Top Teams for Completing & Solving a Nuzlocke in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

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Pokemon Legends: Z-A is a great game to try a Nuzlocke challenge because it offers many different spawn areas and plenty of experience points to level up your team as it evolves. There is no one perfect team for a Nuzlocke, but some teams stand out because they combine strong sweepers and sturdy tanks.

It’s a good idea to include as many of the strongest Pokemon in the game as you can, but since Nuzlocke rules usually let you catch only one Pokemon from each area, you’ll need to get creative.

Attack & Defense Hybrid Without Starters

If you want to run a team that balances attack and defense without relying on starters, this setup could work well.

Ampharos: Easy to get early, especially since Mareep are plentiful in the first Wild Zone. You can even get a shiny Mareep through a side quest.
Beedrill: A top-tier Mega Evolution found early; it pairs nicely with Ampharos to fight Mega Pokémon throughout your journey.
Pangoro: Evolved from Pancham found in Wild Zone 3, providing good coverage against Ghosts and Normal types.
Victreebel and Starmie: Both are strong Mega Evolutions. Victreebel, which you can catch early, is safer to use because of Giga Drain, while Starmie is more fragile and better caught in Wild Zone 16 after you get a Bellsprout for Victreebel.

For more options, Honedge in Wild Zone 4 is a straightforward choice to evolve into Aegislash and help with defense.

Defense Wins Championships

This team focuses mainly on staying alive and reducing damage whenever possible:

Sableye: Has immunity to Normal, Fighting, and Psychic attacks.
Mawile: Immunity to Poison and Dragon types, adding to your team’s defenses.
Slowbro: Resistant to Fire, Fighting, Psychic, Water, Ice, and Steel types. It might not be immune but can resist many attacking types.
Krookodile: Good for offense, with immunity to Psychic moves, giving it both attack power and defensive strength.
Trevenant and Medicham: Flexible switch-ins that can take hits and deal powerful damage across different types.

Mawile is particularly valuable since it can act as both a tank and an attacker thanks to its immunities, making it essential in this team.

High-Powered With Starters

This team lets you be aggressive, focusing on quick, powerful attacks:

Charizard and Feraligatr: Your starters, with Feraligatr being a balanced Water-type with good offense and bulk, and Charizard capable of one-hit KO moves.
Heracross: An early high-level Pokémon, traded from an NPC, with excellent Attack and rare typing.
Malamar and Venusaur: Malamar, caught early, offers versatile Psychic/Dark moves, while Venusaur (from a caught Bulbasaur in Wild Zone 20) is a durable Mega Evolution with Giga Drain for survivability.
Victreebel: An alternative to Venusaur, offering good durability and Giga Drain’s healing ability.

While assembling this team takes time—since you need to get Charizard from Mable and catch Bulbasaur in Wild Zone 20—it’s worth the wait for the power it provides.

Offense First With Tanky Attackers

For players who want to stay on the offensive, this team offers aggressive, durable Pokémon:

Feraligatr: A strong starter with a good balance of attack and defense.
Heracross: Returns as a speedy, powerful attacker, especially useful in speedruns.
Krookodile: Provides additional type coverage and physical attack power.
Gardevoir: A Psychic and Fairy-type with high damage output; if you have its Mega Stone, it becomes even more formidable.
Metagross: A versatile Steel/Psychic Pokémon that both attacks and defends well.
Pidgeot: Adds Flying-type moves and can serve as a Mega Evolution option for extra versatility.

This team is for those who want to punch hard from the start. Using Feraligatr as your primary Water-type, with Heracross and Krookodile adding offensive punch, makes a formidable lineup. Gardevoir and Metagross handle special and multi-type threats, while Pidgeot rounds out the team with additional Mega Evolution options.

Each team offers different styles of play, whether defensive, balanced, or aggressive, giving you the flexibility to choose a strategy that fits your approach.