What does an Aniipod Ultra guarantee?

Potential is the tier a creature carries from the moment you catch it, and Elite is the floor an Ultra sets. You can roll better than Elite. You cannot roll worse. That removes the part of catching that usually stings, where the creature you wanted turns up with a potential grade that makes it not worth raising.

The throw itself is also settled. An Ultra guarantees the capture of a wild creature, so there is no failed attempt and no second pod spent on the same target. Aniipods are consumable throwables, one use each, which is the real cost here. An Ultra is a single decision about a single creature, and once it is gone it is gone.

The other reason to keep Ultras in reserve is what they can be thrown at. Higher-tier pods are what let you capture boss Aniimo at all, so an Ultra is both your safety net on a good wild catch and your only route to certain targets.

Ultras against other premium Aniipods

Premium pods do not all buy the same thing. Sparkling Cubes guarantee the captured creature will be a shiny glistening variant, which is about appearance rather than the potential floor. An Ultra gives you the stat tier. Decide before you throw which of the two you actually want out of that creature, because one pod does not do both jobs.

Getting one without paying

During the pre-launch event, every squad member receives a free Aniipod Ultra once the squad reaches six members. That is one guaranteed Elite catch per person for the cost of filling out a squad, so it is worth doing before you find something you would hate to roll badly on.

Not settled: Elite is a minimum, not a fixed result. How often an Ultra lands above Elite, and how much higher it can go, is not something the pod itself tells you.