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
Catch60ChallengingSlow1.25M XP1.1m / 3'07"80kg / 176.4 lbs182Base XP
Pokedex Entries

The middle section of its body is called the core. It glows in a different color each time it is seen.

Heart Gold

Regardless of the environment it lives in, its body grows to form a symmetrical geometric shape.

Soul Silver

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 IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCriticali
None
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
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
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 21 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)
drapioncrawdauntcorsolaskorupicorphishomastarkabutopsomanytekabutotentacruelcloysterstarmie

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
  • SurfSTAB
  • ThunderboltCoverage
  • Ice Beam

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
6020Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 28
Confuse Ray
10010Ghost

TM Moves

Src
TM72
Avalanche-4
6010010Ice
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
TM55
Brine
6510010Water
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM85
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
TM58
Endure+4
10Normal
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
TM83
Natural Gift
10015Normal
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM67
Recycle
10Normal
TM33
Reflect
20Psychic
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM48
Skill Swap
10Psychic
TM82
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM87
Swagger
9015Normal
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM73
Thunder Wave
10020Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison
TM92
Trick Room-7
5Psychic
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water
HM07
Waterfall
8010015Water
HM05
Whirlpool
358515Water

Egg Moves

Starmie doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Dive
8010010Water
Tutor
Gravity
5Psychic
Tutor
Icy Wind
559515Ice
Tutor
Magic Coat+4
15Psychic
Tutor
Pain Split
20Normal
Tutor
Rollout
309020Rock
Tutor
Signal Beam
7510015Bug
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Swift
6020Normal
Tutor
Trick
10010Psychic
Tutor
Twister
4010020Dragon

Reminder Moves

Src
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
Tackle
3510035Normal

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
10Normal

You're catching Staryu first, not Starmie. Staryu appears at decent 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 HeartGold & SoulSilver

  1. Staryu
    Step 1Catch Staryu
    Route 47
    SoulSilverSurfing on waterLv.15-25UncommonEarlyRoute
    MODERATE
    Route 47
    HeartGoldSurfing on waterLv.15-25UncommonEarlyRoute
    MODERATE
  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.