#apriball

With Apricorn season comes... Apricorns! They're a common fruit found in nearly any biome in the Japanese regions where trees grow, and are one of the first materials used to make Apricorn Balls. I got the supplies and made a few to demonstrate c^^

Materials you'll need: at least one Apricorn, something to cut it in half (i used a pull-saw), very tiny hinges, latches, and screws, a very small screwdriver, linseed oil, sandpaper, and a rag.

The full step by step is found below the cut!

Finally found one of the special sushis, and actually had a cute apriball to catch her in.

KLFDKJGSKGJDSKGSK THIS TOOK ME OUT 

This is an updated Project Dream Ball post to reflect on some facts I didn't know about rare balls. Furthermore, I made some mistakes while copying and pasting, and forgot to consider some regional Pokemon don't have a regional pre-evolution. 10/17/2023

Project Dream Ball is a project that aims to make Pokemon in special balls such as Apricorn Balls, Sport Balls, Safari Balls, Dream Balls and Beast Balls more readily available to players.

On the side, Project Dream Ball also aims to help newer players obtain ribbons exclusive to previous gen Pokemon games, such as old contest ribbons, the Legend ribbon, etc. Pokemon that can be legitimately obtained in a Safari Ball:

*Any regional variant Pokemon whose original or other variant forms can be obtained in Safari Balls via breeding *Pokemon that are catchable in Pokemon Sword/Shield (you can create Safari Balls with the Cram-o-matic)

*Pokemon that are catchable in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet (you can create Safari Balls with the Item Printer)

Pokemon that can be legitimately obtained in Apricorn Balls:

*Pokemon that are catchable in HeartGold/Soulsilver, EXCEPT for Safari-exclusive Pokemon.

*Pokemon that are catchable in Sun/Moon and Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon

*Pokemon that are catchable in Sword/Shield

*Pokemon that are catchable in Scarlet/Violet

Pokemon that can/could have been legitimately obtained in a Dream Ball:

*Pokemon that were available through the Dream World in Pokemon Black/White

*Pokemon that are obtained from Pokemon Dream Radar

*Pokemon that are catchable in Pokemon Sword/Shield

*Pokemon that are catchable in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet

*Regional Variants whose original or other forms can be obtained in a Dream Ball via breeding

Pokemon that can be obtained in a Sport Ball:

*Pokemon that are catchable in Pokemon Sword/Shield (you can create Sport Balls with the Cram-o-matic)

*Pokemon that are catchable in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet (you can create Sport Balls with the Item Printer) *Regional Variants whose original or other forms can be obtained in a Sport Ball via breeding

Pokemon that can be obtained in a Beast Ball:

*Pokemon that are catchable in Sun/Moon and Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon

*Pokemon that are catchable in Sword/Shield

*Pokemon that are catchable in Scarlet/Violet *Regional Variants whose original or other forms can be obtained in a Beast Ball via breeding

How Project Dream Ball operates:

While Pokemon Bank is no longer available for download anymore after March 27th, 2023, it is still usable, and it is also be free to use. This means that Project Dream Ball will still be able to bring forward Pokemon from previous generations into Pokemon Home until Nintendo shuts down online servers completely in April 2024. As such, if you have any requests for ribbons that can only be obtained in previous generations, please let me know before it's

Project Dream Ball wants to help trainers obtain Pokemon with ribbons available only through previous gens, and intends to do so via requests. Please understand that these kinds of requests may take time, and may not always be possible. For example, past contest ribbons from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and Diamond/Pearl/Platinum are fairly easy to get, but there is a limit to how many may be possible to obtain through gameplay. Meanwhile, ribbons that are obtained through battling may be more difficult to obtain. As far as ribbon requests go, it may be better in some cases to request a specific Pokemon and request a trade instead. Trading online is still possible in gens 4 and 5 using this method. A list of ribbons can be found here. Please keep in mind, not all of these ribbons can be obtained.

Project Dream Ball aims to provide trainers with better access to Pokemon in special Poke Balls, without the use of Action Replay, Powersaves, etc. However, Project Dream Ball will still use fan wifi servers in order to trade Pokemon to trainers who would like to use certain Pokemon in older gens.

Pokémon still life

Aprimon are Pokémon who have been caught in a special, hard to obtain pokeball. When a shiny is caught in one of these, it significantly increases the value of the Pokémon in trades because you essentially have a rare mon inside of a rare ball.

What are Apriballs?

Apriballs are hard to find, rare balls within the Pokémon series. They are generally made from Apricorns in the game, thus the name. However, a few other rare balls get lumped in with them too. Each Apriball has its own special attribute but these were normally used in the older games where they were more numerous. Now Apriballs are mostly used for aesthetic. Here’s a comprehensive list of Apriballs for your reference.

Fast Ball

Heavy Ball

Moon Ball

Lure Ball

Friend Ball

Love Ball

Level Ball

Dream Ball

Beast Ball

What are Bank Balls?

Bank balls are Pokeballs that were only used in older Gens, thus the only way you can get them into more recent games is through Pokémon Bank. That makes them extremely rare. Here is a list of bank balls:

Safari Ball

Sport Ball

Other Rare Balls

The last two remaining rare balls are the Cherish ball (animation pictured above), which you can only get through Pokémon distributed online and the Master Ball, which you generally get one of per game although Sword/Shield offers you more. These balls cannot be passed down by their parents and instead their offspring will be hatched into a regular Pokeball.

Cherish Ball

Master Ball

Why Is This Important?

Aprimon are considered “high value trades” even when they are not shiny because of the rare balls they are in. Most non shiny Aprimon are used to breed higher value, shiny Pokémon because parents have a 50% chance of passing down their pokeball when bred with a Pokémon in the same egg type and 100% when bred with a ditto. Getting an Aprimon for breeding is a lot easier than taking the risk of trying to catch your preferred Pokémon in a ball.

This is a big deal for Masuda Method users who often use foreign dittos because this will guarantee a 100% chance of passing it down to their potentially shiny offspring.

My Growlithe, Amaterasu, in a Fast Ball (seen in my trainer’s hand). These balls are also coveted for their unique animations upon the Pokémon’s release.

How do I breed a shiny Aprimon?

If you have some Apriballs or Bank balls (all resulting Pokémon are pretty much dubbed Aprimon regardless of the ball) the safest thing to do is go out into the wild and catch a random Pokémon in the ball of your choice. Be sure to save your game before you use the ball, in case the Pokémon breaks free. If it does, soft reset your game my closing out of it without saving. Your game should then resume back to the point where you had the ball and you can try again until you catch the right Pokémon in the ball.

Then, you’ll want to Masuda method with a foreign language ditto, if you’re breeding for battle optimally this ditto will have 5IV or better stats and be equipped with a destiny knot. All of your resulting Pokémon will be in the right ball!

Ditto never has a hard time looking for love.

Alternatively...

If you have some of the older games you can just catch a Pokémon in one of the balls and then import it up through Pokémon Bank and then Pokémon Home. The only problem with this is you’re going to be very limited in which Pokémon you can choose because they’ll need to exist in both the older game and Pokémon Sword/Shield.

I used my Apriballs, does that mean I can’t breed for them anymore?

Nope! All you need is a Pokémon who is already in the ball you want. Breeders give these away frequently through wonder/surprise trade and on Pokémon forums like r/Pokemontrades all the time. I’m even going to be giving away some here from time to time!