The ZZZ best teams in Version 3.3 depend on which damage dealer you own, which teammates enable their kit, and which encounter you are trying to clear. Phoenix adds a new Anomaly option, but that does not make an established Miyabi squad or a properly built starter team obsolete for every account.
Quick answer: For Phoenix, start with Phoenix + Velina + Remielle or Phoenix + Velina + Yuzuha: HoYoverse explicitly recommends both. For an existing Miyabi account, Miyabi + Lycaon + Soukaku is a practical compatibility-first core. For a new account, Billy + Anby + Nicole provides a starter Attack, Stun and Support lineup. These are recommendations for different rosters, not a claim that all four deliver equal damage.
Updated October 25, 2026, for Version 3.3, “Journey to the Sky.” HoYoverse says the version lasts 42 days, ending December 2 at 06:00 UTC+8. This guide covers current teams, missing-character decisions and the checks to make before spending upgrade materials. Source: official 3.3 update announcement.
Which Zenless Zone Zero teams should you build in Version 3.3?
Use the table as a roster decision, not a universal damage leaderboard. The Phoenix rows are official recommended compositions; the other rows are editorial starting points based on the agents' roles and activation conditions. We have not run equal-investment damage simulations between them.
| Your account situation | Recommended starting team | Why it belongs on your shortlist | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| You own Phoenix, Velina and Remielle | Phoenix / Velina / Remielle | Officially recommended Anomaly lineup | Requires all three named agents |
| You own Phoenix and Velina, but use Yuzuha instead of Remielle | Phoenix / Velina / Yuzuha | Officially recommended alternative with a Support | Not a promise of identical damage or rotations |
| You own Miyabi, Lycaon and Soukaku | Miyabi / Lycaon / Soukaku | Damage dealer, Stun and Support with compatible conditions | A practical core, not a universal best-in-slot claim |
| You are starting with the Cunning Hares | Billy / Anby / Nicole | Shared faction makes the starter trio straightforward to assemble | Early progression recommendation, not a top endgame ranking |
Keep the distinction between best for this roster and highest possible ceiling. A complete team with usable equipment is a more actionable recommendation than a theoretical lineup missing two characters. For agent-by-agent rankings rather than team construction, use our ZZZ tier list.
Why do Phoenix, Velina and Remielle work together?
HoYoverse's Phoenix Mechanics Intro names Phoenix + Velina + Remielle as one of its recommended team compositions. That is stronger evidence for basic compatibility than copying three individually high-ranked agents into one squad.
Phoenix's defining team mechanic is Sear. Her official introduction explains that when an agent in the squad deals Attribute Anomaly damage, the enemy receives Sear, allowing Attribute Anomaly damage against that enemy to have a chance to CRIT. Phoenix's Anomaly Mastery provides an additional CRIT Rate boost to that effect.
The same introduction states: “When another character in your squad is an Anomaly Agent or belongs to the same faction: Increases the CRIT DMG of Attribute Anomaly DMG dealt to enemies afflicted with Sear.” That is HoYoverse's wording, not a community damage estimate.
The distinction matters. The condition adds the CRIT DMG benefit; it is not the switch that first permits Sear to exist. Describing Phoenix as doing nothing without one particular partner would misread the kit.
Official Phoenix Mechanics Intro artwork, watermarked by timesaver.gg. The pre-release card carries HoYoverse's development disclaimer; use the current in-game descriptions for numerical tuning.
For this team, begin with the actual ownership question: do you have all three? If yes, learn the complete lineup before replacing somebody because another agent appears higher on a generic tier list. If no, identify the missing function rather than assuming that every Anomaly agent is an interchangeable copy.
Our Phoenix guide covers her mechanics in more detail. Keep her character setup separate from the team decision: an equipment recommendation cannot resolve a missing teammate or an incompatible rotation.
When should you use Yuzuha instead of Remielle?
Phoenix + Velina + Yuzuha is the second team printed on the same official recommendation card. It gives an immediate answer for players who own Yuzuha but do not own Remielle: there is a first-party-listed alternative, so you do not need to invent a replacement from an unrelated ranking.
That does not establish a numerical gap between the two squads. HoYoverse's card does not publish equal-investment clear times, damage totals, Mindscape assumptions or a controlled weapon comparison. We therefore do not label one row “20% better” or promise that a substitution preserves the same rotation.
Choose between these two complete lineups using practical constraints:
- Ownership: a recommendation you cannot assemble is a future target, not today's team.
- Investment: compare actual skill and equipment progress, not just character rarity.
- Execution: choose the lineup whose resources and swaps you can use reliably.
- Other teams: consider whether moving a teammate leaves a second encounter squad incomplete.
If both options are already built, compare them in the same encounter with the same relevant stage modifiers. Change one slot at a time. A personal clear-time comparison under consistent conditions is more useful than a damage screenshot taken in another mode.
Can you use Remielle and Velina without Phoenix?
This is a real question from the latest player discussions: someone with Remielle and Velina asked who could occupy the remaining slot. Replies broadly suggested another Anomaly agent, while other players raised exceptions and differences between damage interactions.
The useful conclusion is not “every Anomaly agent is equally good.” A shared Specialty helps identify candidates; it does not prove equal synergy. We use that discussion to identify the question, not as a source for unverified damage mechanics.
For a replacement, check three things in order:
- Condition coverage: read each agent's Additional Ability and confirm that the proposed trio meets the relevant conditions.
- Damage interaction: check which damage types and triggers each buff actually names. A buff to one mechanic is not automatically a buff to every damage event.
- Field-time fit: make sure the agents can perform their useful actions without repeatedly delaying one another's important windows.
Our recommendation is to test an already-built compatible option before investing in a new replacement. We do not publish a definitive non-Phoenix ranking here because the official Phoenix card does not provide one. It explicitly says there are other suitable teams; that permission to experiment is not proof that every substitute is equivalent.
If Velina is the character you are building around, the Velina build guide separates her setup from the Phoenix-specific question. Do not spend materials trying to reproduce Phoenix's kit through an agent that performs a different job.
Is Miyabi, Lycaon and Soukaku still a useful team?
For players who already own these agents, Miyabi + Lycaon + Soukaku is a sensible compatibility-first squad to evaluate before chasing the new banner. It is an editorial recommendation for that roster, not a claim that it beats every premium Miyabi lineup.
The condition check is unusually straightforward. Miyabi's Additional Ability accepts a Support or Anomaly teammate, or a same-faction teammate. Soukaku provides Support and shares Section 6 with Miyabi. Lycaon and Soukaku share Ice, satisfying their own attribute-based routes. The current ability text is documented in the Miyabi, Lycaon and Soukaku agent records.
That is a compatibility argument, not a damage simulation. Lycaon fills the Stun role, Soukaku fills Support, and Miyabi is the damage focus. Equipment, skill investment and the enemy still determine whether this is the right squad for a particular clear.
The practical lesson extends beyond Miyabi: one correctly chosen teammate can solve several compatibility needs at once. But an activated condition is only the first check. It does not guarantee the best available buff, the smoothest rotation or a maximum score.
What is the best starter team if you want to avoid new pulls?
Billy Kid + Anby Demara + Nicole Demara is our straightforward starter recommendation. Use the original Billy and Anby here, not their separately named variants. The trio belongs to the Cunning Hares and combines Attack, Stun and Support roles.
Their shared faction supplies the faction-based activation route for their Additional Abilities. That gives a beginner a clear team to learn instead of assembling three unrelated agents and discovering that key benefits are inactive. Their roles and conditions are documented in the Billy, Anby and Nicole records.
Nicole is a Support, not a Stun agent. Anby fills the Stun slot in this trio. Keep that distinction when making replacements: changing Nicole and changing Anby solve different problems.
Treat this as a progression foundation, not an instruction to spend every resource on it forever. Learn the combat loop, build enough to clear your current content, then reassess when you obtain a damage dealer you genuinely want to use. A new S-Rank should improve a coherent team, not automatically replace whichever starter has the lowest rarity.
How do Version 3.3 stage buffs change team selection?
The official 3.3 announcement publishes the Critical Node modifiers for Shiyu Defense. In its first listed phase, Anomaly agents receive 20% increased Fire DMG. An Anomaly agent's Attribute Anomaly CRIT also restores 20 Energy to the squad and increases Attribute Anomaly DMG by 30% for 20 seconds, triggering at most once every 20 seconds.
Those are stage rules, not permanent character stats. They explain why a team involving Phoenix's Anomaly-CRIT mechanic deserves attention in that environment, but they do not prove a universal ranking across every mode.
Before copying a clear, check:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is this the same stage and modifier set? | Temporary bonuses can favor a specific damage mechanic |
| Are the character and weapon investments comparable? | Different investment makes a direct damage comparison misleading |
| Does the recommended rotation fit the enemy? | A usable damage window matters more than a theoretical sequence |
| Is another squad relying on the same teammate? | One excellent team should not accidentally dismantle another |
Read the active in-game modifier panel before committing your lineup. A phase mentioned in a version announcement is not automatically the modifier currently active on every stage you enter.
Should you pull a teammate or improve your current squad?
There is a real deadline for the current Phoenix and Velina channels: November 11 at 11:59 server time, according to the official Phase I notice. That notice also says the featured limited agents are not entering Star-Studded Cast. These are availability facts, not a reason to make an unplanned pull.
First write down the complete team a new character would enable. If your plan still depends on another missing agent, distinguish the immediate improvement from the longer-term target. Do not count a future rerun as scheduled unless HoYoverse has announced it.
For an already functional squad, review skills, equipment and execution before replacing a character. Our W-Engine tier list helps with the equipment decision, but no weapon recommendation overrides an agent's actual team condition.
FAQ
What is the best Phoenix team in ZZZ 3.3? HoYoverse recommends Phoenix, Velina and Remielle, plus an alternative with Yuzuha replacing Remielle. Both are supported starting points; the official card does not establish a universal damage winner between them.
Do I need Phoenix to use Remielle and Velina? You can investigate other compatible teammates. Check each agent's conditions, buff scope and field-time needs rather than assuming every Anomaly agent gives the same result. This guide does not claim a tested replacement ranking.
Does every ZZZ team need a Support? No. The official Phoenix, Velina and Remielle recommendation is an example of an Anomaly lineup without a Support slot. Build around actual mechanics rather than forcing the same role template onto every squad.
Is Billy, Anby and Nicole a good free starter team? Yes, as a practical progression recommendation. Their shared Cunning Hares faction supports their activation conditions, and the trio covers Attack, Stun and Support. It is not presented as a top-scoring endgame team.
Does activating every Additional Ability guarantee the best team? No. Conditions are a useful compatibility check, not a complete performance ranking. Damage interactions, equipment, execution and stage modifiers still matter.
When do the current Phoenix and Velina banners end? Their Version 3.3 Phase I channels end November 11, 2026, at 11:59 server time. Check the in-game timer for your server rather than treating that as one universal UTC deadline.
