For Pokemon trainers around the globe, many important decisions go into becoming a master trainer. After trainers have picked their team of six, it comes time to solidify what moves they all should have to create the strongest and most tactical fighting force.
While many moves come from leveling up, Pokemon can also learn new moves from TMs (Technical Machines) that look like CDs. These can either be found around the region, won in battle, or purchased from a shopping center. However, not all of these TMs contain the gaming-changing move players were hoping for.
Updated on December 26, 2022, by Jeff Drake: With every generation of the Pokemon series, more and more moves are added to the list of TMs. Some moves have always been exclusively TMs. TMs are the best way of turning a so-so Pokemon into a powerhouse in the arena. Not all TMs are created equal, though. There are many, many, TMs that are a waste of a slot in a Pokemon's move-set. The moves on this list make Tackle look like Hyper Beam. In an effort to prevent trainers from using a suboptimal TM, this list has been expanded by five entries. The number in the parentheses is the TM's number for previous generations, the second number is the TM number for Scarlet and Violet.
15 Metronome (TM #35, #80)
Metronome is possibly the funniest move to use, but fun doesn't always equal useful. Using Metronome results in a random move effect occurring. The chances of this move resulting in the opponent fainting are pretty slim. In fact, there is always the possibility that using Metronome reduces the likelihood of victory.
There are some moves whose effects cannot be replicated by Metronome. Most of these omitted moves are only usable by one Pokemon, like Kings Shield and Photon Geyser.
14 Take Down (TM #09, #01)
The recoil moves in the Pokemon series are terrible. Sure, they do a lot of damage to the target, but they also cause the user of these moves to take a percentage of the damage they deal. This drastically shortens the amount of time a Pokemon can appear in battle - unless the player wants to use healing items.
Take Down is one of the worst of the recoil moves. It has a power of 90, an accuracy of 85, and a PP count of 20. A move like this should have 100 accuracy. Having to take 1/4 of the damage dealt is bad enough, but a 15% chance of missing is just too much.
13 Facade (TM #42, #25)
Facade, in incredibly specific circumstances, can be a moderately useful move. All things being equal, it is almost never worth being in a Pokemon's move-set. Facade has a power of 70, an accuracy of 100, and a PP count of 20. The power score isn't anything special, but at least it has an accuracy of 100.
If the user of Facade is paralyzed, burned, or poisoned, the power of Facade is raised to 140. Being poisoned happens occasionally, but being paralyzed a little less. It is rare for a Pokemon to get burned, and if the user is burned they suffer a -50% penalty to power. So, if burned the power of Facade is still 70.
12 Imprison (TM #44, #92)
This move prevents the opponent from using moves also known by the user. The problem with this is that there are almost 1,000 moves in the Pokemon games at this point. Pokemon can learn four moves. This means the chance of the opponent having one of the same moves as the user of Imprison is extraordinarily low.
For such a weak ability, this move could have at least have down a small amount of damage as well. Sadly, this move does not damage. One good thing about Imprison is that it always hits the target.
11 Psychic Terrain (TM #91, #138)
The terrain-affecting moves are not very appealing. They change the rules of the game in little ways. Psychic Terrain makes grounded (non-flying, non-levitating) Pokemon immune to high-priority moves. High Priority moves typically go first during a turn of battle, and the most prominent example of this type of move is Quick Attack.
Psychic Terrain also increases the power of Psychic-type moves for five turns. This includes opponents' Psychic moves, so that negates this benefit a bit.
10 Frustration (TM #21)
Originally introduced in the second generation frustration is a Normal-type move that deals damage based on the player's friendship with their Pokemon. Specifically how much they don't like their trainer. The lower the friendship level is with the player's Pokemon, the more damage the move does.
This is the opposite of the move return, which does more damage with a higher friendship level. Unless the player is some sadistic person that doesn't want a beautiful friendship with the animals they force to fight, teaching frustration to any permanent members of the team is a waste of a move slot.
9 Sleep Talk (TM #35, #70)
Sleep talk was also introduced in the second generation and is a move that only works if the Pokemon is sleeping. If they are sleeping it picks a move randomly from the other three spots and uses it.
The issue with this is it needs to be paired with rest so that it has a way to force the Pokemon to sleep. This is only okay if the random selection of what move to use doesn't bother a player, and the player doesn't want that particular Pokemon to know any two-turn moves - since those don't work.
8 Snatch (TM #49)
Introduced in generation three snatch is a Dark-type move that steals the next beneficial status effect the opponent's Pokemon uses. This move requires some participation on the opponent's half since they both need to have a beneficial status move and use it.
While the game's A.I. would very much do this for the player, another person would just not use the move. This forces the player to try and catch opponents by surprise with the move. Overall this move requires too many pieces to fall in place to really accomplish anything and even then it might just be better to have a positive status effect move in its place.
7 Double Team (TM #32)
Double team is an old classic from the first generation. The move raises the evasion stat of a Pokemon by one stage. This move at the end of the day is pretty lame.
The evasion stat doesn't make much of a difference in combat unless it's raised by several stages, meaning that this move would need to be used for several turns for most Pokemon to be beneficial in combat. It really doesn't justify taking up one of the four move slots, especially late game.
6 Skill Swap (TM #48, #98)
This Psychic move introduced in generation 3 has the amazing ability to swap skills with the opposing Pokemon until that Pokemon is swapped out. There is also a not so shortlist of abilities that cannot be swapped out.
This move is really just a gamble since there is no easy way to know what ability the opposing Pokemon has and if swapping skills will even be beneficial. This is another gambling move that doesn't pose a strong enough reward.
5 Explosion (TM #47, #64)
Explosion is exactly what it sounds like. It causes the Pokemon using it to explode, dealing damage but also causing the user to faint in the process which is counterproductive since the player wants the opponent to faint.
While there are certainly some scenarios where this move can be useful, overall there are too many limitations to bother taking up a move slot with it. Leave this move to the wild Pokemon that are uninterested in being captured.
4 Recycle (TM #67)
Speaking of moves with super-specific requirements, using Recycle allows the user to regain any held items used during the battle. This could be useful for Pokemon holding some berries or other healing items, but it would require those to be used and leave enough time for the move to be used during the same battle.
This is neat, but not good enough to be taking up a move slot, especially when the time it takes to use an item from the bag isn't that detrimental.
3 Trick Room (TM #92, #161)
Trick Room rotates the priority bracket of each Pokemon for five turns. So in a scenario where players have a Psychic-type Pokemon that moves slower than the opponent, players could rotate the priority and maybe attack first.
It's a maybe because it doesn't affect move priority, so a faster opponent could still go first depending on what moves it has. This move requires some intense game knowledge for the possibility to go first on some turns, which isn't worth it.
2 Quash (TM #60)
Quash causes the Pokemon it was used on to go last on that turn. Meaning the user gets to attack first. But they have to use quash to go first. Meaning that this move doesn't actually do anything. At best, in a battle that isn't one-on-one, the player's other Pokemon could get the drop on the opponent.
However, most battles are one-on-one, so the use case here is tiny. This move is a real waste to have any really just doesn't accomplish anything. No Pokemon deserves to know such a useless move unless players have strict two-on-two battles only.
1 Nature Power (TM #96)
This Normal-type move channels the environment that the battle is taking place to determine the type of move used. This seems cool on paper, but the tendency in Pokemon games is that the environment determines the type of Pokemon that are there.
So in a grass environment, a Grass-type move would be used, but the odds of being against a Grass-type Pokemon are higher than other types, so it most likely wouldn't be very effective. It would make much more sense to switch to a type-advantaged Pokemon instead.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet is available on the Nintendo Switch.