Pokemon Legends Z-A Phantump & Trevenant: Location, Evolution, and Battle Guide

Phantump has one of the darkest backstories in Pokemon lore—it’s literally the spirit of a lost child inhabiting a tree stump. Pretty grim, right? But don’t let that spooky origin story scare you away. In Pokemon Legends Z-A, this Ghost/Grass dual-type makes for an incredibly useful team member with fantastic type coverage and strategic versatility.

If you’re looking to add this mischievous spirit Pokemon to your team, you’re in the right place. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about catching Phantump, evolving it into the imposing Trevenant, and making the most of its unique abilities in battle.

Why Phantump is Worth Catching

Before we dive into locations, let’s talk about why you should even bother with Phantump in the first place.

Type Coverage Advantages:

The Ghost/Grass typing is genuinely special, giving you solid matchups against:

• Psychic-types (Ghost resistance)
• Water-types (Grass advantage)
• Ground-types (Grass advantage)
• Rock-types (Grass advantage)
• Electric-types (Grass resistance)
• Normal-types (Ghost immunity to Normal moves)
• Fighting-types (Ghost immunity to Fighting moves)

That’s a lot of coverage from a single Pokemon. Whether you’re building a balanced team or need something to fill a specific gap, Phantump offers excellent defensive utility and offensive flexibility.

Finding Phantump: Spawn Location Details

Here’s where things get specific. Phantump isn’t just wandering around anywhere—you’ll need to meet certain conditions and know exactly where to look.

Spawn Requirements:

• Location: Wild Zone 13
• Time: Night only
• Story Progress: Must advance main missions until Wild Zone 13 unlocks

Exact Spawn Location:

Once you reach Wild Zone 13 at night, don’t just run around randomly. Phantump has a specific spawn pattern—it appears along the walls of the building in this area. Stick close to the structure’s perimeter and you should encounter one fairly quickly.

Important Warning: There’s an Alpha Trevenant that also roams Wild Zone 13 at night. This hulking evolved form can be dangerous if you’re not prepared for it. On the flip side, if you’re just trying to fill your Pokedex quickly, you could actually catch this Alpha Trevenant instead of evolving a Phantump yourself. More on that strategy later.

For more detailed information about this area and other spawn locations, check out the Wild Zone 13 complete guide.

Evolution Process: Phantump to Trevenant

Like several Pokemon with interesting backstories, Phantump requires special conditions to evolve. Specifically, it needs to be traded—but Pokemon Legends Z-A has implemented a new manual evolution system that gives you more control over the process.

What Changed:

In previous Pokemon games, trade evolutions happened automatically the moment your Pokemon arrived from the trade. Not anymore. In Legends Z-A, you need to manually trigger the evolution after the trade conditions are met. This actually works in your favor because it prevents accidental evolutions and gives you time to prepare.

Step-by-Step Evolution Guide

Follow these exact steps to evolve your Phantump:

1. Press (X) to open the main menu
2. Select Link Trade from the options
3. Enter the trade code: 0182-0182
   • This is the community-designated code specifically for Phantump trades
   • Alternatively, coordinate with a friend for a direct trade
4. Wait for the trade to complete and receive another Phantump
5. Check the evolution icon—you’ll see it light up, indicating evolution is available
6. Select Phantump from your party menu
7. Choose ‘Evolve’ to trigger the transformation
8. Watch Phantump become Trevenant

Trading Etiquette Note: The Pokemon community generally follows an unwritten rule of trading back the Pokemon you received. So if someone sends you their Phantump, send it back after both have evolved. This keeps the system working smoothly for everyone.

Pro Tip: If you’re nervous about trading, remember that you can still evolve your Phantump even after trading it back to your original game. The game registers that the trade requirement was fulfilled.

Similar to how Scyther evolves into Scizor, the trade evolution mechanic requires some coordination but becomes straightforward once you understand the system.

The Shortcut: Catching Alpha Trevenant

Here’s a little secret for Pokedex completionists: you don’t actually need to evolve Phantump if you’re just trying to register Trevenant in your Pokedex.

Alternative Method:

• Return to Wild Zone 13 at night
• Look for the Alpha Trevenant roaming the area
• Catch it directly

This Alpha Trevenant is significantly stronger than a regular Trevenant, making it an even better addition to your team. The only downside? Alpha Pokemon can be tougher to catch and more aggressive in battle, so come prepared with plenty of Ultra Balls and healing items.

Whether you evolve Phantump or catch the Alpha is entirely up to your playstyle and goals.

Trevenant’s Battle Capabilities

Now let’s talk about what Trevenant brings to actual battles. With a Base Stat Total (BST) of 474, Trevenant sits just below the 500 threshold that typically defines top-tier Pokemon. However, don’t let that number fool you—Trevenant has some unique tricks that make it surprisingly effective.

Stats Breakdown

Base Stats:

• HP: 85 (solid bulk)
• Attack: 110 (strong physical attacker)
• Defense: 76 (decent)
• Special Attack: 65 (below average)
• Special Defense: 82 (respectable)
• Speed: 56 (slow, but workable)

Trevenant clearly functions as a physical attacker with good HP and acceptable defensive stats. The low speed means you’ll usually move second, but that’s not necessarily a problem if you build around it correctly.

Trevenant’s Secret Weapon: Forest’s Curse

Here’s where Trevenant gets really interesting. It learns Forest’s Curse, one of the most underrated strategic moves in the game.

What Forest’s Curse Does:

This move adds the Grass type to your opponent, meaning they become dual-type (or triple-type if they’re already dual-type). This might not sound impressive at first, but consider the implications:

• Removes STAB bonuses if the opponent isn’t Grass-type
• Adds Grass-type weaknesses to Fire, Flying, Ice, Bug, and Poison moves
• Completely changes type matchups mid-battle

Imagine facing a Water/Ground type like Swampert. Normally, it only has one weakness (Grass). Use Forest’s Curse, and suddenly it’s weak to Fire, Flying, Ice, Bug, and Poison attacks as well. This strategic flexibility can turn seemingly bad matchups into easy victories.

Optimal Moveset Recommendations

Since Trevenant is a physical attacker with decent bulk, you want moves that capitalize on its strengths:

Recommended Core Moves:

• Shadow Claw (Ghost-type STAB, solid power and reliability)
• Wood Hammer (Grass-type STAB, massive damage output)
• Poison Jab (excellent coverage, combos perfectly with Forest’s Curse)
• Forest’s Curse (strategic utility move)

Why This Works:

Wood Hammer and Shadow Claw give you STAB damage on your primary types. Poison Jab covers Trevenant’s weaknesses to Fairy-types while synergizing beautifully with Forest’s Curse. When you turn an opponent into a Grass-type with Forest’s Curse, Poison Jab becomes super effective—this combo can demolish B-tier and A-tier opponents if you play it right.

EV Training Spreads for Different Roles

Trevenant’s stat distribution allows for multiple viable builds depending on your team needs. Here are the three most effective EV spreads:

1. Physical Tank Build

252 HP / 252 Defense / 6 Special Defense

Use this if you need a Pokemon that can absorb physical hits and stick around. With 85 base HP and investment in Defense, Trevenant becomes surprisingly difficult to take down with physical attacks. This build works great for wearing down opponents with Leech Seed or setting up with Forest’s Curse.

2. Special Wall Build

252 HP / 6 Defense / 252 Special Defense

This spread turns Trevenant into a counter against special attackers. Since Trevenant already has 82 base Special Defense, maxing it out makes it a legitimate special wall. Use this build when facing teams heavy on special attackers like Alakazam or Gengar.

3. Offensive Bruiser Build

252 HP / 252 Attack / 6 Speed

Want to maximize damage while maintaining bulk? This is your spread. With 110 base Attack, investing fully in Attack makes Wood Hammer and Shadow Claw hit devastatingly hard. The HP investment keeps you alive long enough to get off multiple attacks, while the tiny Speed boost occasionally helps you outpace other slow Pokemon.

Strategic Battle Tips

Using Forest’s Curse Effectively:

1. Lead with Forest’s Curse against Pokemon that don’t naturally have Grass typing
2. Follow up with Poison Jab for super-effective damage
3. Switch to Wood Hammer or Shadow Claw depending on remaining resistances

Dealing with Trevenant’s Weaknesses:

Trevenant is weak to:

• Fire (watch out especially for this—it’s a double weakness)
• Flying
• Ghost
• Dark
• Ice

Always have a backup plan for Fire-types. They can absolutely demolish Trevenant with STAB Fire moves. Consider switching out immediately when facing threats like Charizard or Arcanine.

Leveraging Type Immunities:

Don’t forget that Trevenant is immune to Normal and Fighting-type moves thanks to its Ghost typing. Use this to your advantage by switching in on predicted Normal or Fighting attacks for a free turn.

Additional Resources

Want more help with Pokemon Legends Z-A?

• Official Pokemon Legends site: https://legends.pokemon.com/
• Purchase the game: Pokemon Legends Z-A on Nintendo Store
• More evolution guides: Check out our complete Wild Zones guide for additional spawn information

Ending Note

Phantump and Trevenant offer a unique combination of spooky aesthetics and legitimate competitive utility. While Trevenant might not reach the absolute top tier of Pokemon in Legends Z-A, its Ghost/Grass typing, access to Forest’s Curse, and solid physical attack stat make it a valuable team member for the right situations.

The trade evolution might seem like a hassle initially, but once you understand the process and utilize the community trade codes, it becomes simple. And if you’re really in a hurry, that Alpha Trevenant roaming Wild Zone 13 provides an even faster path to adding this Pokemon to your collection.

Whether you’re drawn to Phantump’s tragic backstory or Trevenant’s strategic potential, this evolution line deserves consideration for your team. Just remember to keep it away from Fire-types, and you’ll have a reliable partner throughout your Lumiose City adventure.