Her Garchomp traumatized a generation of players. Cynthia is often considered the hardest Champion in the series, and for good reason: a team with no shared weakness, fast Pokémon and moves chosen to cover their weaknesses. Here is how to beat her, Pokémon by Pokémon.
This file details her six Pokémon in each version, their exact moves, what takes them down, the order in which she sends them out and three sample teams to win, with and without trading.
The levels to aim for: 60 to 64 for Diamond and Pearl, where her Garchomp is level 66; 56 to 60 for the first battle in Platinum (Garchomp level 62). And for the Platinum rematch, where she fields Pokémon up to level 78, you will want Pokémon close to level 75.
