
Is Starmie Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Water Stone on Staryu. Water/Psychic with AbilityNatural Cure clearing status on switch. One of the fastest and most versatile special attackers available. Handles Pryce, Jasmine, and most of the E4. Hard to justify leaving Starmie off any HGSS team.
Staryu has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Staryu trades roughly evenly with Bugsy's team.
Staryu trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Staryu trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Chuck's typing presses Staryu's defenses.
Starmie has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Starmie has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Starmie trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Starmie resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Starmie trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Starmie has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Starmie trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Starmie has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Starmie trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Starmie resists most of Blaine's coverage and hits back hard.
Starmie has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Starmie has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Starmie has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Starmie has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Starmie has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Starmie has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Catch Staryu
Catch Staryu on Route 47 (Surf, Lv 15-25, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Kimono Girl in the Ecruteak Dance Theater
- LV 28WaterBubble BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Item ball on Ice Path 1F
- LV 55WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
Evolve Staryu to Starmie
Staryu evolves into Starmie with a Water Stone. You can receive the Water Stone from an NPC in Route 42. 2 other locations are also available.
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 15Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Kimono Girl in the Ecruteak Dance Theater
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Item ball on Ice Path 1F
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
How to Get Starmie in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Surf up a Staryu first, since Starmie never appears on its own, then drop a Water Stone on it for the Psychic-typing and the stat jump that follows.
Wild Starmie may be holding when caught:
Catch Staryu at any of these 8 spots to eventually evolve into Starmie.
Encountered via fishing with a Rod, Surfing
- 1Catch Staryu
- 2Evolve StarmieUse Water Stone
How to Obtain Starmie in HGSS
Staryu is your first catch on the way to Starmie. You'll find fishing and surfing encounters from Lv. 15-40 across 30 total spots in the chain.
Step 1Catch StaryuRoute 47Lv.15-25Surfing on waterRate 10%Cherrygrove CityLv.20Good RodRate 10%NightCianwood CityLv.20Good RodRate 10%NightOlivine CityLv.20Good RodRate 10%NightRoute 34Lv.20Good RodRate 10%NightRoute 40Lv.20Good RodRate 10%NightUnion Cave - B2FLv.20Good RodRate 10%NightRoute 19Lv.20Good RodRate 10%NightCherrygrove CityLv.40Super RodRate 30%NightCianwood CityLv.40Super RodRate 30%NightOlivine CityLv.40Super RodRate 30%NightRoute 34Lv.40Super RodRate 30%NightRoute 40Lv.40Super RodRate 30%NightUnion Cave - B2FLv.40Super RodRate 30%NightRoute 19Lv.40Super RodRate 30%Night
Step 2Starmie ✓
How to Get Shiny Starmie in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Starmie needs a Water Stone, so breed a Staryu Masuda-style at 1 in 1,638 and evolve it once it shines. Compare Shiny Starmie odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Starmie Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your HeartGold & SoulSilver shiny odds for Starmie.
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass, Bug, Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting, Psychic, Steel |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Starmie Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Starmie
Cacturne GrassDark | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Starmie View Cacturne builds →Solar Beam 2x129-152%KO Sucker Punch 2x86-102%KO Pin Missile 2x11-13% | ||
Shiftry GrassDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Starmie View Shiftry builds →Leaf Storm 2x124-146%KO Dark Pulse 2x71-84% X-Scissor 2x51-61% Shadow Ball 2x48-56% | ||
Sceptile Grass | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Treecko (Silph Co Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Starmie View Sceptile builds →Leaf Storm 2x141-165%KO X-Scissor 2x46-54% Night Slash 2x40-48% | ||
Raikou Electric | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Starmie View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x103-122%KO Shadow Ball 2x58-68% Crunch 2x46-54% | ||
Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Starmie View Roserade builds →Solar Beam 2x139-164%KO Shadow Ball 2x62-74% | ||
Tangrowth Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Starmie View Tangrowth builds →Solar Beam 2x125-148%KO Shock Wave 2x42-50% Payback 2x33-39% | ||
Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Starmie View Ludicolo builds →Solar Beam 2x106-125%KO Thief 2x20-24% Astonish 2x15-18% | ||
Cradily RockGrass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Lileep (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Starmie View Cradily builds →Solar Beam 2x98-115%KO Astonish 2x17-21% | ||
Meganium Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chikorita (New Bark Town Gift) | ||
Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Bulbasaur (Pallet Town Gift) | ||
Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodRoute 10 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Starmie View Zapdos builds →Thunderbolt 2x111-131%KO U-turn 2x42-50% | ||
Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Starmie View Victreebel builds →Leaf Storm 2x135-159%KO Thief 2x28-32% | ||
Carnivine Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Starmie View Carnivine builds →Solar Beam 2x106-125%KO Crunch 2x51-61% | ||
Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
Starmie Evolutions
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
Breeding
Starmie is genderless — breed with Ditto to produce Staryu eggs. Part of the Water 3 egg group.
HGSS Starmie Best Moveset
Fast special Water/Psychic attacker at 100 Sp. Atk and 115 Speed with AbilityNatural Cure clearing status on every switch. The moveset removes TermEntry Hazards with MoveRapid Spin, fires special damage, and switches out clean. One of the best utility attackers available.
Best Build
Starmie best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Rapid Spin
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
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 Surf into something with actual range.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
All 24 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
The middle section of its body is called the core. It glows in a different color each time it is seen.
Regardless of the environment it lives in, its body grows to form a symmetrical geometric shape.
Starmie HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Starmie as a sweeper. Splits damage between physical and special. It outspeeds most threats, Surf is the primary attack.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, run Timid on Starmie. +Speed is what matters, and the -Attack cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the sweeper role.
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
- Gen 1RBDebut

Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS

Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS

Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG

FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP

Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS

HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW

Black & White - Gen 5B2W2

Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY

X & Y - Gen 6ORAS

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM

Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM

Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh

Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV

Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW

Winds & Waves
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