The Hoenn and Sinnoh's champions may have offered some of the toughest fights in any Pokémon game, but who would win if they battled each other?
Steven and Cynthia may have had pure intentions when they assisted gamers with taking down Team Aqua, Team Magma, and Team Galactic from their respective games, but they were no pushovers when it comes to protecting their title as regional champions. With strong Pokémon and unique movesets and strategies, they were some of the toughest final bosses in the series.
If the two were to ever fight each other, just who would come out on top? Looking at Cynthia's team from Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl and Steven's team from Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, it would likely be a close call.
This Pokémon's Dragon and Ground dual-typing not only gives it fewer weaknesses compared to other Pokémon but also gives it an offensive edge over lots of other typings too.
With high Attack and Speed stats, and the others being balanced, it could easily wipe out a team if the challenger isn't careful. Even if Steven or other challengers had the best Pokémon to beat the champion, with advantaged types like Fairy and Dragon, Garchomp's deadly moveset in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl means that it could swiftly take them down, too.
While Steven uses dual types, he is hindered by Rock, Ground, and Steel Pokémon always being a part of his team. However, Cynthia has a much more balanced team compared to other regional champions players have encountered.
Whether it's the first battle or her revamped team in the rematches, Cynthia's team's diverse typings and move sets mean that she has a lot more strategic options against her opponents than he has against him. As her monsters have strong attacks against Pokémon that have a type advantage, she could give Steven a tough time.
Even though Cynthia has a more balanced team compared to Steven, half her team actually has a higher Special Attack stat as well. This means that moves like Hyper Beam, Ice Beam, and Aura Sphere are much more devastating from these particular Pokémon.
Her high Special Attack monsters are Togekiss, Porygon-Z, and Milotic, and her other teammates either have balanced Attack and Special Attack stats or higher Attack statistics. They would certainly give her an edge over Steven, as his Pokémon like Aggron and Skarmory have lower Special Defense.
Steven might have Pokémon that have been revived via fossils, but Cynthia's team features some of the hardest Pokémon to obtain in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl. From the best ranked water-type Pokémon like Milotic to the powerful Spiritomb, it takes significant patience and strategy to obtain these combatants.
Not also are these Pokémon hard to obtain, but players that spend the time to get them are rewarded with powerful members for their teams. In addition to her already overpowered Garchomp, these particular Pokémon give Cynthia the firepower she needs in battle.
Apart from one Pokémon in his party, Steven's other Pokémon don't use items to give themselves the edge over his challengers. Conversely, all of Cynthia's Pokémon do, and this makes her already tough team even more imposing.
While Sitrus Berries and Leftovers can heal some lost HP from Cynthia's Pokémon, other items help shore up her team's weaknesses. Milotic's Flame Orb may burn it, but it also boosts its defense via the ability Marvel Scale. Furthermore, those using ice attacks on her Garchomp may be in for a surprise as it has a Yache Berry that cuts Ice attack powers y half once (though it only works once).
Every champion has a Pokémon that is deemed their most powerful and have become associated with them, and when it comes to Steven, that Pokemon is the Steel and Psychic dual type Metagross.
With an already high Attack and Defense stats, it might be able to withstand a devastating blow or two from Cynthia's Garchomp. In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, it can do one thing that Cynthia's prized monster can't: Mega Evolve. By using this mechanic, the monster's stats are raised and it can even become much faster than its original form, making it one of the most powerful Mega Evolutions.
Cynthia's Pokemon may have a team with high Special Attack stats, but Steven's use of Rock, Ground, and Steel-type Pokémon gives his team tough amour to break. In particular, his Skarmory and Aggron have very high Defense stats against physical-based attacks, with the latter regarded as one of the best competitive rock-type Pokémon.
This high Defense stat could also give Steven the edge as these Pokémon also have some strong stats in other areas too. With Skarmory's Speed and Aggron's Attack, they can return a few devastating blows of their own while remaining on the battlefield.
Introduced in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y on the Nintendo 3DS, Carbink was among the first fairy-type Pokémon introduced in the series. And in the remakes of Ruby and Sapphire, it was eventually added to Steven's team when players gave him a rematch.
The fairy and rock dual-type Pokémon has ridiculously high Defense and Special Defense stats that can withstand powerful blows from its opponents. Also, as fairy types are strong against Dragon-type Pokémon, this may have the edge against Garchomp.
Cynthia's team may rely on self-sufficient Pokémon with their own strengths, but Steven seems to be more of a strategist and uses all of his Pokemon's moves and abilities together. With Skarmory's Spikes and Toxic attacks, it can easily inflict damage to the challengers' entire team, and Claydol's Reflect and Light Screen can increase Steven's team's Defense as the Spikes and Toxic effects do their job.
But these aren't his only strategies as Aggron's moves can sometimes raise some of its already powerful stats to keep it in the fight. And Aerodactyl might be able to burn, freeze, or paralyze opponents before they even come close to Aggron and Metagross' might.
Since the original games were released on the Game Boy, fossil Pokémon have been some of the most sought after and rewarding to add to anyone's Pokedex. They also make for some strong members of anyone's team.
In the initial match, Steven will use Cradily and Armaldo, two fossil Pokémon with high Defense stats that also have reasonably high offensive stats. While they aren't on his team in rematches, Aerodactyl does make an appearance and can become a tough fighter with its Pressure ability and moveset if opponents let it set up.
