Why hasn't the Master Ball completely replaced all balls?

[WaterTypeStarter]

Back in the original games, it is plainly stated that Silph cancelled production due to Team Rocket with insinuation that the one given to the player is the only one that exists. However, Gen 2 retcons this by having not only the player get a Master Ball from Elm (retconning the one the player gets in Gen 1 being the only one made) but also allows infinite Master Balls from the Radio Tower lottery. And future gens continue in a similar way. Given there are apparently enough Master Balls being produced to be given away in lotteries, why hasn't the Master Ball become the only ball produced?

 

[NovaBrunswick]

Well, imagine if Master Balls were the only ball in the Pokémon world. While it would make catching Legendaries and Mythicals (especially the roaming ones) and filling up the Dex a whole lot easier, it would get kind of boring very quickly to just catch anything and everything without fail every single time. It would just feel really cheap and lazy, and you wouldn't get that feeling of victory you get when you finally catch that Pokémon that's been evading capture for a long time.

 

[masdog]

Back in the original games, it is plainly stated that Silph cancelled production due to Team Rocket with insinuation that the one given to the player is the only one that exists. However, Gen 2 retcons this by having not only the player get a Master Ball from Elm (retconning the one the player gets in Gen 1 being the only one made) but also allows infinite Master Balls from the Radio Tower lottery. And future gens continue in a similar way. Given there are apparently enough Master Balls being produced to be given away in lotteries, why hasn't the Master Ball become the only ball produced?

In game reason: They’re probably really expensive to produce.
Out of game reason: It takes all the fun out of the game.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

In game reason: They’re probably really expensive to produce.
Out of game reason: It takes all the fun out of the game.

And an unlimited supply of Master Balls does break the game as there would be no need to battle any Wild Pokémon and that is the main way to level up your Pokémon outside of in game trainer battles.

 

[Satoshi & Touko]

The previous two posts sum up perfectly why only Master Balls would be a disaster. A ball that could catch anything, even legendaries, would also easily sell for literally millions of pokedollars a piece I bet.

 

[Blood Red]

Back in the original games, it is plainly stated that Silph cancelled production due to Team Rocket with insinuation that the one given to the player is the only one that exists. However, Gen 2 retcons this by having not only the player get a Master Ball from Elm (retconning the one the player gets in Gen 1 being the only one made) but also allows infinite Master Balls from the Radio Tower lottery. And future gens continue in a similar way. Given there are apparently enough Master Balls being produced to be given away in lotteries, why hasn't the Master Ball become the only ball produced?

The one in Generation 1 was a prototype, rather than something unique that wouldn't ever be reproduced. The ones you find subsequently are most likely limited production models made specifically for regional professors to keep. As for the lottery...yeah, that one's a bit ridiculous. I just chalk it up to 'gameplay' so I don't give myself a headache.

 

[Leonhart]

It can be assumed that they're very expensive to manufacture. Also while various lotteries in the games do give away Master Balls, the odds of winning them are supposed to be incredibly slim, so I wouldn't necessarily say that there's an infinite number of Master Balls available.

 

[Pokefan_1987]

I'd say they're both expensive and only secretly given to trustworthy people. If the design plans for the Master Ball were stolen by a company big enough to rival SilphCo then it would lose it's original value.

 

[Tsukisha]

It would set a huge unbalancement concerning the Pokémon world. To put it in simple and short words, just think about the worst villains going around and catch the strongest Pokémon and/or even legendaries with very little effort.
You must also remember that, in the newer games, the generic act of catching wild Pokémon automatically gives your whole team experience points. Consequently, by instantly using a Master Ball against every single wild Pokémon you happen to encounter, what kind of improvement would your team be able to earn? It would ruin the overall concept of training concerning the Pokémon world, which for the most part relies on a battle based system.