Three kinds of improvement
Items have their own effects and rarity. The original game's hints point to item Poké Balls on the map and Meowth's shop. You can inspect a reference catalog from the main menu under Lab → Items, before starting a run.
Vitamins can appear in level-up choices. In our Squirtle test, X Defense offered +4% evasion. Its displayed effect is the useful reference here: do not assume a familiar Pokémon item name has exactly the same function as in another game.
Moves and move upgrades share that level-up decision. Our first choice included learning Bubble or improving Water Gun, alongside X Defense. We selected Bubble and saw it added to the move bar. An offered new attack and an upgrade to an existing attack are different choices; inspect the card before confirming.
Those cards are an example from one Level 2 screen, not a fixed offer list. Use the pause screen to review the moves, items, vitamins, and stats you have accumulated.
Selected item effects and limits
The table below paraphrases entries visible in Lab → Items in v0.5.5. It is a practical selection from the catalog, rather than a ranking. Percentages describe the individual entry; they are not a calculation of your final damage after all bonuses.
| Item | Rarity | Listed effect | Max. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miracle Seed | Common | +30% Grass move damage; +3% total damage | 10 |
| Charcoal | Common | +30% Fire move damage; +3% total damage | 10 |
| Mystic Water | Common | +30% Water move damage; +3% total damage | 10 |
| Muscle Band | Uncommon | +15% physical damage | 10 |
| Wise Glasses | Uncommon | +15% special damage | 10 |
| Choice Band | Rare | +35% physical damage; −8% attack speed | 5 |
| Choice Specs | Rare | +35% special damage; −8% attack speed | 5 |
| Life Orb | Rare | +30% total damage; −10% maximum HP | 5 |
| PP Max | Epic | One additional projectile for all moves | 10 |
| Max Elixir | Epic | +20% attack speed | 10 |
| Rare Candy | Legendary | Two immediate levels; +5% damage | 10 |
| Master Ball | Legendary | +25% damage; guaranteed capture in Wild Encounters | 1 |
The Master Ball's capture wording refers specifically to Wild Encounters. This entry does not establish every condition needed to unlock or encounter a League member. We have not completed a capture test, so use the current in-game encounter prompt for the actual action.
Match the bonus to the attack
Type and damage category are separate things to check. The League describes Bulbasaur's starting Vine Whip as physical, while Charmander's Ember and Squirtle's Water Gun are special. Muscle Band and Wise Glasses therefore describe different kinds of improvement. A Fire bonus is another condition again: it refers to Fire-type move damage.
- Bulbasaur: compare the Grass component of Miracle Seed with the physical component of Muscle Band when reading a Vine Whip setup.
- Charmander: Charcoal names Fire moves, while Wise Glasses names special damage. Read later attacks before assuming the same bonuses apply to the entire kit.
- Squirtle: Mystic Water names Water moves. Water Gun is special, but its later kit also lists Rapid Spin, so review individual move descriptions as your run develops.
This is a way to interpret the displayed effects. It does not prove which combination wins more runs. Choice Band and Choice Specs, for example, include an attack-speed penalty, while Life Orb lowers maximum HP. A larger damage number can carry a real tradeoff.
Compare the three starter kits before building around a particular move category.
Why old infinite-stack builds may not work
The October 17 official announcement and the game's v0.5.3 history describe a change to damage stacking: bonuses of the same kind now add together. The announcement explains that the separate bonus groups still multiply. Copying an old screenshot's final damage number is therefore unreliable without checking its version.
The same history says Ditto can no longer copy an item beyond its maximum, and Meowth will not sell an item you have already filled. In the catalog we checked, Master Ball has a maximum of one. A screenshot showing dozens is not evidence for a current build path.
Read the current item description and its maximum first. We have not measured the complete stacking formula, interactions between every bonus group, or performance over repeated long runs.
The item pool is part of your progression
The Lab catalog separates In your Poké Balls, To discover, and Archived. Our guest session showed named entries already in the pool and other entries hidden as “???” with a discovery objective and a Stardust amount.
Because those hidden cards do not reveal their names, we do not attach a guessed item to an objective. The Lab's Archive upgrade says archived items are removed from item Poké Balls and the shop. These tools affect what may appear; a catalog entry is not a guarantee that a particular ball will offer it.
Read the Lab upgrade reference for extra move and vitamin slots, offer tools, and the Archive's displayed starting cost.
Sources and verification
Checked on . Item effects and stack limits were read in the original game's Lab → Items catalog in v0.5.5. The vitamin example comes from our Squirtle Level 2 playtest. The in-game version history and official October 17 announcement support the balance notes. We have not tested a complete optimized build or every item combination.