Arguably the most useful Rapid Spinner the game had in Advance, Starmie rolls virtually unchanged into the ridiculously threatening realm of DP, its services much more called upon thanks to the advent of Stealth Rock. Surf is for STAB and is non-negotiable, as is Recover and a lot of HP EVs. 216 Speed EVs allow for 352 Speed, which will outpace max Speed Timid (non-Choice Scarf) Gengar (350) in addition to max Speed Naive Infernape (346). Pick Ice Beam if you're more worried about Garchomp and Salamence, and Thunderbolt if you're more concerned with Gyarados. Just be sure to note that Starmie has absolutely no business switching into Salamence until it's sure it isn't wearing Choice Specs (Draco Meteor will OHKO) and that it's likely Electivire and its Motor Drive will not be far behind Gyarados. If you are using Starmie as a Rapid Spinner, use Starmie as a Rapid Spinner; by that I mean don't let its 100 base Special Attack, great Special movepool, and the "special-attacker aura" therefore associated with it fool you. Starmie has steadily been less and less able to get away with boasting a "special attacker" tag from RBY to GSC to Advance to DP. Don't even think of putting Choice Specs over Leftovers or running Rapid Spin without Recover, as you'll be lucky enough to be facing an opponent who isn't using Weavile, Starmie's #1 bane in DP.
You remember your secret little crush from a couple years ago? The one with that nice set you couldn't help but stare at, knowing deep down what you wanted to do with it but stopping yourself because of what others might think? Well, gawk all you want now, cause that modest Starmie went out got itself a nice big pair...of multi-colored glasses, that is. Don't lie to yourself—you loved the notion of Surf/Thunderbolt/Ice Beam/Psychic in Advance, and Choice Specs were seemingly made for the shimmering supernova and its 115 base Speed, 100 base Special Attack, and myriad special attacks. If SpecsMence keeps you up at night, SpecStar should at least make you flinch if you're not using a Pursuit Pokémon to ensure it's a falling star you can catch. Grass Knot is recommended over Psychic for the same reasons Starmie has considerable trouble in DP where it did not in Advance. This is because of Pursuit mainly and Tyranitar in general, who, thanks to the Special Defense boost granted to it by Sandstream, will never be OHKOed by a 328 SpA Choice Specs Surf even at its standard 342 HP / 236 SpD (4EVs/min) Choice Band EV spread (Surf will do 83-98%), since its SpD is actually effectively 354. Therefore, the least SpecsStar can do is keep Tyranitar from switching into it without any fear, and Grass Knot also tags Electivire nicely if it tries to predict a Thunderbolt and Gyarados as well if it predicts anything but Thunderbolt (and, therefore, doesn't switch to 'Vire). Hydro Pump is temptingly appealing, capable of doing 30-35% to the standard Blissey on the switch, but its 80% accuracy is why I hesitate to recommend it as the main STABed option.
This is very similar to the Spinner set, but foregoing Rapid Spin for a third attacking move makes all the difference in the world. All things considered, this Starmie can serve as a decent Garchomp, Gyarados, and Infernape counter in one, an ability no Pokémon this side of Lugia can brag about. If you are using Donphan or Forretress as your Rapid Spinner (or don't care about Stealth Rock, Toxic Spikes, and/or Spikes), use this Starmie to keep the aforementioned threats at bay, without worrying about not having Thunderbolt to take down Gyarados or Ice Beam to stop a Garchomp sweep. Be careful about tangling with the latter before you know its set, though (hopefully a Swords Dance variant), as it doesn't take an astrophysicist to figure out that this Star isn't beating a Choice Scarf or Choice Band Garchomp any time soon. Other OptionsFeel free to throw an Expert Belt over Choice Specs on Starmie on the SpecStar set, especially if you're playing in-game in the Battle/Wifi Tower or in a 3-on-3 environment. There is no reason to use Power Gem unless you're terrified of Articuno or Vespiquen, since Thunderbolt and Ice Beam cover every Flying-type or Levitate Pokémon. Reflect, Light Screen, Confuse Ray and especially Thunder Wave are all decent options on Starmie that don't exactly warrant the construction of a different moveset altogether. EVsThe 216 Spe EVs on the Spinner and CounterStar sets give Starmie enough Speed to outrun Gengar. The SpA EVs provide enough to guarantee the OHKO on Garchomp, with the rest of EVs in HP to give Starmie some switch-in power against Infernape, Garchomp, and Gyarados. You can go with 320 or 304 HP (for Leftovers recovery) on the Spinner or CounterStar sets if you'd like; just take 76 or 12, respectively, EVs from SpA and throw them into HP. Be warned though, that you are no longer guarenteed an OHKO on Garchomp. Furthermore, if you don't care about Gengar, you can drop your Speed 16 EVs from 352 to 347, a point above Infernape's max Speed. OpinionWeavile did to Starmie from Advance to DP what Skarmory did to Tauros from RBY to GSC: singlehandedly take it from superstar to suspect. Everyone has a soft spot for Starmie somewhere in their heart, but it is going to be hard for it to feature prominently with Weavile, Tyranitar, and even Metagross and Heracross, all of whom have Pursuit, having a much easier time switching into a Pokémon who is depended upon so much more for Rapid Spinning than it ever was in Advance. When you realize the impact of Pursuit becoming physical and the addition of Stealth Rock, you can see why Starmie has taken a significant hit this generation. It can still be used very well, though, as it's not as if it didn't get better. CountersBlissey is able to completely wall Starmie. Cresselia also isn't afraid of Starmie at all, and can threaten it with Charge Beam or Grass Knot. Tyranitar can switch into virtually any attack Starmie has and not be OHKOed thanks to Sand Stream's 1.5× SpD boost (even Specs 328 SpA Hydro Pump actually does 89-105% to 404HP/236SpD [max/min] Tyranitar, which may surprise some), and Tyranitar can revenge kill with Pursuit. Weavile can do the same since, though it doesn't have Tyranitar's HP or SpD, it has Starmie edged out in the speed department. Metagross's nice 90 base SpD and Pursuit let it switch in rather easily. Choice Scarf Heracross is the owner of a 95 base SpD and can either Megahorn Starmie if it stays in or Pursuit it for the OHKO if it switches. Snorlax doesn't like the notion of a Choice Specs Surf, but that will likely be rare and will definitely not 2HKO at full health. Snorlax also joins the list of Pokémon who can threaten to Pursuit a switching Starmie. Ghost Pokémon in general are great switches into Starmie, thanks to both the outlined emphasis on Rapid Spin in the competitive metagame and the fact that Starmie can't hit most of them for super effective damage (and likely will not have Psychic for Gengar). Spiritomb especially threatens Starmie with the awesome Sucker Punch/Pursuit combination, with STAB, 92 base Attack, 108 base SpD and an eventual Pain Split to back it up. Celebi can switch into Starmie and threaten with Grass Knot or Energy Ball supported by STAB, Recover, and its legendary all-100 base stats, in spite of the threat of Ice Beam. Regice can still switch into Starmie and threaten to Thunderbolt it. Raikou and its 100 base SpD and the same base 115 Speed can also hazard a switch without risking too much. |
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