Starmie Movesets & Competitive Sets

Set Details Because of Analytic, Starmie's Speed tier, and its coverage options, it's tough to switch into and matches up well against other offensive Pokemon like Tauros. Thunderbolt nails opposing Water-types like Mantine and Vaporeon, whereas Ice Beam hits threats like Guzzlord and Alolan Exeggutor for decent damage. Psyshock can be used in place of Ice Beam to hit Gastrodon and guarantee a 2HKO on Vileplume. Recover gives Starmie reliable recovery, since it will be switching into attacks often to wallbreak. Alternatively, Rapid Spin not only removes entry hazards but also gives Starmie a boost in Speed and makes it tougher to revenge kill. Choice Specs is also a viable item, with Trick being a great option alongside it to cripple common switch-ins like physical Guzzlord and Sylveon. Spikes support from Garbodor can wear down the opposing team to put threats like Copperajah within range of a Hydro Pump and punish forced switches. Garbodor also functions as a consistent switch-in to Fighting-types, whereas Starmie is only a soft check. In return, Starmie beats Mudsdale and Golurk. Sylveon is a good teammate to check Choice Scarf users like Passimian and Rotom-C. U-turn from threats like Ninjask and Choice Scarf Passimian is problematic for Starmie. Therefore, teammates like Talonflame and Comfey work well against them. Talonflame, in particular, can fish for Flame Body burns, while Comfey provides Defog support and can bring Starmie in against foes like Arcanine and Golurk. Lastly, Ground-type partners like Mudsdale and Golurk eat up Electric-type moves and provide Stealth Rock support too.

Moves Hydro Pump is Starmie's primary STAB attack and its strongest attack. Ice Beam allows Starmie to hit Dragon- and Grass-types like Latias, Mega Altaria, and Celebi super effectively. Psyshock is Starmie's secondary STAB move and second strongest attack, dealing great neutral damage to special walls and Water-resistant Pokemon like Blissey and Kyurem, and it also allows Starmie to easily take out Poison-types like Amoonguss, Tentacruel, and Nihilego. Thunderbolt is another coverage move Starmie can use that allows it to hit Water-types like Empoleon, Alomomola, and Suicune super effectively. Rapid Spin provides entry hazard removal for your team, but it still causes Life Orb recoil if Starmie is using it, so it should be used sparingly. Recover can be run to enable Starmie to switch into Pokemon it checks such as Infernape more reliably, but it means that Starmie loses coverage or the ability to remove entry hazards for its team. Set Details Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment with a Timid nature lets Starmie hit as hard as possible while outspeeding threats like Cobalion and Latias and Speed tying with Pokemon like Azelf. Analytic gives Starmie's attacks a 1.3x power boost when the foe has switched out that turn, which severely limits Starmie's switch-ins. Analytic also gives a boost when Starmie moves last, but with Starmie's subpar bulk, this is generally not a method of damage boosting you should use often. Starmie uses a Life Orb to hit as hard as possible while still being able to switch moves at will. A Colbur Berry can alternatively be used to ease its matchup against Pursuit trappers like Choice Scarf Krookodile. Usage Tips Starmie should spend most of its time taking out predicted switch-ins like Latias with Analytic-boosted attacks or revenge killing what's in front of it. It is beneficial to predict well when using Starmie, as you waste the Analytic boost if you mispredict a switch-in and use the incorrect coverage move. If a switch to a Pokemon like Alolan Muk is predicted, attempt to double switch out to a Pokemon with a better matchup in order to avoid being Pursuit trapped. Starmie should only use Rapid Spin in emergencies, like when Sticky Web is up on your side or if entry hazards are stacked to a point where you would lose otherwise, since it would much rather be attacking the opposing team if it has the opportunity. Because of its poor bulk, Starmie should primarily be brought in with free switches from users of U-turn or Volt Switch, predicted double switches, or after one of your other team members has fainted. Team Options Starmie fits best on bulky offense teams, but it can also function on hyper offense. Fighting-type Pokemon like Cobalion, Terrakion, and Infernape help with the Dark-types like Bisharp and Alolan Muk that give Starmie trouble. These Fighting-types also help to break past specially bulky Pokemon like Blissey and Snorlax that Starmie struggles with. On a similar note, physical wallbreakers like Mamoswine can also assist in breaking past special walls like Blissey. Pokemon that enjoy entry hazard removal like Mega Pidgeot, Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Beedrill, and Chandelure enjoy having Starmie as a partner due to its ability to use Rapid Spin. Users of Volt Switch and U-turn like Scizor, Hydreigon, and Mega Beedrill make good partners for Starmie, as they can bring it in safely. Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes setters like Cobalion, Klefki, and Nihilego will help Starmie decimate opposing teams more easily. Starmie functions excellently on Sticky Web teams, as it can easily clean through many bulky offense and balance teams without having to worry about being revenge killed by Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Krookodile. Therefore, setters like Araquanid and other Sticky Web sweepers like Bisharp and Mamoswine are good partners.

Moves Scald is Starmie's primary method of dealing damage, and it also has a 30% chance to burn opposing Pokemon, which lets Starmie cripple physical threats like Mega Altaria and Terrakion. Toxic lets Starmie deal damage over time to Pokemon that would otherwise wall it like Latias, Hydreigon, and Seismitoad. Protect is also a valuable option for Starmie to let it gain vital information in scouting Choice item users like Hydreigon and Latias. Recover lets Starmie stay healthy throughout a match. Rapid Spin is used to support the team by removing entry hazards from the field. Thunder Wave can be used to cripple threats such as Hydreigon and Latias for its teammates as well as punish switch-ins. Set Details Maximum HP and Speed investment with a Timid nature gives Starmie a decent amount of bulk while still letting it outspeed threats like Cobalion and Latias and Speed tie with Pokemon like Mega Houndoom. Natural Cure gives Starmie a way to heal itself from status effects like paralysis and Toxic poison. Starmie uses Leftovers as a form of passive recovery. Usage Tips Starmie's primary goal in a match is to act as a reliable form of entry hazard removal, so keep it healthy throughout a match with Recover, and keep hazards off the field whenever possible. Bring Starmie into threats that cannot do much to it like Cobalion and Choice-locked Infernape, or bring it in by pivoting to keep it healthy. If Starmie is facing physical attackers like Cobalion, try fishing for Scald burns to weaken them. If you predict the opponent to switch to one of the many Pokemon that Starmie cannot bypass by normal means such as Latias and Seismitoad, either switch out to avoid a loss of momentum or use Toxic to cripple them. Use Reflect Type in situations where taking on the foe's type would be beneficial, such as to evade a Pursuit from Alolan Muk or weaken the damage done by Volt Switch and U-turn from Rotom-C and Scizor. If Starmie has not been damaged yet and has yet to perform an attack, you can attempt to bluff a more offensive Starmie set in order to force out Pokemon like Tentacruel and weakened Latias. However, this method is not reliable and should be used with caution. Team Options Starmie can fit well on bulky offense and balance teams. Fighting-type Pokemon like Cobalion, Heracross, and Infernape help to beat the Dark-types like Bisharp and Hydreigon that give Starmie trouble. Pokemon that enjoy reliable entry hazard removal like Mega Aerodactyl and Togekiss enjoy having Starmie as a partner due to its proficiency as a Rapid Spin user. Users of Volt Switch and U-turn like Scizor, Infernape, and Mega Manectric make good partners for Starmie, as they can bring it in safely. Starmie enjoys partners such as Mamoswine and Sylveon that can deal with the Dragon-types like Latias and Hydreigon that Starmie lets in easily. Starmie also enjoys Pokemon like Mega Manectric and Mega Sceptile that can beat opposing Water-types like Suicune and Volcanion. Pokemon like Moltres also make good partners due to their ability to pressure opposing Grass-types like Amoonguss and Celebi.

Moves Scald is an extremely spammable STAB move that threatens anything that wants to switch into Starmie with the chance of a burn, allowing it to wear down its bulkier switch-ins and cripple physical attackers entirely. Rapid Spin is what gives Starmie its niche as a support Pokemon, allowing it to remove entry hazards while preserving its own, which can be extremely useful for balanced teams that utilize multiple hazards in order to wear the foe down. Recover gives Starmie longevity, potentially allowing it to outlast the opponent's entry hazard setters and remove their entry hazards permanently. It also allows Starmie to take on threats such as Keldeo and Mega Metagross multiple times, fulfilling an important defensive role for its team. The last slot is fairly team dependent in that it is usually decided by what role Starmie needs to fulfill for its team. Psyshock allows Starmie to comfortably switch into and beat Calm Mind Keldeo, which it would lose to otherwise, meaning it can switch into any Keldeo lacking a super effective Hidden Power comfortably. It also has decent coverage alongside Scald, hitting Poison-types such as Mega Venusaur, Dragalge, and Gengar. Hitting Gengar is particularly important, as it prevents it from attempting to spinblock Starmie. Reflect Type makes Starmie more reliable as a spinner, allowing it to evade Pursuit attempts from the likes of Bisharp and Scizor and potentially burn them with Scald. It has excellent utility in allowing Starmie to take on other Pokemon it could not before such as Magnezone, Ferrothorn, and Mega Charizard Y by copying their typing and utilizing it defensively to beat them in a one-on-one situation, as it outspeeds all variants of Magnezone, can cripple Ferrothorn with Scald, and can stall out Charizard's sun. An assortment of alternative moves can be run in the final moveslot depending on the team's needs. Ice Beam destroys defensive Garchomp while also hitting Mega Altaria, Celebi, and Lum Berry Dragonite. Thunderbolt can be used for Water-types such as Slowbro, Suicune, and opposing Starmie. It also has the advantage of hitting Keldeo for decent damage. Thunder Wave is also viable, as it lets Starmie cripple its offensive checks such as Manaphy, Mega Charizard X, and Tornadus-T on the switch. Toxic is another option to fare better against Calm Mind users such as Slowbro and Keldeo and cripple bulkier Pokemon such as Quagsire. Set Details The given EVs allow Starmie to outspeed everything up to base 115 Speed Pokemon, including fast threats such as Serperior and Thundurus, as well as beating out the crowded 108 and 110 Speed tiers and Speed tying with Raikou, Mega Houndoom, and opposing Starmie. It also crucially beats Choice Scarf Magnezone by one point, allowing it to use Reflect Type to gain a resistance to both of its STAB moves and prevent it from gaining any real momentum with Volt Switch or KOing Starmie. 252 HP EVs make Starmie as bulky as possible, and the final 4 EVs are invested into Special Attack so that Psyshock is guaranteed to OHKO Gengar. Leftovers grants passive recovery, which aids Starmie tremendously in keeping it healthy. A Timid nature is also necessary, as Starmie's high base Speed of 115 is one of its main selling points, being able to outspeed threats such as Gengar and Keldeo. Natural Cure helps to heal stray Toxic and paralysis upon switching out, which is is invaluable for making sure Starmie sticks around for as long as needed. Usage Tips Starmie's primary role is keeping your side of the field clear of entry hazards, so it should be switched in as often as possible on entry hazard setters it doesn't fear, such as defensive Heatran, to clear entry hazards as they switch out. It is crucial for this set to remain healthy, as Starmie's bulk is not spectacular, and switching in on too many entry hazards will quickly put it in range of being KOed before it has done its job. Staying healthy also allow Starmie to continuously switch into the threats it takes on, such as Mega Metagross, Keldeo, and Heatran. Use Recover against Pokemon that don't pose a threat to Starmie, such as Heatran and, if using Psyshock, Keldeo. If Reflect Type is chosen, Starmie can use the opportunity after neutralizing the foe with Reflect Type to heal off any damage via Recover. Against Pursuit trappers such as Bisharp and Tyranitar and against Pokemon that cannot hurt Starmie should it copy their typing, such as Ferrothorn and Magnezone, Starmie should use Reflect Type, if applicable, in order to use Rapid Spin or Recover safely. Against Starmie's checks, such as Serperior and Slowbro, using Scald to potentially cripple them on the switch is greatly encouraged. Any opportunity to wear down opposing entry hazard setters should be used to maximum effect, as the burden on Starmie and its team is greatly eased when entry hazards are removed and cannot be put back up again. Team Options This set is suited for balanced and defensive teams that utilize entry hazards to wear down the opposing team and, as such, would prefer a Rapid Spin user to a Defog user in order to maintain their own entry hazards. An excellent example of this would be a Spikes-stacking team, making Ferrothorn and Klefki strong partners. Fairy-types love Starmie's ability to switch into Mega Metagross and Heatran, so the likes of Mega Gardevoir, Togekiss, and Clefable fit well. In particular, Togekiss benefits from Starmie's Rapid Spin support and in turn deals with Grass-types, and Slowbro for Starmie. Mega Altaria lacking Earthquake also appreciates entry hazard removal and Starmie's ability to check Heatran. It goes without saying that Pokemon that appreciate entry hazards gone also benefit from Starmie's presence and can make for good teammates. Specially defensive Swords Dance Talonflame sets up on most Grass-types, and can wear down opposing teams with Will-O-Wisp, while Kyurem-B greatly appreciates entry hazards gone to increase its longevity and ability to wallbreak, especially with Life Orb recoil wearing it down as is. Defensive partners that can switch into the likes of Latios and Calm Mind Clefable, such as Ferrothorn and Heatran, are also strong partners to help Starmie out against its common switch-ins. Heatran is a great option in particular, as it can set up entry hazards of its own and Taunt these Pokemon to prevent them from using Defog. When running Psyshock over Reflect Type on Starmie, checks to potential Pursuit trappers, Knock Off users, and Dark-types in general are advised. Bulky Mega Scizor checks a great number of these while having decent synergy overall with Starmie, appreciating Starmie's ability to deal with Keldeo and Heatran.

Moves Rapid Spin removes the opponent's entry hazards while preserving your own and takes full advantage of the many switches that this set forces. While Rapid Spin is a great selling point for using Starmie, if you already have a means of removing entry hazards on your team, Recover is a great choice for increasing Starmie's longevity and mitigating Life Orb recoil. It is also a good choice on teams not so reliant on entry hazard control. Hydro Pump is a powerful STAB move that, when combined with a potential Analytic boost, hits many switch-ins such as Clefable for good damage. Psychic allows Starmie to defeat certain Pokemon that resist Hydro Pump, such as Rotom-W, Mega Venusaur, and Suicune. Thunderbolt is also an option in this slot to hit common bulky Water-types that like to switch into Starmie, such as Manaphy, Slowbro, and Empoleon. Ice Beam allows Starmie to hit Grass- and Dragon-types such as Celebi and Dragonite while giving great coverage alongside Hydro Pump. Hidden Power Fire hits Ferrothorn, a common Starmie switch-in, for super effective damage and prevents it from resetting entry hazards that Starmie has spun away. It also hits Scizor reliably if you don't want to risk Hydro Pump missing. Psyshock is a viable option over Psychic if hitting Chansey, Blissey, Calm Mind Keldeo, and Assault Vest users such as Conkeldurr, Tornadus-T, and Raikou is more beneficial. While the slashes above may seem to signal a three-attacks-and-utility-move moveset, all-out attacking Starmie is perfectly viable if the extra coverage is needed to hit as many Pokemon as possible. With such a set, Starmie becomes a very difficult Pokemon to switch into for most teams. Set Details Starmie requires maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature to function effectively as an offensive Pokemon, as without it, Starmie loses out on outpacing many Pokemon such as Gengar, Thundurus, and Serperior, as well as Speed tying with Raikou, Mega Houndoom, and opposing Starmie. Maximum Special Attack investment in tandem with Life Orb gives Starmie a much-appreciated power boost, as its base 100 Special Attack can often be underwhelming. 29 HP IVs are used to minimize Life Orb recoil. Analytic may seem like a weird choice on a Pokemon as fast as Starmie, but Starmie really benefits from it due to the number of switches it forces, gaining KOs it wouldn't have achieved otherwise, such as with Hydro Pump on Clefable and with Psychic on Rotom-W. Natural Cure is another viable option, as the offensive teams Starmie fits on rely on Starmie to switch into the likes of Keldeo, Slowbro, and Heatran, and Natural Cure will let Starmie heal off potential burns received from switching into Scald and Lava Plume. Another perk is letting Starmie get rid of paralysis from Prankster Thunder Wave from Thundurus and Klefki. Usage Tips Offensive Starmie is more suited to offensive teams that can provide it with safe switches via Volt Switch, U-turn, or double switches. If entry hazards are present, prioritize their removal, but if there are no entry hazards that need removing, using an attacking move is generally beneficial. This Starmie set is very hard to switch into for offensive teams in particular thanks to its Speed and coverage, so it should take every opportunity it gets to launch attacks against these teams, as it can quickly rack up a lot of damage. Against more balanced teams, aim to predict potential switch-ins and hit them hard with the appropriate coverage move, wearing them down throughout the course of the battle. If Recover is chosen, Starmie should use the move mostly on forced switches against the likes of Keldeo and Heatran due to its poor natural bulk and lack of investment. Team Options Due to Rapid Spin, Starmie works best alongside Pokemon that appreciate Stealth Rock gone. The likes of Volcarona and Kyurem-B put huge offensive pressure on teams and massively appreciate not losing large amounts of health to entry hazards when they come in. Mega Charizard X not only appreciates Starmie's ability to keep entry hazards off the field, but also appreciates its ability to beat Ground-types such as Hippowdon and Landorus-T and potentially lure in Slowbro and KO it with Thunderbolt. In a similar vein, Mega Pinsir appreciates Starmie's ability to remove Stealth Rock, check the likes of Mega Diancie and Mega Metagross, and lure in Rotom-W and KO it with Psychic. With potentially no recovery and being susceptible to all entry hazards alongside Life Orb recoil, Starmie appreciates safe switches via a slow U-turn or Volt Switch. Scizor in particular is a great partner for this, as it lures in a lot of Pokemon that Starmie can threaten such as Heatran. Another potential option is Mega Manectric, which can greatly threaten offensive teams thanks to its Speed and coverage, provide momentum with Volt Switch, and check threats such as Talonflame. Fighting-types such as Breloom, Conkeldurr, and Mega Lopunny are good partners, as they can deal with Dark-types such as Weavile, Tyranitar, and Bisharp, as well as Chansey and Blissey. In particular, Breloom can spread sleep via Spore and appreciates Starmie's ability to break past Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss.

Moves Starmie is a good spinner thanks to it threatening common entry hazard setters like Heatran, Garchomp, and Landorus-T. Ice Beam hits Garchomp, Breloom, Dragonite, and Latios hard while also providing a more accurate move for Landorus-T and Gliscor. Thunderbolt nails Water-types like Jellicent, Politoed, Tentacruel, and Keldeo while also being Starmie's strongest move against Rotom-W; Hidden Power Fire can be used instead if hitting Ferrothorn is more important. However, this leaves Starmie outsped by opposing Starmie, and wearing down Ferrothorn for its teammates with Ice Beam is usually sufficient for checking it. Set Details Air Balloon is the preferred item to more easily switch into Ground-types like Landorus-T and Garchomp while also avoiding Spikes damage, keeping Starmie out of KO range of Pokemon like Alakazam. Life Orb can be used to better threaten and wear down foes, with the recoil not being a big deal since Starmie's longevity isn't very important. Analytic is preferred to do more damage to Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Rotom-W, which often switch into its attacks, making it more difficult for them to pivot into safely. A Timid nature is used to outspeed Latios and Keldeo. Team Options This set is primarily found on hyper offense teams thanks to it threatening common entry hazard setters and facilitating wallbreakers like Dragonite and Kyurem-B. With Starmie spinning Stealth Rock away, Dragon Dance Dragonite is able to set up much more easily with Multiscale intact, and it appreciates Starmie threatening and wearing down Pokemon like Latios, Keldeo, and Ferrothorn. Volcarona also benefits from Starmie removing entry hazards, which lets it set up on and avoid being revenge killed by Pokemon like Choice Scarf Latios and Focus Sash Alakazam. Starmie also wears down bulky Water- and Fire-types like Jellicent and Heatran for it. Kyurem-B can maximize its great bulk to get on the field and wallbreak without Stealth Rock wearing it down, and it benefits from Starmie's better matchup against faster threats. Offensive Stealth Rock setters like Garchomp and Landorus-T help Starmie break through bulkier targets while directly weakening or removing potential checks. Swords Dance Scizor brings strong priority to revenge kill faster Pokemon like Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Alakazam. It benefits from Starmie wearing down and beating Fire- and Water-types like Heatran, Keldeo, and Jellicent and forcing Choice Scarf Tyranitar to lock into Pursuit, which lets it set up safely. Offensive Breloom can weaken or take out Water-types and bulky Pokemon like Gastrodon, Ferrothorn, Rotom-W, and Reuniclus, and it benefits from Starmie beating faster Pokemon like Latios and Dragonite. Starmie fits well on DragMag teams, especially because Magnezone is able to trap and remove Ferrothorn. Latios enjoys Starmie wearing down Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Jellicent so it can break through them.

Moves Surf is used alongside Hydro Pump for its better accuracy and higher PP, making it a spammable move late-game and good midground option before then. Ice Beam hits Grass- and Dragon-types like Breloom, Celebi, Dragonite, and Latios, which can take at least one Hydro Pump. Thunder hits Water-types like Jellicent, Politoed, Tentacruel, and Keldeo hard while also being Starmie's strongest move against Rotom-W. It's used over Thunderbolt because this set is commonly used on rain teams, which provide Thunder with perfect accuracy. Set Details Choice Specs gives Starmie more power, notably letting it 2HKO and OHKO Pokemon like Rotom-W, Tentacruel, and Latios with Hydro Pump in rain. Analytic makes Starmie even more difficult to pivot into, letting it achieve many 2HKOs it otherwise wouldn't, like on Rotom-W switching in. A Timid nature is used to outspeed Latios and Keldeo. Team Options This set fits on rain teams due to rain giving it the necessary power boost to wallbreak, and Starmie supports these teams by outspeeding Latios. Politoed sets rain, can use Encore to give Starmie a free switch against foes like Calm Mind Reuniclus, and burns Pokemon like Tentacruel and Ferrothorn so they're easier to muscle through with Hydro Pump and Surf. Tentacruel keeps entry hazards off the field, giving Starmie better longevity and letting it check Keldeo more easily. Agility Thundurus-T is able to sweep late-game thanks to Starmie breaking down its checks, with both of them also having a great matchup against frailer offensive teams. Choice Scarf Keldeo is a fantastic revenge killer on rain teams, able to sweep through weakened teams and revenge killing boosted sweepers like Dragonite, Cloyster, and Volcarona. Ferrothorn is able to counter Dragon-types like Latios and Kyurem-B and provide entry hazard and Knock Off support, helping Starmie break through switch-ins like opposing Ferrothorn and Gastrodon more easily. Tornadus can take advantage of the Grass-types Starmie baits in, like Celebi and Ferrothorn, while also wearing down other bulky Pokemon like Rotom-W, Gastrodon, and Jellicent.

Moves Choice Specs makes Starmie’s Hydro Pump extremely dangerous, OHKOing variants of Tyranitar without bulk and 2HKOing even bulky ones holding a Passho Berry. Even walls such as Clefable and offensive Pokemon that resist Water like Dragonite, Gyarados, opposing Starmie, and Breloom have a decent chance to be 2HKOed by Hydro Pump. While Surf is a possible replacement, the power of Hydro Pump, especially against Tyranitar and Ghost-types, makes it the preferred choice. Psychic hits various Water-, Dragon-, and Grass-types such as Kingdra and Roserade very hard, but watch out for Tyranitar switching in to Pursuit trap it. Psychic hits neutral targets so hard it mitigates the need to run coverage moves, as Psychic has decent neutral coverage. Because of this, Starmie can run Rapid Spin to fulfill its role as a spinner on predicted switches. However, Thunderbolt and Ice Beam still have good coverage. Thunderbolt always OHKOes Wacan Berry Gyarados after Stealth Rock, 2HKOes +1 offensive Suicune after Stealth Rock, and defeats bulkier Water-type checks such as Milotic on predicted switches. Ice Beam is Starmie's best choice to hit Latias hard, always 2HKOing it and providing a more accurate option for Flygon and Gliscor. To round out the set, Starmie can use Trick to give its Choice Specs away to walls such as Clefable, Blissey, and even defensive Latias trying to absorb Hydro Pump. Set Details Starmie needs maximum Speed investment and a Timid nature to outspeed threats such as Gengar, Latias, and Choice Scarf Magnezone and Speed tie with Azelf, opposing Starmie, and Raikou, while maximum Special Attack EVs are necessary to hit as hard as possible. Starmie has no recovery and is incredibly frail, so it should not use any bulk EVs. Starmie can use a Modest nature, as the power level is enormous, 2HKOing Clefable guaranteed and powering through offensive Water-resistant foes, but losing out on outspeeding Latias, Infernape, and Gengar is a big loss. Usage Tips Offensive Starmie should come into the game relatively early or lead to start blasting through with Hydro Pump. Starmie is extremely frail and should avoid switching in directly; getting it in via predicted switches or with U-turn is very helpful. Starmie decimates many offensive teams with soft Water resistances or easily predicted pivots, so it should be attacking as often as possible when it’s in. Before it uses Trick, Starmie should only be using Rapid Spin in an emergency, as it requires predicted switches to get in and often cannot take more than one hit. Against more defensive teams, Trick can be an excellent weapon against passive walls, and then Starmie can remove hazards more easily, but watch out for Tyranitar trying to trap it. Starmie can get a lot out of predicted switches, as predicting Latias or Suicune with the appropriate move can be backbreaking. This also helps preserve Hydro Pump PP. However, it’s often best to just use Hydro Pump against offensive teams, as Stealth Rock and Hydro Pump are often enough to break through. Team Options Choice Specs Starmie fits best on fast-paced offense teams that both want to have an emergency spinner and can afford the loss of momentum should Starmie hit a Water-resistant Pokemon with Hydro Pump and be able to KO it on the follow up turn. As Starmie is very frail, U-turn attackers vulnerable to Spikes such as Scizor and Infernape make excellent partners. Both assist Starmie in dealing with Latias, one of the most prominent Water-resistant foes, as Infernape hits it with U-turn on the switch in, and Scizor can potentially trap it. Although Starmie can break through special walls with Trick and its raw power, supporters such as Breloom, Explosion Heatran, and Gengar are also helpful. Gengar especially enjoys Starmie blasting through Tyranitar trying to remove it. To help deal with the momentum loss of using Hydro Pump into bad targets, some good choices include utility Tyranitar, offensive Swords Dance Gliscor, and Jirachi. These Pokemon help absorb hits from various Water-, Grass-, and Dragon-types such as opposing Empoleon, Roserade, Celebi, Latias, and Dragonite. As Starmie is highly effective in blasting through soft Water-resistant Pokemon, additional Water-type sweepers are effective alongside it, such as Agility Empoleon, Dragon Dance Gyarados, offensive Calm Mind Suicune, and Rain Dance Kingdra. Some additional good partners include Swords Dance Lucario, Dragon Dance Tyranitar, and offensive Calm Mind Jirachi. While Choice Specs Starmie can be used to support Stealth Rock-weak teammates like Zapdos, this is often difficult to pull off due to Starmie’s frailty and the unfavorableness of being locked into Rapid Spin. Remember that Choice Specs Starmie is primarily a strong attacker that can remove entry hazards in an emergency.

Moves Rapid Spin and Recover give Starmie the longevity to remove entry hazards over the course of the game. This longevity is especially helpful against defensive teams lacking a Pursuit user and against Water-weak Stealth Rock users like Heatran, as Starmie can survive hits from them and ensure entry hazards stay off of the field. Rapid Spin has a lot of PP, allowing Starmie to PP stall foes that struggle to hurt it such as Blissey, Skarmory, and defensive Jirachi. Surf or Hydro Pump hits Gengar, Rotom-A, and Tyranitar hard. Surf 2HKOes non-bulky variants of all three most of the time after Stealth Rock, while Hydro Pump guarantees the ranges on Rotom-A and Tyranitar without bulk investment and is generally being more threatening, but it has poor accuracy and PP for a defensive Pokemon. This is exacerbated by defensive structures featuring Protect users such as Heatran and Jirachi, as they can take multiple Hydro Pumps and force Starmie to conserve PP over the course of the match. While Surf is underwhelming against more defensive Tyranitar, it is the primary option for reliability. In the last slot, Thunder Wave is the primary option to prevent a wide variety of foes from setting up on Starmie. Thunder Wave synergizes well with its Water-type STAB, move threatening Ground-types immune to Thunder Wave. Paralysis helps Starmie slow down Gengar, both defensive and Calm Mind Jirachi, Dragon Dance Gyarados, Suicune, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, and Choice Scarf Rotom-A. Starmie has a wide variety of other moves it can use as well. Thunderbolt more directly threatens Dragon Dance Gyarados, as Gyarados cannot OHKO Starmie without both Life Orb and a strong neutral attack such as Bounce or Outrage. It also hits Skarmory, opposing Starmie, and Calm Mind Suicune hard. Psychic has good synergy with Surf and Hydro Pump, OHKOing Gengar, most Breloom, and hitting Kingdra as hard as possible. Other options include Ice Beam to 3HKO Latias, 2HKO Breloom, and OHKO Dragonite, Gliscor, and Flygon. Reflect helps to prevent Tyranitar from trapping it as easily and generally shrug off attacks from Swampert, Metagross, and Bronzong. Set Details Starmie needs absolute maximum Speed EVs to outspeed Choice Scarf Magnezone; even if this benchmark is not as important to the team, Starmie generally wants at least 216 Speed EVs with a Timid nature to outspeed Latias, Gengar, and Infernape. As the extra EVs are not appreciably enough to prevent Tyranitar from Pursuit trapping it, they are generally put into Speed. Maximum HP lets Starmie survive hits as much as it can, as it has meager overall bulk and relies on its Speed and Recover to stave off threats such as Swampert and Bronzong. However, if Starmie uses Psychic or another coverage move, it is possible to allocate EVs into Special Attack. A common EV spread for this is 136 HP / 156 SpA / 216 Spe, as this guarantees Psychic OHKOes maximum HP Breloom and Gengar and Surf 2HKOes Tyranitar without bulk investment and Rotom-A after Stealth Rock. Alternatively, Starmie can look to improve its physical bulk to better handle common physical threats such as Swampert, Metagross, and Bronzong with a spread of 136 HP / 156 Def / 216 Spe. An even bulkier spread is 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spe EVs with a Bold nature. With this, Starmie is much bulkier and can reliably take on Gyarados while still outspeeding Adamant Lucario, Heatran, and Mamoswine. However, Starmie is now outsped by Infernape and Gengar, two foes it is supposed to threaten, and it can be flinched by faster Jirachi. Usage Tips The number one rule when using defensive Starmie is to not be too hasty using it to remove entry hazards; if brought in constantly, it is both very easy to wear down via residual damage and remove with Pursuit. Unless it is absolutely necessary to check a threat or remove entry hazards, Starmie is more effective if used cautiously. Bring it in later in the game, possibly after the opposing entry hazard user has been KOed, to force the opponent to either check it or risk losing their entry hazards. Starmie is excellent at soft checking Pokemon such as Heatran, Infernape, Metagross, and Hippowdon with its coverage and Speed; this is especially useful if they are the primary Stealth Rock user. This situation forces the opponent into the uncomfortable position of either letting their Rotom-A or Gengar take Surf or potentially Thunder Wave, or losing their entry hazards. Continually weakening these Ghost-types can facilitate its spinning capabilities. Starmie generally does not want to be on the field for very long against most teams; while it can PP stall with Rapid Spin, it is not very bulky and has limited Recover PP. Try to stay clear of Tyranitar, as Starmie not hitting it on the switch is usually a death sentence, either via Pursuit if it switches or Crunch if it stays in. Starmie also should try to avoid Clefable's Knock Off if possible, as it really struggles to stay healthy in sand without Leftovers. While Starmie can heal off status from foes such as Heatran and Jirachi with Natural Cure, status only exacerbates it frailty and typically forces it to continuously use Recover. Team Options Starmie is generally the best support Pokemon in the tier for Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon such as Zapdos and Dragonite as well as grounded walls weak to Spikes and Toxic Spikes such as Blissey, Jirachi, and Celebi. Removing Stealth Rock makes physically defensive Zapdos oppressive to deal with, as it has fantastic overall bulk, great coverage, Pressure, and excellent defensive typing. More offensive variants of Zapdos enjoy using its natural bulk to survive one attack and hit hard in return, something much more difficult to do with Stealth Rock. Dragonite, especially Choice Band or more defensive Dragon Dance sets, enjoy being able to switch back in later in the game without worrying about Stealth Rock. Due to how much Spikes warps DPP OU, Starmie is generally a great partner for grounded Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Heatran, Breloom, Swampert, Abomasnow, Scizor, Metagross, and Jirachi, as it prevents them from being worn down by entry hazards. Tyranitar is especially good, as it can Pursuit trap Rotom-A to prevent spinblocking. With Thunder Wave, Starmie provides great support for teams built around paralysis spreaders, as they generally let entry hazards go up easily and want to use Blissey's sheer bulk to stop special attackers. Starmie also provides good speed control for these builds and checks dangerous Pokemon such as Infernape, Gliscor, and Gengar. Some example partners include Blissey, Jirachi, Zapdos, Machamp, Clefable, Magnezone, and Breloom. Machamp in particular is an excellent partner, as it is very slow, has just enough bulk to avoid 2HKOs, and appreciates Rapid Spin support to preserve its bulk and; in return, Starmie can paralyze foes such as Jirachi, Skarmory, and Metagross to facilitate it getting a Substitute. Jirachi can use Starmie's paralysis support to flinch foes with Iron Head and act as a back-up check to almost anything in the tier with a defensive set. Breloom both enjoys paralysis support with a Swords Dance set and mitigating its Spikes weakness. Magnezone also helps prevent Skarmory from setting up entry hazards later in the game and can potentially remove dangerous Steel-types such as Heatran, Metagross, and Bronzong that try to use Explosion on Starmie. Starmie also offers great support to powerful Pokemon that need paralysis support such as Choice Band Tyranitar, Substitute + Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Rhyperior. Starmie is also great alongside other Pokemon that wear down Tyranitar, such as Heatran and Zapdos. Toxic Spikes are also effective for wearing Tyranitar down, especially since it often does not have ways to heal status or residual damage. Celebi can also lure in and weaken Tyranitar with Grass Knot or U-turn and appreciates Rapid Spin support. Other ways to take advantage of Tyranitar include Substitute Breloom, Swords Dance Scizor, Rock Polish Metagross, Substitute or otherwise physical Jirachi, and Swampert.

Moves Starmie can take advantage of its fantastic coverage and offensive prowess to provide opportunities to use Rapid Spin. Hydro Pump makes Starmie very threatening, OHKOing bulkless Heatran and Gengar after Stealth Rock and 2HKOing Rotom-A, Metagross, and Tyranitar without a Passho Berry. Surf is also a possibility for higher PP and accuracy, as Hydro Pump especially struggles to pressure defensive Jirachi due to running out of PP against Protect. Thunderbolt pressures Water-types, hitting Starmie, Suicune, and Gyarados hard. Grass Knot is another option to surprise Swampert and hit Suicune harder at the expense of only hitting Gyarados neutrally. However, Starmie needs bulk to not get OHKOed by Gyarados's +1 Earthquake after Stealth Rock. Another option is Thunder Wave, which is often a surprise alongside coverage moves and an invested Hydro Pump or Surf. It can paralyze Steel-types that generally take Starmie's attacks well such as Jirachi, but beware that Starmie no longer offensively threatens Water-types and is setup fodder for Gyarados, Suicune, and Kingdra, despite the fact they do not enjoy paralysis. Ice Beam provides crucial coverage for Dragon- and Grass-types, OHKOing Dragonite, Flygon, and frailer Breloom while also hitting Latias, Zapdos, and Celebi hard. Ice Beam gives an accurate attack to hit weakened Ground-types such as Gliscor. Starmie’s coverage allows it to hit most Water-resistant foes super effectively except for weather Pokemon such as Kingdra, Ludicolo, and Abomasnow. Set Details Offensive Starmie needs maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs with a Timid nature to be as threatening as possible. With the Special Attack investment and its coverage, it is difficult for frailer hyper offensive teams to switch into. Starmie has an excellent Speed tier that facilitates this but needs absolute maximum investment to outspeed Choice Scarf Magnezone and Latias, Gengar, Infernape as well as Speed tying with opposing Starmie and Azelf. However, it can also use a spread of 92 Def / 200 SpA / 216 Spe with a Timid nature, as this lets it survive +1 Gyarados's Earthquake after Stealth Rock and sand damage as well as its +1 Outrage without Stealth Rock. Starmie has a couple of item choices. The foremost one is Leftovers, as this help Starmie make up for its lack of Recover and bulk. With Leftovers, Starmie can often fake being a more defensive set and unexpectedly hit Breloom or Latias with Ice Beam. Colbur Berry is another choice to stave off Tyranitar, as without investment, Starmie is extraordinarily frail and very easy to trap. With a Colbur Berry, Starmie can survive any attack from Tyranitar and either remove entry hazards, switch out, or 2HKO it back. Another choice is Life Orb, which lets it hit extremely hard and punish frailer teams. However, the recoil damage makes Starmie faint exceptionally quickly against more defensive foes such as Jirachi and Clefable. Usage Tips Offensive Starmie is only designed to remove Stealth Rock and other entry hazards once or twice at most a game and requires careful play to get the most out of it. Starmie’s power and extra coverage is often unexpected, and it can be very dangerous for offensive teams to deal with due to its power and Speed. Use this pressure to remove entry hazards, preferably after the opposing Stealth Rock user is incapacitated. Predicting switches to either Ghost-types or pivots and hitting them hard can be backbreaking for both offensive and defensive teams. Colbur Berry is also relatively unexpected, meaning Tyranitar can be 2HKOed if it tries to switch into Starmie. However, Starmie is very frail and cannot heal, so try to pick your spots and only remove entry hazards when absolutely needed. Team Options Starmie fits best on bulky offense and hyper offense teams, as it tends to faint quickly and does not provide any form of long-term pivoting. Pokemon that enjoy entry hazard removal such as offensive Zapdos, Gyarados, and Dragonite appreciate having Starmie as a partner to use Rapid Spin. Offensive Pokemon vulnerable to Spikes such as Scizor, Jirachi, Heatran, and Breloom also enjoy Starmie's Rapid Spin, particularly Scizor and Jirachi, which can use U-turn to keep momentum against Tyranitar. On the other hand, Starmie enjoys partners that help it beat Blissey and Clefable, such as Breloom, Metagross, Tyranitar, and Scizor. Scizor and Tyranitar can Pursuit trap them as well as Latias, a common pivot for more offensive teams. Explosion lures such as Heatran and Gengar can also be effective. Faster Choice Band variants of either are especially good at this, as they can also trap defensive Rotom-A. In terms of offensive synergy, Starmie appreciates being paired with other special attackers that are also vulnerable to Tyranitar so they can overload it. Ghost-types such as offensive or Choice item Rotom-A and Gengar, Calm Mind Jirachi, Electric-types such as Zapdos, and offensive Rotom-A can be effective. Starmie is also useful alongside other Water-types such as offensive Calm Mind Suicune, Gyarados, Kingdra, Vaporeon, and offensive Empoleon to overwhelm opposing Water-resistant foes and help them against entry hazards. Empoleon is an especially good partner, as offensive variants can either use Knock Off on Clefable or blast past it with Choice Specs, threaten Water-resistant foes with coverage, and weaken neutral targets so Starmie can get by them later.

Set Description Defensive Starmie is one of OU's three consistent spinners and checks many dangerous threats with its speed, Recover, and Water / Psychic typing. With maximum HP investment and Recover, Starmie is bulky enough to repeatedly remove Spikes. Running 40 Special Attack EVs guarantees a 2HKO on maximum HP Tyranitar with Surf, while 216 Speed EVs with a Timid nature beat Gengar, only falling short of opposing Starmie, Salac Berry-boosted Swampert, and Raikou. In the last moveslot, Starmie has several options. The most prominent of these is Thunder Wave; Thunder Wave paralyzes dangerous setup threats not bothered by Starmie's weak Surf, like Dragon Dance Salamence, Dragon Dance Gyarados without Taunt, and Calm Mind Jirachi. It also cripples bulky Pokemon like Toxic + Protect Skarmory and slows down Speed-reliant Pokemon like Zapdos and Gengar, making them easier to revenge kill if they KO Starmie and weaker in general. For other options, Psychic is fantastic against Gengar trying to spinblock and Fighting-types. Thunderbolt assists Starmie against Gyarados, Cloyster, and Skarmory. Ice Beam allows Starmie to be a strong Salamence, Flygon, and Breloom answer while being less passive against Zapdos and defensive Celebi. The best coverage choice generally depends on the team's major weaknesses, whereas Thunder Wave is the best for general purposes. Defensive Starmie generally competes with Claydol, as Forretress typically requires Pursuit support to handle Gengar. In comparison to Claydol, Starmie is easily chipped by sand and Spikes, lacks a Rock resistance, cannot directly remove threats such as Celebi, Suicune, and Salamence with Explosion, and struggles against Toxic Skarmory without Refresh. On the other hand, Starmie has good speed control, stronger coverage, Natural Cure, and Recover while beating all non-Toxic variants of Skarmory. These traits allow Starmie to survive throughout the game and even PP stall with its large amount of PP. Since Starmie is easily chipped by sand and Spikes, it is very vulnerable to Pursuit Tyranitar. Starmie isn't especially bulky either, often being forced into Recover loops against the various threats it checks with some chip damage, making it harder to spin should it be too cavalier with its health early-game. Starmie can run 32 Special Defense EVs to avoid an OHKO after sand damage from Pursuit Tyranitar. Additionally, Starmie can forgo the extra Special Attack EVs for maximum Speed investment to outrun Salac Berry-boosted Endeavor Swampert instead of spamming Recover as it uses Endeavor. Starmie can also run considerably less Speed depending on the team's needs, such as 176 Speed EVs to outrun Adamant Dugtrio; 136 Speed EVs for Salamence, Zapdos, and Charizard; 56 Speed EVs for Moltres; or even a Bold nature with heavy Defense investment to better check physical Tyranitar, Metagross, Swampert, and Aerodactyl. Starmie should run a minimum of 16 Speed EVs to outspeed Pokemon like Heracross and Suicune. How Starmie is played changes with different Speed investment; slower Starmie sets often are played similarly to Milotic, whereas faster Starmie sets are better against Spikes teams due to outspeeding Gengar. Team Options Defensive Starmie typically fits on balanced teams that need Spikes removal and can afford its passivity. Due to Starmie's ability to defeat Spikes users other than Toxic + Protect Skarmory and Hidden Power Bug Forretress, Starmie teams typically beat Skarmory down with threats such as mixed Tyranitar and Salamence with Fire Blast instead of using Magneton. However, to afford Starmie's passivity, it commonly needs to be paired with strong physical and special switch-ins. Physically defensive Metagross with Protect can handle Snorlax and most Jirachi while generally tanking boosted threats such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Dragon Dance Salamence, and Dragon Dance Gyarados, whereas Blissey or specially defensive Celebi deals with Suicune along with forming status pivots with Starmie for stalling out Milotic and defensive Jirachi. Pursuit Tyranitar can remove Gengar once Starmie has paralyzed it. Balanced teams struggle with Heracross and commonly carry Salamence or Gengar to switch into Megahorn. Starmie also fits well alongside Fighting-types like Medicham and especially well with those with Guts such as Hariyama, Heracross, and Machamp, as they can beat Toxic + Protect Skarmory and repeatedly fire off Focus Punch for free because such Skarmory will typically lack Drill Peck. Starmie can also pair with general Toxic, Sandstorm, and Spikes teammates such as Tyranitar, Swampert, Gengar, Blissey, and Skarmory; however, make sure that the team isn't too passive due to lacking a strong cleaner. These types of teams sometimes run Dugtrio for removing foes weakened by Spikes in longer games and prominent Starmie answers such as Calm Mind Celebi, Pursuit Tyranitar, and even paralyzed Blissey and Jirachi. Dugtrio can also trap Heracross, the one Fighting-type Starmie struggles against, and Starmie deals with Pokemon immune to Ground for Dugtrio such as Salamence, Gyarados, Charizard, and Moltres. As a niche option, defensive Starmie can work on paralysis focused teams with Pokemon such as Porygon2, defensive Jirachi, Thunder Wave Zapdos, and Snorlax. These types of teams commonly struggle with Spikes and benefit from the unique array of Pokemon Starmie can check, such as Moltres, Charizard, Swampert, and Metagross. However, Starmie should not be the only check to these Pokemon, as it can be easily overwhelmed. Still, this allows them to use more offensive lures to Skarmory, such as Choice Band Metagross and Guts Hariyama, Heracross, and Machamp. In addition, slow and powerful Pokemon such as Marowak, Substitute Tyranitar, Curse Swampert, and Rhydon fit well here. Marowak is especially nice, as it can provide a passable Rock resistance while heavily threatening most of the metagame.

Set Description Hydro Pump is a must despite its unreliability, as it can potentially OHKO Claydol, can OHKO Tyranitar that don't invest heavily in bulk, has a chance to 2HKO Forretress, and always 2HKOes Gengar. With Spikes, Starmie becomes even harder to check, wearing down defensive Jirachi; threatening a 2HKO on Metagross and a 3HKO on Snorlax; and guaranteeing an OHKO on Tyranitar. Ice Beam hits Salamence, Zapdos, and Venusaur hard while forcing Celebi to repeatedly use Recover, whereas Thunderbolt nails Skarmory and Water-types like Milotic, Suicune, Gyarados, Vaporeon, and opposing Starmie. Starmie has multiple options for its last move. Rapid Spin works as an emergency removal for Spikes on a forced switch. It is also quite effective in faster paced games such as those against Jolteon Spikes, as Starmie only needs to spin once. Since this Starmie is offensive, do not expect it to spin multiple times. Additionally, it can't afford to be spinblocked, as Gengar will take Hydro Pump and potentially KO back with Thunderbolt. Psychic is a nice option for Gengar and Venusaur as well as Fighting-types such as Heracross, Hariyama, and Breloom. Specifically, it can KO specially bulky Gengar with some prior damage and gives Starmie reason to switch into Gengar's Ice Punch, Taunt, or Will-O-Wisp. It also lets Starmie threaten an OHKO on Breloom and chipped Heracross without bulk investment and a 2HKO on bulky Heracross and Hariyama. Recover negates chip damage if the team already has a spinner or does not value Psychic's coverage. It allows Starmie to absorb status with Natural Cure and repeatedly force out Moltres, mixed Salamence, and Charizard. Starmie can also drop one of its coverage moves to run both Recover and Rapid Spin to give it more reliability as a spinner. It switches into Blissey early-game, as it doesn't give up momentum and shrugs off Blissey's attacks barring Thunderbolt. Offensive Starmie almost always have maximum Speed to outpace everything up to Salac Berry-boosted Swampert. Starmie can run a Modest nature to OHKO maximum HP Tyranitar and more likely 2HKO Skarmory. This is often done if using Starmie without Spikes or alongside support for removing Gengar. Starmie should be brought in only at opportune moments such as predicted switches, when a Pokemon faints, or resisted moves from something it threatens out, like Moltres, Gengar, or Claydol. Beware of trying to use it to check Skarmory and Forretress early-game, especially if Skarmory has Toxic and Protect or Forretress has Hidden Power Bug; this often leads to a situation where one layer of Spikes is still up and Starmie is too low on HP to perform properly. Team Options Starmie needs specific support to cleave through teams. First and foremost, Tyranitar's sand helps make residual damage stick for easier sweeping, and Starmie can threaten out sand-immune Rock- and Ground-types with Hydro Pump and 2HKO most Steel-types bar defensive Jirachi and Registeel. Tyranitar is also a fantastic switch-in to Blissey, Snorlax, and defensive Jirachi without Hidden Power Fighting or Toxic. It can also use Focus Punch on Swampert and Metagross, weakening them for Starmie's Hydro Pump. Other strong attackers can fill this niche as well, such as Metagross, Focus Punch Swampert, and Snorlax. Another way to use Starmie is to control the Spikes game: keep up more Spikes than the opponent. Good Spikes users include Skarmory and Forretress, although Cloyster and Smeargle are niche options for faster paced teams. Skarmory is the most common choice thanks to its defensive utility. Gengar is also nice on these teams, as it is the best spinblocker and can help remove special walls with Explosion or use Taunt + Will-O-Wisp to prevent them from healing. Another option to keep the Spikes advantage is to use Claydol alongside Starmie, which frees Starmie up to run Psychic or Recover, provides a Rock resistance, and threatens special walls with Explosion. Due to Starmie's defensive liabilities, it commonly prefers defensive teammates on Spikes teams, such as strong special walls like Blissey and Jirachi and good physical walls such as Swampert, defensive Metagross, and Flygon. These options often make up the core of common Toxic, Sandstorm, and Spikes (TSS) teams alongside Tyranitar, Gengar, and Skarmory. To further support Starmie, Explosion users like Gengar, Weezing, and Regice can lure in Blissey and often weaken it enough so that Dugtrio or residual damage can finish it off. Even without Explosion, Dugtrio is a fantastic partner with a good Blissey lure like Baton Pass Zapdos; Beat Up Dugtrio can easily remove it, defensive Jirachi, and Celebi. Additionally, other staples of special offense such as Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi, offensive Swampert, mixed Metagross, Calm Mind Jirachi, Calm Mind Suicune, and Dragon Dance + Hidden Power Grass Tyranitar weaken special checks for a Starmie sweep. Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi is particularly synergetic, as it can pass Calm Mind to Starmie to more easily muscle past its checks. Strong Fighting-types like Hariyama, Heracross, Breloom, Machamp, and Medicham are especially good alongside Starmie, as they help punch through bulky Normal-types like Blissey and Snorlax. They work especially well alongside Recover + Rapid Spin Starmie, as they can repeatedly fire off Focus Punch into Toxic + Protect Skarmory, while Starmie beats Drill Peck versions. Starmie is also a nice check to Salamence, a common Fighting answer.

Set Description Surf is Starmie's Water-type STAB attack that hits Pokemon like Steelix, Tyranitar, Rhydon, and Charizard super effectively. Psychic is another form of STAB that allows Starmie to take down Pokemon like Machamp and Tentacruel and makes it more risky for Gengar to try to block Starmie's Rapid Spin. Thunder Wave can be run over Psychic to support Starmie's team, particularly slow but powerful attackers like Belly Drum Snorlax, Marowak, and Machamp, by slowing down faster Pokemon like Raikou and Zapdos and forcing them to use Rest more often, making them much easier to handle. However, dropping Psychic reduces Starmie's ability to counter Machamp and hurt Cloyster. Rapid Spin removes Spikes from Starmie's side of the field, preventing it and its team from being gradually worn down as the match goes on. Starmie can keep itself healthy throughout the match with Recover, which allows it to consistently check what it needs to, prevents it from being worn down as easily by Spikes and Toxic, and makes it much harder to Pursuit trap. There are three main strategies that Spikers can use to keep Spikes up against Starmie. Toxic can be used to force Starmie to eventually use Recover, which gives the Spikers a window of opportunity to either use Explosion on Starmie or switch to an Electric-type. Ghost-types can switch into a predicted Rapid Spin from Starmie and either attempt to beat it with Hypnosis, Thunder, Thunderbolt, Mean Look + Perish Song, or Explosion or otherwise immediately switch out again to Zapdos or Raikou. This forces Starmie out and preserves both Spikes and the Ghost-type's HP even if Starmie chooses a STAB attack. Lastly, Forretress can use Hidden Power Bug as Starmie attempts to spin, which just barely does enough damage for Starmie to be unable to Recover it off safely in the long run. Team Options Slow but powerful attackers like Marowak, Belly Drum Snorlax, and Machamp greatly appreciate Starmie's Rapid Spin support, as it increases their longevity; all of these Pokemon also like Starmie's ability to support them with Thunder Wave to slow down faster threats. Since Starmie is heavily threatened by Snorlax, Skarmory makes for a great partner due to its ability to reliably check most non-mixed Snorlax sets, and it doubles as a reliable answer to Heracross. Skarmory appreciates Starmie's ability to remove Spikes against Cloyster, which tends to take advantage of Skarmory to set up Spikes. Starmie also detests Electric-types, so good answers to them like Raikou and Blissey are very helpful. Both of these Pokemon greatly appreciate Rapid Spin support, and Starmie appreciates Blissey's ability to cure it of status with Heal Bell. Another option for a cleric is Miltank, which can also check Curse and mixed Snorlax sets decently. Spinblockers like Gengar and Misdreavus can be very annoying for Starmie, as they prevent it from removing Spikes, so Pursuit trappers like Tyranitar and Umbreon are greatly appreciated; Tyranitar and Umbreon also double as decent checks to Snorlax.

Set Description Recover and Thunder Wave alongside Starmie's incredible Speed turn Starmie into a very sturdy Pokemon that possesses the ability to paralyze the foe and outspeed it after, even when paralyzed itself, and proceed to recover its health, since most attacks do not deal 50% to it. This makes Starmie tough to break and is why this move combination allows Starmie, despite its high Speed, to take paralysis even early on in the game and avoid being crippled by it as much as most other Pokemon. In fact, a paralyzed Starmie is very good at blocking sleep-inducing moves from common sleepers like Exeggutor and Sing Chansey lacking Thunderbolt. Starmie's traits do not end at its defensive role, however. In its last two moveslots, Starmie is able to run a variety of powerful special attacks, which can be chosen to hit almost every Pokemon in the tier except Chansey super effectively or at least decently hard. In that context it is worth noting that, due to its high Speed, Starmie has a very high chance of 22.46% to score a critical hit, which frequently enables Starmie to successfully knock out opposing Pokemon by shooting for critical hits. Blizzard most notably hits Exeggutor, Zapdos, and Rhydon, as well as Victreebel and Dragonite. It is chosen over Ice Beam due to having more power while only being 10% less accurate. In addition to the coverage Blizzard provides, another reason to use it lies in its chance to score a freeze on opposing Pokemon such as Chansey and Alakazam or just about any Pokemon if you're desperate. Moves that typically go alongside Blizzard are Psychic and Thunderbolt. Psychic is Starmie's best option to hit Pokemon like Gengar and the Normal-types, thanks to gaining STAB. This is especially important against Snorlax, as a Starmie without STAB moves struggles quite a bit to really hurt it. Another important feature of Psychic is the chance to score Special drops, which can help force switches and thus spread paralysis on the opposing team. This is especially noteworthy against Chansey, especially those running Reflect, since enough Special drops can force it out even when it has already set up a Reflect, which Starmie will otherwise fail to achieve. It can be useful against Alakazam as well, albeit not as consistently, since Alakazam itself can cause Starmie's Special to drop. It is worth mentioning however, that the Blizzard + Psychic set does have some issues with running out of PP rather quickly against opposing Recover users and will not be able to hurt opposing Starmie and Slowbro. Thunderbolt is used to hit opposing Water-types super effectively, including Lapras, Cloyster, and especially opposing Starmie and Slowbro. Being able to threaten other Starmie, especially when they lack Thunderbolt themselves, and beating Slowbro with a critical hit are the biggest selling points for Thunderbolt. Additionally, Thunderbolt is Starmie's only super effective move against Articuno, which itself doesn't really threaten Starmie much but can be annoying to actually knock out. If Thunderbolt is chosen alongside Blizzard, it should be noted that Starmie will struggle to properly threaten Gengar and Snorlax, as the latter can usually Rest stall Starmie, especially if it is paralyzed. Either move can be run alongside Blizzard whether or not Starmie is used as a lead, though as a lead Starmie usually prefers Psychic, as it's usually more useful for early-game purposes; Thunderbolt's coverage alongside Blizzard is appreciated if Starmie is kept for late-game, when opposing Pokemon like Chansey and Snorlax are taken care of otherwise. Psychic and Thunderbolt can be used on the same set if you want to retain the power versus Starmie and Slowbro and the ability to threaten Snorlax, which can be very dangerous for teams that have to rely on either of those Pokemon to fend off Starmie if Chansey is taken out already. Not being able to do much versus Exeggutor, especially when facing it as a lead, plus being unable to hit Rhydon super effectively can be annoying, but neither of them really likes going up against Starmie, since Psychic still does a lot to Rhydon, and Exeggutor usually cannot do much back if it lacks Mega Drain and Starmie cannot be put to sleep anymore. Exeggutor will be paralyzed and receive permanent chip damage in the process of trying to beat Starmie. However, Starmie cannot beat it without giving it multiple chances to fish for Special drops, which might force Starmie out and give Exeggutor the opportunity to put a switch-in to sleep. Additionally, Exeggutor has plenty of time to go for its Explosion, meaning Starmie will likely only trade with Exeggutor. Furthermore, not running Blizzard means you miss out on hitting especially the rare Dragonite super effectively, which then does not have to fear being outright KOed by Starmie and may be able to try its luck with setting up Agility on a weakened team. Another STAB option Starmie has is Surf. However, Water-type moves do not provide much in terms of coverage in the RBY OU metagame, since Fire-types are basically nonexistent and will be unable to beat Starmie anyway, and the ones you might meet such as Moltres are already hit super effectively by Blizzard. Nevertheless, Surf is used to OHKO Rhydon, hitting it by surprise, and it's Starmie's best option against Alakazam and Jynx, giving it a chance to take them down with some luck. It is worth noting that even with Surf, Starmie does not necessarily beat Alakazam; it will force it to Recover more frequently, though, and thus create turns to gain momentum by switching in a physical attacker on a Recover. Like Psychic, Surf also serves as a stronger STAB move against neutral targets such as Snorlax. The lack of a Special drop chance, however, makes it the inferior choice for that purpose. Usually the move to go alongside Surf is Thunderbolt, since Blizzard and Psychic are somewhat redundant with Surf. Since Surf and Thunderbolt both have 24 PP, this Starmie set is best suited for drawn-out games that include PP stalling. It must be noted that with Thunderbolt and Surf, Starmie is walled by Victreebel and Exeggutor, the latter of which has a good chance to force Starmie out due to its high Special and Psychic dropping Starmie's Special, giving Exeggutor opportunities to use Sleep Powder on a switch-in. Additionally, Starmie can no longer hurt opposing Zapdos and Dragonite. Pairing Surf with Blizzard is possible to avoid these issues, but the inability to hit opposing Water-types makes this less desirable.