So you chose Totodile? Building the perfect Pokémon Legends: Z-A team around your starter

So, you chose Totodile as your starter for Pokémon Legends: Z-A? First, great choice. Totodile is a classic starter that has been around practically since the beginning, and it’s exciting to see it featured in a game like this. There is no wrong choice about what Pokémon to put on your team, but if you’re looking for some suggestions to help support your starter in the best ways possible, this guide should lend a helping hand.

Which Pokémon should you add to your team to support your starter, Totodile?

This guide will focus primarily on the early and later sections of the game and will do its best to avoid story spoilers, but if you prefer to be surprised by what Pokémon you’ll encounter in Legends: Z-A’s Lumiose City, be wary. If you’ve already ranked in the Z-A Royale and taken on a few Rogue Mega Evolutions, you may have already found a team with good synergy, but this guide could still provide some insight into how to best support your chosen partner Pokémon.

If you are looking for a guide to build a team around Chikorita or Tepig, we have guides for that as well.

• Which Pokémon should you add to your team to support your starter, Totodile?
• Strengths & Weaknesses
• Early Game Partners
• Totodile’s Final Evolution (Spoilers Ahead)
• Conclusion

Strengths & Weaknesses

Totodile is a Water-type Pokémon, which means it only has two weaknesses: Electric and Grass. This is great, because not many types have only two weaknesses. Your water-type attacks will be strong against Fire, Rock, and Ground types, but Grass types, Dragon types, and other Water types will resist them. Meanwhile, you will be resistant to incoming Fire, Ice, and Water-type attacks.

So, what makes a good partner for a Water-type like Totodile? Funny enough, both Grass and Fire types will synergize well with your Water-type. Grass types are a great defensive partner. They can deal super-effective damage to other troublesome Water types, as well as resist incoming Electric and Grass-type attacks. Fire types are great offensive partners because they can deal super-effective damage to dangerous Grass types, and appreciate a Water-type’s support against Rock, Ground, and other Water types, which are otherwise super effective against Fire. Fire and Grass also work well together, making this a powerful trio, especially early on in the game.

Throughout the game, as Totodile evolves into Croconaw and eventually Feraligatr, this will remain true because all three stages retain the same simple Water typing. But what are some good examples of Pokémon to add to your team?

Early Game Partners

Thankfully, in the early stages of the game, there is no shortage of great partners to keep an eye out for. As you explore Lumiose City, keep an eye out for Pokémon hanging out in the trees. Sometimes, it will be a Kakuna or a Spinarak, but you might be lucky and run into one of the elemental monkeys. Keep an eye out for the Grass-type Pansage and the Fire-type Pansear. Both Pokémon could make great partners for Totodile, helping it cover its weaknesses.

Skiddo can be a great Grass-type teammate.Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Developer: Gamefreak

But if you don’t want your team full of monkeys, there are other great options as well. Grass types will be somewhat more common than Fire types. In Wild Zone 2, you can find Budew; in Wild Zone 3, you can find Skiddo; and in Wild Zone 5, you can find Bellsprout. Any of these three could make great early-game partners for your Totodile.

Fire types are somewhat less common, but you can still find a few great options. You can find Litleo in Wild Zone 3, and Houndour can be found in Wild Zone 6, but watch out for the powerful Alpha Houndoom in Zone 6. You can also find Fletchling in Wild Zone 1 and elsewhere in the city, but keep in mind it won’t become a Fire type until it evolves.

Totodile’s Final Evolution (Spoilers Ahead)

Thankfully, as Totodile will remain a water type throughout most of the gameplay experience, any of the previously mentioned partners will continue to work well with Totodile as it levels up and evolves.

However, there is one more thing to consider. This is a spoiler-heavy section of this guide. If you prefer to experience Pokémon Legends: Z-A without spoilers, now is your opportunity to stop reading.

Feraligatr, Totodile’s final stage of evolution, does get a Mega Form in this game. You will not unlock it until the mid-point of the game, and Croconaw will have to reach level 30 to be able to evolve and use this new form. But, while temporarily in this form, Mega Feraligatr becomes a Water and Dragon-type.

Fortunately for you and your starter choices, Dragon is one of the best defensive types in the game. It only adds weaknesses to Fairy and Dragon, while neutralizing Water’s two weaknesses to Grass and Electric. Meanwhile, your Water typing also neutralizes Dragon’s Ice Weakness, so it is a very fair trade-off. But it introduces new potential for partner synergies.

Flabebe can be a great addition to the team.Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Developer: Gamefreak

One of the best picks, in my opinion, is Flabebe and its evolutions, Floette and Florges. Not only does this Pokémon’s Fairy typing make it immune to Dragon-type attacks, but it can somewhat act as a pseudo-Grass type too. It learns plenty of useful Grass-type moves to provide support, but it won’t be hitting as hard as any true Grass types. It will also be the perfect counter to any other threatening Dragon types like Dragonite, Salamence, or Goodra, as it can hit them with strong, super-effective Fairy-type attacks.

The other great news is that your Fire-type will become an even better partner. Fire-types resist Fairy-type attacks, making your Fire-type teammate a great defensive check to any opposing Fairy types that might give your Mega Feraligatr trouble. So, if your Litleo becomes a Pyroar or your Houndour becomes a Houndoom, they might be worth keeping on the team.

Honedge has such great typing, it's hard to ignore.Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Developer: Gamefreak

Steel types will also serve this role well, resisting both Dragon and Fairy-type attacks. Unfortunately, these are a rare type to come across, especially in the early and mid-game. One of the only Steel types you can find early on is Honedge at night in Wild Zone 4, but if you catch a Drilbur in Wild Zone 8, you can evolve it into the Ground and Steel-type Excadrill around the same time your Croconaw will evolve.

Conclusion

So, there you go. Take some of the advice in this guide, and you’ll be well on your way to crafting the perfect team around your starter choice. This is hardly the only way to play Pokémon Legends: Z-A, though. Create a team of all the Pokémon you prefer, and you’ll still have a great time. It’s hard to go wrong in a Pokémon game.

Good luck climbing the ranks of the Z-A Royale!

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

October 16, 2025

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