Creating the perfect team in Pokémon Legends ZA requires more than just leveling up your favorite Pokémon—it’s about understanding synergy, type coverage, and efficiency in the game’s most rewarding mode: the ZA Royale. This guide breaks down how to build a powerhouse roster, optimize your training, and make the most of your grind for bottle caps and experience.

1. The Core of a Strong Team: One Carry Pokémon and a Strategy

The first step toward a strong setup in Pokémon Legends ZA is having one reliable level 100 carry Pokémon. This single powerhouse can push you through the story, handle early ZA Royale matches, and provide stability while the rest of your team grows.

Many players choose Zygarde, which acts as an auto-win option thanks to its versatility and durability. Alternatively, a strong starter like Feraligatr—equipped with Crunch, Ice Fang, Breaking Sweep, and Liquidation—offers excellent type coverage.

If you didn’t pick Feraligatr as your starter, don’t worry. In Wild Zone 20, you can catch any starter Pokémon you missed. Simply sit on the benches, reset the area, and wait for alpha spawns. Alpha Pokémon come with strong IVs and max HP EVs, making them ideal for competitive play later.

2. Type Coverage and Team Composition

The goal of your team isn’t just raw power—it’s complete type coverage. With the right combination, you can counter nearly every threat in the ZA Royale.

Key recommendations include:

• Dragonite: Excellent coverage, especially with Normal-type moves like Extreme Speed.

• Gengar or Alakazam: Serve as powerful special sweepers. Gengar’s access to Ghost and Poison moves gives it incredible utility.

• Excadrill: A hidden gem with Drill Run and Megahorn, perfect for clearing out multiple types efficiently.

• Venusaur: Even with only Grass-type attacks, it fills an essential niche for specific card challenges.

During the ZA Royale, you can freely swap team members mid-run, which allows for flexible strategies based on the cards or opponents you encounter.

3. Mastering the ZA Royale

The ZA Royale is where you’ll spend most of your late-game time. It’s the best way to earn experience, rare candies, and valuable bottle caps. Each night, you can complete multiple challenge matches—your goal is to balance challenge tickets and optimize point farming.

The key to efficiency is card management. Early in the night, look for cards that reward 15,000–20,000 points, such as “Use 20 Grass-type moves” or “Start 10 battles with ambushes.” These carry over to the next session, allowing for massive point boosts.

As you progress, remember these tips:

• Gold Bottle Caps are the main goal. You can earn them by defeating the Furfrou Elite Four and Champion.

• Getting spotted during battle setup isn’t always bad—it saves time since the clock stops during combat.

• Mega Evolution and Plus Moves can stack rewards, often netting you 10k or more points per battle.

4. Efficient Training and EV Optimization

Once your team starts to stabilize, shift focus toward EV training and hyper training. This ensures your Pokémon reach maximum potential without wasting resources.

Here’s the priority:

• Max HP and Offensive EVs: Speed doesn’t matter much in ZA Royale, as battles are based on one-shots and cooldown resets.

• Use Vitamins: The money you earn in ZA Royale should go toward vitamins for fast EV maxing.

• Alpha Pokémon: These naturally have max HP EVs, saving training time.

• Gold Bottle Caps: Used for hyper training to perfect IVs, making your Pokémon ready for competitive play.

If you’re short on resources, remember you can always buy shiny Pokémon or look for special event bundles like the ZA Shiny Bundle to expand your collection efficiently.

5. The Grind and the Endgame

Grinding the ZA Royale 100 times might sound excessive, but it’s the fastest path toward building competitive-ready Pokémon. Every match contributes experience, items, and bottle caps for hyper training.

If you want to start competitive battles early, head to Wild Zone 20, catch alpha spawns with strong IVs, and EV train them with the vitamins and funds you’ve earned. Once you’ve fine-tuned your team, invest in competitive items from the construction shop and refine your strategy for ranked play.

Pokémon Legends ZA rewards patience and smart planning. Whether you rely on Zygarde as your core or experiment with your favorite Pokémon, the key is type coverage, efficient grinding, and long-term optimization. By mastering the ZA Royale and using your resources wisely, you’ll have a team capable of tackling both the toughest AI and real competitive opponents.