Early on in Chrono Cross you'll gain the ability to use Trap Elements in combat. Trap Elements are single-use Elements that are used to acquire another, very specific Element from an enemy. The Trap Element goes off if the enemy uses that Element in the fight. For example, if you were to fight the Green Dragon and use a Carnivore Trap Element on it, the Trap would grab Carnivore before it went off and place a copy of Carnivore in your inventory. In this way you can acquire some very powerful Elements, so long as your Trap placement and timing are good, and save yourself from the pain of getting hit by the Element.
This guide will take you through the many Trap Elements in Chrono Cross, and which enemies you should use them on. You can purchase more Trap Elements in both versions of Marbule, though the Marbule in Home World must first be repopulated by the Demi-Humans on the S.S. Zelbess before you can purchase anything. Note, too, that Another World's Marbule is blocked off from you for a portion of the game when Lynx takes over, so make sure you buy plenty of Trap Elements as Serge before you head to Fort Dragonia.
The Elements below are divided into normal Elements - spells like Black Hole, Ultranova, Inferno, etc. - and Summon Elements. Summon Elements are unique, powerful spells that can only be acquired once per save file. If you already have the Summon Element then don't waste your money buying a bunch of Traps.
Black Hole
- De-Hydrate - Boss, Hydra Marshes (Another World) - Field Effect must be all Black
- Tragedienne - Enemy, Dead Sea (Home World)
- Dark Serge - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Home World)
- Gravitor - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Time Devourer - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Fargo - Boss, S.S. Invincible (Another World)
- Green Dragon - Boss, Gaea's Navel (Home World) - Field Effect must be all Green
- Dark Serge - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Home World)
- Anemotor - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
Deluge
- Sidesteppa - Enemy, Water Dragon Isle (Home World) - Field Effect must be all Blue
- Water Dragon - Boss, Water Dragon Isle (Home World)
- Aquator - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Time Devourer - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Dwarf - Enemy, Hydra Marshes and Water Dragon Isle (not the scripted encounter Dwarf)
- Centaurpede - Enemy, Hydra Marshes (Another World)
- Cybot - Enemy, Fort Dragonia (Home World)
- Solt and Peppor - Boss, Isle of the Damned (Another World)
- Criosphinx - Boss, Earth Dragon Isle - Need to deliberately ignore questions to get it to attack normally
Freefall
- Bunyip - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Another World) - Only casts Freefall in its Black Innate form
- Airframe - Enemy, Isle of the Damned (Home World)
- Sage of Marbule - Boss, S.S. Zelbess (Another World)
- Black Dragon - Boss, Marbule (Another World)
- Dario - Boss, Forbidden Island (Home World)
- FATE - Boss, Chronopolis (Home World)
- Gravitor - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Time Devourer - Boss, Opassa Beach (Home World)
Frog Prince (Summon)
- Aquator - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World) - Probably never uses the move, so don't worry about it
- Centaurpede - Enemy, Hydra Marshes (Another World)
- Solt and Peppor - Bosses, Isle of the Damned (Another World)
Holy Light
- Sun of a Gun - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Another World)
- Miguel - Boss, Dead Sea (Home World)
- Cupoid - Enemy, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Luxator - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Time Devourer - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Giant Gloop - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Another World)
- Water Dragon - Boss, Water Dragon Isle (Home World)
- Orlha - Boss, Guldove (Another World)
- Dark Serge - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Home World)
- Royal Jelly - Boss, El Nido Triangle (Another World)
- Aquator - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Slash - Boss, Bend of Time (both)
- Bunyip - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Another World) - Only casts Inferno in its Red Innate form
- Radius - Boss, Arni Village (Home World)
- Taurminator - Enemy, Mount Pyre (Home World)
- Fire Dragon - Enemy, Mount Pyre (Another World) - Only casts Inferno after transforming
- Dark Serge - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Home World)
- Vita Unus - Boss, Sea of Eden (Home World)
- Airframe - Enemy, Isle of the Damned (Home World)
- Shadow Cat - Enemy, Fossil Valley (Another World) - Field Effect must be all Black, only used if there are two Shadow Cats at the beginning of the fight and nothing else
- Gravitor - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Hot Doggity - Enemy, Mount Pyre (Another World)
- Pyrotor - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Bulb - Enemy, Shadow Forest (Home World) - Only used if there's a single Bulb
- Prey Mantis - Enemy, Gaea's Navel (Home World) - Only used if there are two Prey Mantises at the beginning of the fight and nothing else
- Anemotor - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Solt and Peppor - Bosses, Isle of the Damned (Another World)
- Criosphinx - Boss, Earth Dragon Isle (Home World) - Need to deliberately ignore questions to get it to attack normally
- Dark Serge - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Home World)
- Time Devourer - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Tragedienne - Enemy, Dead Sea (Home World)
- Dark Serge - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Home World)
- Anemotor - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Time Devourer - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Time Devourer - Boss, Opassa Beach (Home World)
- Ozzie - Boss, Bend of Time (both)
- Mega-Starky - Boss, Sky Dragon Isle (Home World)
- Sky Dragon - Boss, Sky Dragon Isle (Another World)
- Luxator - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Time Devourer - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Dodo - Enemy, Fossil Valley (Another World)
- Luxator - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Bunyip - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Another World) - Only casts Volcano in its Red Innate form
- Tragedienne - Enemy, Dead Sea (Home World)
- Tutanshaman - Enemy, Fossil Valley (Another World)
- Dark Serge - Boss, Fort Dragonia (Home World)
- Vita Unus, Vita Dos, Vita Tres - Bosses, Sea of Eden (Home World)
- Pyrotor - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Time Devourer - Boss, Terra Tower (Another World)
- Flea - Boss, Bend of Time (both)