I was recently asked by some of my fellow Pokémon Go (PGo) players what they needed to do with all of the Fast and Charge TM’s that were clogging up their item inventory. They specifically needed extra room in their item bag for pokéballs during the Christmas event for catching all those extra Pokémon that were spawning. They didn’t want to just throw the TM’s away, but also didn’t know how best to use them. After all, besides Rare Candies, TM’s are arguably some of the most valuable items in the game.
Like many casual or new players out there, my friends love participating in gym raids, relish the social aspect, and enjoy catching something new. However, they don’t really have the time or desire to get into the meta and complication of move sets, DPS, IV’s, statistics, etc. that some of the hardcore PGo players love to discuss and research on Silph Road, Reddit, and various other websites and phone apps.
Realizing this, I decided I would try and list aloud what would be the best fighters and matching move sets right there, on the spot. However, I could tell that it was too much information for my fellow PGoers to take in all at once. Keeping this in mind, I elected to create a written list of tips, not only for my friends, but for anyone who might need some guidance on how to use those precious Fast and Charge TM’s.
1) First, explore this list of easily identifiable fighters to see if you already have any or can evolve them from lower level Pokémon:
– Tyranitar
– Dragonite
– Gyarados
– Golem
– Machamp
– Rhydon
– Donphan
– Vaporeon
– Jolteon
– Flareon
– Espeon
– Lugia
– Ho-oh
– Groudon
– Gardevoir
2) If you don’t have any on the list above, or don’t have the candies to evolve their lower counterparts to get them, you can choose the Pokémon that you use most in battle.
If you don’t know which Pokémon you use the most in battle, take note of which ones the game puts in for you the next time you go to a Gym Raid. These will vary based upon the type and move set of the raid boss you are fighting, but you will see some that continually pop up for you, in each Raid you participate in. Start with these.
OR
2) If you have multiples of the Pokémon listed in #1, choose the one(s) that have IV’s over 80% and are at a medium to high level (Stardust of 2500 or above).
You will know which Pokémon have IV’s over 80% based on the appraisal of your trainer and the phrase used to describe your Pokémon:
Valor – Red – “Overall, your (Pokémon) simply amazes me!”
Mystic – Blue – “Overall, your (Pokémon) is a wonder!”
Instinct – Yellow – “Overall, your (Pokémon) looks like it can battle with the best of them!”
If you don’t have Pokémon with 80% or above IV’s, go by the one(s) with the highest CP. But, only do this if you have no other option.
3) Here is a short list of the strongest move sets that you will want for the Pokémon mentioned above:
4) Make sure you can find the Pokémon that you want to change by jotting down the name and CP before getting started, and if you like, the newly desired moves.
5) Go into the item list and choose the Fast TM or Charge TM item based upon the move you want to change.
6) Refer to your notes and use the search function to pull up the specific Pokémon by name. This is much easier than scrolling through your entire list to find the right one.
7) Confirm the exact one in the search by the CP that you jotted down earlier. Select that Pokémon and confirm that you want to make the change to the current move set listed.
8) The game will then calculate for a moment and confirm which new move set your fighter has been given.
That’s it!
Now, let’s look at things to avoid during this process.
THINGS TO AVOID!
9) Do not use TM’s on Pokémon that are not in their final evolution since the Fast Move and Charge Move will change once you evolve them. (The only exception to this is a Chansey if you like to use him as a gym defender and already have several Blisseys).
10) After you use a TM, be sure to back all the way out of the menu so that you don’t accidentally change the move set a second time.
11) Fast TM’s are easier to use and get the desired change most often since Pokémon typically only have 2, sometimes 3 fast moves. (90% of the time you will get the stronger move set using only 1 Fast TM). Also, it’s a good idea to practice changing Fast TM’s before getting into the tougher Charge TM changes.
12) Changing Charge TM’s can be more difficult because there are sometimes up to 4 or 5 potential Charge move possibilities. It may take multiple Charge TM’s to get the desired Charge move result. In a worst case scenario, it’s possible to use multiple Charge TM’s and still not get the “best” move set since the new Charge move is chosen at random. In extremely worst case scenarios, it can toggle back and forth between 2 you don’t want many times. My advice is never use more than 2 to 3 on any one Pokémon.
13) If you’re concerned about using too many Charge TM’s, my friend Jerry put together a great list of the poorest performing charge moves on these fighters. So, if you only want to use 1 Charge TM per Pokémon to stretch your TM resources, you’re guaranteed to improve your Pokémon’s Charge move if your monster currently possesses any of the following:
Disclaimer: If you’re the type of player that is concerned about keeping Pokémon with Legacy moves, DPS vs total damage dealt, weather status effects, number of Charge attacks prior to feinting, or Charge attacks that can’t be dodged, then you more than likely don’t need this guide and can go your own way.
For all of you who are casual PGo players, I hope this information helps!
If you have any questions about TM’s, feel free to post them in the comments below and I’ll try and answer them.
(Sources used: Jerry Van Pelt, Poké Assistant, Rankedboost.com, Niantic)
