I had a 278cp bulbasaur break out of a pokeball at least 20 times, with 10 of those times being "great hits," with at least three of them being ultra balls, and five being great balls. I finally just kept chucking regular pokeballs until I finally got it. It took nearly five minutes. Then, about an hour later, another one about the same cp broke out over 10 times. Sort of sick of it. Also, are they doing jumping jacks lately?
Bulbasaurs are always a tough catch. Typically, they they take five or six great balls, using straight throws. If you find one below about 150cp, it will be easier. If you can throw curve balls, that might make it go a bit faster.
Also, it sometimes seems starter pokies just don't want to be caught. If you start feeling you have wasted too many balls on one, maybe it is time to cut your losses and move on.
Bulba, Char, Squir an so with Picka...
Both of them are not too easy to catch... But luckily sometimes I caught them with just (1) poke ball... some of them takes 3-6 balls randomly... + a little berries...
My tips like this: (regardless the CP)
1st attemp use pokeball
2nd use great ball
3rd apply berry + poke/great ball (do it 2x)
if still failed... Then time to use berry+ultra...
Good Luck!
The starters event makes perfectly sense if you take into consideration that most "gift packs" (gifts from Niantic that we players actually payed) had balls on them, it is the perfect way to sell us something that probably in most situations people won't ever pay for (unless you have very low pokestops around).
Starters are the perfect way of making people spend money on the game without almost "notice it", during this event I have used more balls and berries in 7 days that probably in a month, I had to visit more than double normally stops I visit just to avoid losing all balls on those mons.
And I think their catch rate has been reduced, at least for me, starters have always been difficult to get, but seriously 5-10 ultras to get a 300CP Charmander, Bulbasaur or Squirtle? Even with ultra+great throw+berry combo they break out too often...
