With Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Cynthia cements her place as the all-time best Pokémon Champion and leaves no room for discussion. Thanks to her balanced team and impressive battling strategies, Cynthia arguably becomes the toughest battle in any main series Pokémon game, and some players are having a very difficult time defeating her.
Indeed, Cynthia packs quite the punch, but she's not invincible, and players can apply several battling strategies to deal with her overpowered team. The battle won't be easy, but the challenge will make the ultimate victory all the more satisfying.
Don't Go In Underleveled
Before entering the Elite Four Chamber, players have to face Barry in one of the most challenging rival battles in Pokémon. Defeating him might make players believe they can take on the Elite Four and the Champion while under-leveled, but they'd be making a mistake.
Cynthia's team sits comfortably in the low sixties during her first battle; her strongest Pokémon, Garchomp, is at level 66. Players shouldn't challenge the Elite Four unless their Pokémon are in the high fifties, at least. Challenging Cynthia with an under-leveled team is practically suicide.
Have Enough Full Restores & Revives
Full Restores are a player's best friends when challenging the Pokémon League. Healing items, in general, are crucial, considering players have to face the Elite Four and Cynthia without any interruptions or trips to the Pokémon Center.
Unlike Potions or Berries, Full Restores heal a Pokémon's status conditions while recovering HP. Players should also carry Revives, or Max Revives, if possible. Many might consider using them unsportsmanlike, especially considering Cynthia herself doesn't use them. However, certain benefits come with being a challenger, and using Revives is one.
Use Items!
Game Freak was notoriously afraid of giving previous Champions any useful items. Aside from the occasional Sitrus Berry on their ace Pokémon, Champions seldom used any strategy that relied on items. Cynthia goes against conventions and uses items on all her Pokémon. For example, her Milotic carries a Flame Orb, which burns it, activating its ability, Marvel Scale, increasing its Defense by a staggering 50%.
Players should mimic her and equip their Pokémon. Before winning, the available items will be somewhat limited. However, one of the most useful items in a Pokémon battle, the Leftovers, is available in the Ground Underground. Similarly, different berries can have significant effects, so players should harvest them throughout their playthrough and carry them into the League challenge.
Fairy-Types Are Your Best Friends
The Fairy-type changed the entire game as soon as it debuted in Generation VI. Thanks to its immunity to and Super Effectiveness against the overpowered Dragon-type, Fairy became an instant sensation and is now arguably the best type in Pokémon.
Fairy Pokémon will be Super Effective against two of Cynthia's mons, Sipirtomb and Garchomp. Her Pseudo Legendary does know Poison Jab, but a tanky Fairy-type like Clefable should be able to withstand the attack. If players don't wish to catch a Fairy-type, they should at least have a Pokémon that knows a powerful Fairy-type move, like Dazzling Gleam or Moonblast.
Don't Underestimate Her Spiritomb
And speaking of Spiritomb, many players often forget about it or consider it a filler Pokémon. However, Sipirtomb is no laughing matter; it only has one weakness, Fairy, and boasts three immunities. Spiritomb is also a tank and will withstand every non-Fairy attack players throw its way.
Spiritomb knows two Dark-type moves, including Sucker Punch, a priority STAB move that can cause severe damage to unprepared opponents. Cynthia always opens with Spiritomb, a choice that allows her to stall and set up her strategies. Players should not be shy of using a Fairy-type Pokémon against it; it's recommendable to get rid of it ASAP before it can cause any significant damage.
Deal With Roserade And Gastrodon As Quickly As Possible
Roserade and Gastrodon are two of the strongest non-Legendary Pokémon in Sinnoh. The former is a dual Water/Ground-type with only one weakness, one immunity, and four resistances; the latter is a Grass/Poison-type that makes for its four vulnerabilities with excellent Speed and massive Special Attack.
Players should exploit Gastrodon's four-times weakness to Grass and eliminate it as quickly as possible; otherwise, Scald and Earthquake can cause massive damage. For her part, Roserade's STAB moves, Energy Ball and Sludge Bomb, can be the bane of a player's existence. However, she should easily fall against a strong Ice or Fire move.
Make Sure To Have A Strong Ground-Type Against Her Lucario
And speaking of Sinnoh superstars, Lucario might be the shiniest one. It is so famous that it's one of those Pokémon that even non-fans of the franchise know. Lucario is an offensive beast with excellent Physical and Special Attack and above-average Speed; it hits fast and extremely hard.
Lucario can be problematic considering it has one immunity and a shocking eight resistances. Players should exploit its three weaknesses--Fire, Fighting, and especially Ground--if they hope to OHKO it. Earthquake might be the way to go; even if the player doesn't have a Ground-type, a strong-enough Pokémon that knows Earthquake should take care of this mighty jackal.
Have A Clear Strategy For Her Milotic
For years, Garchomp was Cynthia's best Pokémon. It still is, but now her Milotic is also a massive threat. It would perhaps be an exaggeration to call her Milotic Satan, but it comes dangerously close. As previously mentioned, Milotic holds a Flame Orb, which activates its Ability, Marvel Scale, boosting its Defense by 50%.
Players hoping to OHKO it with a Grass or Electric move will be disappointed when they see a move like Thunderbolt doing less than half the damage it would usually do. Milotic requires a clear strategy; players shouldn't be afraid of mixing moves and trying different combinations, and they shouldn't expect OHKOs. Milotic also knows Ice Beam, which can instantly faint Grass-types, so a strong Electric-type Pokémon like Luxray might be the best choice against it.
Have A Super Effective Pokémon Against Her Garchomp
Cynthia's final Pokémon will be Garchomp, a terrifying Dragon/Ground-type, and Sinnoh's Pseudo Legendary. In BDSP, Cynthia's 'Chomp has an absurdly alarming Speed of 212, meaning it will outspeed almost every Pokémon in the Sinnoh Pokédex. Couple that with an equally terrifying 230 Physical Attack, which can be further enhanced via Swords Dance, and Garchomp becomes the most frightening Pokémon in the main series games.
Players should have a Super Effective Pokémon against Garchomp. Clefable can tank one of 'Chomps Poison Jabs and retaliate with a Super Effective STAB Moonblast. Ice-types like Weavile and Mamoswine can also exploit Garchomp's four-times vulnerability to Ice and get the job done with a Super Effective STAB Avalanche. If players don't have a Super Effective mon against 'Chomp, things will be trickier, but they should at least have a SE move against it.
Patience Is Key
It's a known fact that the difficulty of Pokémon games has decreased over the years. Many fans complain about how easy they are and how much hand-holding they include. As such, they might be used to breezing through the Elite Four and the Champion without any trouble.
Cynthia's match in BDSP won't be easy, and it won't be short. Most players won't be able to OHKO any of her Pokémon; fans on Twitter and Reddit have shared their experiences of spending hours trying to beat her. Patience will be key in this encounter, and players shouldn't rush the match. Victory will taste much better in the end.