Mixed
Sweeper
520High
115Fast
ATier

Between Natural Cure and Water/Psychic typing, Starmie carves out a strong competitive niche. It clears status conditions when it switches out, which gives it an edge most Pokemon in its stat range don't have. An original Gen 1 pick.

The stat budget goes to damage. Speed and Sp. Atk carry the offense, HP doesn't even come close. A Mysterious Pokemon on a slow 1.25M XP grind, worth 2 Speed EVs per KO.

Base Stats
520High
HP60
C
Attack75
C
Defense85
C
Sp. Atk100
B
Sp. Def85
C
Speed115
B
Total520
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Starmie yields +2 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Details
Catch60Challenging•Slow1.25M XP•1.1m / 3'07"•80kg / 176.4 lbs•182Base XP
Pokedex Entries

Its core shines in many colors and sends radio signals into space to communicate with something.

Black 2 / White 2

Starmie Weakness

Vulnerable

Electric, Grass, Bug, Ghost, and Dark-type moves hit Starmie for super-effective damage. With 6 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. 5 weaknesses means you'll want teammates that can handle the coverage gaps.

Gen V Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
ElectricGrassBugGhostDark
½xResisti
FireWaterIceFightingPsychicSteel
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (5)i
FireGroundRockFightingPoison
5Weak
6Resist
0Immune
Scorei-4
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
IlluminateDoubles the wild encounter rate.
Natural CureCures any major status ailment upon switching out.
AnalyticHAStrengthens moves to 1.3× their power when moving last.

Getting Starmie requires an evolution item, not just grinding levels. The chain starts at Staryu. Breed this form to get Staryu eggs (average hatch time). HP grew the most through evolution (+30 over Staryu), and Starmie peaks at 520 total stats.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Staryu
#120Staryu
Water Stone
Starmie
#121Starmie
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Staryu
Water
Starmie
WaterPsychic
HP
30
60+30
ATK
45
75+30
DEF
55
85+30
SP.ATK
70
100+30
SP.DEF
55
85+30
SPE
85
115+30
BST
340D-Tier
520A-Tier+180
ROLE
Balanced
Sweeper
TYPE
Special
Special
Breeding
Challenging

Breed with Starmie to get Staryu eggs (with patience) from the Water3 egg group.

Egg Groups
Water3
Gender
GenderlessDittoDitto only
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body

The recommended build leans into Starmie's strengths as a special attacker. Air Balloon provides temporary Ground immunity, and max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs back that up. Analytic rounds out the package.

Best Build

Special Sweeper
Ability
Analytic
Item
Air Balloon
Nature
Timid+SPE
EVs

Best Starmie Moveset

  • Rapid Spin
  • Ice Beam
  • Hydro PumpSTAB
  • ThunderboltCoverage

Recommended Teammates

Dragonite
DragoniteDecent
Scizor
ScizorDecent
Garchomp
GarchompDecent

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Starmie. TMs unlock coverage across 8 types and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Hydro Pump and Dream Eater into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Rapid Spin
5010040Normal
Lv 1
Recover
——10Normal
Lv 1
Swift
60—20Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 22
Confuse Ray
—10010Ghost

TM Moves

Src
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
HM06
Dive
8010010Water
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM85
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM70
Flash
—10020Normal
TM91
Flash Cannon
8010010Steel
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM86
Grass Knot
—10020Grass
TM74
Gyro Ball
—1005Steel
TM07
Hail
——10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM16
Light Screen
——30Psychic
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM03
Psyshock
8010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM33
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM55
Scald
8010015Water
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM87
Swagger
—9015Normal
TM19
Telekinesis
——15Psychic
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM73
Thunder Wave
—10020Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
—9010Poison
TM92
Trick Room-7
——5Psychic
HM05
Waterfall
8010015Water

Egg Moves

Starmie doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Gravity
——5Psychic
Tutor
Icy Wind
559515Ice
Tutor
Magic Coat+4
——15Psychic
Tutor
Pain Split
——20Normal
Tutor
Recycle
——10Normal
Tutor
Signal Beam
7510015Bug
Tutor
Skill Swap
——10Psychic
Tutor
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Trick
—10010Psychic
Tutor
Wonder Room
——10Psychic

Reminder Moves

Src
Rem
Brine
6510010Water
Rem
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Rem
Camouflage
——20Normal
Rem
Cosmic Power
——20Psychic
Rem
Gyro Ball
—1005Steel
Rem
Harden
——30Normal
Rem
Hydro Pump
120805Water
Rem
Light Screen
——30Psychic
Rem
Minimize
——20Normal
Rem
Power Gem
7010020Rock
Rem
Reflect Type
——15Normal
Rem
Tackle
5010035Normal

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 4
Avalanche-4
6010010Ice
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 4
Endure+4
——10Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
——10Normal
Gen 4
Natural Gift
—10015Normal
Gen 4
Rollout
309020Rock
Gen 4
Secret Power
7010020Normal
Gen 4
Twister
4010020Dragon
Gen 4
Water Pulse
6010020Water
Gen 4
Whirlpool
358515Water

moderate rates across 6 encounter spots for Starmie. That's the kind of hunt where you pick one location and settle in. Sort by Best below to see where the odds are highest.

Where To Catch Starmie in Black 2 & White 2

The path to Starmie starts with Staryu at Lv. 25-45 via surfing encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Staryu
    Step 1Catch Staryu
    Route 13
    Black 2Surfing on waterLv.25-40CommonMidRouteAny
    EASY
    Route 13
    White 2Surfing on waterLv.25-40CommonMidRouteAnyShaking spot
    EASY
    Route 13
    White 2Surfing on waterLv.25-40CommonMidRouteAny
    EASY
    Route 13
    Black 2Surfing on waterLv.25-40CommonMidRouteAnyShaking spot
    EASY
    Undella Town
    White 2Surfing on waterLv.25-40CommonMidCityAnyShaking spot
    EASY
    Undella Town
    White 2Surfing on waterLv.25-40CommonMidCityAny
    EASY
    Undella Town
    Black 2Surfing on waterLv.25-40CommonMidCityAnyShaking spot
    EASY
    Undella Town
    Black 2Surfing on waterLv.25-40CommonMidCityAny
    EASY
    Humilau City
    Black 2Surfing on waterLv.30-45CommonMidCityAny
    EASY
    Humilau City
    White 2Surfing on waterLv.30-45CommonMidCityAny
    EASY
  2. Starmie
    Step 2Starmie ✓
    Route 13
    Black 2Surfing on waterLv.30-40RareMidRouteAnyShaking spot
    HARD
    Route 13
    White 2Surfing on waterLv.30-40RareMidRouteAnyShaking spot
    HARD
    Undella Town
    White 2Surfing on waterLv.30-40RareMidCityAnyShaking spot
    HARD
    Undella Town
    Black 2Surfing on waterLv.30-40RareMidCityAnyShaking spot
    HARD
    Humilau City
    Black 2Surfing on waterLv.35-45RareLateCityAnyShaking spot
    HARD
    Humilau City
    White 2Surfing on waterLv.35-45RareLateCityAnyShaking spot
    HARD
    or evolve from Staryu (Step 1)

  • Natural Cure changes the entire equation for Starmie. The 520 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked A-Tier as a sweeper.

  • Watch for Raikou (Electric), Venusaur (Grass), and Pinsir (Bug) when using Starmie. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Ghost and Dark-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.

  • Staryu evolves into Starmie using a Water Stone. Starmie is the fully evolved form. At 520 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.

  • Natural Cure is what you want on Starmie. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Illuminate, Analytic) work on paper but Natural Cure is what makes Starmie worth using. With base 115 Speed, Natural Cure gives Starmie an edge before opponents can react.

  • Base 115 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Starmie is a mixed attacker — base 75 Attack and 100 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a sweeper.

  • Starmie appears in 20 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

One of the original 151, Starmie has appeared in 20 games — nearly every mainline game. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.