PokéSurvivor Tier List (2026-10-13): Best Moves, Starters & Pokémon

Opinion, not official. The developer patches the game almost daily. This list reflects the patch notes up to 2026-10-13 (see updates). In co-op and in short runs the order can change.

How we rank

In a survivors-like you do not aim; you dodge. The best tools are the ones that keep dealing damage while you run in circles: auras and orbits around you, meteors and chains that find targets on their own, and piercing projectiles that cut through a line of chasers. Moves that force you to stand close or aim a dash score lower. We also weigh how good the evolution is and how easy its stat card is to pick up (Power is required by 24 of 59 evolutions).

Move tier list

Tier	Moves	Why
S	Rock Slide, Thunderbolt, Hex, Discharge, Bulldoze, Fire Spin, Petal Blizzard	Auto-targeting crowd damage (meteors, chains) or constant protection (auras, orbits) that works while you focus on dodging. Rock Slide was nerfed on 12 Oct for over-performing and is still excellent. Hex hits much harder on burned, poisoned or slowed foes.
A	Ember, Water Gun, Thunder Shock, Shadow Ball, Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Flash Cannon, Heat Wave, Mud Shot, Grass Knot, Toxic, Hail	Reliable ranged damage with clean evolutions (projectiles gain +2 projectiles and +2 pierce; beams get 50% wider). Slows from Ice, Mud Shot and Bubble keep hordes off you.
B	Melee moves (Body Slam, Karate Chop, Vine Whip, Bite, Metal Claw…), Razor Leaf, Bonemerang, Psycho Cut, Will-O-Wisp, Substitute, Flame Wheel	Melee was buffed on 12 Oct (+20% damage, +25% reach, 25% less damage taken while active) and evolves into 360° swings, but still asks you to get close. Boomerangs and turrets are solid but more positional.
C	Quick Attack, Aerial Ace, String Shot, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Psychic-type moves	Dashes and mines are situational. Psychic moves were weakened on 11 Oct. Still usable, especially with the right evolution card.
U	Swords Dance, Dragon Dance, Agility, Harden, Aqua Ring	Buffs deal no damage and never evolve. Good only once bonds let you fuse them with an attacking move.

Remember that your partner only learns Normal moves plus moves of its own types. Type coverage (×1.6 super effective, ×0.6 resisted, ×0.3 "immune") often matters more than a tier letter.

Starter tier list (by in-game stats)

All 29 starters, sorted by a simple score that weights attack most, then HP and speed. The raw stats are exactly what the game uses.

Rank	Starter	Type	HP	ATK	SPD
1	Scorbunny	fire	92	1.09	107
2	Sobble	water	92	1.08	107
3	Litten	fire	90	1.06	107
4	Grookey	grass	92	1.06	105
5	Treecko	grass	88	1.06	107
6	Slowpoke	waterpsychic	110	1.06	84
7	Tepig	fire	99	1.05	97
8	Quaxly	water	95	1.06	99
9	Psyduck	water	92	1.06	101
10	Froakie	water	88	1.04	108
11	Torchic	fire	90	1.08	97
12	Mudkip	water	92	1.08	95
13	Fuecoco	fire	100	1.05	93
14	Oshawott	water	95	1.05	97
15	Sprigatito	grass	88	1.04	105
16	Totodile	water	92	1.06	96
17	Turtwig	grass	95	1.07	91
18	Bulbasaur	grasspoison	90	1.06	97
19	Charmander	fire	88	1.03	105
20	Cyndaquil	fire	88	1.03	105
21	Fennekin	fire	88	1.04	103
22	Popplio	water	92	1.06	95
23	Chimchar	fire	90	1.02	104
24	Piplup	water	94	1.04	95
25	Chespin	grass	95	1.04	94
26	Rowlet	grassflying	101	1.00	96
27	Snivy	grass	90	0.95	104
28	Chikorita	grass	90	0.97	97
29	Squirtle	water	90	0.97	96

Our picks: Sobble (high attack and speed, and Water types swim at full speed instead of being slowed), Scorbunny (highest attack of any starter), and Slowpoke if you want the most HP and access to both Water and Psychic moves. Fire starters begin with Ember, whose Fire Blast evolution is one of the easiest Power-card evolutions.

Strongest non-legendary partners (stat-based)

Ranked by ATK × HP, a rough proxy for "hits hard and survives". These are rare gacha pulls (mostly 4★–5★); see the gacha guide.

#	Pokémon	Type	★	HP	ATK	SPD
1	Slaking	normal	5	138	1.58	120
2	Guzzlord	darkdragon	4	170	1.26	96
3	Blissey	normal	4	185	1.11	101
4	Iron Hands	fightingelectric	4	139	1.47	99
5	Cetitan	ice	4	146	1.32	109
6	Ursaluna	groundnormal	4	128	1.47	99
7	Snorlax	normal	4	142	1.31	91
8	Hariyama	fighting	3	135	1.36	99
9	Rampardos	rock	4	114	1.61	102
10	Baxcalibur	dragonice	5	122	1.50	115
11	Rhyperior	groundrock	4	122	1.47	95
12	Xurkitree	electric	4	107	1.65	113
13	Wailord	water	4	146	1.20	103
14	Great Tusk	groundfighting	4	122	1.42	115
15	Excadrill	groundsteel	4	120	1.44	115

Stats are only half the story: a partner with great typing for the moves you like will outperform a higher-stat Pokémon with an awkward pool. Combine this list with the builds page.

FAQ

What is the best starter in PokéSurvivor?

By the game's own stats, Scorbunny and Sobble have the best all-round mix of attack (1.09 and 1.08) and speed (107). Sobble is a Water type, which also swims at full speed. Slowpoke has the most HP of the starters (110). Our pick for beginners is Sobble or Scorbunny.

Is the PokéSurvivor tier list official?

No. Move tiers are our opinion based on how each move kind behaves and on the developer's balance notes. Starter and partner rankings use the in-game stats from the game files. The game is patched often, so check the update date.

What is the strongest move in PokéSurvivor?

Rock Slide was strong enough that the developer nerfed it on 12 October 2026 (26 to 21 damage) because it defeated almost twice as many enemies as the average move. It remains a top pick because its meteors auto-target crowds.

Ready to try it?

PokéSurvivor is free and runs in your browser. Play it on the official site so your progress, co-op and leaderboards work.

Play on pokesurvivor.com ↗itch.io page ↗

How we rank

Move tier list

Starter tier list (by in-game stats)

Strongest non-legendary partners (stat-based)

Strongest legendaries as partners

FAQ