This is why you don't battle with a poor pet

[Mrbeankc]

Decided I wanted to level a Sapphire Cub up as a battle pet. I really like the pet and figured I wouldn't use it much for pvp pet battles since it was a poor. It has been a struggle. The thing is at level 21 and still has trouble battling pets of similar level. I'm going to finish leveling it to 25 but I tell you I will never level another poor pet no matter how cool looking he is. They're simply to weak even for battles in the wild unless you have some seriously strong pets with them.

[Jw2042]

That must suck. I'm pretty sure my Sapphire Cub is rare quality. At least in 5.1 you'll be able to upgrade it.

[Mrbeankc]

Mine is poor. Their level might be random as I also have the Jade Owl which is uncommon. My engineering pet the Mechanical Panderian Dragonling is also uncommon. To tell you how poor my poor level 21 Sapphire Cub is it has 730 health while my uncommon level 12 Jade Owl has 712. 9 levels separate them and yet the Jade Owl is almost the same health and can survive just as well as the cub against level 23 wild pets.

[Darky28]

Saphire Cubs come indeed in all flavours...
The item to learn it is blue, but what pops in your pet List can be from poor to rare.

[Gwenolyn]

Can you learn more than 1 to try for a rare? I guess it won't matter with the stones coming soon. Just worried the stones won't be very common...

[Lysi]

I think for a while a bug was making them all gray quality.

[Poofah]

You can learn multiple, up to the 3-per-pet limit.

[Sesamee]

I have the pattern and when I make one it's random in quality. I've gotten one rare, a few greens, and one poor. I kept the rare and plan to lvl him. He has a speed of 16 at lvl 1! Crazy fast!!

[Vhale]

It looks like the stones are going to degrade levels though after you use them. So, using one on a high level pet will have a cost. I think they just added this into the notes today:

Pets over level 15 upgraded in this way can lose up to two levels in the process.

[Runestones]

I had the issue with the Red Cricket being poor. I'm just hanging on to it until I can upgrade it.

[Kagalii]

I had the issue with the Red Cricket being poor. I'm just hanging on to it until I can upgrade it.

I noticed mine is poor too. I wonder if I can get it on alts too to try for a different quality.