Physical and Special Attacks in PokéSurvivor
Rules checked · By PokéSurvivor Picks
On this page
Category is different from type and attack shape
Fire, Poison and Ghost are types used for matchups. Physical and Special choose the attack and defense stats. Projectile, melee and chain describe how a move reaches enemies. Read all three separately rather than guessing one from another.
| Move | Type | Category | What that tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karate Chop | Fighting | Physical | Uses Attack; the target's Defense matters. |
| Flame Charge | Fire | Physical | A Fire move can use physical Attack. |
| Ember | Fire | Special | Uses Special Attack, despite sharing a type with Flame Charge. |
| Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | A projectile that poisons can still be physical. |
| Shadow Ball | Ghost | Special | Uses Special Attack against Special Defense. |
| Hex | Ghost | Special | Its chain behavior does not change its attack category. |
These are selected examples from the developer's move reference, not a complete move database or a strongest-to-weakest list. For another move, read its own Category entry.
Check your partner's stats and the fit percentage
Look at the partner's current Attack and Special Attack in the collection, including its nature. The developer's October 18 split made those two sides matter independently. The old single attack value represents the stronger side; using a move on the weaker side reduces the attack contribution.
The reviewed code's category-fit calculation compares the relevant attack with the higher of the two. A lower percentage beside a move describes that category's fit for your partner. It is not accuracy, critical chance or measured damage per second.
For an original hypothetical example, suppose a partner has Attack 120 and Special Attack 60:
| Category | Attack used | Fit relative to its stronger side |
|---|---|---|
| Physical | 120 | 120 ÷ 120 = 100% |
| Special | 60 | 60 ÷ 120 = 50% |
That does not mean every physical move deals twice the damage of every special move. Their base power, interval, hit pattern, the target's defenses, typing and other effects may differ. Changing nature can also change the comparison; read your own partner rather than applying these invented stats to a species.
Match the buff to the attacks you use
| Buff | Raises | Does not raise |
|---|---|---|
| Swords Dance | Physical Attack | The Special Attack used by Ember, Shadow Ball or Hex |
| Dragon Dance | Physical Attack | The Special Attack used by special Dragon moves such as Dragon Rage |
| Nasty Plot | Special Attack | The physical Attack used by Karate Chop or Poison Sting |
The buff's own type does not decide which damaging moves benefit. Dragon Dance is not a bonus to every Dragon-type attack. These are support moves, not additional damaging attacks.
Inspect which attacks you actually use, including those in a Bond group. A matching buff still needs to be applied and maintained; learning it alone is not proof of permanent uptime. This page does not calculate stacks, mixed-Bond damage or a best buff rotation.
Gengar: Poison Sting and Hex are different categories
If you are checking a Gengar setup, start by separating the two attacks rather than treating both as special because they involve poison or Ghost typing:
- Poison Sting is physical. Its direct hit uses Attack, even though it is a projectile and can apply poison.
- Hex is special. Its hit uses Special Attack. The official reference also describes extra damage against burned, poisoned or slowed targets.
Nasty Plot therefore supports Hex's special attack contribution, not Poison Sting's physical hit. Swords Dance does the opposite for those direct hits. The damage of a status effect is a separate question; this comparison does not claim that a buff multiplies poison damage over time.
A weaker-category move can still serve a purpose through coverage or a status effect. To decide whether it earns a slot, check your partner's stats, what the attack contributes and what you would give up. The category alone does not establish a complete Gengar build.
A checklist for physical and special builds
- Read the partner's current stats. Compare Attack and Special Attack after its nature is applied.
- Check each planned move's category. Use the in-game card or official list; a shared type or similar animation is not enough.
- Choose support for the damage you intend to use. Match physical attacks to physical buffs and special attacks to Nasty Plot when appropriate.
- Keep a reason for exceptions. Record whether a weaker-category move provides useful coverage, control or status, rather than assuming all weaker-side moves are useless.
- Check the actual target. Type matchup and the corresponding defense can change the result.
- Review the run summary. The developer documents per-move damage information; compare like-for-like conditions before drawing conclusions from a single run.
There is no universal best physical Pokémon established by this checklist. A ranking needs a defined roster, version, upgrades, moves, equipment and comparison method. This guide provides a decision process rather than S–D tiers or a survival guarantee.
Evolution still checks the move's own recipe
Category does not tell you which run card evolves an attack. For example, the current developer reference lists:
| Move | Category | Run card required for evolution at move level 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Ember | Special | Power |
| Poison Sting | Physical | Sprint |
| Hex | Special | Magnet |
The matching card can be taken before or after the move reaches level 5, within the same run. A permanent menu purchase does not replace that run card. You must also choose the golden evolution card. In the reviewed rules, evolution keeps the move's category; it does not turn a physical move into a special one merely because its name gains +.
Use the move-evolution checklist for the separate level, card and golden-choice requirements. Use permanent upgrade costs when the question is what your coins can buy.
What our calculator can check
Our existing calculator models four partners and three default special moves: Ember, Water Gun and Confusion. It can inspect those supported direct hits under explicit inputs. It does not simulate Gengar, Poison Sting, Hex, physical-move builds, temporary attack buffs or mixed Bond groups.
The calculator still uses source snapshot 6b6bde6e28. This article's newer rule review does not refresh that model. Read Sources and calculation limits before using a result as evidence for a build.
Sources and version checked
Checked November 2, 2026 for the original browser game at pokesurvivor.com. This is source inspection and original explanation, not a recorded gameplay comparison.
- Official move categories and evolution cards: categories, the selected move examples and support-move descriptions.
- Developer news, especially October 18: the attack/defense split, category-specific buffs and per-move run information.
- Pinned move reference and pinned announcements.
- Reviewed game bundle, commit
90cdd941da, bundle marker75a5062841: category assignment, attack selection, fit display, buff fields and evolution behavior. These version coordinates do not establish which cached bundle every live session runs.
Third-party hosted editions may use different rules. Compare the game address and version before applying advice from another edition.