Special
Sweeper
520High
115Fast
BTier

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 an organ known as its core. The organ glows in seven colors when Starmie is unleashing its potent psychic powers.

Sword

Starmie swims by spinning its body at high speed. As this Pokémon cruises through the ocean, it absorbs tiny plankton.

Shield

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) using 32 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)
drapionclawitzergolisopodcursolacrawdauntcorsolaskorupiclaunchercorphisharcheopsomastarkabutops
12 of 32·

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

Hydreigon
HydreigonDecent
Scizor
ScizorDecent
Celesteela
CelesteelaDecent

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 Psychic 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
TR12
Agility
——30Psychic
TR83
Ally Switch+2
——15Psychic
TM64
Avalanche-4
6010010Ice
TR06
Blizzard
110705Ice
TM55
Brine
6510010Water
TR44
Cosmic Power
——20Psychic
TR92
Dazzling Gleam
8010010Fairy
TM45
Dive
8010010Water
TR26
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM39
Facade
7010020Normal
TR70
Flash Cannon
8010010Steel
TM09
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TR77
Grass Knot
—10020Grass
TR52
Gyro Ball
—1005Steel
TM35
Hail
——10Ice
TR03
Hydro Pump
110805Water
TM08
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TR05
Ice Beam
9010010Ice
TM27
Icy Wind
559515Ice
TM17
Light Screen
——30Psychic
TR63
Power Gem
8010020Rock
TM25
Protect+4
——10Normal
TR11
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM69
Psycho Cut
7010020Psychic
TR25
Psyshock
8010010Psychic
TM33
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM18
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM21
Rest
——10Psychic
TM76
Round
6010015Normal
TR84
Scald
8010015Water
TR40
Skill Swap
——10Psychic
TR27
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM24
Snore
5010015Normal
TR20
Substitute
——10Normal
TR04
Surf
9010015Water
TM40
Swift
60—20Normal
TR09
Thunder
1107010Electric
TM14
Thunder Wave
—9020Electric
TR08
Thunderbolt
9010015Electric
TR19
Tri Attack
8010010Normal
TR38
Trick
—10010Psychic
TM70
Trick Room-7
——5Psychic
TR16
Waterfall
8010015Water
TM36
Whirlpool
358515Water
TM71
Wonder Room
——10Psychic

Egg Moves

Starmie doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Expanding Force
8010010Psychic
Tutor
Flip Turn
6010020Water
Tutor
Meteor Beam
1209010Rock

Starmie doesn't appear wild. Catch Staryu instead, it shows up at solid rates. Evolve it through a special method to get Starmie. The 2-stage line is mapped in the step cards below.

How to Obtain Starmie in Sword & Shield

To get Starmie, start by catching Staryu through walking encounters at Lv. 10-18. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.

  1. Staryu
    Step 1Catch Staryu
    Challenge Beach - Beach
    ShieldOverworldLv.10-15100%EarlyWaterAll Weather
    EFFORTLESS
    Challenge Beach - Beach
    SwordOverworldLv.10-15100%EarlyWaterAll Weather
    EFFORTLESS
    Training Lowlands - Beach
    ShieldOverworldLv.13-18100%EarlyAll Weather
    EFFORTLESS
    Training Lowlands - Beach
    SwordOverworldLv.13-18100%EarlyAll Weather
    EFFORTLESS
  2. Starmie
    Step 2Starmie ✓

  • Natural Cure changes the entire equation for Starmie. The 520 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked B-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.