M: Okay, there's a 10th anniversary going on for Pokemon Go. Please go online and figure out for me what's going on in terms just of move sets and what can be done in terms of, you know, either getting moves through evolution or otherwise changing moves in a way you can't do it in the normal course of the year. I don't need to hear about who can be caught or whatever outside of that. The only thing I'm concerned about is the move sets at the moment. And what I meant by that last bit was that if catching a particular creature for the next few days means that they will have a particular rare move or something like that, then of course bring it up. But if it doesn't have to do with the actual moves of the creatures that get caught, I don't need to hear about it right now. Also, please make sure that you only are looking for stuff about the time period between yesterday, the 7th of July 2026, through next Monday or so.
G: I narrowed this specifically to move availability between July 7 (today) and roughly next Monday (July 13), ignoring general event content unless it affects moves.
The 10th Anniversary Party (July 4–6) allowed the original Kanto starters to evolve into their Community Day move sets:
That evolution bonus ended on July 6, so unless Niantic extends it unexpectedly, those are back to requiring an Elite Charged TM. citeturn0search0turn0search2
This is actually a much bigger deal if you're interested in legacy moves.
During Road of Legends (July 6–12):
have a unique bonus:
For the first time, Elite TMs can teach their Adventure Effect moves:
Normally those moves were essentially locked to Pokémon that already had them when caught. This week you can retrofit an existing good IV specimen instead. That window lasts through GO Fest Global. citeturn1search0
This is the single biggest move-related event happening this week.
Several raid bosses are available with their signature moves if caught during the event.
Examples include:
depending on the day's raid rotation. citeturn1search0turn1search3
Beginning July 11, GO Fest starts introducing additional legacy move opportunities through raid catches.
Community reports and early confirmations indicate:
There are also reports of certain raid catches arriving with exclusive moves, although the complete list is still being confirmed as GO Fest begins. citeturn1search2
If you have limited time this week, I'd prioritize in this order:
If you'd like, I can also make you a "don't accidentally miss this" checklist of every legacy move obtainable between today and Monday, organized by Evolution / Catch / Elite TM so you can work through it quickly.
M: Make me a "don't accidentally miss this" checklist of every legacy move obtainable between today and Monday
G: Here's the checklist I'd personally use if I were trying to avoid the "damn it, that was only available for three days" feeling.
Window: July 8 → July 13, 2026
If you have a lucky, hundo, or near-hundo that's been sitting around waiting, this is probably the biggest move-related opportunity of the week.
These require catching the Pokémon during the event rather than evolving one you already own.
These begin during GO Fest Global.
Every Mewtwo caught from Mega Mewtwo X raids knows
This cannot normally be TM'd onto Mewtwo. citeturn0search0turn0search9
Every Mewtwo caught from Mega Mewtwo Y raids knows
Again, this comes from the raid catch itself. citeturn0search0turn0search9
At the moment there are no officially confirmed broad evolution windows (like Community Day recaps) running between today and Monday.
The Anniversary evolution bonuses for
ended before today. citeturn0search8
Until GO Fest is completely over, I'd hold off on using Elite TMs for things like:
Niantic has occasionally surprised players with additional evolution windows during major events. I haven't found confirmation that any others are active this weekend, but I'd wait until Monday before spending an Elite TM unless you need the Pokémon immediately. citeturn0search0turn0search3
That's the complete list of move-related opportunities I could verify between today and Monday, without padding it with unrelated event features.
M: What do the Necrozma evolutions need? I know that they've got a couple legacy moves, but I don't know what you need to actually get them, or if I can get them right now.
G: The good news is that Necrozma's signature moves are much less "FOMO" than Dialga and Palkia's. If you can fuse them, you automatically get the exclusive move. You don't have to catch a special one or evolve during a limited window. citeturn0search0turn0search6
Here's how it works.
You need:
When you fuse them:
You need:
When you fuse them:
Unlike Roar of Time and Spacial Rend, these moves are not tied to a limited-time acquisition window.
As long as you have the fusion resources, you can fuse at any time and receive the move. citeturn0search6turn0search0
That depends on Fusion Energy, not the moves.
If you already have:
then yes—you can make them today.
If you don't have enough Fusion Energy, this GO Fest weekend is one of the major opportunities to earn more by raiding the fused Necrozma forms. citeturn0search20turn0search17
Do not TM away Sunsteel Strike or Moongeist Beam.
Unlike most legacy moves, they cannot simply be restored with an Elite Charged TM if removed. If you ever unfuse and fuse again, the move comes back automatically, but removing it from the fused Necrozma itself is something you should avoid. citeturn0search5turn0search6
These are among the strongest attackers in the entire game:
So if you have the resources to make one, they're generally considered excellent long-term investments.
M: So why are they thought of as legacy moves then? Is it just that you can't get them to learn the move once they've forgotten it, or what?
G: Exactly. This is one of those places where the Pokémon GO community uses "legacy move" a little more broadly than the game itself does.
There are really three categories of exclusive moves:
These are the classic Community Day or event moves.
Example:
If you miss the evolution window:
These are what most people mean by "legacy."
Example:
Normally you must catch a Pokémon that already knows the move. Sometimes Elite TMs work afterward, sometimes they don't until Niantic updates the pool.
These are actually different.
When you fuse:
the game simply assigns the move as part of the fusion process.
Think of it less as "learning" the move and more as "this form always has this move."
Mostly because:
Mechanically, though, they're not legacy in the same way Blast Burn or Meteor Mash are.
Suppose you fuse a Necrozma into Dawn Wings.
It gets Moongeist Beam.
If you then use a regular Charged TM and replace Moongeist Beam with, say, Dark Pulse, you've now got a Dawn Wings Necrozma without its signature move.
As of current behavior:
That's why veteran players usually say:
Never TM away Sunsteel Strike or Moongeist Beam.
It's not because they're permanently gone forever—you can recover them by refusing—but because it's an unnecessary hassle and, if you don't have spare Fusion Energy available, it could leave you stuck without the move for quite a while.
So they're "legacy-like" in terms of exclusivity, but technically they're form-granted signature moves, which is a different mechanism than a traditional legacy move.