Special
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

This POKéMON has a geometric body. Because of its body, the locals suspect that it is an alien creature.

Fire Red

Its central core glows with the seven colors of the rainbow. Some people value the core as a gem.

Leaf Green

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 III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
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) using 19 partners from the Water3 egg group.

Egg Groups
Water3
Gender
GenderlessDittoDitto only
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Breed With (best first)
crawdauntcorsolacorphishomastarkabutopsomanytekabutotentacruelcloysterstarmiekinglerstaryu
12 of 19·

This build takes hits and hits back. Leftovers provides passive recovery each turn, Natural Cure supports the gameplan, and max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs mean Starmie doesn't crumble to chip damage. Plus Electric coverage backing it up.

Best Build

Special Sweeper
Ability
Natural Cure
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Nature
Timid+SPE
EVs

Best Starmie Moveset

  • Rapid Spin
  • Ice Beam
  • ThunderboltCoverage
  • SurfSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Tyranitar
TyranitarGood
Skarmory
SkarmoryDecent
Metagross
MetagrossDecent

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Starmie. TMs unlock Normal and Ice coverage 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
——20Normal
Lv 1
Swift
60—20Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 33
Confuse Ray
—10010Ghost

TM Moves

Src
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
TM
Dive
6010010Water
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
HM05
Flash
—7020Normal
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM07
Hail
——10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM16
Light Screen
——30Psychic
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM33
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM48
Skill Swap
——10Psychic
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water
HM07
Waterfall
8010015Water

Egg Moves

Starmie doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Tutor
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
Tutor
Mimic
——10Normal
Tutor
Substitute
——10Normal
Tutor
Thunder Wave
—10020Electric

Reminder Moves

Src
Rem
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Rem
Camouflage
——20Normal
Rem
Cosmic Power
——20Psychic
Rem
Harden
——30Normal
Rem
Hydro Pump
120805Water
Rem
Light Screen
——30Psychic
Rem
Minimize
——20Normal
Rem
Tackle
3510035Normal

No wild encounters for Starmie. The 2-stage line runs through Staryu, which you can catch at solid rates from the locations below. Evolve through a special method once you've got the levels.

How to Obtain Starmie in FireRed & LeafGreen

The path to Starmie starts with Staryu at Lv. 15-25 via fishing encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Staryu
    Step 1Catch Staryu
    Cinnabar Island
    Super RodLv.15-25CommonEarlyWater
    EASY
    Five Island
    Super RodLv.15-25CommonEarlyWater
    EASY
    Icefall Cave - 1F Room 3
    Super RodLv.15-25CommonEarlyCave
    EASY
    One Island
    Super RodLv.15-25CommonEarlyWater
    EASY
    Pallet Town
    Super RodLv.15-25CommonEarlyCity
    EASY
    Vermilion City - City
    Super RodLv.15-25CommonEarlyCity
    EASY
    Vermilion City - Harbor
    Super RodLv.15-25CommonEarlyCity
    EASY
  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 special attacker with base 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.