Use Refresh to replace a bad offer, Skip to take PokéDollars instead, and Banish to remove a selected option for the rest of the run. Keep your current attacks and planned fusion pair in mind before choosing a card. Extra move capacity and extra card choices are separate Lab upgrades.
This guide covers PokéBonk's actual level-up decisions. The base learnset tables in the Pokédex are a different reference: a mainline learning level is not automatically your next survivor-mode offer.
October 27 update: v0.8.59 adds the accumulated move-level upgrades to View my team (Tab during level-up). v0.8.56 also displays a 0.12-second minimum cooldown on attack cards. Fusion cards have their own minimum; check the current description. Official notes.
What happens when you level up?
Experience increases your player level and opens a set of upgrade cards. The useful choices include new moves, upgrades for equipped moves and vitamins/stat bonuses. Read the card's affected moves and the change it offers; not every attractive number improves your current attacks.
A partner's curated opening kit does not mean you automatically equip all four moves. Later kit moves become eligible for offers. Random offers, your current form and other compatible options still matter. The starter comparison separates opening attacks from later kit eligibility.
Move slots, card choices and move levels
| Term | What it means | Common confusion |
|---|---|---|
| Player level | Your partner's level within this run. | Reaching player level 8 does not make both fusion inputs level 8. |
| Move level | Upgrades of one equipped attack. | This is the readiness number used for fusions. |
| Move slot | Capacity for an equipped attack; three initially. | The Lab's 4th move adds capacity. |
| Fourth option | An additional card in a level-up offer. | It does not add an attack slot. |
| Vitamin slot | Capacity for another vitamin/stat type. | It is separate from move capacity. |
In the checked fusion rules, each input must reach move level 8. TM Case can raise the ordinary move cap to 10, but it does not make level 10 necessary for the level-8 readiness check. See all fusion rules.
When should I use Refresh?
Use Refresh when the present cards do not help and another offer could meaningfully improve the run. Examples include searching for a missing fusion input, improving a useful move that is close to readiness, or finding an upgrade that solves a current coverage problem.
Do not spend every use searching for a perfect endgame combination while your opening attack remains weak. An available useful upgrade is often worth taking. Refresh changes the offer; it does not guarantee a specific move or rarity.
When should I use Skip?
Skip declines the current upgrade in exchange for PokéDollars. Use it when taking a card would fill a slot you want to preserve, when the offer does not improve your plan, or when you would rather retain your remaining Refresh uses.
Skip is not a free extra move slot, a universal healing action or an XP refund. It is different from Banish: skipped options can still appear later. Lab levels add uses per run; they do not make every future offer free to skip indefinitely.
When should I use Banish?
Banish removes the selected option from the remainder of the current run. Use it on an option you have decided not to pursue. Removing an irrelevant option can make later choices easier to manage, but it does not guarantee your preferred card next.
Be especially careful when banishing an equipped move's upgrade: the current UI warns that it will not improve again during that run. That can block a planned fusion if an input has not reached level 8. Read the confirmation, then confirm the intended card. The controls guide lists the current card shortcuts.
Banish affects the run's card offers. Archive affects item eligibility in Poké Balls and Meowth's shop between runs. Do not confuse the two systems.
Plan your upgrades around a build
- Choose an opening strength: recovery, defense, a useful damage type or reliable coverage.
- Add attacks that support that plan while leaving room for your chosen inputs.
- Upgrade the attacks that are doing useful work; do not take unrelated new moves just because a slot is free.
- Check both inputs in the Move Fusion Finder, then work toward level 8 on each.
- After fusing, use the freed slot to repair a weakness or develop the next pair.
For Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf and Solar Beam lead to Flower Beam. For Charmander, Fire Spin and Flamethrower lead to Fiery Whirlwind. Squirtle's Rapid Spin and Hydro Pump lead to Hydro Spiral. The build guide develops these plans with trade-offs.
How to read the reference move tables
The move library contains 381 moves connected to the Kanto reference scope. Type, category, base power, accuracy, PP and source learning levels describe those records. They are not a measured survivor DPS table or a guarantee that a card appears at that player level.
Use the combat mechanics guide for actual battle rules, and the Lab guide to buy additional Refresh, Skip or Banish uses. Keep the reference Move Planner separate from a validated run simulator.
Sources and checks
Updated October 25, 2026. Refresh, Skip and Banish behavior was checked against current v0.8.46 English UI definitions, including the warning about banishing move upgrades. Fusion readiness and pairs were compared with the existing v0.8.18 snapshot and current v0.8.46 matcher; full combat coefficients were not revalidated. Source methods and versions: Sources.