The three kinds of card
Adds an attack to an empty move slot. The card shows the move's type, category, damage and cooldown — for example Razor Leaf: Grass, Physical · Burst, 7.6×4 damage, 1 s cooldown.
Levels up a move you already have (up to level 8), adding damage, projectiles or effects. Vine Whip Lv.1 → 2 added +1 projectile and +22% damage (24.8 → 33.5 per hit).
A stat boost that fills a vitamin slot. Ones we were offered: Protein, X Speed, X Defense, Direct X, Max Potion and Star Piece (+10 luck). Rarer cards give bigger boosts.
The corner tag on each card tells you what it is: a move card, or a rarity such as Common for vitamins and upgrades; NEW or UPGRADE sits on the other corner.
Refresh, Skip and Banish
| Tool | Key | What it does | Uses per run (new account) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refresh | F | Replaces all cards with new ones. | 2 |
| Skip | X | Skips this level-up and gives you PokéDollars instead. | 2 |
| Banish | Z | Removes one card from the pool for the rest of the run (press the card again to confirm). | 1 |
Each Lab level adds one use (Refresh 120 ✦, Skip 80 ✦, Banish 150 ✦ for the first level; up to 6 levels each). The keys moved to F, X and Z in v0.7.6 so you no longer trigger them by walking backwards or casting your Ultimate.
Move and vitamin slots
- You start with 3 move slots. When they are full you stop seeing new moves; buy the 4th move slot in the Lab (1,500 ✦).
- You start with 3 vitamin slots; the Lab's Vitamin slots upgrade adds up to two more.
- Captured Alpha Pokémon fight beside you as support. The team holds 2; when it is full the game asks you to release one. The Lab's Support team upgrade raises it to 3.
- Fourth option (3,000 ✦) makes every level-up offer four cards instead of three.
Building a run
In our second run we stacked one ranged move (Razor Leaf to Lv.5) and it dealt 51% of all damage, against 46% for the starting move in the first run. That is a single run, not a controlled test — but it shows the idea: pick one main damage move and upgrade it hard, then fill the other slots with crowd control (Sleep Powder) or vitamins that boost it.
FAQ
What are the Refresh, Skip and Banish keys in PokéBonk?
F Refresh, X Skip and Z Banish (since v0.7.6). You can also press 1, 2 or 3 to pick a card. Banish asks for confirmation: press the card again.
How many Refreshes do I get?
A fresh account starts each run with 2 Refresh, 2 Skip and 1 Banish. Each Lab level adds one more use (up to 6 each).
Why am I not offered new moves anymore?
Once all your move slots are full, level-ups only offer upgrades and vitamins. Unlock the 4th move slot in the Lab (1,500 Stardust) to make room for another attack.
What does Banish do?
Banish removes a card from the pool for the rest of the run, so it will not be offered again. Use it on moves or vitamins that do not fit your build.