Experienced Pokmon players will know just how important a good moveset is, as well as how crucial good TMs can to making them. Often, a Pokmons natural learnset just isnt up to snuff. Fan favorite Mewtwo, for instance, is a special attacking powerhouse, but without TMs itll mostly have terrible moves like Swift to choose from.

RELATED: Ranking The 10 Best TMs In Pokmon Generation 1

Whether youre breeding competitive Pokmon or just playing through the story, TMs offer quick and convenient access to some of the very best moves in the game (more convenient than ever now that they can be used unlimited times, unlike the TRs of Pokmon Sword & Shield). Some are available in stores and should be snapped up, while others can be an utter waste of money. Here are some Sword & Shield TMs you should steer clear of buying, alongside others youll want to make a beeline for.

With its premium price tag (50,000 Pokmon Dollars at the Battle Tower) and impressive-sounding name, you might think this Psychic-type status move would be a powerhouse worth acquiring. Sadly, though, in 99% of situations it just wont be.

What does it do? Switches the Defense and Special Defense stats of all Pokmon for a brief time. Now, there are a lot of advanced strategies to employ in Pokmon battles, but this move is probably one of the most difficult to pull off successfully. Its about as niche as it gets.

Trick Room has a lot in common with Wonder Room, being a status move that alters the state of the battlefield for five turns. In this case, however, its an incredibly powerful effect, perhaps the strongest that those terrifying Psychic-types have in their arsenal.

Trick Room reverses the turn order while its in effect, making the slowest Pokmon move first and the fastest move last. Its a devastatingly powerful and popular strategy, and only four Pokmon learn the move naturally: Porygon-Z, Oranguru, Diancie and Hoopa (both forms). This TM is a Battle Tower must-buy.

Now, were not about to snark on Normal-types here. They can be fantastic assets to teams, with their single weakness and super handy Ghost-type immunity. Its just that Normal STAB isnt super effective on anything so isnt as valuable, while Normal-type coverage moves basically arent a thing at all.

RELATED: 5 Reasons Its Important To Have A Normal-Type Pokmon On Your Team (& 5 Not To Bother)

Mega Kick, while very powerful at base 120, is mostly redundant. Once the signature move of Hitmonlee (which didnt get STAB on it), its a stronger, 75% accurate counterpart to Mega Punch, which is four times more expensive at 40,000 P from the rightmost Hammerlocke Pokmon Center. Feel free to skip this one.

If youre primarily a singles battler, you might not see very much use for Protect at all. Its much more niche in that format. Experienced doubles battlers, meanwhile, have surely used this invaluable TM over and over.

Protect simply shields the user from (almost) all damage for a turn, making it an essential part of many doubles Pokmons movesets (watch out for Dynamax/Gigantamax moves, though). Predicting which of your critters the opponent will target and keeping them safe in this way is the key to play in this format. One of the greatest Normal moves ever,Protect is an absolute bargain at 10,000 P and should be immediately nabbed from Motostokes leftmost Pokmon Center.

Also weighing it at 10,000 P, from a Hammerlocke Pokmon Center this time, we have TM35, Hail. This Ice-type status move is well, not one of the best that Ice-types have to offer.

Weather effects are astonishingly powerful strategies to build teams around. Rain, sun and sand are all very powerful in their own ways, offering passive boosts to certain typings and activating a range of useful Abilities (such as Swift Swim and Chlorophyll, which double the Pokmons Speed in rain and sun respectively). While hail has had a recent buff in the shape of the Slush Rush Ability (the equivalent of the aforementioned ones) and Aurora Veil, it remains the weakest of the weathers. When it is seen, its almost never set manually, making Hail the weakest of the weather-based TMs.

Next, were crossing over to Wyndon, where the Pokmon Center on the right side of the city offers the elemental punches as TMs. Fire Punch (TM03), Ice Punch (TM04) and Thunder Punch (TM05) are available here for 50,000 P each. All these moves provide excellent coverage options for physical attackers (though they do lack a little in raw power), but weve plumped for Ice Punch here.

Because Ice-types are weak to well, basically everything ever, the typing offers great offensive coverage in return. Dragon, Flying, Ground and Grass are all hit super effectively, with some key x4 weaknesses to boot. Tailor your choice to fit your team, but all three of these TM options can be great.

While youre in that Wyndon Pokmon Center, youll also notice Solar Blade available. This TM can be tempting, as its 125 base power will claim the soul of any Pokmon that doesnt appreciate Grass-type attacks. The trouble is, though, its a two-turn move, which tends to instantly make an attack unviable.

RELATED: Pokmon: The 10 Most Powerful Grass Moves, Ranked

In the sun, it doesnt require that charge turn, and it can also be mitigated with the use of a Power Herb. However, this makes it very restricting and unreliable outside of favorable weather or Dynamax. Its not the most efficient way to use your held item slot either. It can be very powerful, yes, but its so awkward to use.

Off we go back to Motostoke now, to claim a pair of TMs that we just couldnt choose between. Light Screen and Reflect have always been two sides of the same excellent coin, the cornerstone of many offensive and defensive strategies alike.

Light Screen halves the damage your team takes from special attacks for five turns, while Reflect has the same effect on physical damage (both can be extended to eight turns if the users holding Light Clay). Aurora Veil and Laprass G-Max Resonance sets both effects at once, though the former is only available in hail and the latter has obvious limitations. So-called dual screen Pokmon pack both of these moves and use the appropriate one for the situation, so youll want to grab both if this strategy appeals. Just watch out for Galarian Mr. Mime and Mr. Rime, as their exclusive Ability Screen Cleaner cancels out the effect of these moves entirely while its in battle (even for its own team)! Presumably the one above doesn't have that Ability.

As weve mentioned, Normal-type STAB isnt exactly the most sought-after. It can certainly leave a heck of dent, though, as when it comes to incredibly strong moves like the infamous Hyper Beam.

This special attack boasts great power, theres no denying. Aside from that and its super neat animation, though, we really cant recommend this one outside of very niche cases (such as Pixilate Sylveon, which sometimes rocks this for when it really needs to take something out). Its hugely appealing to newer players for its high base power, but this is another Wyndon TM youll probably want to leave in the store.

To close out our list, we have our most expensive TM of all: Imprison, which costs 100,000 P at the Battle Tower. What are you getting for your money? One of the most situational yet potentiallly devastating moves in the game, thats what.

This Psychic-type status move prevents opponents in play from using any move that the user also has. As such, it can be fantastic in doubles matches, denying the use of format mainstays like Trick Room and Protect. It wont come into play every match, but it can be deadly. Trick Room stategies are more popular than ever just now, and you might be surprised how much use you get from this move in competitive play.

NEXT: Ranking The 10 Best TMs In Pokmon Generation II

Next Pokmon: Which Water-Type Are You, Based On Your Chinese Zodiac?

Chris is a freelance video game journalist and entertainment writer from a small town in England. While he's an ardent fan of video games, regardless of platform, he specializes in retro games. His heart will always belong to the Sega Genesis. When he isn't gaming, Chris will usually be found catching up on the latest and greatest movies, whether at the theater or at home. He has sat through the Harry Potter movies more times than you have, and he doesnt care if you disagree.

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Pokmon: 5 TMs You Can Buy That Are Absolutely Not Worth The Money (& 5 That Are) - TheGamer