Why Are All My Pokemon Fleeing? (How to Stop Pokemon From Fleeing?)
If all your Pokemon are fleeing, your account may have a soft ban, or you have a poor catching technique.
I remember facing something similar; I couldn’t catch a Pokemon no matter how many Pokeballs I threw 😞.
Additionally, I couldn’t spin any Pokestops or fight in any gyms. This was frustrating because I didn’t know what was going on.
I scoured the internet, desperate for an answer, and that’s when I learned about soft bans. Someone on a community forum advised waiting it out, and as I did, I delved deeper into the subject.
Here’s what I picked up…
What should you do if your Pokemon keeps fleeing?
As mentioned, Soft bans and poor catching techniques are the main reasons Pokemon flee in the games. Therefore, addressing these issues is the only way to stop them from fleeing 🤓.
Soft ban
Soft bans result from GPS spoofing and moving too fast in your car. Remember, Pokemon Go has a 10.5 km/h speed limit, making it “illegal” to drive when hunting wild Pokemon.
You’ll know your account has a soft ban when wild Pokemon flee from you, and you can’t loot Pokestops.
The easiest way to deal with soft bans is to wait them out. They typically last 12 hours. However, some players have found workarounds.
For instance, some recommend decreasing the accuracy of your Pokeball throws to remove soft bans linked to using bots.
Unfortunately, this method can use up to 100 Pokeballs, which is a waste, considering Niantic lifts soft bans after 12 hours 🕛.
Poor technique
The Pokemon Go handbook provides guidelines on catching wild Pokemon. It recommends waiting for the inner circle to shrink to its smallest possible size before throwing your Pokeball to increase your chances of capturing a wild Pokemon.
Additionally, use berries to improve your catch rates and throw curve balls.
Deviating from these guidelines results in Pokemon dodging your throws and eventually fleeing. To address this, refine your throwing technique, capitalize on curveballs, and accumulate berries for catching wild Pokemon.
Is there a way to stop a Pokemon from fleeing?
Yes. However, this depends on whether you’re stopping your Pokemon from fleeing or your opponent’s.
How to stop your Pokemon from fleeing
As mentioned, wild Pokemon flee because of poor catching techniques and soft bans. Therefore, addressing these should keep them from fleeing. Use curve balls and berries to improve your catch rate and avoid GPS spoofing to prevent soft bans.
How to stop your opponent’s Pokemon from fleeing
Use moves like Mean Look and Wrap to prevent your opponent’s Pokemon from escaping a battle. Here’s a table summarizing these moves 👇:
Mean Look |
Wrap | |
Type |
Normal |
Normal |
Category |
Status |
Physical |
Power |
– |
15 |
Accuracy |
– |
90 |
Contact |
No |
Yes |
Description |
Your Pokemon uses a dark stare to prevent your opponent from escaping. |
Wrap and squeeze the opponent using vines. |
Effect |
Prevents your opponent from escaping. |
Inflicts damage the first time, traps the opponent, and causes them to lose 12.5% of their max. HP. |
What ability keeps Pokemon from fleeing?
Arena Trap and Shadow Tag keep Pokemon from fleeing.
Arena Trap
Arena Trap was introduced in the Generation 3 games. In battle, this move prevents grounded Pokemon from fleeing or switching out.
It’s worth noting, however, that this move works if the user stays in the battle. Furthermore, it is ineffective against Flying types and Pokemon with the ability to Levitate.
Shadow Tag
Like Arena Trap, Shadow Tag was also introduced in the Generation 3 games. This ability stops opposing Pokemon from fleeing a battle or teleporting.
However, foes with Baton Pass, Volt Switch, Flip Turn, or Run Away can still switch out. Additionally, Ghost-types are immune to this ability.