The Elite TM just added to Pokemon GO allows players to not only choose what Fast or Charged move they want their Pokemon to learn as opposed to regular TMs where the moves are learned at random, but it allows Pokemon to learn Legacy Moves – moves that the Pokemon was able to learn naturally but are no longer able to – as well as exclusive moves from Community Day events or special Raid periods.
As you can imagine, this opens up a world of possibilities. Now you no longer have to wait for that exclusive move to be available to get it. And some moves can be the difference between a Pokemon being a top tier threat and not.
Here are the best moves to teach Pokemon with the Pokemon GO Elite TM:
Swampert – Hydro Cannon
Swampert consistently runs high in the ranks of both Great League and Ultra League thanks to Hydro Cannon’s low energy cost and great damage allowing Swampert to not only put pressure on shields but erode the opponent. Normally a Community Day-exclusive move, Hydro Cannon will instantly turn your Swampert into a top tier threat. In fact, pretty much any of the starter Pokemon will see an instant upgrade by learning their Community Day-exclusive move, but Swampert is one of the best for this.
GamePress recommends pairing it with Mud Shot for PvP because of its high energy generation charging Hydro Pump more frequently and Water Gun for Raids because it’s the same type as Hydro Cannon and deals more damage overall than Mud Shot. For a second Charge Move, Earthquake provides a wide coverage and takes advantage of Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) while Sludge Wave delivers a nasty surprise to grass-types not named Venusaur looking to take advantage of Swampert’s double weakness to grass.
Dewgong – Ice Shard & Icy Wind
Dewgong ranks surprisingly high in the Great League (it currently ranks at #11 on Pvpoke) thanks to its bulk and its utility moveset, according to GamePress. However, that’s only if you have access to both of its Legacy Moves Ice Shard and Icy Wind, which are much easier to obtain now that Elite TMs are a thing. Ice Shard has fantastic energy gain and Icy Wind not only has a low energy cost but lowers the attack of the opponent upon a hit.
Icy Wind should be paired with Water Pulse for more STAB coverage.
Lapras – Ice Shard and Ice Beam
Lapras ranks high in both the Great and Ultra League, and while Water Gun is viable on its own Ice Shard has much better energy gain and plays well with both Surf and Ice Beam. Ice Beam is more flexible than Blizzard thanks to its lower energy requirement.
Dragon Pulse is another Legacy Move that can be obtained via an Elite TM. According to GamePress, while it’s slightly slower than Ice Beam it might be useful in dealing damage against Pokemon that resist water- and ice-type moves. You’d probably want to go for Ice Beam due to STAB, though.
Zapdos – Thundershock
Zapdos lagged behind Raikou in terms of power until it got access to Thundershock as a Legacy Move exclusive only to certain Raid Periods. Thundershock is a direct upgrade to Charge Beam in terms of damage and energy gain and plays well with Thunderbolt. Zapdos’ typing of electric and flying is one of the best in the game. It makes it resist ground-type moves along with several others, though it does make Zapdos weak to the ice-type attacks of Lapras and Dewgong who would normally be countered by electric-types. However, while Raikou doesn’t resist as many types as Zapdos it’s still a king among electric-types thanks to its access to Wild Charge and Shadow Ball, and it doesn’t need an Elite TM for those moves. Still, Zapdos definitely has a place in PvP as well as Raids.
Pair Thunderbolt with Drill Peck for shield-baiting and good STAB output, according to GamePress.
Venusaur – Frenzy Plant
Venusaur shines in the Great League and Ultra League. While Roserade and Sceptile both have much higher DPS, Venusaur has more bulk which is very important in PvP. Frenzy Plant helps keep its relevance in the PvP sphere for the same reasons Hydro Cannon is so powerful, it’s got both great damage and great energy cost and efficiency.
Pair it with Vine Whip for more energy generation as well as Sludge Bomb for more STAB coverage, especially against fairy-types that might otherwise surprise you.
Sceptile – Frenzy Plant
While Sceptile isn’t as viable in PvP as Venusaur, it’s still one of the best grass-types in terms of raw DPS thanks to Frenzy Plant which makes it perfect for Raids against Bosses weak to grass.
Blaziken – Blast Burn & Stone Edge
Blaziken is a relatively strong threat for both fire- and fighting-type attackers. Blast Burn paired with the excellent Counter makes Blaziken one of the strongest counters to ice- and steel-type Raid Bosses. As for PvP, a secondary move of Stone Edge will give it a way to deal with flying-type counters.
That being said, Pvpoke suggests going with Blaze Kick instead of Blast Burn to better bait shields while still having Blaziken fill its role as a fire-type attacker.
Charizard – Wing Attack and Blast Burn
Wing Attack is a direct upgrade to Air Slash and features slightly more energy gain than Fire Spin. Plus, flying- and fire-type moves have pretty similar coverage so they play well together. That being said, Fire Spin deals more damage over time.
As for Blast Burn, it makes for a viable substitute for Overheat. While Overheat deals much more damage, Blast Burn has lower energy cost and doesn’t give Charizard the -2 debuff to attack.
Moltres – Sky Attack
Just like with Thundershock and Zapdos, Sky Attack is exclusive to Moltres caught during certain Raid Periods. Moltres with Sky Attack are cited by many as the best flying-type attackers in the game thanks to its low cost and great power.
Similarly with Charizard, go with Wing Attack if you want more energy gain and Fire Spin for more damage.
Mewtwo – PsyStrike & Shadow Ball
Mewtwo regularly ranks among the strongest attackers in both Raids and PvP, and both PsyStrike and Shadow Ball insure that. PsyStrike was exclusive to Mewtwo caught during certain Raid periods and is perfect for those that want psychic-type damage against fighting-types and poison-types. Shadow Ball is exclusive to EX Raids and gives Mewtwo some of the best neutral coverage in the game.
Pair Psystrike with Confusion for maximum DPS and pair Shadow Ball with Psycho Cut for more energy gain.
Metagross – Meteor Mash
Metagross is just behind Dialga and Melmetal in terms of prominence as a steel-type attacker in Master League, but only with Meteor Mash. Dialga has more raw damage and Melmetal has more versatility in its toolset, but Metagross is a great choice too thanks to its Meteor Mash hitting hard and its access to Earthquake and Psychic.
Choose Earthquake for its coverage (especially against fire-types that might counter Metagross) and its sheer power. Psychic is also a neat choice; it doesn’t have the coverage of Earthquake but it has a lower energy cost and hits neutral damage against things that would normally resist Meteor Mash, according to GamePress. Psychic also counters common threats to Metagross like Machamp.
Gardevoir – Synchronoise
Gardevoir has access to both Synchronoise and Psychic which are both pretty similar. If you have a Gardevoir with Psychic instead of Synchronoise, you’d probably be just fine with it. However, Synchronoise is still faster especially with Charm’s low energy gain, according to Pvpoke.
Tyranitar – Smack Down
Tyranitar is one of the best rock-type attackers. While it may not be as strong as Rampardos, it has much more bulk as well as access to the useful Crunch making it very viable in Master League despite its multiple weaknesses. There’s just one problem, it doesn’t normally learn a rock-type Fast Move. But thanks to the Elite TM, you can give one its Community Day-exclusive move Smack Down.
Here’s a recap of all the Pokemon that should learn Legacy or Exclusive moves from Elite TMs for your convenience:
Swampert – Hydro Cannon
Dewgong – Ice Shard, Icy Wind & Aqua Jet
Lapras – Ice Shard, Ice Beam & Dragon Pulse
Zapdos – Thundershock
Venusaur – Frenzy Plant
Blaziken – Stone Edge
Mewtwo – Psystrike, Shadow Ball
Metagross – Meteor Mash
Gardevoir – Synchronoise
Tyranitar – Smack Down
Moltres – Sky Attack
See also:
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Pokemon GO Elite TM: Best Moves to Teach Pokemon