# Cobblemon Catch Ball Rules
Cobblemon Catch Ball Rules is a Fabric mod for Minecraft 1.21.1 that lets server owners decide which Pokemon species can only be caught with specific Poke Balls.
If a species is restricted and the player throws the wrong ball, the capture fails immediately.
If the ball is allowed, Cobblemon handles the rest with its normal catch logic.
## Features
- Restrict specific Pokemon to specific Poke Balls
- Keep rules in a simple JSON config file
- Support Cobblemon balls and custom balls from add-ons or modpacks
- Preserve Cobblemon's normal capture formulas for valid balls
- Reload the config with a command instead of restarting the server
- Optionally refund blocked balls
- Optionally show a custom player message when a catch is blocked
## Requirements
- Minecraft `1.21.1`
- Fabric Loader
- Cobblemon `>=1.7.3 <1.8.0`
## Server And Client Support
- Gameplay enforcement is server-side
- The mod can also be installed on the client and loads cleanly there
- In practice, this is mainly a server-side rules mod
## Installation
1. Install Fabric Loader for Minecraft `1.21.1`
2. Install Cobblemon for the same Minecraft version
3. Put this mod in your `mods` folder
4. Start the game or server once to generate the config file
## Config File
Path:
config/cobblemon_catch_ball_rules.json
Example:
{
"consumeBlockedBall": false,
"showPlayerMessage": true,
"rules": [
{
"pokemon": ["mew", "mewtwo", "lugia"],
"allowedBalls": ["cobblemon:master_ball"],
"message": "&6&lLegendary rule! &r&7This Pokemon can only be captured with a &6Master Ball&7."
}
]
}
## Config Options
- `consumeBlockedBall`
When `false`, the mod refunds the blocked ball. When `true`, the blocked ball is still consumed.
- `showPlayerMessage`
When `true`, the player sees the rule message after a blocked catch. When `false`, the catch is blocked silently.
- `rules`
A list of species-specific catch restrictions.
Each rule contains:
- `pokemon`: a list of species names or species IDs
- `allowedBalls`: a list of allowed Poke Ball item IDs
- `message`: the message shown when a catch is blocked
## Writing Rules
Pokemon values can use either short names or full IDs:
- `"mew"`
- `"cobblemon:mew"`
Ball values should use full item IDs:
- `"cobblemon:poke_ball"`
- `"cobblemon:ultra_ball"`
- `"cobblemon:master_ball"`
Custom balls from other mods or add-ons also work as long as you use the correct item ID.
The `message` field supports Minecraft legacy formatting codes with either `&` codes or section-sign codes.
## Example Rules
Legendary Pokemon that only allow Master Balls:
{
"pokemon": ["mewtwo"],
"allowedBalls": ["cobblemon:master_ball"],
"message": "&4&lBlocked! &r&7This Pokemon can only be captured with a &6Master Ball&7."
}
Ultra Beasts that only allow Beast Balls:
{
"pokemon": ["nihilego", "buzzwole", "pheromosa"],
"allowedBalls": ["cobblemon:beast_ball"],
"message": "This Pokemon reacts only to a Beast Ball."
}
Pokemon that allow more than one ball:
{
"pokemon": ["articuno"],
"allowedBalls": ["cobblemon:ultra_ball", "cobblemon:master_ball"],
"message": "Articuno can only be captured with an Ultra Ball or Master Ball."
}
## Commands
Reload the config without restarting:
/ccbr reload
/cobblemoncatchballrules reload
This command requires operator permission.
## Troubleshooting
- If the config file is missing, the mod creates a default one automatically
- If the config file is invalid JSON, the mod regenerates it with defaults and logs the error
- If a rule seems ignored, check the species ID, ball ID, and whether the species matches one of your configured rules
