The Pokemon Company has never been afraid of experimenting with new types of games, resulting in video games far from the original Pokemon Red and Blue. One of the oddest Pokemon spin-offs was Learn with Pokemon: Typing Adventure; the main goal of this game was to learn how to type faster by using an external keyboard connected to a Nintendo DS. Aside from a couple of odd spin-offs, The Pokemon Company has kept most of its newer games like Pokemon Legends: Arceus faithful to the source material.
Pokemon GO has largely kept its core gameplay elements the same as its predecessors, but some features in this unique mobile game make it stand out. One example are TMs (Technical Machines), which can teach Pokemon powerful unique attacks. So, players who want to compete in the GO League with their Pokemon will want to fully understand them before wasting them, especially since they're a rare commodity.
TMs in Pokemon GO
In traditional Pokemon games, TMs teach a Pokemon a specific move (Thunderbolt, Leer, Growl, etc.), but in Pokemon GO, Technical Machines teach a Pokemon a random move from their move pool. For example, Pikachu's Fast move pool includes Thunder Shock, and Quick Attack, while its Charged move pool has Discharge, Thunderbolt, Wild Charge, and Thunder. So if a player uses a Fast TM (which will be explained later on), Pikachu will learn Thunder Shock or Quick Attack.
Players can keep using TMs until the Pokemon learns the move they desire, so Pokemon that have large move pools tend to be more expensive in terms of TMs since they often require more than one to get the desired move. Players can also use Elite TMs that allow them to specifically choose a move from the move pool. But, these types of TMs are a lot harder to come by, especially for the casual Pokemon GO player.
Fast VS Charged TMs
Players that enjoy battling other trainers, Gym, or Team Rocket Grunts will most likely notice that their Pokemon has two different types of moves. Pokemon use Fast moves automatically without needing the player's input, including Quick Attack, Spark, Tackle, Thunder Shock, and Present, among hundreds of others.
As for Charged moves, these are attacks that charge with every Fast attack. Once ready, the player can press the attack icon (at the bottom of the Pokemon) to use it, which also triggers a "Battle Mini-game" to amplify the Charged attack. Not all Fast moves are actually "fast," so trainers should teach their Pokemon Fast moves that can fill the Charged move much quicker. Moreover, some Charged moves can stack, meaning players can unleash several Charged moves one after the other.
Two Charged Moves
It's worth mentioning that some Pokemon can learn two charged moves, which can come in handy to "trick" the rival trainer into using their Shield for a weaker attack. Players can teach a Pokemon a Charged Move with Stardust (50,000 - 75,000 - 100,000) and a set amount of Candies (50 - 75 - 100). Once a Pokemon learns a second Charged move, players can use an Elite/Normal Charge TM to change the attack.
Players should note that some Pokemon can't learn a second Charged move (usually the common ones like Rattata or Pidgey). Furthermore, players should only do it on "meta" Pokemon and not ones considered weak because of how expensive it is to teach a second Charged move.
Pokemon Worth Using a TM On
Players that want to make the most of their TMs will want to know which Pokemon have Fast or Charged moves that are worth using, whether against Team Rocket Grunts, Gyms, Raids, or rival Trainers. Below is a chart of some of the best Pokemon to use and their Fast/Charged moves.
Pokemon | Fast Move | Charged Move |
|---|---|---|
Gengar | Shadow Claw | Shadow Ball |
Moltres | Fire Spin | Overheat |
Dragonite | Dragon Tail | Outrage |
Tyranitar | Bite | Crunch |
Salamence | Dragon Tail | Draco Meteor |
Metagross | Bullet Punch | Psychic |
Rayquaza | Dragon Tail | Outrage |
Garchomp | Dragon Tail | Outrage |
Darkrai | Snarl | Shadow Ball |
Excadrill | Mud Slap | Drill Run |
Terrakion | Smack Down | Rock Slide |
Palkia | Dragon Breath | Draco Meteor |
Mamoswine | Powder Snow | Avalanche |
Electivire | Thunder Shock | Wild Charge |
Rampardos | Smack Down | Rock Slide |
How To Get More TMs
As new players will quickly notice, TMs aren't as common as they should be, meaning players will need to be careful about how they use them. Fortunately, there are several ways players can obtain normal Fast and Charged TMs. The easiest method to get more TMs is by completing Special Research quests like "Finding Your Voice" or "A Mythical Discovery."
Players will also need to complete Raids to obtain more TMs. 5-Star or Legendary Raids are another efficient method of getting more TMs in Pokemon GO. There's no limit to the number of Raids a player can participate in, but players will need to use Premium Battle Passes after the first.
As for Elite TMs, players can only obtain them by completing Time-limited Research tasks or as a mileage reward from the GO Battle Ultra or Master League. But, every round of mileage rewards is random, so players shouldn't expect to get them every time. On top of that, the Ultra and Master League are made up of the best players, so winning won't always be possible.
Pokemon GO is available now on iOS and Android devices.