How level-up cards and move evolutions actually work

The three card types

Every level-up offers three cards drawn from three categories. A card either teaches your partner something new, improves something it already has, or gives a permanent boost that stays with that Pokémon across runs. The mix you see changes as the run goes on, but the categories never do.

Card type	What it changes	When it is worth taking
New move	Adds to your pool; you carry a limited number and switch one as active	Your current move no longer covers the whole screen
Move upgrade	Raises that move's level; the cap is level 5	The move is your main damage and has room to grow
Partner boost	A permanent modifier on that Pokémon, kept between runs	You are playing a partner you intend to main

Moves cap at level 5

A move stops improving at level 5. That single number is what makes the mid-game decidable: there are only so many upgrade cards for a move that can actually be spent, and once your two chosen moves are at cap, every remaining move card is progress you are throwing away.

Plan two moves, not four. Decide by around level 8 which moves you want at cap and start feeding only those. Chasing a third maxed move spreads your levels too thin to matter.

The evolution rule

When a move is at its cap and you are holding the specific upgrade card that move asks for, a golden evolution card appears. Taking it replaces the move with an evolved version. The evolved version is a different attack, not a bigger number on the same one — Ember does not become "Ember but 40% stronger", it becomes Flamethrower, which covers a different shape of ground.

Of the 64 moves in the game, 59 can evolve. Five cannot, and those five are the ones to build around if you want a move that tops out and stays put, because you can max them and spend the freed levels elsewhere.

Read the requirement before you level. A maxed move with no path to its evolution card is wasted investment. If you have seen the requirement and cannot get that card, treat the move as final and max it, then move on.

How to allocate levels

A workable default is a two-move core: one move at level 5 that you keep active most of the time, and one backup at a lower level for when the fight changes shape. Everything after that is situational.

Level 1-4: take whatever new-move card appears once, so you always have a backup.
Level 5-9: commit. Push one move toward its cap and stop feeding the others.
Level 10-15: finish the second move and start collecting its upgrade requirement.
After that: every card goes into whichever move is closer to its evolution, or into a partner boost if no move card is on offer.

Partner boosts are the slowest investment in the game and the one that keeps paying after you close the tab, which is exactly why they matter on the partners you actually enjoy playing.

When to break the plan

A rift opens and you are short on damage — take the raw damage card over the evolution path.
You are being chased and cannot kill what is catching you — damage beats elegance.
You found a second item that makes your damage plan obsolete — pick the item first, then re-plan levels.

The plan is a default, not a contract. A run that ends because you were polite to the card screen is worse than a run that ends because you took the strong upgrade and pushed one more minute.

Questions about this

How many moves can I carry?

Few at a time — the game caps how many you bring and lets you switch which one is active. The exact cap is not published on the reference pages, so plan for a small number of slots rather than assuming a big one.

Do evolutions work with every partner?

Evolutions belong to moves, not to partners. Any partner whose move has an evolution path can take the golden card when the requirement is met.

Are permanent partner boosts worth taking over damage cards?

Not during the run where you are learning. They become the better pick once you are playing a partner you main, because they survive every future run.