FIELD GUIDE
Poke Survivor Tier List & Starter Guide
Compare a community opening-tier reference, understand its limits, and choose a Poke Survivor partner for the way you play.
Build your own tier board
Open the Tier List Maker to rank the full roster, customize rows, and save or share your board. Partner profiles show source-defined stats and moves.
Source reviewed October 19, 2026. Community ranking, not a developer ranking or a measured win-rate study. Our gameplay check covered a guest introduction and the start of a run, not comparative testing of these partners.
A useful tier list answers a particular question. A partner that feels easy during the opening may need a different setup later, and a strong partner you have not unlocked cannot solve your next-run choice. Start with what is available in your collection, then compare its opening attack with the movement you can comfortably maintain.
Community reference: the opening of a run
The independent PokéSurvivor Wiki tier list, displaying an October 19, 2026 update, separates goals and starting versus developed builds. Below is a small selection from its Opening / Start board. Its starting comparison excludes earned Bonds, items, run cards, and purchased upgrades. The grades belong to that source.
| Partner | Source grade | Why consider it? | What to remember |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charmander | S — Opening / Start | The source favors its ranged opening. | An opening recommendation does not establish late-run durability. |
| Squirtle | S — Opening / Start | The source highlights an opening attack that passes through enemies. | Do not assume a later recovery setup is active at the start. |
| Mewtwo | S — Opening / Start | The source recommends it as an option for players who already own it. | Ownership is required; it is not presented as a free starter. |
Choose for the next run, not the whole roster
- Check ownership. Look at the partners you can actually select. A recommendation is not an unlock method.
- Read the opening move. Judge the attack you begin with, rather than a move a developed build may learn later.
- Try a short movement test. Can you keep an escape route while using that attack? Your control comfort matters more than reproducing somebody else’s run.
- Identify the tradeoff. If a build depends on later cards, a held item, or several unlocks, do not evaluate its opening as though all of those are already equipped.
How to compare two partners fairly
Use the same device and control settings, and note any permanent upgrades or items that differ. Record the opening move, the first awkward encounter, and why the attempt ended. One successful run can suggest a useful idea, but it cannot establish a universal ordering.
For a beginner, the most useful result may be “I can keep moving with this attack” rather than “this partner has the highest theoretical damage.” Keep a short note after each attempt so your next choice has a reason.
Why there are no early / mid / late tabs here
The reference does not establish a single universal progression ranking, and we have not measured one. We therefore publish a limited, labeled comparison rather than create unsupported grades for other phases or the full collection. Recheck the linked source and the live game when an update changes a move or requirement.
Sources and next steps
The table summarizes the independent community source linked above; its recommendations remain editorial judgments. Game access and available partners should be checked at the game source. For the menu-to-run walkthrough, use our beginner guide; for unlocking questions, start with gacha and pity.