape.

8 Raikou

If you try to find a Raikou in Pokémon Gold or Silver, you’ll notice that its area of appearance is random throughout the Johto region. One second you’ll look at your Pokédex and see it a few steps in front of you, and all of a sudden, it disappears and moves to a location on the opposite side of the map.

Raikou and the other legendary dogs of Generation III are exceedingly difficult to find, and they usually run away if you encounter them in battle. For these reasons, Raikou has a high rarity and deserves a place on this list.

7 Feebas

Often compared to Magikarp, Feebas is easy to capture if you can find it. By ill luck, a Feebas can only be found in six water tiles in Route 110 of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald.

What makes capturing a Feebas even more challenging is that the six water tiles are randomly placed throughout hundreds of water tiles on Route 119. Evolving Feebas into a Milotic has a substantial amount of payoff if you care to spend the time. Perhaps Milotic is more difficult to find than Feebas.

6 Regigigas

Considered to be more difficult to catch than Regice, Regirock, and Registeel, Regigigias is the master of Hoenn’s legendary titans. Labeled as a “Colossal Pokémon,” Regigigas is obtainable in every main series game since Generation IV. It appears in different locations in each game, which adds to the challenge of catching Regigigas.

In some cases, a trainer must obtain a Regice, Regirock, and Registeel and hold them in their party to make Regigigas appear. Even then, it has an impeccably low catch-rate, so you may as well quit while you’re ahead.

5 Shiny Pokémon

Even rarer to find than legendary Pokémon are shiny Pokémon in general. There is a 0.01220703% probability that a shiny Pokémon will appear in the wild. This translates to about 1 in every 8,192 Pokémon.

To see a shiny Pokémon at all during a game is a rare treat that few trainers have experienced. Let alone catching any shiny Pokémon, to find a particular shiny Pokémon is a seemingly insurmountable task that will have you playing night and day for a week!

4 Beldum

Don’t be fooled by its stone-like appearance—Beldum is a robotic Pokémon. This mechanical creature is robotic on the outside, but can show emotions and needs to eat. It can be considered a hybrid robot because of its human-like traits.

Catching Beldum is an excruciating challenge. Based on its size and appearance, Beldum doesn’t look like it would be a tough catch, but it has the same catch rate as legendary Pokémon like Ho-Oh, Groudon, and Moltres.

3 Articuno

Articuno is difficult to catch given the complexities of its habitat. Articuno dwells in the Seafoam Islands of the Kanto Region. You’ll need to have the technique Strength and complete a series of puzzles to reach Articuno.

Without a doubt, Articuno is more difficult to find than Zapdos, which is easily found in the Power Plant next to Cerulean City. Because of its low catch rate of 3 and difficulty to locate, Articuno, the legendary bird, is considered to be one of the most challenging Pokémon to catch.

2 Celebi

Due to the number of steps required to find Celebi, and the need to have one of the second generations of Pokémon games, finding Celebi is next to impossible. Of course, many players would rather make use of a Gameshark or other code device to receive Celebi.

To find Celebi without a code device in Pokémon Crystal, one would have to beat the Elite Four, obtain a GS Ball from Nurse Joy in Goldenrod City, and then fly to Azalea Town to give the GS Ball to Kurt. After this, you have to wait 24 hours and go to the Ilex Forest, where Celebi will appear. Talk about excessive… yeesh.

1 Mew

This rare photo captures a pose of Mew with its mouth open. Finding a photo of a Mew is rare since so few Pokémon trainers have spotted one. Thought to be extinct, Mew is a hidden entry in the Pokédex and the last of the Kanto list.

In many ways, Mew is like a cat but possesses Psychic powers. Because it holds the DNA of every Pokémon, this ancient mammal is said to be the last common universal ancestor. Without cheats, there is no way to catch Mew in any of the Pokémon games, making it the hardest Pokémon to catch. A Pokémon that can’t be found; it must be fictitious.

NEXT: 10 Unusual Pokémon Descriptions In The Pokédex