Cynthia, Champion of the Sinnoh region, is one of the toughest opponents in the entire Pokemon series. Her mere presence strikes fear into the hearts of players everywhere, and she’s often considered the best Champion in the series. Before you even reach her, though, you have a few other tough fights standing in your way, like Candice of Snowpoint City and the Sinnoh Elite Four.
If you’re looking to make any progress against this super-difficult league of elite trainers, you’ll need to have a pretty decent team. Luckily, there are quite a few Sinnoh Pokemon that are very good in battle. Here are the best amongst them, in terms of base stat totals.
Updated May 17th, 2021 by Hayley Mullen: We can’t get enough of Sinnoh Pokemon, and luckily the Pokemon fandom feels the same way! Because there are so many great Pokemon in the Sinnoh Pokedex that are also great on the battlefield, we’ve expanded the list to include more Pokemon with high stat totals. There are quite a few ties, so you might see your favorite Pokemon!
15 Rotom (All Machine Forms)
Starting off this list, we have the sole Electric/Ghost-type Pokemon in the game: Rotom. Given a whole Mansion in Eterna Forest to help set the atmosphere of haunting and wreaking havoc, Rotom makes a spookily great first impression in Gen IV and would only become more popular later on as a Rotom Dex.
Rotom is fine on its own, but it really taps into its potential by literally tapping the power of the machines it possesses/haunts. It gains an 80 point stat boost while possessing any machinery, going from 440 to 520. It also changes type depending on what it’s possessing. For example, haunting a Microwave Oven makes it Heat Rotom, an Electric/Fire-type.
14 Luxray
Luxray: Sinnoh’s perhaps most adored Electric-type (sorry Pachirisu!) Plenty of kids and teens growing up during Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum’s release will speak fondly of Luxray and its usefulness on their team, as is common with Electric-types. It has a base stat total of 523, which it acquires after leveling up twice and becoming an adult (another thing Pachirisu lacks).
Luxray is an example of how the Physical and Special split of Generation IV took a while to start working well. Before Gen IV, a move’s Physical/Special categorization was based on the type of the move. This meant Electric moves were inherently Special, but not anymore. Luxray has a 130 base Attack but only learns 2 Physical Electric-type moves leveling up: Spark and Thunder Fang. It would be in later Generations that it would gain access to moves like Wild Charge to fully take advantage of its Attack power.
13 Dusknoir, Probopass, Leafeon, Glaceon, Hippowdown, Lucario, And Torterra
This 7-way tie is surprising as you might think, but not unbelievable, especially if you’re familiar with stat totals of Pokemon from other generations. Both final-stage Grass starters Meganium and Venusaur actually share a 525 base stat total with Torterra, making it a trend up to Gen IV’s release. Another trend is with our cute Ice and Grass types: Leafeon and Glaceon are Eeveelutions, and all evolutions of Eevee have a base stat total of 525 (though the individual stats are distributed differently).
Dusknoir and Probobass share the trait of being evolutions that expanded upon previously existing Pokemon, the Duskull line and Nosepass (both from Generation III). That leaves Lucario and Hippowdon, who don’t really have evidence to explain the stat choice but are certainly appreciated Pokemon in their own right, particularly in the competitive community.
12 Mamoswine And Empoleon
These two are quite an interesting tie to witness: both are similar Dual-typed Pokemon and the final stage of a full evolutionary tree. Mamoswine is Ice/Ground-type, while Empoleon is Water/Steel-type, meaning they are actually both weak against each other if the right moves are used.
Mamoswine’s base stat total of 530 is distributed so that it has a strong Attack (a Base Attack of 130, to be exact) and an HP of 110. This leaves a big weak spot in its Special Attack and Special Defense, however. Meanwhile, Empoleon’s stats are more evenly distributed, with only its Special Attack and Special Defense breaking 100 points (111 and 101, respectively).
11 Infernape
Infernape may get flack for being another Fire/Fighting-type final starter evolution, but it also gets slack in a region barren of Fire-types to choose from (made somewhat better in Pokemon Platinum). With a base stat total of 534 and a wide range of Physical attacks to take advantage of its 104 Base Attack, Infernape is definitely a starter you’ll want to keep around.
Infernape has 4 weaknesses (Water, Psychic, Flying, and Ground), but it also has a ton of Resistances, too: Infernape takes half damage from Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Ice, and Dark-type moves. If caught off-guard, an opponent may struggle to take down Infernape before succumbing to its Fire and Fighting prowess.
10 Magnezone, Rhyperior, Tangrowth, And Porygon-Z
Three of these Pokemon require a trade to evolve, and the fourth, Tangrowth, requires knowledge of the move Ancient Power. So, none of them are super easy to get your hands on, but once you do, they’re all very powerful, tying for a base stat total of 535.
Tangrowth has low special defense and speed but very respectable numbers in the other stats; Rhyperior scores in attack (140) and defense (130); Porygon-Z puts most of its stock in special attack (135); and Magnezone has decent defense (115) and great special attack as well (130).
9 Electivire And Magmortar
These two Pokemon have always been counterparts. They were both evolutions introduced in a later generation from their base stages, Magmar and Electabuzz (who were also counterparts) who received Baby Pokemon in Gen II. They evolve the same way, traded with an item, and are typically an unofficial pair.
It’s no surprise, then, that they have the same base stat total of 540. Magmortar prefers special attack at 125, while Electivire is more into physical attack with 123. Other than slight differences in speed and special defense, their stats are mostly the same.
8 Togekiss
One of the most dreaded members of Cynthia’s team in Platinum is Togekiss, for a variety of reasons, including its high stats. A Normal/Flying-type in Gen IV before Fairy’s introduction, Togekiss has a very respectable base stat total of 545.
Its best stats are in the special category, with 120 in special attack and 115 in special defense. With decent bulk and a variety of available moves, this is a great choice for your team.
7 Lake Guardians
Sinnoh is home to a large number of Legendary Pokemon, and it’s no surprise that many of them appear on this list, since Legendaries often have great stats. The Lake Guardians — Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit ― are no exception to this. Each has a base stat total of 580, albeit with a different distribution.
Uxie takes on a defensive role, with 130 in both defense and special defense. Mesprit is a bit more of a flat distribution, with a tie for its highest stat in attack, defense, special attack, and special defense (all 105). Finally, Azelf is an attacker, with 125 in both physical and special attack plus a nice 115 in speed.
6 Mythicals
These Pokemon are a bit more difficult to come by, requiring special events or transfers from other games. But, if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one, they have great stats, each with a base stat total of 600.
In its Land Form, Shaymin has 100 in every stat. But, in its Sky Form, it has 120 in special attack and 127 in speed, making it a great special attacker. Darkrai is similar with 135 in special attack and 125 in speed. Manaphy, on the other hand, has the flat distribution of 100 in each stat.
5 Garchomp
Garchomp, as the resident pseudo-Legendary Pokemon of Gen IV, has the same base stat total as other pseudos — 600, which is one of the requirements to be a pseudo-Legendary in the first place.
Garchomp is a competitive powerhouse, rocking an amazing stat distribution of 108 in HP, 130 in attack, and 102 in speed, making it powerful and quick. No wonder Cynthia is able to sweep so many teams — Garchomp is her ace. Combining a shark and a dragon really is an ingenius idea, after all.
4 Heatran And Cresselia
Joining the Lake Guardians as Sinnoh Legendaries are Heatran and Cresselia. These two have the same base stat total as each other as well as the past two entries: 600. They, of course, put it to use differently, though.
Cresselia is a tanky defender, with 120 HP, 120 defense, and 130 special defense. Heatran, on the other hand, has 106 defense, 130 special attack, and 106 special defense. Heatran also makes for a better defender in some situations, given her double-resistance to five types (four in Gen IV).
3 Regigigas
The master of the Regi trio (now a quintet!), Regigigas has some insanely high stats. This titan has a base stat total of 670, which is very impressive. It’s even more impressive given its incredible attack stat of 160.
It also has 110 in HP, defense, and special defense, as well as 100 in speed, making it an all-around great choice. However, Regigigas is famously hindered by its terrible ability, Slow Start, which cuts its attack and speed stats for the first five turns in battle. This makes it a dud in many trainers’ eyes, akin to someone who sleeps half the day away before getting going.
2 Dialga, Palkia, And Giratina
Like most of the other game mascot Legendaries, the mascots of the Gen IV games — Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina — have a beautiful base stat total of 680. The distribution of stats between Dialga, Palkia, and both forms of Giratina are somewhat similar, with slight differences.
The two forms of Giratina have a much higher emphasis on HP (150 each compared to Dialga’s 100 and Palkia’s 90), while Dialga and Palkia specialize in special attack (150 each).
1 Arceus
As the closest thing to a creator god in the Pokemon universe, it’s no surprise that Arceus has a ridiculous base stat total. This Mythical Pokemon is like other Mythicals before it, with the same number in each of its stats. However, unlike these other Mythical Pokemon — who have 100 points in each stat, measuring 600 total — Arceus has 120 in each stat, adding up to the insane total of 720. No Pokemon on Earth should be able to best god themselves, right? At least, not without help.
It would hold the record for highest base stat total until the introduction of Mega Evolution in Generation VI. To this day, only Pokemon with powered-up forms have higher base stat totals than Arceus, like Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon, Mewtwo’s and Rayquaza’s Mega Evolutions, and Ultra Necrozma.
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