>>52930797The difference is that cyrus was a sociopath with no empathy while Lysandre was supposed to be (or at least framed as) an empathetic man who sees an issue but choses a method that an empathetic character should usually be opposed to.
Cyrus wanted to reset the world and kill anyone on it because he didnt give a shit, this simplistic outview isn't particularly profound or complex, but its simplicity works. He's not gonna win any awards, but he as a cartoon villain he's fine.
Lysandre wanted to reset the world and kill anyone on it because... he was opposed to their suffering due to ressource shortage. They tried to make him this misguided villain with a good heart, but in the end he just looks retarded.
I agree with you though OP, instead of trying to make a complex plot they should continue to make it simple or silly. Team Skull and Team Star work because their motivations are streamlined: They are misfits who found eachother and are now up to mild mischief.
(Team Stars Admincharacters are also charming enough to make the basic plot fun to follow in my opinion)
Team Rocket is a crimesyndicate who wants to make money, so they make it by unethical means. Team Plasma wants to rule the world, or at least Ghetsis wants to, and tries to do so through manipulation. Team Galactic wants to reset the world because they don't like how emotions make humans illogical.
I like Team Aqua and Magma for nostalgias sake, but truth be told they are equally stupid as Lysandre, choosing a stupid path that conflicts with their motivation to make the world a better place, despite being told by their admin that what they are doing is a bad idea.
I guess Team Yell had the right idea, but let's not kid ourselves they are lame too.
Didn't expect to analyze what I like about evil teams but here I am. 
