Pokemon GO TM Guide: How to Use Fast, Charged, and Elite TMs

What Are TMs in Pokemon GO?

TMs — Technical Machines — let you change the moves on your Pokemon. Unlike the mainline games where TMs teach a specific move, Pokemon GO TMs work differently: they randomly reassign your Pokemon’s move from its available move pool. That single word — randomly — is the source of both their power and their frustration.

There are three types of TMs in Pokemon GO, and understanding the difference between them is the first step to using them well. I’ve burned through dozens of TMs chasing the right move on a Mewtwo and come out empty-handed, so trust me when I say the learning curve is real.

Fast TM vs Charged TM vs Elite TM

Here’s a quick breakdown of all three TM types:

Regular TMs cycle through moves randomly within the Pokemon’s current learnable pool. If your Pokemon only has two fast moves in its pool, a Fast TM will always give you the other one — but if it has four options, you’re rolling the dice and hoping to land on what you want.

How to Get TMs in Pokemon GO

Regular Fast TMs and Charged TMs

Regular TMs are relatively accessible if you’re active. The main sources are:

• Raid battles — completing 3-star and 5-star raids gives TMs as potential rewards. Higher-tier raids have better drop rates. This is the most consistent source.
• GO Battle League — TMs appear in the reward track as you win battles and climb ranks. Both Fast and Charged TMs drop at various rank milestones.
• Research breakthroughs — monthly stamp rewards occasionally include TMs.
• Special Research and Timed Research — story-driven research chains sometimes reward TMs at certain stages.
• Trainer battles (offline PvP) — battling friends can sometimes yield TMs, though this is less reliable.

If you’re doing 5-star raids consistently, TMs will accumulate naturally. The bottleneck is almost always Elite TMs, not regular ones.

Elite TMs — The Rarest Resource

Elite TMs are significantly harder to obtain and should be treated accordingly. Sources include:

• GO Battle League end-of-season rewards — reaching certain ranks at the end of a season awards Elite TMs. The higher your rank, the more likely you are to receive one.
• Community Day events — buying the Community Day Special Research ticket often rewards an Elite TM (or both types), and some Community Days include them as free field research rewards.
• GO Fest and Safari Zone events — Niantic occasionally distributes Elite TMs through paid event tickets or research during major events.
• Paid special research — some ticketed research stories include Elite TMs as milestone rewards.

On average, a dedicated player might earn 4–8 Elite TMs per year. That scarcity is why knowing when to use them matters so much.

How TM RNG Works — Can You Guarantee a Move?

With regular TMs, no — you cannot guarantee a specific move. Each use picks randomly from the available pool, and the game will not give you the move you already have (so at minimum you always get something different). But with a pool of three or more moves, you can easily burn multiple TMs and still not land on what you want.

A few things that affect your odds:

• Pool size matters — a Pokemon with only two fast moves will always give you the other move on the second TM use. A Pokemon with five charged moves is a much worse gamble.
• Legacy moves are excluded — moves that were available during a limited window (Community Day exclusives, for example) are NOT in the regular TM pool. You cannot get them with a regular TM. This is exactly what Elite TMs are for.
• Event-exclusive moves — similarly, moves added during special events may only be accessible via Elite TM after the event ends.

My personal rule: if a Pokemon has three or fewer moves in its pool and the target move isn’t legacy, I’ll use a regular TM. If the pool is larger or the move is legacy, I save the slot for an Elite TM or wait for a rerun event.

Elite TM Strategy — When to Use Them and Which Pokemon Deserve Them

Elite TMs are so scarce that using one on the wrong Pokemon is a painful mistake. Here’s the framework I use:

When an Elite TM Is Worth It

• The move is a legacy exclusive that significantly outperforms current alternatives (e.g. Shadow Ball Mewtwo, Smack Down Tyranitar, Surf Azumarill for PvP)
• The Pokemon is irreplaceable — a high-IV Legendary or a rare Shadow Pokemon with ideal IVs
• The move gap is large — the legacy move is materially better (10%+ DPS improvement or a key coverage type), not just marginally better
• You’re competitive in GO Battle League — specific PvP move combinations are often mandatory at high ranks, not optional

When to Hold Your Elite TMs

• The Pokemon is common enough that you can catch a better one later
• The move difference is small — regular move is already viable
• A Community Day rerun is coming that could unlock the move for free
• You’re still building your raid team — don’t Elite TM a B-tier attacker when you need the resource for future S-tier Legendaries

Top Pokemon That Deserve Elite TMs

These are the highest-impact targets for Elite TMs based on the current meta:

Shadow versions of these Pokemon (Shadow Mewtwo, Shadow Tyranitar) amplify the benefit even further — making Elite TMs on perfect or near-perfect Shadow catches among the highest-value uses in the game.

Best Moves to TM onto Raid Attackers

For PvE raiding, you generally want the highest DPS fast move and the best energy-generating charged move. Here are the priority TM targets for top raid attackers:

• Machamp — Counter (Fast) + Dynamic Punch (Charged). Both are in the regular pool on most Machamp.
• Rhyperior — Mud Slap (Fast) + Rock Wrecker (Charged). Rock Wrecker is a Community Day legacy move — requires Elite Charged TM.
• Rayquaza — Dragon Tail (Fast) + Outrage (Charged). Both accessible via regular TM.
• Garchomp — Dragon Tail (Fast) + Outrage (Charged). Check if Earth Power is preferable for specific matchups.
• Chandelure — Fire Spin (Fast) + Overheat (Charged) for Fire raids; Hex (Fast) + Shadow Ball (Charged) for Ghost-type raids.

Before burning a TM on a raid attacker, check whether the move is in the regular pool or legacy. Resources like GamePress and PvPoke list full move pools — a quick check can save you an Elite TM.

Best Moves for PvP Pokemon

PvP move optimization is more nuanced than PvE because energy efficiency, coverage, and shield pressure all matter. Key targets:

• Azumarill — Bubble (Fast) + Play Rough and Hydro Pump (or Ice Beam). Bubble is in the regular pool; use a Fast TM if you have Rock Smash.
• Medicham — Counter (Fast) + Ice Punch and Psychic (Charged). Counter is in regular pool on most Medicham.
• Galarian Stunfisk — Mud Shot (Fast) + Rock Slide and Earthquake (Charged). Regular TM accessible.
• Trevenant — Shadow Claw (Fast) + Shadow Ball and Seed Bomb (Charged). Check if Shadow Claw is in the regular pool for your Trevenant.
• Lanturn — Spark (Fast) + Surf and Thunderbolt (Charged). Surf may require an Elite TM depending on when your Lanturn was caught.

For serious PvP play, cross-reference move sets on PvPoke before using any TM — the site shows exactly which moves are in the current learnable pool vs legacy.

Quick Reference: TM Decision Framework

Use this checklist before using any TM:

1. Is the target move a legacy/exclusive move? If yes, you need an Elite TM — a regular TM cannot give it to you.
2. How many moves are in the Pokemon’s pool? Two moves = guaranteed swap. Three or more = random.
3. Is this Pokemon worth the investment? High IV + meta-relevant = yes. Common species with marginal improvement = wait.
4. Is a Community Day rerun likely? If the move is a past CD exclusive, Niantic often reruns the Pokemon, letting you catch one with the move already unlocked.
5. For Elite TMs: can this wait? Save Elite TMs unless the move gap is large and the Pokemon is a cornerstone of your team.

Building the right move sets is only half the equation — you also need to understand which Pokemon are worth powering up in the first place. Check our raid guide for the best raid attackers by type, and our Great League teams guide for the top PvP picks. And if you’re still evaluating which Pokemon to TM based on their stats, our IVs guide explains how to read IVs and appraisals so you’re only investing in keepers.

Looking to build the strongest possible team? Check out our guide to the best raid attackers for every type.

Sources

Bulbapedia. Technical Machine (GO). bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net

GamePress. Pokemon GO Move Rankings and TM Priority Lists. gamepress.gg

PvPoke. Pokemon GO PvP Move Rankings and Battle Simulator. pvpoke.com

References

1. Bulbapedia. Technical Machine (GO). bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net
2. GamePress. Pokemon GO Move Rankings and TM Priority Lists. gamepress.gg
3. PvPoke. Pokemon GO PvP Move Rankings and Battle Simulator. pvpoke.com