Special
Sweeper
ATier
115Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

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
High
HP60
C
Attack75
C
Defense85
C
Sp. Atk100
B
Sp. Def85
C
Speed115
B
Total520
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging60 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height1.1 m
3'07"Small
Weight80.0 kg
176.4 lbsStandard
Base XP182
High Yield
Abilities
IlluminateRare
Doubles the wild encounter rate.
Natural CureTop Pick
Cures any major status ailment upon switching out.
AnalyticHANot in game
Strengthens moves to 1.3× their power when moving last.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Speed training target
Pokedex Entries

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

Starmie Weakness

Electric, Grass, Bug, Ghost, and Dark 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.

Starmie Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Grass, Bug, Ghost, Dark
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Psychic, Steel
Type ChartVulnerable
5Weak
6Resist
0Immune
Score-4
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
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
ElectricGrassBugGhostDark
½xResist
FireWaterIceFightingPsychicSteel
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
STAB (5)
FireGroundRockFightingPoison
How to Beat Starmie in FireRed & LeafGreen (Best Counters)

In FireRed & LeafGreen, Cloyster's Explosion hits Starmie for 67-79%. Primeape's Earthquake hits Starmie for 41-49%. Ninetales deals 37-44% with Overheat.

Cloyster
CloysterResists Water, walls physical sets
WaterIce
B
Recommended Build
AbilityShellarmor
ItemLeftovers
NatureTimid
Moves
  • SpikesHazard
  • Explosion
  • SurfSTAB
  • Rapid Spin
Damage vs Starmie
Explosion
67-79%
Surf
19-22%
Rapid Spin
14-16%
View Cloyster builds →

FireRed & LeafGreen Evolution

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. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Staryu
#120Staryu
Water Stone
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

Starmie is genderless — breed with Ditto to produce Staryu eggs. Part of the Water3 egg group.

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

FireRed & LeafGreen Starmie Best Moveset

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

Highly recommended
Special Sweeper
Ability
Natural Cure
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Starmie
Timid+SPE

Starmie best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • Rapid Spin
  • Ice Beam
  • ThunderboltCoverage
  • SurfSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Tyranitar
TyranitarGood
Skarmory
SkarmoryDecent
Metagross
MetagrossDecent

Moves

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
S5010040Normal
Lv 1
Recover
A——20Normal
Lv 1
Swift
—60—20Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
—4010025Water
Lv 33
Confuse Ray
D—10010Ghost

TM Moves

TM
TM14
Blizzard
C120705Ice
TM
Dive
—6010010Water
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM42
Facade
D7010020Normal
HM05
Flash
——7020Normal
TM21
Frustration
——10020Normal
TM07
Hail
———10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
S9510010Ice
TM16
Light Screen
C——30Psychic
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM29
Psychic
B9010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM33
Reflect
D——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM43
Secret Power
—7010020Normal
TM48
Skill Swap
———10Psychic
HM03
Surf
A9510015Water
TM25
Thunder
C1207010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
S9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
C—8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
—6010020Water
HM07
Waterfall
C8010015Water

Egg Moves

Starmie doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal
Tutor
Dream Eater
—10010015Psychic
Tutor
Mimic
———10Normal
Tutor
Substitute
C——10Normal
Tutor
Thunder Wave
B—10020Electric

Reminder Moves

Rem
Rem
Bubble Beam
—6510020Water
Rem
Camouflage
———20Normal
Rem
Cosmic Power
D——20Psychic
Rem
Harden
D——30Normal
Rem
Hydro Pump
A120805Water
Rem
Light Screen
C——30Psychic
Rem
Minimize
———20Normal
Rem
Tackle
—3510035Normal

How to Get Starmie in FireRed & LeafGreen

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 Rod Lv.15-25 Water
    40%Early
    Pallet Town
    Super Rod Lv.15-25 City
    40%Early
    Vermilion City - City
    Super Rod Lv.15-25 City
    40%Early
    Vermilion City - Harbor
    Super Rod Lv.15-25 City
    40%Early
    Five Island
    Super Rod Lv.15-25 Water
    CommonEarly
    Icefall Cave - 1F Room 3
    Super Rod Lv.15-25 Cave
    CommonEarly
    One Island
    Super Rod Lv.15-25 Water
    CommonEarly
  2. Starmie
    Step 2Starmie ✓

Starmie Guide

  • In FireRed & LeafGreen, Natural Cure changes the entire equation for Starmie. The 520 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked A-Tier as a sweeper. Rapid Spin with Leftovers is the standard set.

  • In FireRed & LeafGreen, 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.

  • 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.

  • For FireRed & LeafGreen, Starmie has answers, but so do you. Priority moves (Mach Punch, Aqua Jet, Ice Shard) bypass its speed. Bulky walls that resist its STAB also shut it down.

Game Availability

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

Click a game to view version-specific details

Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Want to tell us more?
What was most useful?
What could be improved?
Thanks for your feedback