How to Find, Catch, and Evolve Inkay in Pokemon Legends Z-A

Table of Contents

Why Inkay Is Worth the Hunt

Inkay has always been one of Pokemon’s quirkiest creatures, but in Pokemon Legends Z-A, it’s become downright essential. Why? Because its final evolution, Malamar, received one of the game’s new Mega Evolution forms—and Mega Malamar is an absolute beast in competitive play.

The Dark/Psychic typing alone makes it a unique threat, but when you factor in Malamar’s signature move Topsy-Turvy (which flips all stat changes on opponents), you’ve got a Pokemon that can completely dismantle buff-heavy strategies. If you’ve been struggling against opponents who stack Attack and Special Attack boosts, Mega Malamar is your answer.

But here’s the catch: Inkay has one of the most unusual evolution methods in Pokemon history, and in Legends Z-A, the mechanics have changed slightly. Many players are finding that the classic “flip your console” trick isn’t working anymore. Don’t worry—this guide will walk you through exactly how to make it work, plus where to find Inkay in the first place.

Where to Find Inkay in Pokemon Legends Z-A

Wild Zone 11: The Inkay Habitat

Inkay spawns exclusively in Wild Zone 11, located in the lower-right section of Lumiose City. This isn’t an area you’ll have access to right away—it’s locked behind story progression.

Unlock Requirements

Before you can access Wild Zone 11, you must defeat the first three Rogue Mega Pokemon:

Mega Camerupt
Mega Victreebel
Mega Slowbro

Our Rogue Mega Pokemon guide provides detailed strategies for taking down these three bosses. Once they’re defeated, Wild Zone 11 opens up for exploration.

Spawning Conditions: Night Only

Here’s something crucial: Inkay only appears at night. If you visit Wild Zone 11 during the day, you won’t find any Inkay spawns no matter how long you search.

How to change time: Find a nearby bench and use it to switch between day and night cycles. Our time change guide explains this mechanic in detail.

Specific Spawn Location

Once you’re in Wild Zone 11 at night, head toward the water ponds. Inkay roams around these aquatic areas, typically near the edges where water meets land. Look for its distinctive squid-like silhouette—it’s hard to miss once you know what you’re looking for.

Pro tip: Inkay will spawn around level 30, so make sure your team is appropriately leveled before attempting to catch it.

Catching Inkay: Tips and Warnings

The Alpha Clawitzer Problem

Wild Zone 11 has a significant threat you need to be aware of: an Alpha Clawitzer that patrols the area. This oversized Water-type is aggressive and considerably stronger than the regular Pokemon in the zone.

The real danger isn’t just the Alpha itself—it’s what happens when you engage it in battle. Alpha Clawitzer has a tendency to summon multiple Clauncher reinforcements, turning a one-on-one fight into a chaotic swarm battle. If you’re not prepared with strong Electric or Grass-type moves, this can quickly spiral out of control.

Avoidance Strategy:

Scout Alpha Clawitzer’s patrol route before approaching Inkay spawns
Crouch and use stealth mechanics to avoid detection
If the Alpha spots you, consider running to reset its aggro rather than fighting
Save manually before exploring the zone so you can reload if things go wrong

For more Alpha Pokemon strategies, check our comprehensive Alpha Pokemon guide.

Best Catching Approach

Stealth Method (Recommended):

Save your game manually
Crouch and approach Inkay from behind
Aim for a back strike with your Pokeball
This significantly improves catch rate and prevents Inkay from fleeing

Battle Method: If you end up in combat, Inkay is weak to:

Bug
Fairy

Keep your attacks moderate—you want to weaken it, not knock it out. Using status conditions like Sleep or Paralysis dramatically increases catch rates.

How to Evolve Inkay Into Malamar: The Console Flip Trick

This is where things get tricky—literally. Inkay’s evolution method has always been unconventional, requiring players to physically flip their console upside down. In Pokemon Legends Z-A, the mechanic is still present but with a critical twist that’s causing confusion.

Why the Standard Trick Doesn’t Work

Many veteran players remember the evolution method from previous games: level up Inkay while holding the console upside down. In Legends Z-A, this doesn’t work anymore. Even if you flip your Nintendo Switch while leveling Inkay to 30+, the evolution arrow won’t appear on its thumbnail in your party screen.

This has led to widespread frustration, with players thinking the evolution is bugged. It’s not—the game just requires a specific sequence of inputs now.

The Correct Evolution Method (Step-by-Step)

Here’s exactly how to evolve Inkay in Pokemon Legends Z-A:

Step 1: Ensure Inkay is at least level 30 (it should already be around this level when caught)

Step 2: Press X to open your menu

Step 3: Navigate to your party and hover over Inkay

Step 4: Press A to select Inkay and open its individual Pokemon status screen

Step 5: While on Inkay’s status screen, physically flip your Nintendo Switch console upside down (or rotate it 180 degrees if playing docked)

Step 6: The “Evolve” option will appear on the screen

Step 7: Press the Evolve button to trigger the evolution into Malamar

Critical Detail: Timing Matters

The most important part of this process is opening Inkay’s individual status menu before flipping the console. If you flip the console while just looking at your party screen, nothing will happen. The game specifically checks for the console orientation while viewing Inkay’s detailed information page.

Think of it as a two-factor authentication for evolution: the game needs to confirm (1) you’re looking at Inkay’s stats, and (2) the console is upside down. Only when both conditions are met does the Evolve option appear.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

“I flipped my console but nothing happened”

Make sure you’re on Inkay’s individual stat screen, not the party overview
Verify Inkay is actually level 30 or higher
Try flipping more slowly—sometimes rapid movements don’t register
If playing on Switch OLED, the gyroscope may be more sensitive; flip it completely

“The Evolve button appeared but disappeared”

You likely rotated the console back before pressing the button
Keep the console upside down until the evolution animation completes

“I’m playing docked—how do I flip my console?”

If playing on TV, you’ll need to undock your Switch temporarily for this evolution
Alternatively, some players report using a Pro Controller while physically moving the docked Switch, but this is inconsistent

For more evolution quirks and requirements, our Cleffa evolution guide covers similar special conditions.

Malamar’s Competitive Value

Before we get into Mega Evolution, let’s talk about why base Malamar is already worth using.

Stats and Typing

Malamar sports the unique Dark/Psychic typing, which gives it:

Immunity to Psychic moves (thanks to Dark typing)
Resistance to Psychic and Ghost attacks
Offensive coverage against Psychic, Ghost, and Fighting types

Its base stat total of 482 is respectable for a mid-evolution Pokemon, with particular emphasis on Attack and HP.

The Topsy-Turvy Factor

Malamar’s signature move, Topsy-Turvy, is what makes it truly special. This move reverses all stat changes on the target, turning buffs into debuffs and vice versa.

How This Breaks the Game:

Imagine your opponent uses Swords Dance twice, boosting their Attack to +4 stages. One Topsy-Turvy later, and they’re sitting at -4 Attack instead. They’ve essentially debuffed themselves by trying to set up.

This works on:

Attack/Defense/Special Attack/Special Defense/Speed boosts
Evasion and Accuracy changes
ANY stat modification from moves like Calm Mind, Dragon Dance, Work Up, etc.

Strategic Applications:

Countering setup sweepers who rely on stat boosts
Punishing opponents who over-commit to buffing
Creating momentum swings in close battles
Forcing opponents to play more conservatively

Topsy-Turvy used to be exclusive to Malamar, making it a defining trait of this Pokemon’s playstyle. If you’re building a team that needs an anti-setup answer, Malamar deserves serious consideration.

Unlocking Mega Malamar

Once you’ve evolved Inkay into Malamar, the next goal is unlocking its Mega Evolution form. This requires obtaining Malamarite, the Mega Stone specific to Malamar.

Where to Get Malamarite

Malamarite is purchased from Quasartico Headquarters in the Magenta District of Lumiose City.

Cost: 240 Mega Shards

This isn’t a small investment, so you’ll need to stockpile shards by battling, completing missions, and exploring thoroughly.

Story Requirements

Malamarite doesn’t become available for purchase until you’ve progressed fairly deep into the main story. Specifically, you’ll need to defeat several more Rogue Mega Pokemon after the initial three:

Mega Beedrill
Mega Banette
Mega Hawlucha (see our Hawlucha guide)

Expect to invest several hours before Malamarite becomes available. In the meantime, regular Malamar is still perfectly viable for progressing through the story.

How to Mega Evolve in Battle

Once you have Malamarite:

Make Malamar hold the Malamarite in its item slot
Enter a battle and build up Mega Energy (the meter fills as you attack and take damage)
When the meter is full, press L on your controller
Malamar temporarily transforms into Mega Malamar for the remainder of the battle

For comprehensive Mega Evolution mechanics, our Mega Evolution tier list ranks all forms and explains the system in detail.

Mega Malamar: Stats and Analysis

When Malamar Mega Evolves, its base stat total jumps from 482 to 582—a substantial 100-point boost.

Stat Distribution

The boost is allocated across several stats:

Special Defense (largest increase)
Attack (moderate increase)
Special Attack (moderate increase)
Speed (moderate increase)

The Special Defense Debate

Here’s where opinions divide. The biggest chunk of Mega Malamar’s stat boost goes into Special Defense, which seems odd given Pokemon Legends Z-A’s battle system. Since you can manually move your Pokemon around to dodge attacks, pure defensive stats feel less valuable than in traditional Pokemon games.

Counterargument: Special Defense still matters for attacks you can’t dodge or when you’re locked in animations. Plus, higher bulk means you can survive long enough to set up or execute your strategy without getting one-shot.

The Real Strengths

Forget the Special Defense for a moment—focus on what Mega Malamar does well:

Attack Boost: Combined with moves like Night Slash (Dark-type physical attack with high crit rate), Mega Malamar hits significantly harder than base form.

Special Attack Boost: Access to Psyshock (Psychic-type special move that targets physical defense) gives it mixed attacking options.

Speed Boost: The speed increase ensures Mega Malamar moves before most opponents, letting you land Topsy-Turvy before they can execute their setup strategies.

Optimal Moveset

Recommended moves for Mega Malamar:

Topsy-Turvy – Your signature move and primary reason to use Malamar
Night Slash – STAB physical Dark attack with crit potential
Psyshock – STAB special Psychic attack that targets Defense
Superpower or Protect – Coverage/utility option

For move strategy insights, check our Protect move guide.

Team Building Around Malamar

Mega Malamar excels as an anti-setup specialist, so it pairs well with Pokemon that force opponents into setup situations.

Good Teammates

Defensive Walls: Pokemon that stall opponents and force them to boost stats create perfect opportunities for Topsy-Turvy. Consider pairing with bulky Pokemon that can take hits while Malamar waits for the right moment.

Fast Attackers: Since Malamar handles setup sweepers, pair it with fast offensive Pokemon that can clean up debuffed opponents. Check our best early Pokemon guide for options.

Type Coverage Partners: Malamar is weak to Bug and Fairy. Make sure your team has Pokemon that resist or counter these types. Our Eevee evolutions guide includes several options that fill this role.

Is Mega Malamar Worth Using?

Pros:

Topsy-Turvy is a game-changing move against setup-heavy opponents
Unique Dark/Psychic typing offers rare resistances
Solid stat boost from Mega Evolution
Relatively accessible (Wild Zone 11 unlocks mid-game)
Fun and satisfying to use when you successfully reverse major stat boosts

Cons:

Requires awkward console flip to evolve Inkay
Malamarite costs 240 Mega Shards (expensive early on)
Special Defense focus doesn’t align perfectly with active battle system
Limited usefulness against opponents who don’t rely on stat boosts
Weak to common Bug and Fairy attacks

Final Verdict

Mega Malamar is a specialist Pokemon rather than a generalist. If you’re facing opponents who love stacking Swords Dance, Calm Mind, or Dragon Dance, Malamar becomes incredibly valuable. Against straightforward attackers who don’t set up, it’s less impressive.

For general story progression, you might find other Mega Evolutions more universally useful. But for competitive play, post-game battles, or specific challenging encounters, having a trained Mega Malamar in your roster gives you a unique strategic option.

Additional Resources for Wild Zone 11

While you’re in Wild Zone 11 hunting Inkay, you might as well explore thoroughly. The zone contains other valuable Pokemon and resources worth collecting.

Other guides that might help:

Make sure you’re also collecting Tiny Mushrooms and other crafting materials while exploring.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Trying to Evolve Without Opening Status Screen

The #1 mistake. You MUST be on Inkay’s individual Pokemon screen when you flip the console. The party overview screen won’t trigger the evolution.

Hunting During the Day

Inkay is nocturnal. Don’t waste time searching Wild Zone 11 during daylight hours.

Engaging Alpha Clawitzer Unnecessarily

Unless you specifically want to catch it, there’s no reason to fight this Alpha. It’s dangerous, summons backup, and isn’t required for any mission.

Underestimating the Mega Shard Investment

240 shards is a lot. Don’t blow all your shards on Malamarite if you haven’t secured other essential Mega Stones first. Prioritize based on your team composition.

Final Thoughts

Inkay’s evolution method is quirky, but that’s part of what makes it memorable. Once you understand the correct sequence—open status screen, THEN flip console—the process becomes routine. And the payoff is access to one of the game’s most unique strategic tools in Mega Malamar.

Topsy-Turvy alone justifies using Malamar in specific situations. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching an opponent’s carefully constructed +6 Attack buff instantly become a crippling -6 debuff. It’s the ultimate “no u” move in Pokemon form.

So head to Wild Zone 11 at night, dodge that Alpha Clawitzer, catch yourself an Inkay, and prepare to flip your console upside down. Your team’s anti-setup specialist awaits.

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