How to sweep Cynthia in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Cynthia might be the toughest champion in Pokemon history, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to trivialize that battle.

Beating Cynthia takes a lot of time and planning. Many trainers usually mold their teams around the Cynthia fight. This could mean getting Weavile for her Garchomp or slapping a Magnet on Luxray to make sure it KOs Milotic.

With the endless possibilities in Pokemon, though, trainers can actually build a team that wins this battle in mere seconds.

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Which Pokemon can beat Cynthia's team quickly?

All trainers are going to need to make quick work of Cynthia’s team are two Pokemon: a Dark-type and Kricketune. The idea behind this strategy is to set up a sweep with the Dark-type.

Why use a Dark-type? Well, Cynthia always leads with Spiritomb, which can only use Psychic, Dark, and Ghost moves. Fortunately, the Dark typing resists all of these moves. This means that any Dark Pokemon can click a boosting move as long as it wants and only take minimal damage.

Meanwhile, Kricketune is on the team because it learns Sticky Webs naturally. This move sets a hazard that lowers the Speed of every incoming opponent on the other team. This way, trainers can be sure to outspeed that level 66 Garchomp.

As for which Dark-type to use, there are several options. One example is Drapion. Once Sticky Webs are up, Drapion can click Swords Dance until its Attack stat is enormous. From there, it can use Knock Off against most of Cynthia’s team.

The only threat Drapion would have to watch out for would be Lucario. However, Drapion can also learn Earthquake to solve that issue.

Houndoom can potentially sweep Cynthia's team (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Another example of a sweeper for this fight would be Houndoom. After several Nasty Plots, nothing on Cynthia’s team will be able to resist the combination of Flamethrower and Dark Pulse.

If any trainers want a really low-effort way to beat Cynthia, they can use Weavile to win the battle by itself. The important thing here, though, is to make sure that Weavile is high-leveled and doesn’t have a nature that hurts its Speed. It needs to outspeed Garchomp.

With this strategy, it’s also wise to give Weavile Low Kick or Brick Break. This is because Lucario resists Weavile’s Ice and Dark moves.

There are also alternative sweepers out there that trainers can use. Gyarados is a good option since Dragon Dance will let it outspeed and KO Cynthia’s entire team.

Trainers could also use Garchomp against Cynthia for poetic justice. These options won’t resist Spiritomb’s moves, though, so trainers will need to use a couple of Full Restores to keep them healthy.