There is no single best six-Pokémon team for beating Cynthia that works for every player. In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, the practical approach is to build a balanced party that can hit each of her six Pokémon super effectively, and then confirm that the moves you need are actually available on Pokémon that can survive long enough to use them. This guide covers her first Pokémon League Champion battle in BDSP, the matchup for each of her Pokémon, and the limits of that advice.
Which battle this guide covers
The title does not name a game, and Cynthia’s team changes between versions and rematches. Everything below refers to her first Pokémon League Champion battle in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Serebii lists the same six species for that battle and notes that the rematch is different, so do not apply these levels or moves to a rematch without checking that encounter first. A Diamond, Pearl and Platinum reference also shows that details vary between versions; for example, its text identifies a difference in Milotic’s moves in Platinum.
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Pokemon Brilliant Diamond - Nintendo Switch Brilliant Diamond Edition | $58.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Pokemon Shining Pearl - For Nintendo Switch | $49.85 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Pokémon Brilliant Diamond: Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code] | $59.88 | Buy on Amazon |
Cynthia’s team in BDSP
Nintendo Life’s BDSP guide gives the levels below. The coverage column lists the move type the guide recommends for each Pokémon, with the type information added for context.
| Pokémon | Level (BDSP, first Champion battle) | Type(s) | Coverage to bring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spiritomb | 61 | Ghost/Dark | Fairy move (the guide suggests Gardevoir with Fairy moves) |
| Gastrodon | 60 | Water/Ground | Grass move (the guide suggests a Grass starter or Roserade) |
| Roserade | 60 | Grass/Poison | Fire move |
| Lucario | 63 | Fighting/Steel | Fire move (the guide names Flamethrower as an example) |
| Milotic | 63 | Water | Electric move |
| Garchomp | 66 | Dragon/Ground | Ice or Fairy move |
Building the six-Pokémon party
Because one Pokémon can usually cover only one of Cynthia’s threats well, a workable party spreads coverage across several members. Check these points before you challenge her:
#1 Best Overall
- Revisit the Sinnoh region from the original Pokémon Diamond Version game and set off to try and become the Champion of the Pokémon League
- The Pokémon Brilliant Diamond game brings new life to this remade classic with added features
- Explore the Grand Underground to dig up items and Pokémon Fossils, build a Secret Base, and more.
- Test your style and rhythm in a Super Contest Show
- A reimagined adventure, now for the Nintendo Switch system
- Cover the Grass, Fire, Electric, and Ice or Fairy needs. The table implies at least four separate move types. Two of them are Fire (Roserade and Lucario), so one Fire attacker can serve both only if it can stay in long enough to act twice.
- Confirm the move is learnable and in the moveset. Coverage depends on your starter, your Pokémon’s levels, and the moves they already know. Check each Pokémon’s current moveset in the game’s summary screen rather than assuming a move is available.
- Use your starter where it fits. If you chose a Grass starter, it can provide the Grass coverage the guide suggests for Gastrodon.
- Bring Pokémon with enough Speed and bulk to act. Type advantage does nothing if the attacker is knocked out first. Speed, survivability, and healing items decide whether the counter gets its turn.
Levels: a benchmark, not a threshold
Cynthia’s Pokémon sit between Level 60 and Level 66 in this battle. Matching that range is a sensible benchmark, but no source establishes a guaranteed minimum level. A party below that range can still win with good coverage and healing, and a party at that range can still lose to poor turn order.
Turn order and switching
The official Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Trainers Guide explains that switching uses the turn, and that the Pokémon with the higher Speed stat generally moves first, unless moves or Abilities change the order. Two practical consequences follow. First, a counter that enters the battle takes a hit before it attacks, so bring it in only when the incoming attack is survivable. Second, a Pokémon that stays in too long can be knocked out before it lands its super effective move. The guide also notes that Spiritomb may switch out if it stays in too long, so expect a change of target when that happens.
Rank #2
- Journey to the Sinnoh region in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl!
- Embark on an adventure through the Sinnoh region with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl on Nintendo Switch, coming on 19th November, 2021!
- Adventures in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl will take place in the Sinnoh region. Rich in nature and with towering Mount Coronet at its heart, Sinnoh is a land of many myths passed down through the ages. You’ll visit many different locations in the Sinnoh region, while striving to become the Champion of the Pokémon League.
- The original story has been faithfully reproduced, and the sense of scale in the originals’ towns and routes has been carefully preserved. People who played Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl can revisit familiar places and relive familiar scenes once more. For those setting out through Sinnoh for the first time, plenty of new encounters and surprises await.
- These remakes include easy-to-understand, player-friendly conveniences of the modern Pokémon series, plus up-close-and-personal Pokémon battle scenes.
Why type advantage is not a guarantee
The official trainer guide makes the principle clear: “The easiest way to give your team an edge in Pokémon battles is to choose Pokémon that have inherent advantages against their opponents.” That sentence appears without a named speaker, in the guide’s “Fighting Effectively” section. The coverage in the table describes type matchups, not one-hit knockouts. It does not describe a team that has been tested against Cynthia, and it does not replace checking your own Pokémon’s levels and moves.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the sources do not establish
- No source establishes one universally best party for Cynthia.
- No source gives a guaranteed level that will win the battle.
- The levels above apply only to her first Champion battle in BDSP, as reported by Nintendo Life.
- No named published statistic on which team wins most often was found, so none is cited here.
- Whether a given Pokémon can learn a given move depends on your own save file and should be checked in game.
For game-reference detail, Serebii and StrategyWiki cover team and move information. Use them to check the specific edition you are playing.
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Quick Recap
Rank #3
- Revisit the Sinnoh region from the original Pokémon Diamond Version game and set off to try and become the Champion of the Pokémon League
- The Pokémon Brilliant Diamond game brings new life to this remade classic with added features
- Explore the Grand Underground to dig up items and Pokémon Fossils, build a Secret Base, and more!
- Test your style and rhythm in a Super Contest Show
- A reimagined adventure, now for the Nintendo Switch system
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