Completing the Pokédex is the long-term goal of Pokémon Pinball. It cannot be done in a single game: the two tables do not have the same Pokémon, evolutions require you to catch the starting Pokémon first in the same game, and one case, Mew, is an exception to every rule. This page offers a method to make progress without wasting time.

The exact count

The Pokédex has 151 entries. At the start, 150 slots are visible, from Bulbasaur to Mewtwo; Mew’s entry appears at the end of the list only once Mew has been seen. Of this total, 79 Pokémon can be caught directly in Catch’em Mode, counting Mew. The other 72 are evolutions, which can only be obtained in Evolution Mode.

Bulbasaur.
Mewtwo.
CategoryNumber
Pokémon that can be caught directly79
Pokémon obtained by evolution72
Evolutionary lines to work on (first stage catchable)54
Pokémon with no evolution or pre-evolution25 (including Mew and Mewtwo)
Obtainable on the Red Field, evolutions included118
Obtainable on the Blue Field, evolutions included124
Obtainable on both tables91
Red Field exclusives27
Blue Field exclusives33

No single table is enough on its own, then: you have to play on both fields at least to complete the collection.

The exclusive Pokémon of each table

These two lists include, for each table, the Pokémon that cannot be found on the other one, evolutions included. If a Pokémon from these lists is missing from your Pokédex, you know which table to play on.

Red Field exclusives (27)

Blue Field exclusives (33)

A four-step method

  1. Play one game per table. Choose the table that offers the most missing Pokémon. A caught Pokémon only evolves in the same game: if you want Charizard, catch Charmander and evolve it twice in the current game.
  2. Stay in the location that contains your target. Only move when the current location no longer offers anything useful. The tables for the Red Field and the Blue Field give the percentages for each location.
  3. Light the third GET arrow for rare Pokémon. About twenty species only appear with three arrows, as detailed on the rare Pokémon page.
  4. Finish with the evolutions. Catch the starting Pokémon first, then start Evolution Mode as soon as the three EVO arrows are lit. The items you need are detailed in evolutions.
Charizard.
Charmander.

How many modes to plan for

Each Catch’em Mode yields only a single Pokémon, and each Evolution Mode evolves only one. To fill the Pokédex, you therefore need at least 79 Catch’em Modes and 72 Evolution Modes, or 151 modes. At up to two minutes per mode, that is up to five hours of active-mode play, not counting lost balls, failed catches and setup shots. It is a long-haul job, which naturally spreads across many games.

Eevee.
Vaporeon.
Jolteon.

To limit the number of games, make the most of every bonus ball and every minute of ball saver, and keep in mind that a single game serves both for catching and evolving: the Pokémon you catch remain available for Evolution Mode until the end of the game. A Blue Field game that starts with the catch of Eevee can thus end with Vaporeon, Jolteon or Flareon: the game picks the evolution at random from the three at the moment of selection.

A few pitfalls

  • An evolved Pokémon is not kept from one game to the next. Only the Pokédex is saved; the list of caught Pokémon resets to zero with every game.
  • A failed mode leaves a trace. A Pokémon whose catch fails is recorded as “seen”: you know its name, but its entry stays locked. Likewise, choosing a Pokémon in Evolution Mode registers its evolved form as “seen”, even if the evolution fails.
  • The Mew case. Mew cannot really be caught: you have to make it appear and then keep the ball alive for two minutes. See the Mew page.
  • Rare ones take luck. Even with three arrows, the draw remains random: a single attempt is almost never enough for a species at 6.25%.

The lines to work on

The 54 first stages in the following list are those whose evolutions are obtained in Evolution Mode. You have to catch them in the game before evolving them.

First stages to catch before evolving (54)

The Pokémon with no evolution

Conversely, the 25 Pokémon below do not evolve and do not come from any evolution: their entry can only be completed by direct capture, or by the Mew draw for the last one.

Pokémon with no evolution (25)