Special
Sweeper
BTier
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
Illuminate
Doubles the wild encounter rate.
Natural CurePopular
Cures any major status ailment upon switching out.
AnalyticHAPopular
Strengthens moves to 1.3× their power when moving last.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Speed training target
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.

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
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
ElectricGrassBugGhostDark
½xResist
FireWaterIceFightingPsychicSteel
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
STAB (5)
FireGroundRockFightingPoison
How to Beat Starmie in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)

In Sword & Shield, Runerigus threatens a KO with Poltergeist (100-118%).

Heatran
HeatranResists Psychic
FireSteel
S
Recommended Build
AbilityFlashfire
ItemLeftovers
NatureTimid
Moves
  • Earth Power
  • Magma Storm
  • Stealth Rock
  • TauntUtility
View Heatran builds →

Sword & Shield 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

Sword & Shield Starmie Best Moveset

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

Experimental
Ability
Analytic
Item
Life OrbPOWER
Best Nature for Starmie
Timid+SPE

Starmie best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • Ice Beam
  • RecoverRecovery
  • ThunderboltCoverage
  • Hydro PumpSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Hydreigon
HydreigonDecent
Scizor
ScizorDecent
Celesteela
CelesteelaDecent

Moves

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
C6510010Water
Lv 1
Confuse Ray
D—10010Ghost
Lv 1
Cosmic Power
D——20Psychic
Lv 1
Harden
———30Normal
Lv 1
Hydro Pump
A110805Water
Lv 1
Light Screen
C——30Psychic
Lv 1
Minimize
———10Normal
Lv 1
Power Gem
C8010020Rock
Lv 1
Psybeam
C6510020Psychic
Lv 1
Psychic
B9010010Psychic
Lv 1
Rapid Spin
A5010040Normal
Lv 1
Recover
S——10Normal
Lv 1
Surf
B9010015Water
Lv 1
Swift
C60—20Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
D4010035Normal
Lv 1
Water Gun
—4010025Water

TM Moves

TM
TR12
Agility
C——30Psychic
TR83
Ally Switch+2
C——15Psychic
TM64
Avalanche-4
D6010010Ice
TR06
Blizzard
A110705Ice
TM55
Brine
C6510010Water
TR44
Cosmic Power
D——20Psychic
TR92
Dazzling Gleam
C8010010Fairy
TM45
Dive
C8010010Water
TR26
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM39
Facade
D7010020Normal
TR70
Flash Cannon
C8010010Steel
TM09
Giga Impact
C150905Normal
TR77
Grass Knot
D—10020Grass
TR52
Gyro Ball
D—1005Steel
TM35
Hail
C——10Ice
TR03
Hydro Pump
A110805Water
TM08
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TR05
Ice Beam
S9010010Ice
TM27
Icy Wind
D559515Ice
TM17
Light Screen
C——30Psychic
TR63
Power Gem
C8010020Rock
TM25
Protect+4
A——10Normal
TR11
Psychic
B9010010Psychic
TM69
Psycho Cut
C7010020Psychic
TR25
Psyshock
A8010010Psychic
TM33
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM18
Reflect
C——20Psychic
TM21
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM76
Round
C6010015Normal
TR84
Scald
S8010015Water
TR40
Skill Swap
C——10Psychic
TR27
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM24
Snore
—5010015Normal
TR20
Substitute
C——10Normal
TR04
Surf
B9010015Water
TM40
Swift
C60—20Normal
TR09
Thunder
C1107010Electric
TM14
Thunder Wave
C—9020Electric
TR08
Thunderbolt
A9010015Electric
TR19
Tri Attack
C8010010Normal
TR38
Trick
C—10010Psychic
TM70
Trick Room-7
A——5Psychic
TR16
Waterfall
C8010015Water
TM36
Whirlpool
D358515Water
TM71
Wonder Room
———10Psychic

Egg Moves

Starmie doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Expanding Force
B8010010Psychic
Tutor
Flip Turn
C6010020Water
Tutor
Meteor Beam
A1209010Rock

How to Get Starmie in Sword & Shield

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
    ShieldOverworld Lv.10-15 Water
    100%Early
    All Weather
    Challenge Beach - Beach
    SwordOverworld Lv.10-15 Water
    100%Early
    All Weather
    Training Lowlands - Beach
    ShieldOverworld Lv.13-18
    100%Early
    All Weather
    Training Lowlands - Beach
    SwordOverworld Lv.13-18
    100%Early
    All Weather
  2. Starmie
    Step 2Starmie ✓

Starmie Guide

  • In Sword & Shield, Natural Cure changes the entire equation for Starmie. The 520 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked B-Tier as a sweeper. Ice Beam with Life Orb is the standard set.

  • In Sword & Shield, 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.

  • In Sword & Shield, run Ice Beam, Recover, Thunderbolt, and Hydro Pump on Starmie. Ice Beam is the most common pick at 21% usage. This set covers the sweeper role with a mix of damage and utility.

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