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  • How to Set up for Cynthia
  • How to Vanquish Cynthia
  • What to Exercise Later Beating Cynthia
  • How to Set up for the Rematches with Cynthia
  • Cynthia's Rematch Teams
  • How Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's Cynthia Compares to the Original Games'

Those hoping to get the very best in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl will need to prove themselves against a cord of powerful Pokemon Trainers. Starting time, they'll demand to defeat all eight of Sinnoh's gym leaders, which itself is no easy feat. Side by side, they'll have to brave the perils of Victory Route and so take on a quartet of veteran trainers known as the Aristocracy 4. Even afterward doing so, yet, one big challenge all the same remains, with players also required to beat Sinnoh's reigning Pokemon Champion, Cynthia.

Though players encounter Cynthia at various points throughout Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, it's just subsequently players take defeated the Elite Four that she's revealed to be the regional champion. Looking at her team though, it's like shooting fish in a barrel to empathize how she earned the title, as it's total of powerful Pokemon and boasts infrequent blazon coverage. Equally a consequence, those hoping to beat Cynthia and take abroad her crown are going to have their work cut out for them.

Updated March xxx, 2022, by Tom Bowen: After completing the game and unlocking the National Dex, Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl players will be able to rematch some of the many stiff opponents that they fought along the way to condign Sinnoh's newest Pokemon Champion. Cynthia is i such opponent and boasts a team that's considerably stronger the second time around. Players can even claiming Cynthia to a second rematch as well if they similar, in which her team will one time over again receive a huge boost in levels. This guide has been updated to provide information most Cynthia's rematch teams, as well as some suggestions on how players should approach the ii rematches with Cynthia. A section comparison Cynthia'south team in the original games and the 2021 remakes has also been added, and highlights some of the central differences as well as the issues that may ascend from these changes.

How to Set for Cynthia

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Preparing for the boxing with Cynthia is fabricated all the more difficult by the fact that it comes immediately after players have taken on the Elite 4. This means that the team that players assemble to defeat Aaron, Bertha, Flintstone, and Lucian as well needs to be able to crush Cynthia as well. Needless to say, players should exist certain to bring plenty of healing items then that they can recover HP in and in between battles. Given that the games' strongest moves tend to accept lower PP than others, this should as well include a few Ethers every bit well. Unfortunately, however, PP restoring items cannot be bought like Potions and Revives, meaning players will need to have plant and saved a few throughout their journey.

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Dissimilar the Aristocracy 4 before her, Cynthia has no real blazon preference, with her half-dozen Pokemon representing nine different types betwixt them. Thankfully, the fact that all merely 1 of them are dual-type Pokemon often makes hitting weakness a little easier. Providing players have a Pokemon with a strong grass-type attack somewhere in their squad, Milotic and Gastrodon shouldn't cause too much trouble, while ice-type attacks tin exist used to take care of both Garchomp and Roserade. The latter can also exist easily beaten with fire-type moves, which will too come in handy against Lucario. Annoyingly, Spiritomb's only real weakness is to fairy-blazon attacks, though players can merely use brute force to accept it downwardly if need be.

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Given that both Palkia and Dialga tin can larn Blizzard using TM14, which is found at Lake Acuity or purchased at the Department Store in Veilstone Urban center, they should be the player's become-to Pokemon for ice-blazon attacks. Those who chose Infernape every bit their starter should already have fire-type attacks taken intendance of, only for anybody else, Rapidash is a more than capable stand up-in. Haunter / Gengar can larn Dazzling Gleam using TM21, which players tin can discover at the Team Galactic HQ or the Department Store. Both Pokemon tin can also learn Giga Drain, which is found on Route 209 past using Surf. If they don't plan on taking a Haunter / Gengar or a designated grass-type specialist, players tin instead employ ane of the Grass Knot TMs (TM86) that they got after beating Gardenia. All three starters can learn it, every bit too can Kadabra / Alakazam.

How to Beat Cynthia

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Champion Cynthia (13,464)
Spiritomb (Lvl. 61)
Ghost / Dark
Dark Pulse
Psychic
Shadow Ball
Sucker Punch
Lucario (Lvl. 63)
Fighting / Steel
Aureola Sphere
Dragon Pulse
Flash Canon
Nasty Plot
Roserade (Lvl. 60)
Grass / Poisonous substance
Dazzling Gleam
Energy Ball
Shadow Ball
Sludge Bomb
Gastrodon (Lvl. 60)
Water / Ground
Earthquake
Scald
Rock Tomb
Sludge Bomb
Milotic (Lvl. 63)
Water
Ice Beam
Mirror Coat
Recover
Scald
Garchomp (Lvl 66)
Dragon / Ground
Dragon Claw
Earthquake
Poison Jab
Swords Dance

Cynthia volition start with Spiritomb, so, ideally, players will lead with a Pokemon that knows Dazzling Gleam or another potent fairy-type attack. They'll want to try and accept it out in a single hit if possible, as otherwise, Cynthia will withdraw it and throw out Lucario. Players should switch to their fire-type aggressor hither, though if they happened to bring along a Gastrodon for the Elite Four, this is too a solid pick every bit it will be able to have Lucario out with Earth Power. Bold Roserade comes next, players can stick with their burn down-type aggressor if it'southward already out, or switch over to Palkia / Dialga and take care of it using Blizzard or another powerful ice-type assault like Ice Beam.

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Gastrodon and Milotic unremarkably come out next, and then players should switch over to their grass-type aggressor and go to boondocks on them. The latter tin can be a little annoying to deal with due to its power to employ Balance to recover HP, but, given that it weighs 357 lbs, Grass Knot should striking with 100 assail power, which should be enough to accept it downwards with a single striking. If players didn't defeat information technology earlier, Spiritomb will return next, after which, Cynthia volition use her final and most powerful Pokemon, Garchomp. Thankfully, however, ice-type attacks will deal four times as much damage against it due to its typing, so Palkia and Dialga should be able to accept care of information technology pretty quickly with Blizzard.

What to Practice After Beating Cynthia

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Once players have beaten Cynthia, Professor Rowan will evidence up and register their Pokemon into the hall of fame. Later on the credits are over, players will then be returned to Twinleaf Boondocks, where their rival has left a message for them telling them to get on a ship at Snowpoint City. Doing and then will accept them to a new Island where they tin battle potent trainers, though that'southward only ane of many pieces of post-game content in Vivid Diamond & Shining Pearl. Players tin also catch a diverseness of Legendary and Mythical Pokemon and work towards completing their Sinnoh Pokedex. Doing so will unlock the National Dex, besides as rematches against all eight gym leaders, the Elite Four, and, of course, Cynthia.

How to Gear up for the Rematches with Cynthia

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When compared to some of the other rematches in Bright Diamond & Shining Pearl, the ones with Cynthia aren't all that different from the original encounter. The only major differences — besides the huge increases in levels, that is — are that Togekiss comes in for Gastrodon for both rematches and Porygon-Z replaces Roserade during the second. On paper, this could cause problems, but in reality, players should already have an electric-blazon on hand to deal with Togekiss, while any half-decent fighting-type should be able to handle Porygon-Z.

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It'due south besides worth noting that Lucario'southward motion set changes in both subsequent battles, with Psychic preventing players from using a fighting-type to counter it in the get-go. Players can still use fire and ground-type Pokemon, however, so this shouldn't require any major shakeups. In the second rematch, Lucario does gain access to Earthquake, which will effectively rule out about fire-types as feasible counters, though players could withal opt for a fire/flight-type like Charizard (evolve Charmander) if needed. Cynthia's Spiritomb also knows Will-O-Wisp instead of Psychic in both rematches, though this arguably makes it easier to deal with rather than harder.

Cynthia'south Rematch Teams

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Champion Cynthia Rematch #one (31,200)
Spiritomb (Lvl. 74)
Ghost / Night
Nighttime Pulse
Psychic
Shadow Ball
Sucker Dial
Lucario (Lvl. 76)
Fighting / Steel
Aura Sphere
Dragon Pulse
Wink Canon
Psychic
Roserade (Lvl. 74)
Grass / Toxicant
Dazzling Gleam
Free energy Brawl
Shadow Brawl
Sludge Bomb
Togekiss (Lvl. 76)
Fairy / Flying
Air Slash
Aura Sphere
Dazzling Gleam
Thunder Wave
Milotic (Lvl. 74)
Water
Ice Beam
Mirror Coat
Recover
Scald
Garchomp (Lvl 78)
Dragon / Ground
Dragon Claw
Earthquake
Poison Jab
Swords Trip the light fantastic
Champion Cynthia Rematch #2 (35,200)
Spiritomb (Lvl. 84)
Ghost / Dark
Dark Pulse
Shadow Brawl
Sucker Punch
Will-O-Wisp
Lucario (Lvl. 86)
Fighting / Steel
Close Combat
Earthquake
Extreme Speed
Meteor Mash
Porygon-Z (Lvl. 85)
Normal
Hyper Beam
Water ice Beam
Shadow Ball
Thunderbolt
Togekiss (Lvl. 86)
Fairy / Flight
Air Slash
Aura Sphere
Dazzling Gleam
Thunder Wave
Milotic (Lvl. 84)
Water
Ice Beam
Mirror Glaze
Recover
Scald
Garchomp (Lvl 88)
Dragon / Basis
Dragon Claw
Earthquake
Poisonous substance Jab
Swords Dance

How Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl's Cynthia Compares to the Original Games'

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Much like the Elite four before her, Cynthia's team in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl is the same every bit information technology was in the original releases, at least when information technology comes to the Pokemon that she uses and their levels, anyway. Where the remakes differ is that all 6 of her team now have Held Items rather than but one and many of their movement sets take been tweaked in gild to brand them trickier to counter.

Spiritomb now has a Sitrus Drupe as well as access to Sucker Punch and Shadow Ball. The former is a somewhat lackluster addition, but Shadow Brawl can cause a lot of problems for those who'd planned to counter Spiritomb with a Ghost-type Pokemon of their own. On the plus side, information technology's no longer able to use Embargo, which had the potential to make this boxing a living nightmare in the original releases.

Roserade and Gastrodon haven't been changed all that much, with the former swapping out Extrasensory for Dazzling Gleam and the latter exchanging Rock Border for Stone Tomb. Neither does much to change things up in the way of all-time counters, but will probable lead to some increased impairment. Roserade'southward Skillful Chugalug could cause some existent problems too, though only if information technology's able to attack weakness.

Cynthia's Lucario brings with information technology some interesting changes, every bit the BDSP version swaps out Psychic and Earthquake - two incredibly powerful moves - for Flash Cannon and Nasty Plot. While on the surface this may seem like a bit of a downgrade, the addition of a Steel-blazon movement prevents players from countering Lucario with a Fighting-type, while Nasty Plot and the Pokemon's Wise Glasses can greatly increment the power of its special moves.

Other than gaining access to Balance, Cynthia'south Milotic remains largely unchanged, but the same cannot be said for the real star of the champion'southward team, Garchomp. The Dragon / Ground-blazon trades brute force for utility, losing access to Brick Suspension and Giga Bear upon in order to gain Swords Trip the light fantastic toe and Poison Jab. The former, in detail, tin quickly turn the tide in a boxing if players aren't careful. It besides swaps Dragon Blitz for Dragon Claw, which, although a little less powerful, is far more than probable to hit the actor's Pokemon.

More: Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl: Complete Guide & Walkthrough

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