HM Slaves and You!

[champagnepapi]

» HM Slaves and You!

-An HM Slave, as defined by bulbapedia "is a Pokémon which is in the party not to be used in battle, but to provide the use of HM moves or other moves usable outside of battle that typically are not suitable for a powerful team".

-HM Slaves are typically easy to find Pokemon, that, obviously, have the ability to learn many HM Moves.


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Alright, so while this thread does not cover the use of HM Slaves exclusively, I'd like to know what your relationship with HM Slaves was like before you "discovered" the internet and learned of their widespread popularity.

Did you use HM Slaves a lot, and if you did, did you think you were the only one who used Pokemon in such a way?

Did you have a name for them other than HM Slaves, did you know they were HM Slaves?

Those are just some starter questions, feel free to answer this topic in any way that you choose.

 

[PlatinumDude]

I don't use HM slaves because they take up a team slot. I prefer spreading my HMs out to my Pokemon.

 

[Mchopz]

Yes during the main story i used HM slaves a lot. I had one for cut, rock smash, strength, and rock climb, and then another for surf, dive, whirpool, waterfall. My friends did the same thing too! XD

 

[Dark Piplup]

I hate HM slaves! Though if I have to use one I will. But this only happens early in the game. Once I have a full party, especially, I never have to use one.

 

[psyanic]

Yes, I did use HM Slaves a lot before, especially one for the water HM's like Dive/Waterfall/Surf. I don't really mind that it took up a team slot. It's just a necessity and training a total of 6 pokemon is really a hassle.

I didn't nickname them before, but I do now, usually something like "Tool".

 

[Fede-hime]

I only used them for certain HMs. Namely the ones that I deem useless for online battle. Surf and Waterfall are actually pretty decent HM moves to use in battle. While virtually all the others aren't.

And I didn't call the "slaves" originally. Originally I called them something else.* And I didn't bother naming them.




*Said term being a five lettered word, that begins with a "W", for a woman paid to do certain.....things....

 

[Squirrel]

First off, WOW. That is SUCH a cute Bidoof! Gyaahhhhhhh <3

*ahem* So yeah, I really always use 6 pokemon in game for my team and the HMs are evenly distributed between them (and often replaced at the move deleter very regularly!) since I could never bare having a pokemon on my team that I wasn't utterly in love with :3 And since a HM slave has SLAVE in the name, I think it'd be hard to value and bond with that pokemon. :/

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

I don't use HM slaves most of the time. At worst I'll temporarily use a Water-type to handle all of the "other" Water-based HM's such as Waterfall and Whirlpool/Dive, but mostly I like to have six regular team members and spread out the HM's between them. Annoying, yes, but at least we have the Move Deleter for when we finish playing through the main game.

 

[Yoshikko]

While HM slaves do take up a slot in your team, teaching your Pokémon HM's takes up VALUABLE slots in their moveset (except for surf and waterfall maybe)! What I also don't like about that is that when you change your mind, you gotta go all the way to the move deleter and I can never find it, etc etc. I always use a Bibarel and I love Bibarel as well, so win-win lol.

I didn't know about 'HM slaves' when I was younger, I just conveniently taught all my Pokémon the necessary HM's, but of course I was very little so I didn't realize. Later on I started taking a Bidoof in my team for HM's, and after that I even got a Pokémon only for Fly, which I wouldn't carry around but pick up from my box everytime I needed it. It sounds like a hassle but you get used to it.

 

[Ghost Lunis]

i used wailord as my water type hm slave but as for the rest of the hm's, i spread them to other members of the team.

 

[Faeiri]

In Black, I only trained 5 team members and threw all of the water HMs plus Fly on a Ducklett. In HG, on the other hand, I had a full team. I gave some of the HMs, like Waterfall, to members of my main team, but other times I gave them to slaves and left those slaves in the box. I didn't have a flier in my party until my Dragonite evolved, so if I ever wanted to fly, I'd have to run back to the pokecenter, withdraw my Pidgeotto, and deposit her again.

I'm not sure which method I like better. On one hand, with a full team you can be prepared for more, and to me it's more fun to have more Pokemon to work with. You also get more characters, if you're one of the people who gives personalities to your Pokemon. On the other hand, it's a bit of a hassle to run to the PC if you realize you need an HM, and then you have to choose a team member to leave in the box. That, and I had to train a full team of six up twenty levels for Red.

 

[Deliciousfruit233]

I usually just use a full team of 6, and switch them around with HM slaves using the PC. Takes a bit more time, but hey, it's 7 more moveslots that I can actually use.

 

[Brendino]

I typically have one HM slave on my team, and then the other HMs are just distributed throughout my team. I've tried having two HM slaves on my team in the past, and also having a team where every Pokemon has at least 1 HM each, but I didn't really like either one.

 

[Sydian]

I will not plague party members with crappy moves, so HM slave it is. I've realized that even though it may take up a few slots and causes me to deposit a team member, it's not all that hard to catch that Pokemon back up to the levels of the rest of the team when I'm done with whatever HM-using area. Plus, I usually don't have my full team assembled till late in the game, so I can afford the slots anyway. HM slaves make the world go round.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

I'm always using HM Slave since I don't train full party in the league preparation part of game =)
HM Slaves are awesome! :D
It's much better than wasting precious attack spot =)

 

[sherreamethyst]

When I was little I didnt know about HM slaves, so i taught cut to probably my most strongest Pokemon LOL. Now that I have learned about them, they are SUPER DUPER AWESOME. Linoone is a great one.

 

[ben cousins]

i'd just give hm's to crappy ''early'' pokemon i knew i would eventualy get rid off 'ala zigzagoon

 

[Perriechu]

I always use a HM Slave, especially for D/P/Pt - Bibarel was invented for this exact reason. I don't like having my main team stuck with HM's bar Surf and maybe Fly. Waterfall, too. I usually catch them at the very start, so I can just lumber all the HM's onto it early. Before I learned about HM Slaves I just tossed HM's onto any of my Pokemon. :c Blaziken with Cut. hnnng.

 

[mikey]

I never used a HM slave before, don't really know how I managed to defeat my games without one.

 

[GermanBrick]

Before I learned about HM Slaves I just tossed HM's onto any of my Pokemon. :c Blaziken with Cut. hnnng.[/QUOTE]

LOL I always gave cut to my starter OTL
I really like how in black and white you dont need HMs apart from Fly and Surf witch are ones I always teach a pokemon on my team. I cant imagine a team without Fly or surf XD
At least there good moves though. I also like how in BW you have infinite TM usage so if I head into a cave that needs flash Ill teach it someone(mostly my Chandelure) and when I'm done just reteach them whatever move I replaced it with.