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

At the center of its body is a red core that sends mysterious radio signals into the night sky.

Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl

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.

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. Life Orb provides extra damage on every hit for a health trade, and max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs back that up. Analytic rounds out the package.

Best Build

Special Sweeper
Ability
Analytic
Item
Life OrbPOWER
Nature
Timid+SPE
EVs

Best Starmie Moveset

  • Ice Beam
  • RecoverRecovery
  • ThunderboltCoverage
  • Hydro PumpSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Scizor
ScizorDecent

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Starmie. TMs unlock coverage across 7 types and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Hydro Pump and Dream Eater into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Brine
6510010Water
Lv 1
Confuse Ray
—10010Ghost
Lv 1
Cosmic Power
——20Psychic
Lv 1
Harden
——30Normal
Lv 1
Hydro Pump
110805Water
Lv 1
Light Screen
——30Psychic
Lv 1
Minimize
——10Normal
Lv 1
Power Gem
8010020Rock
Lv 1
Psybeam
6510020Psychic
Lv 1
Psychic
9010010Psychic
Lv 1
Rapid Spin
5010040Normal
Lv 1
Recover
——10Normal
Lv 1
Surf
9010015Water
Lv 1
Swift
60—20Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
4010025Water

TM Moves

Src
TM72
Avalanche-4
6010010Ice
TM14
Blizzard
110705Ice
TM55
Brine
6510010Water
TM21
Dazzling Gleam
8010010Fairy
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM85
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
TM58
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM70
Flash
—10020Normal
TM91
Flash Cannon
8010010Steel
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM86
Grass Knot
—10020Grass
TM74
Gyro Ball
—1005Steel
TM07
Hail
——10Ice
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9010010Ice
TM16
Light Screen
——30Psychic
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM67
Recycle
——10Normal
TM33
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM49
Scald
8010015Water
TM48
Skill Swap
——10Psychic
TM82
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
TM95
Surf
9010015Water
TM87
Swagger
—8515Normal
TM25
Thunder
1107010Electric
TM73
Thunder Wave
—9020Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9010015Electric
TM92
Trick Room-7
——5Psychic
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water
TM99
Waterfall
8010015Water

Egg Moves

Starmie doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Starmie can't learn any Tutor moves

You're catching Staryu first, not Starmie. Staryu appears at moderate rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 2-stage line with evolution methods between each stage.

How to Obtain Starmie in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

To get Starmie, start by catching Staryu through walking and fishing encounters at Lv. 20-63. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.

  1. Staryu
    Step 1Catch Staryu
    Canalave City
    Brilliant DiamondSuper RodLv.20-405%MidCity
    EXTREME
    Canalave City
    Shining PearlSuper RodLv.20-405%MidCity
    EXTREME
    Sunyshore City
    Brilliant DiamondSuper RodLv.20-405%MidCity
    EXTREME
    Sunyshore City
    Shining PearlSuper RodLv.20-405%MidCity
    EXTREME
    Fountainspring Cave
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Fountainspring Cave
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Glacial Cavern
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Glacial Cavern
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Icy Cave
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostIcePost-game
    Icy Cave
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostIcePost-game
    Riverbank Cave
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Riverbank Cave
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Still-Water Cavern
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Still-Water Cavern
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
  2. Starmie
    Step 2Starmie ✓

  • 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.