Capture Cube Tiers and Usage Priority#

Capture Cubes (AniiPod) are the core item line behind capturing in Aniimo, and they come in several tiers. The Cube itself is only the final link in the pipeline — prerequisites such as shaving the BREAK gauge, flanking and sleep are covered in Capture Mechanics Explained — but knowing which tier to throw, and when, directly decides whether a rare target slips out of the net because you used the wrong item. This page breaks down the traits of every tier and gives a clear usage priority.

Tier Overview#

Compiled from player-community guides, the confirmed tiers of the Cube line are as follows (the Chinese community collectively calls them the “Cube” item family; the official in-game names follow whatever the game actually displays):

Apart from the two guaranteed-catch items (Ultra and Sparkling) and the special functions of Tumbler and Track, the exact success rates of the ordinary tiers have not been published in any authoritative source, so treat the live in-game build as the reference. The principle that can be confirmed is this: the tier system exists to offer a matched choice for targets of different rarity.

The Two Guaranteed Cubes: Ultra and Sparkling#

Ultra Cube (Ultra)#

Guaranteed success, with a floor of Elite Potential. Two things to keep in mind:

1. Limited quantity — this is the item you most need to ration in the entire line; never waste one on an everyday wild target;
2. The Elite Potential floor means it is not merely a “guaranteed catch”, it also carries a potential guarantee; using it on a worthy target saves you the cost of re-catching as well.

Recommended use cases: high-value rare targets (individuals with Shiny, Rainbow or Alpha tags), important utility Aniimo near the level cap, and individuals that may take a very long time to respawn if you miss them.

Sparkling Cube (Sparkling Cube)#

The most specialised tier in the line: guaranteed success, and it guarantees Perfect Potential and Shiny. Its value lies not in “catching” but in “catching the very best”:

• It is best used on Iridescent Aniimo — Iridescent is itself the highest-rarity individual, so a Sparkling Cube combines “Iridescent plus Perfect Potential plus Shiny” in one go;
• It also fits the Iridescent Egg hatching flow.

In short: the Ultra Cube solves “can I catch it”, while the Sparkling Cube solves “is what I caught a perfect specimen”. Both sit above every ordinary tier in the usage priority order.

Utility Cubes: Tumbler and Track#

• Tumbler Cube: captures Aniimo along your path through a controllable roll. Its logic is completely different from standing still and aiming a throw — it suits picking up targets you pass on the road, folding capture into your travel rhythm and saving a dedicated fight;
• Track Cube: the tier of the Cube line tied to the tracking function, suited to special scenarios where you need to track a target; exact usage conditions follow the in-game build.

The value of these two is efficiency rather than power — they change the cost of “when you catch”, not “whether you can catch at all”.

Usage Priority Recommendations#

Pool the capture items from launch rewards, field supplies and shop purchases into one stockpile, then spend them in this order:

1. Everyday common species: throw basic tiers (Pro and similar) freely — their training value lies in quantity, not in the individual, so sweep maps together with region completion as described in Region Completion and Capture Rate Bonuses;
2. Mid-value targets: handled with advanced tiers (Hyper, Mega), stacked with gauge shaving and flanking; ordinary rare individuals do not need a guaranteed-catch item;
3. Rare individuals (Shiny, Alpha tags): run the full weakening flow first to open a vulnerable window, then use an advanced tier inside that window; if the target’s rarity justifies insurance or the level gap is against you, go for the Ultra Cube;
4. Iridescent Aniimo and Iridescent Egg flows: the exclusive domain of the Sparkling Cube, never mixed with ordinary capture.

Three Rules for Saving Cubes#

• Do not stack guaranteed items: Ultra and Sparkling Cubes succeed by definition, so there is no need to “throw a few more for safety” — one is enough;
• Never throw one at a Boss-tier target: Bosses cannot be captured at all, and the screen tells you so the moment you raise a Cube, which makes high-tier items meaningless there;
• Level the gap first if it exceeds 15: when the target outlevels you by 15 or more, capture rate drops noticeably; guaranteed items are exempt, but ordinary tiers are effectively thrown away under those conditions.

Where to Get Cubes and How to Stock Up#

Free players have a limited supply of high-tier Cubes, so schedule the confirmed sources:

1. Launch rewards — pre-registration and launch rewards include practical capture items, a one-time starting stock; see Launch Rewards and Free-to-Play Planning for spending discipline;
2. Field supplies and shops — routine purchases through channels such as the Camp Shop; exact prices and stock rotation follow the in-game build;
3. Events and seasons — with the official high-frequency update cadence, event and season rewards are the long-term supply channel, see Season 1 and Season Tasks.

Allocation principle: keep the basic tier stocked at a level that allows “free spending while sweeping maps”, and keep guaranteed tiers at a floor of “able to handle one rare target at any time” — once you drop below that floor, stop spending high tiers on ordinary targets.

Item Pitfalls in the Newbie Phase#

The three most common inventory mistakes in the first two weeks after launch:

• Spending guaranteed tiers on common species — the value of common species is quantity; basic tiers are enough, so save guaranteed items for rare targets;
• Hoarding instead of using — Cubes do not appreciate; spending launch-reward items during the launch window to convert them into Aniilog progress and research level beats letting them gather dust;
• Bringing only high tiers to Alpha fights — Bosses cannot be captured, so bring basic and advanced tiers to Alpha fights; guaranteed items are useless there.

Q: Are ordinary Cubes worth throwing when the success rate is so low? A: Yes, provided the conditions are stacked — once gauge depletion, flanking and sleep are all in place, the ordinary tier is perfectly adequate for map sweeping (the stacking mechanics are in Capture Mechanics Explained). When an ordinary Cube fails, the correct diagnosis is usually that the conditions were not complete, not that the item is bad.

Q: What are the exact success rates per tier? A: Beyond the guaranteed wording for Ultra and Sparkling, the rates for the remaining tiers are unverified — follow the in-game item descriptions. Pick tiers according to the usage priority above instead of waiting for numbers.

Summary#

The correct way to use the Cube line is “matching”: the target’s rarity decides the tier, and guaranteed items appear only where insurance is worth paying. Save Ultra Cubes for what you truly care about, save Sparkling Cubes for the Iridescent flow, and spend basic tiers generously on map sweeping — this allocation keeps you from running short of key items for the whole of Season 1.

— Wu Bian, NTGame Editorial Team