What Is the Best Team for Pokémon Legends: Z-A?

Feraligatr, Charizard, Gardevoir, Lucario, Garchomp, and Ampharos make a strong all-purpose team for the Pokémon Legends: Z-A main story. The six contribute ten different STAB types, cover 16 of the 18 defending types super effectively through STAB alone, and give you both a Ground immunity and an Electric immunity.

This is not the only team that can finish the game. It is a balanced starting point built from Pokémon in the Lumiose Pokédex, recurring player recommendations, and the type matchups shown by the Legends Z-A team planner. Keep your favorites, use the replacements below, and change one slot at a time.

Why this team works

Every slot changes the matchup board. There are no repeated member types, so the team avoids choosing six strong Pokémon that all lose to the same attack. Feraligatr and Charizard are both weak to Electric, but Garchomp is immune. Lucario and Ampharos share a Ground weakness, but Charizard is immune.

The trade-offs are visible rather than hidden. Charizard has a 4× Rock weakness and Garchomp has a 4× Ice weakness, so neither should stay in against those attacks. Lucario resists both Rock and Ice, giving the team a natural switch option at the type level. Real-time positioning, move range, and cooldowns still matter once the battle starts.

Why each Pokémon is on the team

Feraligatr: the Water anchor

Totodile is one of the three official first-partner choices, and Feraligatr fits this six without duplicating another type. Water STAB handles Fire, Rock, and Ground targets. Its Grass and Electric weaknesses are covered structurally: Charizard resists Grass, while Garchomp ignores Electric.

Charizard: Fire coverage and a Ground switch

Charizard gives the party Fire and Flying STAB while creating a safe type-level answer to Ground attacks aimed at Lucario or Ampharos. The cost is its severe Rock weakness, so the rest of the team must be ready to take over when Rock pressure appears. Charizard also supplies one of several possible Mega Evolution paths.

Gardevoir: the Dragon stop

Psychic/Fairy typing fills two coverage jobs at once. Gardevoir is immune to Dragon attacks and threatens Dragon, Fighting, Poison, and Dark matchups through its STAB types. It is the cleanest answer when a team built around Garchomp and Lucario would otherwise lack Fairy pressure.

Lucario: the resistance hub

Fighting/Steel gives Lucario a long resistance list and STAB pressure against Normal, Rock, Ice, Dark, Fairy, and Steel targets. It also resists the two types that hit Charizard and Garchomp for 4× damage. Watch for Fire, Fighting, and Ground attacks rather than treating those resistances as permission to leave it in every fight.

Garchomp: Ground pressure and Electric immunity

Garchomp stops Electric attacks from running through Feraligatr and Charizard. Dragon/Ground also brings high-value STAB coverage without repeating another member's type. Its 4× Ice weakness is the reason this team includes Lucario and should never rely on Garchomp as the answer to every encounter.

Ampharos: the clean sixth slot

Ampharos adds the one STAB type the first five most obviously want: Electric. It pressures Water and Flying opponents and does not introduce a third shared weakness. If Ampharos is not one of your favorites, this is the easiest slot to replace with another Electric type or a Dark/Ghost option for the two STAB gaps this lineup leaves.

Best team for each Legends Z-A starter

The official first-partner choices are Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile. Do not force the same five teammates around all three. When the starter changes type, replace another slot so the party keeps Water, Fire, and useful defensive answers.

If you choose Totodile

Use the recommended six as written: Feraligatr, Charizard, Gardevoir, Lucario, Garchomp, and Ampharos. It has no repeated member types and gives Feraligatr clear partners for its Grass and Electric weaknesses.

If you choose Chikorita

Try Meganium, Charizard, Gardevoir, Lucario, Garchomp, and Greninja. Meganium supplies Grass STAB, while Greninja restores Water coverage and adds Dark pressure. If you plan to Mega Evolve Meganium, remember that its Mega form becomes Grass/Fairy, overlapping Gardevoir's Fairy role; that makes Gardevoir the first optional swap.

If you choose Tepig

Try Emboar, Gyarados, Gardevoir, Excadrill, Dragonite, and Ampharos. Gyarados restores Water coverage, while Excadrill takes the Steel role without repeating Emboar's Fighting type. Gyarados and Dragonite share an Electric weakness, but Excadrill's Ground typing gives the group an immunity.

How to choose the sixth team member

The most common team-building question is not “which six are strongest?” It is “my first five are fixed—what should the final member do?” Do not choose the sixth slot by popularity alone.

1. Add the five locked members to the Pokémon Legends Z-A team builder.
2. Find the attacking type that threatens the most members.
3. Choose a sixth Pokémon that resists or ignores that type.
4. Prefer a new STAB type over a third copy of something the team already has.
5. Check whether the replacement creates a new three-member weakness.

For the recommended first five, Ampharos adds Electric coverage while keeping every member's typing distinct. Absol is a reasonable alternative if you want Dark STAB for Ghost and Psychic targets, but you give up the direct Electric role.

Common problems in popular ZA teams

• Too many Water or Dragon picks. Individually strong favorites can stack Electric, Grass, Fairy, or Ice weaknesses.
• Planning six Mega Evolutions instead of six roles. Mega Evolution can change a matchup, but the base party still needs safe switches and broad type coverage.
• Ignoring 4× weaknesses. A balanced total does not make Charizard safe into Rock or Garchomp safe into Ice.
• Building only from a final-game list. Catch and train replacements during daytime preparation, then test the revised party in the nighttime Z-A Royale loop.
• Copying a competitive team for the story. This guide prioritizes a flexible six for the main adventure, not a three-minute ranked format.

How to make your own Legends Z-A battle team

1. Lock your starter and two favorites. Those three define the run.
2. Add a resistance for the biggest shared weakness. Immunities are even better when available.
3. Add missing STAB types. Water, Ground, Fairy, Steel, and Electric each solve common matchup problems.
4. Choose at least one Mega option. Official game guidance treats Mega Evolution as a battle-changing mechanic, including encounters with Rogue Mega-Evolved Pokémon.
5. Test in real time. The planner checks the type layer; in-game battles reveal whether move range, timing, and positioning suit you.

For the broader planning method, read the Pokémon Legends Z-A Team Builder guide. It explains roles, the story loop, and how to revise a draft without treating one sample team as mandatory.

Best Legends Z-A team FAQ

Game-mechanic references: the official Pokémon Legends: Z-A pages for first-partner Pokémon, Mega Evolution, and daytime preparation and the Z-A Royale.