P okémon Championsreleased on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, bringing the thrill of Pokémon battles to Trainers of all skills levels.
Want to join in on the fun but not sure how to craft a strategic team? No worries! Our experts are here to break down some interesting team builds centered around your first partner Pokémon from Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Five-time Pokémon VGC Regional Champion, Worlds semifinalist, and official caster Aaron “Cybertron” Zheng is here to break down a team centered around a Mega-Evolved Pokémon with the most bite: Mega Feraligatr. Check out the full strategy below!
Mega Feraligatr is one of the most powerful physical attackers in the format thanks to an incredible Attack stat and a unique Ability in Dragonize, which causes all Normal-type moves used by the Pokémon to become Dragon-type and receive a 20% power boost. I’ve built a team designed to help Mega Feraligatr reach its full potential. Since it has a relatively mediocre Speed stat, I decided to focus on Dragon Dance, which increases Feraligatr’s Attack and Speed by one level. Once it gets a Dragon Dance boost off, it has the potential to score one-hit knockouts on almost any Pokémon in the format!
Team Overview
Feraligatr
Held Item: Feraligite
Ability: Sheer Force
Stat Points: 2 HP / 32 Attack / 32 Speed
Stat Alignment: Jolly
Moves: Liquidation, Body Slam, Dragon Dance, Protect
This Feraligatr aims to sweep opponents by setting up with Dragon Dance. At +1 Speed, with the Jolly stat alignment and 32 Speed stat points, Feraligatr will outpace common attackers like Mega Delphox, Mega Gengar, and Aerodactyl. Liquidation is Feraligatr’s strongest Water-type move, and Body Slam is a reliable Normal-type (turned Dragon-type) move. You can use Double-Edge over Body Slam if you want stronger damage output, but keep in mind that you’ll often take a lot of recoil damage in return, making it more difficult to get multiple moves off. Protect helps Feraligatr stick around in battle and synergizes nicely with moves like Coaching from Sneasler and Life Dew from Sinistcha, both of which go through Protect. If you’re finding that Feraligatr is fainting too quickly even with the defensive options on this team, you can consider moving stats out of Attack into HP, Defense, or Sp. Def!
Sneasler
Held Item: White Herb
Ability: Unburden
Stat Points: 2 HP / 32 Attack / 32 Speed
Stat Alignment: Jolly
Moves: Fake Out, Coaching, Close Combat, Dire Claw
Sneasler is one of the fastest Pokémon in the format and is a fantastic partner to lead alongside Feraligatr. Fake Out helps neutralize early offense from your opponents, giving Feraligatr the opportunity to Dragon Dance safely. Coaching can also be used to instantly give teammates an Attack and Defense boost—you’ll want to use this primarily with Feraligatr and Corviknight by its side. Close Combat and Dire Claw are Sneasler’s best two offensive moves. Dire Claw in particular is valuable to hit bulky Fairy-type Pokémon that Feraligatr may struggle to knock out quickly, such as Primarina and Mega Floette. White Herb protects Sneasler from Incineroar’s Intimidate, resetting the loss of its Attack stat.
Alolan Ninetales
Held Item: Focus Sash
Ability: Snow Warning
Stat Points: 2 HP / 32 Sp. Atk / 32 Speed
Stat Alignment: Timid
Moves: Aurora Veil, Blizzard, Freeze-Dry, Protect
Alolan Ninetales is a fast Pokémon that can set up Aurora Veil, reducing the damage from both physical and special moves for five turns. If your opponent does not have any weather setters on their team (such as Mega Charizard Y, Pelipper, or Tyranitar), you can consider leading with Alolan Ninetales to immediately set up Aurora Veil while Mega Feraligatr uses Dragon Dance. Freeze-Dry is a valuable move against bulky Water-type Pokémon that can give Feraligatr some trouble (such as Primarina and Wash Rotom).
Incineroar
Held Item: Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Stat Points: 32 HP / 32 Attack / 2 Speed
Stat Alignment: Adamant
Moves: Fake Out, Flare Blitz, Throat Chop, Parting Shot
Incineroar gives the team Intimidate and a second Fake Out user, helping set up Feraligatr. This Incineroar is both a strong defensive and offensive option. With Adamant stat alignment and 32 Attack stat points, it can deal unexpected amounts of damage to your opponents. Sitrus Berry allows you to switch it in and out more easily, even when facing supereffective moves. Throat Chop is a valuable move that stops sound-based moves such as Hyper Voice from Mega Gardevoir, Sylveon, and Primarina. If you decide you want a more defensive Incineroar, you can consider moving its stat points out of Attack into its Defense or Sp. Def and changing its stat alignment to something like Impish or Careful.
Sinistcha
Held Item: Leftovers
Ability: Hospitality
Stat Points: 32 HP / 14 Defense / 20 Sp. Def
Stat Alignment: Bold
Moves: Life Dew, Rage Powder, Matcha Gotcha, Protect
Sinistcha’s Hospitality heals its partner for 25% of its HP every time it switches in, making it a super valuable partner for Feraligatr! Rage Powder redirects powerful single-target moves away from Feraligatr while Life Dew heals both of your Pokémon for 25%. Matcha Gotcha is also a valuable offensive option against bulky Water-type Pokémon and can burn opposing Pokémon as well. It is common to lead with Feraligatr and one of the Fake Out users (Incineroar or Sneasler) with Sinistcha waiting in the back. Doing this, you can set up Dragon Dance early on, then switch in Sinistcha to heal some of Feraligatr’s HP and help keep it swinging in battle.
Corviknight
Held Item: Metal Coat
Ability: Mirror Armor
Stat Points: 32 HP / 14 Attack / 15 Defense / 5 Speed
Stat Alignment: Impish
Moves: Iron Head, Tailwind, Roost, Body Press
Mega Feraligatr can struggle against Intimidate and Fairy-type Pokémon, but Corviknight has a strong matchup against both! Mirror Armor bounces stat drops back at your opponent, punishing them for bringing Pokémon with Intimidate. Iron Head allows Corviknight to deal supereffective damage to common Fairy-type Pokémon like Mega Floette, Mega Gardevoir, and Sylveon. With Metal Coat and an Attack boost from Coaching, Iron Head will knock out even a bulky Mega Floette (with 32 HP and one Defense stat point) in just one hit! Body Press allows Corviknight to hit Pokémon like Incineroar, Kingambit, and Tyranitar for supereffective damage. Tailwind helps boost the team’s Speed, allowing Feraligatr to go toe-to-toe with the fastest Pokémon in the format. Roost allows Corviknight to heal and stay in battle for longer, making it difficult to knock out easily. This Corviknight has some training in Speed to outpace Aerodactyl with maximum Speed investment and all Pokémon slower than it under Tailwind.
How to Play with the Team
In most games, I lead with Feraligatr. Sneasler is the most common partner for it because it offers a fast Fake Out and or can immediately go for Coaching into Feraligatr instead (don’t forget you can use Coaching on your own Feraligatr even if it uses Protect). Incineroar is also a good lead if your opponent has multiple strong physical attackers, and Alolan Ninetales is a good lead if your opponent can’t stop Aurora Veil on the first turn (if they have no Pokémon with a weather Ability they can switch into).
The goal is generally to use Dragon Dance once, then start picking up one-hit knockouts with Feraligatr while using the rest of the team to protect Feraligatr from getting knocked out!
The most common 4:
- Lead: Feraligatr + Sneasler
- Back: Incineroar + Sinistcha
These four put on a ton of pressure immediately, with Feraligatr threatening Dragon Dance and Sneasler threatening Fake Out or Coaching right away. The goal is to come out of the first two turns with an Attack boost on Feraligatr, then start using those strong moves. You’ll want to switch in Incineroar and Sinistcha after the opening turns to help protect Feraligatr.
If my opponent has Mega Floette or other Pokémon that Corviknight matches up well into (like Tyranitar or Excadrill), I’ll consider the following mode:
- Lead: Corviknight + Sneasler
- Back: Feraligatr + Sinistcha or Incineroar
This mode allows you to focus on Corviknight early. You can use Coaching from Sneasler to boost the damage output of both Iron Head and Body Press. You’ll ideally use Corviknight to clear Fairy types and Intimidators early, setting up Feraligatr for success in the endgame. Note that you don’t always have to use Dragon Dance with Feraligatr—it can still deal massive amounts of damage even without boosts! In this mode, Feraligatr can often just Mega Evolve and start attacking immediately since you won’t have as much time to set up.
If my opponent has weather options (like Mega Charizard Y, Tyranitar, or Pelipper) on their team, I’ll consider the following mode:
- Lead: Feraligatr + Incineroar or Sneasler
- Back: Alolan Ninetales + Sinistcha
In this mode, you can set up with Feraligatr while also having the option to disrupt your opponent’s weather with your own Alolan Ninetales in the back. You’ll want them to commit to their weather first(for example, by having them Mega Evolve their Charizard or Tyranitar, or have them bring in their Pelipper before you bring out Ninetales), then set up snow with Snow Warning afterwards.
Final Words
When you use this team, note that Mega Feraligatr is by far the most important offensive member. If it goes down too quickly, you’ll often be in a tough spot. Do your best to protect it as much as possible. It is not the easiest Mega Evolution to use in the format but it can feel incredibly rewarding if you’ve set it up properly!
Aaron Zheng
Aaron Zheng
Aaron is a Video Game Championships (VGC) competitor, commentator, and content creator. He has been competing in the VGC since 2008. Since then, he’s won five Regional Championships and two National Championships. He has also qualified for eight World Championships and placed third at the 2013 Pokémon World Championships. In more recent years, Aaron has been focused on creating online content. He joined the live commentary team for VGC streams in 2016.
