Level-Up Cards and Builds
Version: v0.8.18 | Updated: 2026-10-22 | Evidence: popup captures + 60+ recorded runs + button counters
How the level-up popup works
When the XP bar fills, a card draft appears (default 3 cards, 4 with the Lab's "4th Option"):
| Key | Action | Base uses per run |
|---|---|---|
1 / 2 / 3 (4) | Pick a card | unlimited |
F | Reroll: replace the offer | 1 (button shows "Reroll (n)") |
X | Skip: discard the offer, gives PokéDollars | 2 |
Z | Banish: remove one card from the pool for this run | 1 |
Measured (BonkKing with Lab Skip 2 / Reroll 2 / Banish 1): the popup showed "Skip (4) / Reroll (3) / Banish (2)" — the game grants base uses and Lab upgrades add to them.
The four card types
- Move cards: upgrade an owned move (max level 8) or learn a new one. Example: "Fire Spin Lv 3 → 4 (max 8)".
- Vitamin cards: stat boosts. Example: "Attack Enhancer: +12% physical damage, affects: Rapid Spin". English card names include classic vitamins (X Attack, X Defense, Carbos, Protein, Iron…).
- Item/berry cards: grant a run item.
- Cursed cards (power with a price): measured examples — "Fire Spin Lv4, but it won't upgrade again this run", "White Glass Whistle: enemies +12%, but XP +10%, luck +5".
Pick priority (survival-tested)
- Defense: armor / shield / HP / heal / regen / dodge.
- Move cards: clear speed = XP = level = survival. Taking moves early is never wrong, especially AOE (Rapid Spin is zone 1's turning point for Squirtle).
- Vitamins: steady gains; match your main move's damage class.
- Pure items/curses: careful. Self-damage items like Flame Orb are poison for survival builds.
Lessons from real runs: skipping move cards as "junk" (a scripted-agent bug) collapsed the early game and both runs died around 2 minutes; stacking moves carried the deep runs. In zone 1, move cards ARE survival cards. The single strongest pattern seen (human play): max ONE move, then a second.
Reroll / Skip / Banish usage
- Reroll: the offer is all vitamins and you want a move/defense card.
- Skip: the offer is pure item/curse junk — take the PokéDollars.
- Banish: a build-wrecking curse card keeps appearing — remove it from the pool for good.
- The
(n)on each button is your remaining count for the run; spend wisely.
Measured strategy comparison (v0.8.13 baseline, Squirtle, n=5 each)
| Strategy | Avg time | Avg level | Avg kills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survival-first | 3.84 min | 11.4 | 327 |
| Move-priority | 3.77 min | 12.6 | 388 |
| Vitamin route | 3.67 min | 11.8 | 392 |
Differences are within noise (small n), but the common thread is clear: runs that survive the first 90 seconds reach Lv10+; early deaths all failed to establish the clear/defense loop.
How Lab upgrades stack in-run
- Training Lv1 = +4% damage globally
- 4th Move Slot = one more damage stream (1275 dust — officially the best value)
- Reroll/Skip/Banish levels = more error-correction per run
Buy order in the Lab guide.
More in the guide library
All PokeBonk guides and data tables — beginner basics, meta progression, builds, world, catching, bosses, economy and the data tables.