How to Use Your TMs Wisely (Part 1 of 5)

As a lifelong Pokémon fan, I didn’t need any excuse to revisit the original Game Boy games. But the 20th anniversary seems as good a time as any to present this little side project I’ve been working on. Every time I replay the original games, I try to have the “perfect run.” That means, I want to do everything that the game has to offer in the best way possible. And one issue that has always plagued me was the Technical Machines (TMs).

If you are newer to the series, you know TMs as those devices that can be used to teach alternate moves to compatible Pokémon. Hidden Machines (HMs) are the special ones that can’t be overridden by another move unless deleted by an in-game Move Deleter. This semi-permanence is due to the fact that they are required to access new areas of the game. Both forms of machines can be used multiple times, but that wasn’t always the case.

In previous generations (especially Generation I, for people who are restarting their Red/Green/Blue/Yellow journeys), only HMs could be used repeatedly while TMs could only be used once. And, except for a few exceptions, the TMs only appeared once each time per game. After it was used, it was gone forever, so you had to choose the creature you used it on wisely.

So this guide is for people like me who agonized over their TM decisions. With the help of Smogon's RBY competitive movesets and the Pokémon Showdown damage calculator, I’ve compiled a comprehensive analysis of the best time to use each TM and HM in the Generation I Pokémon games. This guide will assume that you are using each TM once, without trading for more, buying the few that are available in Celadon or abusing glitches.

Remember, everything is all up to you! These are just my educated suggestions.

Part 1: Brock to the S.S. Anne

TM34 – Bide    PP: 10    Power: Varies    Accuracy: Varies

Location: Pewter City Gym, prize for defeating Brock

Gen. 1 Effect: The user waits for several turns. At the end, it returns double the damage it received.

Smogon Suggestion: Don't Use

Casual Suggestion: Jigglypuff/Wigglytuff (Temporarily)
As the first TM you receive in the game, Bide is an odd one. Virtually any Pokémon can use it and it isn’t a Rock-type, despite being owned by Brock. He uses it on his Onix, but Pokémon with high Defense aren’t the best for Bide, since you won’t gather very much damage to release. You need a Pokémon with high HP who can actually withstand a lot of damage, not prevent it. Chansey, of course, has the highest amount of HP, but you won’t be seeing one in a long time, and even then, it’s super rare and is better suited for other moves that aren’t based on attacking. Snorlax has the next highest HP, but again, it learns many better moves. Along comes Wigglytuff in 3rd place, and she is perfect for this move. In Red/Green/Blue, you can find a Jigglypuff as soon as Route 3 (and Jigglypuff has the 6th highest HP out of all Pokémon) meaning you can reap the benefits of Bide as soon as possible. Bide isn’t the best against a human opponent, as they can switch-out or affect your status rather than damaging you, but for the game’s storyline, Jigglypuff seems tailor-made for Bide.

TM12 – Water Gun    PP: 25    Power: 40    Accuracy: 100%
Location: Mt. Moon, to the left of the entrance

Gen. 1 Effect: A standard Water attack

Smogon Suggestion: Don't Use

Casual Suggestion: Gyarados, Clefairy, Mew (Temporarily)

Whoever you teach Water Gun to is not going to keep it.  Nearly every Pokémon who learns it can learn the HM Surf.  And if you’ve started your game with a Squirtle, you already have a Water Gun user on your team.  But without Squirtle, you won’t see a Water Pokémon/attack in the game until you can pass Snorlax for some fishing rods (unless you choose a Vaporeon).  That means this is your Water for the first half of the game.  Your strongest choice pre-Snorlax is Gyarados if you purchase the Magikarp before Mt. Moon and manage to train it quickly to Lv. 20 so it can evolve.  Otherwise, Clefairy, the Nidorans, Meowth, Rattata, and Jigglypuff are your options in order of strength.  (Fun Fact: On one runthrough, I caught an early Mew in Cerulean City via the Mew Glitch, and Water Gun worked well as its starter move.)

TM01 – Mega Punch    PP: 20    Power: 80    Accuracy: 85%

Location: Mt. Moon, in the second accessible basement room
Gen. 1 Effect: A standard Normal attack

Smogon Suggestion: Don't Use
Casual Suggestion: Clefable, Wigglytuff, Raichu (Temporarily)

I’m realizing as I’m making this guide that some of these early TMs were strategically placed to be used early on.  That’s because Mega Punch will be rendered totally useless about two-thirds of the way of the game when the HM Strength comes along.  It’s just as strong as Mega Punch but with better accuracy and nearly everyone who learns Mega Punch can learn Strength as well.  So, you could either go the Lt. Surge route and teach it to Raichu (who is the strongest non-Strength learner) or you can use it on Clefable/Wigglytuff for early power that’ll eventually be replaced.  Since you probably won't be using them on final evolutions, your starters Charmander, Squirtle, or Pikachu can also use the move.  Don’t bother saving it for it’s strongest users Snorlax or Kangaskhan as they get much better moves.

TM04 – Whirlwind    PP: 20    Power: None    Accuracy: 85%

Location: Route 4, before the ledge to drop into Cerulean City
Gen. 1 Effect: Generates a powerful wind that blows away wild Pokémon. Useful in the wild only.

Smogon Suggestion: Don't Use
Casual Suggestion: Zubat, Farfetch'd, Spearow (Temporarily)
Whirlwind has no in-battle effect in Generation 1, so you only will use it when you need to end a wild battle and running away isn’t an option.  Essentially, running away fails when your battling Pokémon is much slower than your opponent.  So, the Whirlwind users with the lowest Speed stats are Zubat, Farfetch’d, and Spearow.  Butterfree and Pidgey/Pidgeotto learn the move naturally, and everyone else is fast enough for running not to be an issue.  You won’t particularly be needing this move very long.

TM11 – Bubble Beam    PP: 20    Power: 65    Accuracy: 100%

Location: Cerulean City Gym, prize for defeating Misty
Gen. 1 Effect: A standard Water attack that has a 10% chance of lowering speed

Smogon Suggestion: Persian, Raticate, Wigglytuff
Casual Suggestion: Mewtwo, Articuno

Now, I lied a bit with the Water Gun analysis.  You do get a chance for a better, stronger Water attack in Bubble Beam, but since it’s actually good for some Pokémon, you might want to save it.  Again, Surf is much stronger, so you don’t need to teach it to any of the Surfers.  Mewtwo is technically the strongest non-Surfer to use it, but Mewtwo has much better things to do with his time than to spit bubbles.  Articuno is next, and this would be my personal pick, as it can help diversify its moveset.  In fact, this used to be one of Articuno's strategies against Rock types.  Smogon suggests normal types like Raticate and Wigglytuff to deal with Rock-type opponents, although technically, Chansey and Clefable will hit harder with the move since they have higher Special stats.  But if you are a hardcore metagamer, you'll want the speedy Persian all the way.

TM45 – Thunder Wave     PP: 20    Power: None    Accuracy: 100%

Location: Route 24, on the north ledge

Gen. 1 Effect: An Electric attack that paralyzes the opponent
Smogon Suggestion: Anyone (Alakazam, Slowbro, Chansey, Starmie, Zapdos, or Mewtwo in particular)
Casual Suggestion: Same as Smogon

Insta-paralysis is a great tool to have on your team, so there is no clear choice for who needs it the most.  Basically, you need it if you’re planning on using any of the following on your team: Clefable, Wigglytuff, Alakazam, Slowbro, Hypno, Electrode, Chansey, Starmie, Mr. Mime, Electabuzz, Porygon, Zapdos, Mewtwo, or Mew.  Pick your favorite. (It doesn’t affect Ground types, so use it on a Pokémon that won’t be battling them.)

TM19 – Seismic Toss    PP: 20    Power: User's Level    Accuracy: 100%
Location: Route 25, behind Cuttable tree (or have the trainer move)

Gen. 1 Effect: A Fighting attack that deals damage equal to the user’s level
Smogon Suggestion: Alakazam, Electabuzz, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Marowak, Mr. Mime, Omastar
Casual Suggestion: Chansey

This is a great move for consistent damage.  A lot of Pokémon learn it however and it’s the exact same for all of them.  So, my first suggestion is just to use it on your teammate that is lacking in a solid moveset, as it’ll always be reliable.  For specific Pokémon that need it, go with someone with a low Attack, like Chansey, who is better suited for defensive moves.  It’s really anyone’s call.  For the competitive player, it's a great asset for Alakazam.  (Machamp, Pinsir, Primeape and Gengar already learn the move or its Ghost equivalent Night Shade.)

TM28 – Dig    PP: 10    Power: 100    Accuracy: 100%

Location: Cerulean City, after defeating the Rocket behind the ransacked house

Gen. 1 Effect: A Ground attack where the user is invulnerable for a turn then hits on the second turn
Smogon Suggestion: Don't Use
Casual Suggestion: Sandslash, Machop, Onix

Every Pokémon that can use Dig can also use Earthquake which doesn’t make you wait a turn to deliver 100 damage, so the only reason to use Dig is for a Pokémon you aren’t planning on saving Earthquake for.  And it’s also like a permanent Escape Rope outside of battles, letting you leave dungeons quickly, which is nice early on.  With that in mind, while Rhydon and Golem are technically the best Dig users, you’ll want Earthquake for them.  Your next choice is Sandslash.  This is a fine option, but if you’re playing Red and no one is around to trade you a Sandshrew, Machop, Growlithe and Mankey are the next best thing.  (Technically, Dugtrio and Marowak are next best, but they learn Earthquake and Bonemerang which are just as strong.)  And there's always Onix, but he hits weaker than all the others.

TM44 – Rest    PP: 10    Power: None    Accuracy: N/A

Location: S.S. Anne, in the second room on the bottom deck

Gen. 1 Effect: The user falls asleep for two turns, healing all damage
Smogon Suggestion: Slowbro, Mewtwo, Articuno, Omastar, Lapras, Vaporeon, Hypno, Golduck
Casual Suggestion: Any of Smogon's, except for Mewtwo

You’ll want a bulky user who can withstand the beating that will be received during sleep, so you want to look at high HP, Defense, and Special, especially among those with a nice balance among all three.  If you add everyone's base stats up in those areas, you'll find that Chansey comes out on top thanks to her massive HP.  Mewtwo is next, but it comes with Recover which is half as good without the penalty of sleep.  Articuno, Cloyster, Omastar, Exeggutor, Lapras, Moltres, Mew, Vaporeon, and Zapdos (in that order) also have great balances on the defensive side.  Slowbro isn't too far behind and its Amnesia allows it to surpass most of the other competitors, which is why its Smogon's top choice. (Golduck also learned Amnesia via a prize in Pokemon Stadium.)  Dragonite and Tangela are also well balanced and better than Hypno, if you so choose.

TM08 – Body Slam    PP: 15    Power: 85    Accuracy: 100%

Location: S.S. Anne, in the second room on the main deck

Gen. 1 Effect: A Normal attack with a 30% chance of paralyzing
Smogon Suggestion: Anyone (Tauros, Rhydon, Golem, Victreebel, or Jolteon in particular)
Casual Suggestion: Dodrio (or anyone with a base attack over 80)

A strong attack with a paralysis bonus is going to be in hot demand and should definitely be somewhere on your team.  Normal types with high Attack stats are going to hit the hardest, meaning Dodrio will be your strongest choice.  Snorlax is next, but he learns the move naturally, so go for Tauros, Kangaskhan, and Raticate after that.  Then, just stick with anyone with a high Attack (Dragonite, Flareon, Kingler, or Machamp).  I've noticed that Smogon occasionally pairs this move with Hyper Beam, but never with Double-Edge.  If you have another strong Normal attack that you want to use more, only use Body Slam in addition if your attacker has a poor moveset.  Of Smogon's choices, Jolteon is the weakest and Body Slam should be reserved for someone else unless Jolteon is the only one on your team who learns it.

HM01 – Cut    PP: 30    Power: 50    Accuracy: 95%

Location: S.S. Anne, after helping the Captain

Gen 1. Effect: A standard Normal attack
Smogon Suggestion: Don't Use
Casual Suggestion: Farfetch'd, Bellsprout, Kingler

In battle, Cut is very undesirable, but it is a mandatory move for progressing in the game.  You’ll basically need to have someone one your team who can use it during the middle third of the game to get past any trees that stand in your way.  But it’s permanent, so you don’t want to use it for one of your final battlers.  Kingler and Pinsir hit the hardest with Cut, but you can’t catch them until well after you need it (and they have much better moves to use anyway).  Fortunately, in Vermillion City, you can receive its third strongest user, Farfetch’d.  It seems as if this creature was put in the game for the sole purpose of letting you have someone to teach Cut to (and in the Gold/Silver sequels, we see that Farfetch’d are used for this purpose).  If you’re playing Yellow, you’ll have to rely on Bellsprout, as the strongest early-access Cutter (followed by Sandshrew, Paras, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Oddish, and Diglett).

Part 2: Lt. Surge to Celadon City is up next!