I think same but I will add it in to OC.
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Starmie (Analysis)
- Thread starter bugmaniacbob
- Start date
The only other thing I can think of would be a mention of a bulkier spread (maybe 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe?) on the Rapid Spin set if Starmie is going to be relied on heavily to counter something like Gyarados. Hell I've seen people use Bold Starmie pretty well, but yeah just a quick mention somewhere is fine.
QC Approved 2/2
QC Approved 2/2
copy-editing
<p>Starmie is—along with Gengar, Snorlax, and Zapdos—one of four Pokemon who has been in the OU tier since first introduced in RBY. All four of these Pokemon have arguably changed very little since that time. As such, Starmie continues to lay acclaim to its BoltBeam coverage and its powerful Water-type STAB, which, backed by its impressive Speed and reasonable Special Attack, remains at the core of Starmie's usefulness. However, Starmie gained with the generation shift a number of useful tools. In the way of new attacks, Starmie received Psycho Shock, which; when combined with Choice Specs, a Modest nature, and Stealth Rock; can allow Starmie to 2HKO its greatest nemesis, Blissey. This means that Starmie can regain its old status as a Pokemon without any safe switch-ins. Another useful new move is Boiling Water, a Water-type equivalent of Lava Plume that allows Starmie to spread the burn status around the foe's team and catch and cripple a Pursuit-trapper that tries to get lucky.</p>
<p>However, not all changes to the 5th generations are beneficial to Starmie; with a new generation come a fresh batch of greatly threatening enemies. Ferrothorn stands out among them because of its capacity to withstand just about everything Starmie throws its way, and because Ferrothorn has many effective countermoves in its arsenal. Erufuun also promises to be a great source of annoyance, due in part to its base Speed, which is just 1 point higher than Starmie's. Despite all of this, the future is not necessarily bleak for the falling star. With the introduction of so many new and fast threats, Starmie's high Speed and its use in Rapid Spinning to Pokemon such as Volcarona will likely be called upon much more often than before, especially considering Starmie's ability to defeat Jellicent, Chandelure, and Golurk. All in all, expect Starmie to be just as good as it has always been, and that's higher praise than most.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Hidden Power Fire / Recover
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Where would Starmie be without its bread-and-butter offensive set? While its composition has certainly not remained constant, Starmie's offensive set has barely changed in its fundamental impact, with a high-power STAB attack backed up by comprehensive coverage and recovery. Hydro Pump is a hard-hitting STAB attack that Starmie uses very well; however, it is certainly true that its accuracy is questionable, and therefore some may prefer the more reliable Surf as an alternative. The next two slots are devoted to attacking moves, which cover all the types that resist Starmie's Water-type STAB. Ice Beam covers Grass- and Dragon-types while Thunderbolt strikes down opposing Water-types, providing a combination resisted by none but Shedinja and Volt Absorb Lanturn.</p>
<p>In the last slot, Recover is the traditional option that lengthens Starmie's lifespan and becomes all the more important when you consider the recoil caused by Life Orb. Passive damage can wear Starmie down very quickly, and so it is advisable to keep a recovery move in reserve. However, in this new generation, in order to meet the rising demands of an ever-increasing threat list, you can choose to drop Recover in favor of a number of attacking options. Hidden Power Fire is chief among them, allowing Starmie to easily 2HKO Ferrothorn, one of Starmie's biggest threats,[1] and also allowing Starmie to remove Scizor with little trouble. On the other hand, Psycho Shock is a second STAB move that can actually 2HKO Calm Blissey, removing Starmie's greatest nemesis. However, remember that neither of these moves have much utility outside of these specific targets, so generally Recover is better unless you have no other way of dealing with the aforementioned threats on your team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature are relatively straightforward. Timid and 252 Speed EVs are essential in order to outrun the very large contingent lurking just above the base 100 mark, with particular emphasis on Garchomp and Terrakion. After that, maximize Special Attack to hit as hard as possible, and then chuck the rest in HP. Much of Starmie's success stems from its ability of choice, Natural Cure, which makes it effectively immune to status, making Thunder Wave and Toxic essentially a non-issue. Boiling Water is another option in the first moveslot if you want to try to cripple the opponent's Physical Sweepers, and it has pretty decent power as well. Rapid Spin is also an option in the last slot if you think you have partners that could make good use of it, or just want a way to surprise the opponent.</p>
<p>Entry hazard support is very helpful in allowing Starmie to acquire the necessary 2HKOs and OHKOs that it promises, as it primarily operates unboosted. With the strength of its type coverage, Starmie has very few Pokemon that can switch into it directly. It is also very difficult to outrun and hence revenge kill without resorting to priority. However, the main bulky Pokemon who will be causing Starmie pain include Ferrothorn, Blissey, and Snorlax. Evolution Stone Porygon2 is also a massive pain, as it is not 2HKOed even by Hydro Pump without previous damage, and Porygon2 can strike back with Thunderbolt or just Recover off its damage. All of these opposing Pokemon have a Fighting-type weakness, so a Pokemon such as Conkeldurr or Machamp can be a fantastic ally to dispose of them. Dugtrio can trap and revenge kill Blissey thanks to Arena Trap and STAB Earthquake, and can also threaten Snorlax, Tyranitar, and various Steel-types. To deal with Ferrothorn, Magnezone can be employed to trap and OHKO with Hidden Power Fire. Magnezone is also a useful ally against Scizor, who could try to revenge kill Starmie with Bullet Punch or U-turn trap, and can also use its powerful Electric-type STAB moves against bulky Water-types.</p>
<p>Aside from these dedicated special walls, Starmie will generally have the most trouble with bulky Grass- and Water-types, the most important here being Ferrothorn and Kingdra respectively. Both have resistance to Starmie's STAB moves and neutrality to its coverage moves, so can pretty much switch in with impunity. Both can also wipe Starmie out with their STAB moves. Magnezone has already been mentioned for use against Ferrothorn, but for Celebi and Shaymin, you may want an alternative. Heatran makes an excellent partner thanks to its ability to come in on Grass-, Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks with impunity and has a powerful STAB Fire Blast to obliterate bulky Grass-types with. Both Heatran and Starmie have trouble with bulky Water-types, however. Generally the best way to be rid of these Water-types, primarily Suicune, Kingdra, and Lanturn, is to hit it with a strong super effective attack. Ferrothorn and the previously mentioned Magnezone work well for this reason.</p>
[1] This tone seems to contradict that of the second paragraph.
~~~~~~~~~~
Editor's note: I don't know whether Smogon cares about standard grammar. I'm just trying to help out. The first two paragraphs, I edited to the best of my knowledge. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth; I edited basic grammar. The last, I edited only Smogon grammar. I'll edit more in the way that most reflects the community's positive response.
<p>Starmie is—along with Gengar, Snorlax, and Zapdos—one of four Pokemon who has been in the OU tier since first introduced in RBY. All four of these Pokemon have arguably changed very little since that time. As such, Starmie continues to lay acclaim to its BoltBeam coverage and its powerful Water-type STAB, which, backed by its impressive Speed and reasonable Special Attack, remains at the core of Starmie's usefulness. However, Starmie gained with the generation shift a number of useful tools. In the way of new attacks, Starmie received Psycho Shock, which; when combined with Choice Specs, a Modest nature, and Stealth Rock; can allow Starmie to 2HKO its greatest nemesis, Blissey. This means that Starmie can regain its old status as a Pokemon without any safe switch-ins. Another useful new move is Boiling Water, a Water-type equivalent of Lava Plume that allows Starmie to spread the burn status around the foe's team and catch and cripple a Pursuit-trapper that tries to get lucky.</p>
<p>However, not all changes to the 5th generations are beneficial to Starmie; with a new generation come a fresh batch of greatly threatening enemies. Ferrothorn stands out among them because of its capacity to withstand just about everything Starmie throws its way, and because Ferrothorn has many effective countermoves in its arsenal. Erufuun also promises to be a great source of annoyance, due in part to its base Speed, which is just 1 point higher than Starmie's. Despite all of this, the future is not necessarily bleak for the falling star. With the introduction of so many new and fast threats, Starmie's high Speed and its use in Rapid Spinning to Pokemon such as Volcarona will likely be called upon much more often than before, especially considering Starmie's ability to defeat Jellicent, Chandelure, and Golurk. All in all, expect Starmie to be just as good as it has always been, and that's higher praise than most.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Hidden Power Fire / Recover
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Where would Starmie be without its bread-and-butter offensive set? While its composition has certainly not remained constant, Starmie's offensive set has barely changed in its fundamental impact, with a high-power STAB attack backed up by comprehensive coverage and recovery. Hydro Pump is a hard-hitting STAB attack that Starmie uses very well; however, it is certainly true that its accuracy is questionable, and therefore some may prefer the more reliable Surf as an alternative. The next two slots are devoted to attacking moves, which cover all the types that resist Starmie's Water-type STAB. Ice Beam covers Grass- and Dragon-types while Thunderbolt strikes down opposing Water-types, providing a combination resisted by none but Shedinja and Volt Absorb Lanturn.</p>
<p>In the last slot, Recover is the traditional option that lengthens Starmie's lifespan and becomes all the more important when you consider the recoil caused by Life Orb. Passive damage can wear Starmie down very quickly, and so it is advisable to keep a recovery move in reserve. However, in this new generation, in order to meet the rising demands of an ever-increasing threat list, you can choose to drop Recover in favor of a number of attacking options. Hidden Power Fire is chief among them, allowing Starmie to easily 2HKO Ferrothorn, one of Starmie's biggest threats,[1] and also allowing Starmie to remove Scizor with little trouble. On the other hand, Psycho Shock is a second STAB move that can actually 2HKO Calm Blissey, removing Starmie's greatest nemesis. However, remember that neither of these moves have much utility outside of these specific targets, so generally Recover is better unless you have no other way of dealing with the aforementioned threats on your team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature are relatively straightforward. Timid and 252 Speed EVs are essential in order to outrun the very large contingent lurking just above the base 100 mark, with particular emphasis on Garchomp and Terrakion. After that, maximize Special Attack to hit as hard as possible, and then chuck the rest in HP. Much of Starmie's success stems from its ability of choice, Natural Cure, which makes it effectively immune to status, making Thunder Wave and Toxic essentially a non-issue. Boiling Water is another option in the first moveslot if you want to try to cripple the opponent's Physical Sweepers, and it has pretty decent power as well. Rapid Spin is also an option in the last slot if you think you have partners that could make good use of it, or just want a way to surprise the opponent.</p>
<p>Entry hazard support is very helpful in allowing Starmie to acquire the necessary 2HKOs and OHKOs that it promises, as it primarily operates unboosted. With the strength of its type coverage, Starmie has very few Pokemon that can switch into it directly. It is also very difficult to outrun and hence revenge kill without resorting to priority. However, the main bulky Pokemon who will be causing Starmie pain include Ferrothorn, Blissey, and Snorlax. Evolution Stone Porygon2 is also a massive pain, as it is not 2HKOed even by Hydro Pump without previous damage, and Porygon2 can strike back with Thunderbolt or just Recover off its damage. All of these opposing Pokemon have a Fighting-type weakness, so a Pokemon such as Conkeldurr or Machamp can be a fantastic ally to dispose of them. Dugtrio can trap and revenge kill Blissey thanks to Arena Trap and STAB Earthquake, and can also threaten Snorlax, Tyranitar, and various Steel-types. To deal with Ferrothorn, Magnezone can be employed to trap and OHKO with Hidden Power Fire. Magnezone is also a useful ally against Scizor, who could try to revenge kill Starmie with Bullet Punch or U-turn trap, and can also use its powerful Electric-type STAB moves against bulky Water-types.</p>
<p>Aside from these dedicated special walls, Starmie will generally have the most trouble with bulky Grass- and Water-types, the most important here being Ferrothorn and Kingdra respectively. Both have resistance to Starmie's STAB moves and neutrality to its coverage moves, so can pretty much switch in with impunity. Both can also wipe Starmie out with their STAB moves. Magnezone has already been mentioned for use against Ferrothorn, but for Celebi and Shaymin, you may want an alternative. Heatran makes an excellent partner thanks to its ability to come in on Grass-, Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks with impunity and has a powerful STAB Fire Blast to obliterate bulky Grass-types with. Both Heatran and Starmie have trouble with bulky Water-types, however. Generally the best way to be rid of these Water-types, primarily Suicune, Kingdra, and Lanturn, is to hit it with a strong super effective attack. Ferrothorn and the previously mentioned Magnezone work well for this reason.</p>
[1] This tone seems to contradict that of the second paragraph.
~~~~~~~~~~
Editor's note: I don't know whether Smogon cares about standard grammar. I'm just trying to help out. The first two paragraphs, I edited to the best of my knowledge. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth; I edited basic grammar. The last, I edited only Smogon grammar. I'll edit more in the way that most reflects the community's positive response.
Smogon cares about for grammar, to the poster above.
That's why we have GP. I'm not a part of that, though I can try and help out!
remove
add
[Overview]
<p>Starmie is one of four Pokemon, the others being Gengar, Snorlax, and Zapdos, who have been in the OU tier ever since they were first introduced in RBY. All four of them have arguably changed very little since they were first introduced, and Starmie is no exception. Starmie has always had its acclaimed BoltBeam coverage alongside its powerful Water-type STAB, backed by its impressive Speed and reasonable Special Attack, and this remains the very core of its power,. However in the generation shift it gained a number of new and useful tools. In the way of new attacks, Starmie received Psycho Shock, which when combined with Choice Specs, a Modest nature, and Stealth Rock can actually allow Starmie to 2HKO its greatest nemesis, Blissey - which means that Starmie can reclaim its old title of having no safe switch-ins. Other useful tools include Another useful tool is Boiling Water, a Water-type Lava Plume, which can allow Starmie to spread the burn status around the foe's team, and can also catch out and cripple a Pursuit-trapper that tries to get lucky.</p>
<p>However, with a new generation comes new enemies that threaten Starmie greatly. Ferrothorn stands out among them, being able to take just about everything Starmie has and is while being equipped with every tool necessary to stop it, and Erufuun promises to be a great source of annoyance as well, due in part to its base Speed, which is just 1 point higher than Starmie's. Despite all this, the future is not necessarily bleak for the falling star. With the introduction of so many new and fast threats, Starmie's high Speed will likely be called upon much more often than before, not to mention the value of Rapid Spinning to Pokemon such as Volcarona, especially considering Starmie's ability to defeat Jellicent, Chandelure, and Golurk. All in all, expect Starmie to be just as good as it has always been, and that's higher praise than most.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Hidden Power Fire / Recover
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Where would Starmie be without its bread-and-butter offensive set? While its composition has certainly not remained constant, Starmie's offensive set has barely changed in its fundamental impact, with a high-power STAB attack backed up by comprehensive coverage and recovery. Hydro Pump is a hard-hitting STAB attack that Starmie uses very well; however, it is certainly true that its accuracy is questionable, and therefore some may prefer the more reliable Surf as an alternative. The next two slots are devoted to attacking moves, which cover all the types that resist Starmie's Water-type STAB. Ice Beam covers Grass- and Dragon-types while Thunderbolt strikes down opposing Water-types, providing a combination resisted by none but Shedinja and Volt Absorb Lanturn.</p>
<p>In the last slot, Recover is the traditional option, which lengthens Starmie's lifespan, and becomes all the more important when you consider the recoil caused by Life Orb. Passive damage can wear Starmie down very quickly, and so it is advisable to keep a recovery move in reserve; however, in this new generation, in order to meet the rising demands of an ever-increasing threat list, you can choose to drop Recover in favour of a number of attacking options. Hidden Power Fire is chief among them, allowing Starmie to easily 2HKO Ferrothorn, one of Starmie's biggest threats, and also allowing Starmie to remove Scizor with little trouble. On the other hand, Psycho Shock is a second STAB move that can actually 2HKO Calm Blissey, removing Starmie's greatest nemesis as a factor. However, remember that neither of these moves have much utility outside of these specific targets, so generally Recover is better unless you have no other way of dealing with the aforementioned threats on your team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature are relatively straightforward. Timid and 252 Speed EVs are essential in order to outrun the very large contingent of Pokemon lurking just above the base 100 mark, with particular emphasis on Garchomp and Terrakion. After that, maximise Special Attack to hit as hard as possible, and then chuck the rest in HP. Much of Starmie's success stems from its ability of choice, Natural Cure, which makes it effectively immune to status, making Thunder Wave and Toxic essentially a non-issue. Boiling Water is another option in the first moveslot if you want to try to cripple the opponent's physical sweepers, and it has pretty decent power as well. Rapid Spin is also an option in the last slot if you think you have partners that could make good use of it, or just want a way to surprise the opponent.</p>
<p>Entry hazard support is very helpful to allow Starmie to acquire gain the necessary 2HKOs and OHKOs that it promises, as it is essentially operating unboosted. With the strength of its type coverage, Starmie has very few Pokemon that can switch into it directly. It is also very difficult to outrun and hence revenge kill without resorting to priority. However, the main bulky Pokemon who will be causing Starmie pain include Ferrothorn, Blissey, and Snorlax. Evolution Stone Porygon2 is also a massive pain, as it is not 2HKOed even by Hydro Pump without previous damage, and can strike back with Thunderbolt or just Recover off its damage. All of these Pokemon have a Fighting-type weakness, so a Pokemon such as Conkeldurr or Machamp can be a fantastic ally to dispose of them. Dugtrio can trap and revenge kill Blissey thanks to Arena Trap and STAB Earthquake, and can also threaten Snorlax, Tyranitar, and various Steel-types. To deal with Ferrothorn, Magnezone can be employed to trap and OHKO with Hidden Power Fire. Magnezone is also a useful ally against Scizor, who could try to revenge kill Starmie with Bullet Punch or U-turn trap, and can also use its powerful Electric-type STAB moves against bulky Water-types.</p>
<p>Aside from these dedicated special walls, Starmie will generally have the most trouble with bulky Grass- and Water-types, the most important here being Ferrothorn and Kingdra respectively especially Ferrothorn and Kingdra. Both have resistance to Starmie's STAB moves and neutrality to its coverage moves, so they can pretty much switch in with impunity. Both can also wipe Starmie out with their STAB moves. Magnezone has already been mentioned for use against Ferrothorn, but for Celebi and Shaymin, you may want an alternative. Heatran makes an excellent partner thanks to its ability to come in on Grass-, Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks with impunity and has a powerful STAB Fire Blast to obliterate bulky Grass-types with. Both Heatran and Starmie have trouble with bulky Water-types, however. Generally the best way to be rid of these Water-types, primarily Suicune, Kingdra, and Lanturn, is to hit it them with a strong super effective attack. Ferrothorn and the previously mentioned Magnezone work well for this reason.</p>
[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move1: Rapid Spin
move2: Surf / Hydro Pump
move3: Thunderbolt / Ice Beam
move4: Recover
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is more focused on the support nature of Starmie than its offensive nature, through the use of a very rare move, Rapid Spin, which Starmie can make excellent use of. The key to Starmie's effectiveness as a Rapid Spinner is its potent offensive ability, as most people would not switch a Ghost-type into Starmie first time, meaning that you actually have a pretty good chance of bluffing an offensive set and getting a free Rapid Spin off. Starmie is also one of the strongest Rapid Spinners offensively, so is capable of dealing severe damage to many Ghost-types foolish enough to switch in, helped by the fact that two common Ghost-types, Chandelure and Golurk, are both weak to its STAB Water-type moves.</p>
<p>Once again, a STAB Water-type move is essential to make the most of Starmie's offensive capabilities. Surf is the most reliable option, though Hydro Pump is also worth a look in try for the increased offensive power. Boiling Water is another option in case you want some added utility. Recover is also a good idea in order to maintain Starmie's presence on the field, as not only is Starmie likely to be called upon multiple time to keep the ground free of hazards, but it is also a powerful offensive threat, and worth saving if possible. Lastly, a coverage move is imperative so that you pose more of an offensive threat, especially to those Ghost-types who resist Starmie's STAB. Thunderbolt is given as a critical option for this set, since this is the only way you will be able to hit Jellicent, one of the most popular Ghost-types available. Ice Beam is generally speaking the secondary option, but if you are genuinely worried about Hydreigon and Celebi, it is always available.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As this Starmie is playing more of a support role, it helps to stick around for longer. While Recover helps with this somewhat, Leftovers is the primary option to improve its recovery rate, although Life Orb is also an option if you want Starmie to be more of an offensive presence. The EVs, again, are self-explanatory sweeper EVs for a sweeper, with 252 EVs in both Special Attack and Speed. If you want to play Starmie more defensively, a bulkier spread can be used in order to give Starmie a greater potential to switch in, lessening the necessity of using Recover. 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe is a reasonably good bulky spread, but this compromises Starmie's offensive power significantly.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, Starmie can just bulldoze through most Ghost-types, with the possible exception exceptions of Jellicent and Evolution Stone Dusclops, but it is still threatened by Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Chandelure, who can be very troublesome if they predict a Rapid Spin and switch in, so you may want to include a Pursuit-user such as Tyranitar in order to deal with them. On the offensive side, you are limited by the fact that you have only one coverage move available, meaning you are left open to either bulky Grass- and Dragon-types or bulky Water-types. If you choose Thunderbolt, Celebi, Hydreigon, and Shaymin will all be troublesome opponents. To deal with them, something with a strong Ice-type move is recommended, such as Mamoswine or Kyurem. Scizor is also notable in that it can hit all of the aforementioned threats super effectively with its U-turn, but all of them outrun it, making it a shaky check. A strong Fire-type such as Heatran can be used to deal with Grass-types, though it has trouble with the many support moves that Grass-types like to use, and can barely touch most Dragon-types. If Starmie is using going with Ice Beam instead, bulky Water-types become more troublesome. For example, Suicune can set up Calm Mind in your face and obliterate the rest of your team. To deal with them, a specially defensive Grass- or Water-type is recommended - Ferrothorn can hit back with STAB Power Whip and lay down entry hazards, and has excellent defensive synergy with Starmie, while Vaporeon or Jellicent can block Water-type attacks with Water Absorb - Vaporeon is an excellent choice since it can use Hidden Power Electric, Roar, or Toxic, while also passing Starmie extremely bulky Wishes, which greatly helps Starmie's survivability.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Trick / Psycho Shock
item: Choice Specs
nature: Timid / Modest
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Specs Starmie is a vicious attacker, and can be an immensely potent special sweeper. The idea of this set is simply to hit hard and fast, trusting to Starmie's superb type coverage and Speed in order to secure vital KOs. Hydro Pump is advised for your STAB option, as the Choice Specs set needs to hit as hard as possible in order to best take advantage of the power available; however, Surf is an agreeable alternative should you want it for reliability. The elemental counterparts of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are, as always, necessary for coverage, creating the infamous "Bolt-Beam" combination.</p>
<p>The last moveslot is reserved for a way to foul up Blissey and other 'counters'. Trick is a very useful way of crippling anything on the opponent's team, and if you can catch Blissey or Ferrothorn with it on the switch, it can be very rewarding indeed, as you will greatly hinder their effectiveness as walls. On the other hand, Psycho Shock is a useful option that allows you to 2HKO special walls such as Blissey with entry hazard damage; however, this means you are locked into a Psychic-type attack, making you pretty much set-up fodder for Scizor and Excadrill.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs remain unchanged, as Starmie really needs Speed and power over anything else. Timid is also generally the most favorable nature for the reasons already stated - Starmie cannot afford to lose out on the Speed front. This is especially important as Starmie will be switching very often already, as is the nature of Choice sets, and so will not want to be forced out if it can help it. However, if you want you can run a Modest nature, as not only does it allow you to hit just about everything harder, which allows you to wear down the opponent's team more easily, but it also allows you to 2HKO even the most defensive of Blissey with Psycho Shock after Stealth Rock, and even sometimes without.</p>
<p>Entry hazards are an important factors to consider for any Starmie set, but with Choice Specs Starmie this is a very crucial point. This Starmie will be forcing plenty of switches, so it is best to capitalize on this with a nice few layers of entry hazards. Deoxys-S can lay down both Spikes and Stealth Rock, while Ferrothorn can do the same, and has the benefit of considerable defensive synergy with Starmie, as it resists Starmie's Electric-, Grass-, Dark-, and Ghost-type weaknesses, while Starmie resists its Fighting- and Fire-type weaknesses. The same is true in reverse, as Starmie will be switching very often itself, and so Rapid Spin is not so inconsiderable a proposal a bad idea.</p>
<p>Choice Specs Starmie is very good at breaking down plenty of walls, and even those resistant to its STAB moves take heavy damage - 4 HP Hydreigon takes a minimum of 41% from Timid Hydro Pump, meaning that it can be 2HKOed with Stealth Rock if you get a high damage roll. Even those that can take its attacks, such as Blissey, can easily be crippled with a predicted Trick or Psycho Shock on the switch. Because of this, sweepers that have problems with the Pokemon that Starmie baits, namely Blissey, Grass-types, and Water-types, are all good partners to Starmie. Butterfly Dance Volcarona benefits greatly from the removal of Blissey and bulky Water-types, and can break through Ferrothorn, whom Starmie cannot handle. Such Pokemon as Cloyster and Latios are good partners for similar reasons.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>In terms of support for itself, Starmie generally does not need all that much to function as a successful attacker. However, as with all offensive Pokemon, Starmie greatly appreciates entry hazard damage, which is magnified since Starmie is excellent at forcing switches due to its ability to threaten so many different kinds of Pokemon. U-turn pivoting is also helpful to secure a free switch, and can be provided by Pokemon like Scizor, who tends to draw in Fire-types for Starmie to smack down on. This also allows you to ward off Grass-types, whom Starmie will appreciate seeing the back of. Up to a point, Politoed can make an excellent partner for its Drizzle ability, as not only does it banish the weather effects that plague Starmie so, it boosts Starmie's Water-type STAB moves and allows the use of Thunder, which becomes far more powerful reliable under the rain. Lastly, if you are not carrying any recovery move, Starmie will greatly appreciate Wish support from Blissey or Vaporeon, allowing it to continue its rampage for longer.</p>
<p>The Pokemon that are most likely to foil Starmie's attempts at breaking the opposing team are general walls, such as Blissey, Snorlax, Ferrothorn, Porygon2, and Chansey. Thus, Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr are excellent partners, as their STAB moves are super effective on all those Pokemon mentioned, and can easily dispose of them once positioned to do so. Trappers like Dugtrio are also helpful to remove important threats to Starmie without a second thought, notably Blissey, Chansey, Lanturn, and Tyranitar. Magnezone is a powerful ally that can trap and OHKO Ferrothorn and Scizor with Hidden Power Fire, while its powerful STAB Thunderbolt can tear apart bulky Water-types. Volcarona is another good partner, as it can come in on Grass-type attacks and set up, while Starmie can Rapid Spin away Stealth Rock to facilitate its sweep. Lastly, it is worth mentioning that, as Starmie will inevitably attract Pursuit-users, set-up sweepers with a resistance to Dark-type attacks can easily take advantage of Pokemon locked into Pursuit. Swords Dance Lucario and Rock Polish Terrakion are excellent examples; Terrakion in particular is notable for its Justice Heart ability, which boosts its Attack when hit by a Dark-type attack.</p>
<p>On the defensive side of things, Ferrothorn has almost perfect defensive synergy with Starmie - Ferrothorn resists all of Electric-, Grass-, Dark-, and Ghost-type attacks, while Starmie resists Ferrothorn's Fire- and Fighting-type weaknesses. The only fault is that Ferrothorn does not resist Bug-type attacks, which Starmie is weak to. Latias and other defensive Dragon-types resist both Grass- and Electric-type moves, the STAB proponents of which are big threats to Starmie, and Latias can defeat their owners with its impressive special bulk, access to Recover, and STAB Dragon-type moves. However, it shares weaknesses to Bug-, Ghost-, and Dark-type attacks due to its shared Psychic typing. Lastly, Heatran is worth a mention as it resists Starmie's Bug-, Grass-, Ghost-, and Dark-type weaknesses, while Starmie takes care of its Fighting-type weakness.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Even though many may think it redundant with Starmie's blistering Speed stat, a Choice Scarf set can actually work very effectively if you are in need of a revenge killer for numerous faster threats, such as Dragon Dance Salamence, Haxorus, and Gyarados, as well as destroying Choice Scarf Garchomp. However, even with this much Speed, you are still unable to outrun Excadrill under a sandstorm, and more to the point, you lack the power of the Choice Specs set, meaning you are relatively easy to set up on. Also, Trick can work with the item Bull's Eye quite effectively, as if you can catch a Ghost on the switch you can remove their Normal-type immunity, hence allowing you to freely Rapid Spin as you please. However, Starmie can generally better accomplish this by smashing the Ghost on the switch with a STAB attack.</p>
<p>Starmie has a few other special moves worth mentioning. Psychic gives it a stronger secondary STAB, while Grass Knot and Power Gem are worth mentioning for a slightly harder hit on foes such as Quagsire and Yanmega, respectively. Light Screen and Reflect are useful support options, which along with Thunder Wave could make a useful dual screens set, but unfortunately Starmie is outclassed by Deoxys-S and Azelf for the most part where support is concerned. Lastly, Mirror Type could be a fun little gimmick to annoy Ferrothorn and any Pursuit-trappers, but has no real competitive implications outside of that.</p>
[Counters]
<p>There are a whole host of Normal-type specially defensive opponents who can make Starmie's spikes fall off in frustration. Chief among these is its old nemesis Blissey, who can take everything outside of Psycho Shock and Trick, and can cripple with Thunder Wave or Toxic and proceed to stall Starmie out. However, between Natural Cure and Recover, Starmie has a chance to outstall Blissey itself. Its Blissey's old lackey Snorlax is also at hand, and has access to Pursuit to really make Starmie's life hell. Not only that, but the item Evolution Stone means that both Porygon2 and Chansey have the ability to take all of Starmie's attacks as well, both have reliable recovery, and unlike the former two, can easily take Psycho Shock as well. However, Trick really screws both of them over as neither can afford to lose their precious Evolution Stone. In terms of resistances, the closest thing to a total counter is Lanturn, who has excellent Special Defense and can take all of Starmie's attacks, thanks to resistances to Water- and Ice- and immunity to Electric-type attacks, while taking basically nothing even from Grass Knot and doing serious damage back with STAB Thunderbolt. However, it must beware of Starmie's STAB Psycho Shock if it carries it.</p>
<p>Starmie's next-biggest foes generally boil down to those that resist its STAB and can take a coverage attack. Ferrothorn is one of the biggest threats, as it can take just about everything Starmie throws at it barring Hidden Power Fire or Trick and has the potential to OHKO with STAB Power Whip, or can simply annoy Starmie with Leech Seed and Thunder Wave as it sets up Spikes. Celebi and Shaymin both have similar applications as bulky Grass-types. As far as bulky Water-types go, Lanturn has already been mentioned, but Suicune is also a nasty poser, with the ability to Calm Mind up on Starmie and blow it away with Hidden Power Electric. Jellicent is immune to Starmie's STAB attacks thanks to Water Absorb, has access to reliable recovery, and can also block Rapid Spin, making it a double threat, but Thunderbolt will sting and Psycho Shock won't be too pleasant either. Kingdra is also a potent threat, and unlike Jellicent cannot be scared away by Thunderbolt due to its neutrality, and can take the opportunity to set up Dragon Dance or begin firing off Draco Meteor. Other Dragon-types are similarly problematic if Starmie lacks Ice Beam.</p>
<p>Lastly, Starmie suffers greatly from being worn down by passive damage, and so can be worn down quite quickly. It is difficult to revenge kill due to its impressive Speed stat combined with its resistance to essentially every common priority attack; however, its Psychic typing brings with it a weakness to Pursuit, which is especially deadly for the Choice set in particular. Weavile is faster than Starmie and thus essentially place Starmie in a checkmate position, while the same is true of Choice Scarf Tyranitar. Scizor is another problem Pokemon, and also has the option of U-turning away if you have Magnezone waiting in the wings.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>For some reason, everybody was hoping and praying that Starmie would get Regeneration as its Dream World ability. However, Gamefreak committed yet another flavour faux pas, and gave Starmie an intriguing ability, Analyse, which is not strictly useless, but it is very close to it. In the hands of another Pokemon it could be a mighty weapon; however, for Starmie, it is just a bit wasted. The way it works is that, if Starmie is last to attack, its move is powered up. Of course, thanks to that awesome Speed stat Starmie is almost guaranteed to not move last, and that's not even considering how great Natural Cure is anyway, meaning Starmie barely even needs a new ability anyway. Analyse Staryu is confirmed to be released in the Dream World, though why you would ever want to use it competitively is beyond explanation.</p>
holy crap so loooong but...
Man, just a wonderful analysis, nothing really to change. The one thing I might have to say is that the word usage, though sophisticated, may be a bit much for an on-site analysis. These are supposed to be fairly easy to read. Other than that, just flawless.
That's why we have GP. I'm not a part of that, though I can try and help out!
remove
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[Overview]
<p>Starmie is one of four Pokemon, the others being Gengar, Snorlax, and Zapdos, who have been in the OU tier ever since they were first introduced in RBY. All four of them have arguably changed very little since they were first introduced, and Starmie is no exception. Starmie has always had its acclaimed BoltBeam coverage alongside its powerful Water-type STAB, backed by its impressive Speed and reasonable Special Attack, and this remains the very core of its power,. However in the generation shift it gained a number of new and useful tools. In the way of new attacks, Starmie received Psycho Shock, which when combined with Choice Specs, a Modest nature, and Stealth Rock can actually allow Starmie to 2HKO its greatest nemesis, Blissey - which means that Starmie can reclaim its old title of having no safe switch-ins. Other useful tools include Another useful tool is Boiling Water, a Water-type Lava Plume, which can allow Starmie to spread the burn status around the foe's team, and can also catch out and cripple a Pursuit-trapper that tries to get lucky.</p>
<p>However, with a new generation comes new enemies that threaten Starmie greatly. Ferrothorn stands out among them, being able to take just about everything Starmie has and is while being equipped with every tool necessary to stop it, and Erufuun promises to be a great source of annoyance as well, due in part to its base Speed, which is just 1 point higher than Starmie's. Despite all this, the future is not necessarily bleak for the falling star. With the introduction of so many new and fast threats, Starmie's high Speed will likely be called upon much more often than before, not to mention the value of Rapid Spinning to Pokemon such as Volcarona, especially considering Starmie's ability to defeat Jellicent, Chandelure, and Golurk. All in all, expect Starmie to be just as good as it has always been, and that's higher praise than most.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Hidden Power Fire / Recover
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Where would Starmie be without its bread-and-butter offensive set? While its composition has certainly not remained constant, Starmie's offensive set has barely changed in its fundamental impact, with a high-power STAB attack backed up by comprehensive coverage and recovery. Hydro Pump is a hard-hitting STAB attack that Starmie uses very well; however, it is certainly true that its accuracy is questionable, and therefore some may prefer the more reliable Surf as an alternative. The next two slots are devoted to attacking moves, which cover all the types that resist Starmie's Water-type STAB. Ice Beam covers Grass- and Dragon-types while Thunderbolt strikes down opposing Water-types, providing a combination resisted by none but Shedinja and Volt Absorb Lanturn.</p>
<p>In the last slot, Recover is the traditional option, which lengthens Starmie's lifespan, and becomes all the more important when you consider the recoil caused by Life Orb. Passive damage can wear Starmie down very quickly, and so it is advisable to keep a recovery move in reserve; however, in this new generation, in order to meet the rising demands of an ever-increasing threat list, you can choose to drop Recover in favour of a number of attacking options. Hidden Power Fire is chief among them, allowing Starmie to easily 2HKO Ferrothorn, one of Starmie's biggest threats, and also allowing Starmie to remove Scizor with little trouble. On the other hand, Psycho Shock is a second STAB move that can actually 2HKO Calm Blissey, removing Starmie's greatest nemesis as a factor. However, remember that neither of these moves have much utility outside of these specific targets, so generally Recover is better unless you have no other way of dealing with the aforementioned threats on your team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature are relatively straightforward. Timid and 252 Speed EVs are essential in order to outrun the very large contingent of Pokemon lurking just above the base 100 mark, with particular emphasis on Garchomp and Terrakion. After that, maximise Special Attack to hit as hard as possible, and then chuck the rest in HP. Much of Starmie's success stems from its ability of choice, Natural Cure, which makes it effectively immune to status, making Thunder Wave and Toxic essentially a non-issue. Boiling Water is another option in the first moveslot if you want to try to cripple the opponent's physical sweepers, and it has pretty decent power as well. Rapid Spin is also an option in the last slot if you think you have partners that could make good use of it, or just want a way to surprise the opponent.</p>
<p>Entry hazard support is very helpful to allow Starmie to acquire gain the necessary 2HKOs and OHKOs that it promises, as it is essentially operating unboosted. With the strength of its type coverage, Starmie has very few Pokemon that can switch into it directly. It is also very difficult to outrun and hence revenge kill without resorting to priority. However, the main bulky Pokemon who will be causing Starmie pain include Ferrothorn, Blissey, and Snorlax. Evolution Stone Porygon2 is also a massive pain, as it is not 2HKOed even by Hydro Pump without previous damage, and can strike back with Thunderbolt or just Recover off its damage. All of these Pokemon have a Fighting-type weakness, so a Pokemon such as Conkeldurr or Machamp can be a fantastic ally to dispose of them. Dugtrio can trap and revenge kill Blissey thanks to Arena Trap and STAB Earthquake, and can also threaten Snorlax, Tyranitar, and various Steel-types. To deal with Ferrothorn, Magnezone can be employed to trap and OHKO with Hidden Power Fire. Magnezone is also a useful ally against Scizor, who could try to revenge kill Starmie with Bullet Punch or U-turn trap, and can also use its powerful Electric-type STAB moves against bulky Water-types.</p>
<p>Aside from these dedicated special walls, Starmie will generally have the most trouble with bulky Grass- and Water-types, the most important here being Ferrothorn and Kingdra respectively especially Ferrothorn and Kingdra. Both have resistance to Starmie's STAB moves and neutrality to its coverage moves, so they can pretty much switch in with impunity. Both can also wipe Starmie out with their STAB moves. Magnezone has already been mentioned for use against Ferrothorn, but for Celebi and Shaymin, you may want an alternative. Heatran makes an excellent partner thanks to its ability to come in on Grass-, Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks with impunity and has a powerful STAB Fire Blast to obliterate bulky Grass-types with. Both Heatran and Starmie have trouble with bulky Water-types, however. Generally the best way to be rid of these Water-types, primarily Suicune, Kingdra, and Lanturn, is to hit it them with a strong super effective attack. Ferrothorn and the previously mentioned Magnezone work well for this reason.</p>
[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move1: Rapid Spin
move2: Surf / Hydro Pump
move3: Thunderbolt / Ice Beam
move4: Recover
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is more focused on the support nature of Starmie than its offensive nature, through the use of a very rare move, Rapid Spin, which Starmie can make excellent use of. The key to Starmie's effectiveness as a Rapid Spinner is its potent offensive ability, as most people would not switch a Ghost-type into Starmie first time, meaning that you actually have a pretty good chance of bluffing an offensive set and getting a free Rapid Spin off. Starmie is also one of the strongest Rapid Spinners offensively, so is capable of dealing severe damage to many Ghost-types foolish enough to switch in, helped by the fact that two common Ghost-types, Chandelure and Golurk, are both weak to its STAB Water-type moves.</p>
<p>Once again, a STAB Water-type move is essential to make the most of Starmie's offensive capabilities. Surf is the most reliable option, though Hydro Pump is also worth a look in try for the increased offensive power. Boiling Water is another option in case you want some added utility. Recover is also a good idea in order to maintain Starmie's presence on the field, as not only is Starmie likely to be called upon multiple time to keep the ground free of hazards, but it is also a powerful offensive threat, and worth saving if possible. Lastly, a coverage move is imperative so that you pose more of an offensive threat, especially to those Ghost-types who resist Starmie's STAB. Thunderbolt is given as a critical option for this set, since this is the only way you will be able to hit Jellicent, one of the most popular Ghost-types available. Ice Beam is generally speaking the secondary option, but if you are genuinely worried about Hydreigon and Celebi, it is always available.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As this Starmie is playing more of a support role, it helps to stick around for longer. While Recover helps with this somewhat, Leftovers is the primary option to improve its recovery rate, although Life Orb is also an option if you want Starmie to be more of an offensive presence. The EVs, again, are self-explanatory sweeper EVs for a sweeper, with 252 EVs in both Special Attack and Speed. If you want to play Starmie more defensively, a bulkier spread can be used in order to give Starmie a greater potential to switch in, lessening the necessity of using Recover. 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe is a reasonably good bulky spread, but this compromises Starmie's offensive power significantly.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, Starmie can just bulldoze through most Ghost-types, with the possible exception exceptions of Jellicent and Evolution Stone Dusclops, but it is still threatened by Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Chandelure, who can be very troublesome if they predict a Rapid Spin and switch in, so you may want to include a Pursuit-user such as Tyranitar in order to deal with them. On the offensive side, you are limited by the fact that you have only one coverage move available, meaning you are left open to either bulky Grass- and Dragon-types or bulky Water-types. If you choose Thunderbolt, Celebi, Hydreigon, and Shaymin will all be troublesome opponents. To deal with them, something with a strong Ice-type move is recommended, such as Mamoswine or Kyurem. Scizor is also notable in that it can hit all of the aforementioned threats super effectively with its U-turn, but all of them outrun it, making it a shaky check. A strong Fire-type such as Heatran can be used to deal with Grass-types, though it has trouble with the many support moves that Grass-types like to use, and can barely touch most Dragon-types. If Starmie is using going with Ice Beam instead, bulky Water-types become more troublesome. For example, Suicune can set up Calm Mind in your face and obliterate the rest of your team. To deal with them, a specially defensive Grass- or Water-type is recommended - Ferrothorn can hit back with STAB Power Whip and lay down entry hazards, and has excellent defensive synergy with Starmie, while Vaporeon or Jellicent can block Water-type attacks with Water Absorb - Vaporeon is an excellent choice since it can use Hidden Power Electric, Roar, or Toxic, while also passing Starmie extremely bulky Wishes, which greatly helps Starmie's survivability.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Trick / Psycho Shock
item: Choice Specs
nature: Timid / Modest
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Specs Starmie is a vicious attacker, and can be an immensely potent special sweeper. The idea of this set is simply to hit hard and fast, trusting to Starmie's superb type coverage and Speed in order to secure vital KOs. Hydro Pump is advised for your STAB option, as the Choice Specs set needs to hit as hard as possible in order to best take advantage of the power available; however, Surf is an agreeable alternative should you want it for reliability. The elemental counterparts of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are, as always, necessary for coverage, creating the infamous "Bolt-Beam" combination.</p>
<p>The last moveslot is reserved for a way to foul up Blissey and other 'counters'. Trick is a very useful way of crippling anything on the opponent's team, and if you can catch Blissey or Ferrothorn with it on the switch, it can be very rewarding indeed, as you will greatly hinder their effectiveness as walls. On the other hand, Psycho Shock is a useful option that allows you to 2HKO special walls such as Blissey with entry hazard damage; however, this means you are locked into a Psychic-type attack, making you pretty much set-up fodder for Scizor and Excadrill.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs remain unchanged, as Starmie really needs Speed and power over anything else. Timid is also generally the most favorable nature for the reasons already stated - Starmie cannot afford to lose out on the Speed front. This is especially important as Starmie will be switching very often already, as is the nature of Choice sets, and so will not want to be forced out if it can help it. However, if you want you can run a Modest nature, as not only does it allow you to hit just about everything harder, which allows you to wear down the opponent's team more easily, but it also allows you to 2HKO even the most defensive of Blissey with Psycho Shock after Stealth Rock, and even sometimes without.</p>
<p>Entry hazards are an important factors to consider for any Starmie set, but with Choice Specs Starmie this is a very crucial point. This Starmie will be forcing plenty of switches, so it is best to capitalize on this with a nice few layers of entry hazards. Deoxys-S can lay down both Spikes and Stealth Rock, while Ferrothorn can do the same, and has the benefit of considerable defensive synergy with Starmie, as it resists Starmie's Electric-, Grass-, Dark-, and Ghost-type weaknesses, while Starmie resists its Fighting- and Fire-type weaknesses. The same is true in reverse, as Starmie will be switching very often itself, and so Rapid Spin is not so inconsiderable a proposal a bad idea.</p>
<p>Choice Specs Starmie is very good at breaking down plenty of walls, and even those resistant to its STAB moves take heavy damage - 4 HP Hydreigon takes a minimum of 41% from Timid Hydro Pump, meaning that it can be 2HKOed with Stealth Rock if you get a high damage roll. Even those that can take its attacks, such as Blissey, can easily be crippled with a predicted Trick or Psycho Shock on the switch. Because of this, sweepers that have problems with the Pokemon that Starmie baits, namely Blissey, Grass-types, and Water-types, are all good partners to Starmie. Butterfly Dance Volcarona benefits greatly from the removal of Blissey and bulky Water-types, and can break through Ferrothorn, whom Starmie cannot handle. Such Pokemon as Cloyster and Latios are good partners for similar reasons.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>In terms of support for itself, Starmie generally does not need all that much to function as a successful attacker. However, as with all offensive Pokemon, Starmie greatly appreciates entry hazard damage, which is magnified since Starmie is excellent at forcing switches due to its ability to threaten so many different kinds of Pokemon. U-turn pivoting is also helpful to secure a free switch, and can be provided by Pokemon like Scizor, who tends to draw in Fire-types for Starmie to smack down on. This also allows you to ward off Grass-types, whom Starmie will appreciate seeing the back of. Up to a point, Politoed can make an excellent partner for its Drizzle ability, as not only does it banish the weather effects that plague Starmie so, it boosts Starmie's Water-type STAB moves and allows the use of Thunder, which becomes far more powerful reliable under the rain. Lastly, if you are not carrying any recovery move, Starmie will greatly appreciate Wish support from Blissey or Vaporeon, allowing it to continue its rampage for longer.</p>
<p>The Pokemon that are most likely to foil Starmie's attempts at breaking the opposing team are general walls, such as Blissey, Snorlax, Ferrothorn, Porygon2, and Chansey. Thus, Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr are excellent partners, as their STAB moves are super effective on all those Pokemon mentioned, and can easily dispose of them once positioned to do so. Trappers like Dugtrio are also helpful to remove important threats to Starmie without a second thought, notably Blissey, Chansey, Lanturn, and Tyranitar. Magnezone is a powerful ally that can trap and OHKO Ferrothorn and Scizor with Hidden Power Fire, while its powerful STAB Thunderbolt can tear apart bulky Water-types. Volcarona is another good partner, as it can come in on Grass-type attacks and set up, while Starmie can Rapid Spin away Stealth Rock to facilitate its sweep. Lastly, it is worth mentioning that, as Starmie will inevitably attract Pursuit-users, set-up sweepers with a resistance to Dark-type attacks can easily take advantage of Pokemon locked into Pursuit. Swords Dance Lucario and Rock Polish Terrakion are excellent examples; Terrakion in particular is notable for its Justice Heart ability, which boosts its Attack when hit by a Dark-type attack.</p>
<p>On the defensive side of things, Ferrothorn has almost perfect defensive synergy with Starmie - Ferrothorn resists all of Electric-, Grass-, Dark-, and Ghost-type attacks, while Starmie resists Ferrothorn's Fire- and Fighting-type weaknesses. The only fault is that Ferrothorn does not resist Bug-type attacks, which Starmie is weak to. Latias and other defensive Dragon-types resist both Grass- and Electric-type moves, the STAB proponents of which are big threats to Starmie, and Latias can defeat their owners with its impressive special bulk, access to Recover, and STAB Dragon-type moves. However, it shares weaknesses to Bug-, Ghost-, and Dark-type attacks due to its shared Psychic typing. Lastly, Heatran is worth a mention as it resists Starmie's Bug-, Grass-, Ghost-, and Dark-type weaknesses, while Starmie takes care of its Fighting-type weakness.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Even though many may think it redundant with Starmie's blistering Speed stat, a Choice Scarf set can actually work very effectively if you are in need of a revenge killer for numerous faster threats, such as Dragon Dance Salamence, Haxorus, and Gyarados, as well as destroying Choice Scarf Garchomp. However, even with this much Speed, you are still unable to outrun Excadrill under a sandstorm, and more to the point, you lack the power of the Choice Specs set, meaning you are relatively easy to set up on. Also, Trick can work with the item Bull's Eye quite effectively, as if you can catch a Ghost on the switch you can remove their Normal-type immunity, hence allowing you to freely Rapid Spin as you please. However, Starmie can generally better accomplish this by smashing the Ghost on the switch with a STAB attack.</p>
<p>Starmie has a few other special moves worth mentioning. Psychic gives it a stronger secondary STAB, while Grass Knot and Power Gem are worth mentioning for a slightly harder hit on foes such as Quagsire and Yanmega, respectively. Light Screen and Reflect are useful support options, which along with Thunder Wave could make a useful dual screens set, but unfortunately Starmie is outclassed by Deoxys-S and Azelf for the most part where support is concerned. Lastly, Mirror Type could be a fun little gimmick to annoy Ferrothorn and any Pursuit-trappers, but has no real competitive implications outside of that.</p>
[Counters]
<p>There are a whole host of Normal-type specially defensive opponents who can make Starmie's spikes fall off in frustration. Chief among these is its old nemesis Blissey, who can take everything outside of Psycho Shock and Trick, and can cripple with Thunder Wave or Toxic and proceed to stall Starmie out. However, between Natural Cure and Recover, Starmie has a chance to outstall Blissey itself. Its Blissey's old lackey Snorlax is also at hand, and has access to Pursuit to really make Starmie's life hell. Not only that, but the item Evolution Stone means that both Porygon2 and Chansey have the ability to take all of Starmie's attacks as well, both have reliable recovery, and unlike the former two, can easily take Psycho Shock as well. However, Trick really screws both of them over as neither can afford to lose their precious Evolution Stone. In terms of resistances, the closest thing to a total counter is Lanturn, who has excellent Special Defense and can take all of Starmie's attacks, thanks to resistances to Water- and Ice- and immunity to Electric-type attacks, while taking basically nothing even from Grass Knot and doing serious damage back with STAB Thunderbolt. However, it must beware of Starmie's STAB Psycho Shock if it carries it.</p>
<p>Starmie's next-biggest foes generally boil down to those that resist its STAB and can take a coverage attack. Ferrothorn is one of the biggest threats, as it can take just about everything Starmie throws at it barring Hidden Power Fire or Trick and has the potential to OHKO with STAB Power Whip, or can simply annoy Starmie with Leech Seed and Thunder Wave as it sets up Spikes. Celebi and Shaymin both have similar applications as bulky Grass-types. As far as bulky Water-types go, Lanturn has already been mentioned, but Suicune is also a nasty poser, with the ability to Calm Mind up on Starmie and blow it away with Hidden Power Electric. Jellicent is immune to Starmie's STAB attacks thanks to Water Absorb, has access to reliable recovery, and can also block Rapid Spin, making it a double threat, but Thunderbolt will sting and Psycho Shock won't be too pleasant either. Kingdra is also a potent threat, and unlike Jellicent cannot be scared away by Thunderbolt due to its neutrality, and can take the opportunity to set up Dragon Dance or begin firing off Draco Meteor. Other Dragon-types are similarly problematic if Starmie lacks Ice Beam.</p>
<p>Lastly, Starmie suffers greatly from being worn down by passive damage, and so can be worn down quite quickly. It is difficult to revenge kill due to its impressive Speed stat combined with its resistance to essentially every common priority attack; however, its Psychic typing brings with it a weakness to Pursuit, which is especially deadly for the Choice set in particular. Weavile is faster than Starmie and thus essentially place Starmie in a checkmate position, while the same is true of Choice Scarf Tyranitar. Scizor is another problem Pokemon, and also has the option of U-turning away if you have Magnezone waiting in the wings.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>For some reason, everybody was hoping and praying that Starmie would get Regeneration as its Dream World ability. However, Gamefreak committed yet another flavour faux pas, and gave Starmie an intriguing ability, Analyse, which is not strictly useless, but it is very close to it. In the hands of another Pokemon it could be a mighty weapon; however, for Starmie, it is just a bit wasted. The way it works is that, if Starmie is last to attack, its move is powered up. Of course, thanks to that awesome Speed stat Starmie is almost guaranteed to not move last, and that's not even considering how great Natural Cure is anyway, meaning Starmie barely even needs a new ability anyway. Analyse Staryu is confirmed to be released in the Dream World, though why you would ever want to use it competitively is beyond explanation.</p>
holy crap so loooong but...
Man, just a wonderful analysis, nothing really to change. The one thing I might have to say is that the word usage, though sophisticated, may be a bit much for an on-site analysis. These are supposed to be fairly easy to read. Other than that, just flawless.
Thank you for the grammar checks, much obliged.
(Most) changes implemented.
(Most) changes implemented.
By jove, that star sports new things every generation, eh? A fine analysis, my good fellow.
Changes in bold
Removals in red
Comments in bold red
[Overview]
<p>Starmie is one of four Pokemon, the others being Gengar, Snorlax, and Zapdos, who have been in the OU tier ever since they were first introduced in RBY, and all four of them have arguably changed very little since they were first introduced. Starmie has always had its acclaimed BoltBeam coverage alongside its powerful Water-type STAB, backed by its impressive Speed and reasonable Special Attack, and this remains the very core of its power. However, in the generation shift it gained a number of new and useful tools. In the way of new attacks, Starmie received Psycho Shock, which when combined with Choice Specs, a Modest nature, and Stealth Rock can actually allow Starmie to 2HKO its greatest nemesis, Blissey - which means that Starmie can reclaim its old title of having no safe switch-ins. Another useful tool is Boiling Water, a Water-type Lava Plume, which can allow Starmie to spread the burn status around the foe's team, and can also catch out and cripple a Pursuit-trapper that tries to get lucky.</p>
<p>However, with a new generation comes new enemies that threaten Starmie greatly. Ferrothorn stands out among them, as it is able to take just about everything Starmie has and is equipped with every tool necessary to stop it, and Whimsicott promises to be a great source of annoyance as well. Despite all this, the future is not necessarily bleak for the falling star. With the introduction of so many new and fast threats, Starmie's high Speed will likely be called upon much more often than before, not to mention the value of Rapid Spinning to Pokemon such as Volcarona, especially considering Starmie's ability to defeat Jellicent, Chandelure, and Golurk. All in all, expect Starmie to be just as good as it has always been, and that's higher praise than most.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Hidden Power Fire / Recover (your set comments seem to favour recover though..)
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Where would Starmie be without its bread-and-butter offensive set? While its composition has certainly not remained constant, Starmie's offensive set has barely changed in its fundamental impact, with a high-power STAB attack backed up by comprehensive coverage and recovery. Hydro Pump is a hard-hitting STAB attack that Starmie uses very well; however, it is certainly true that its accuracy is questionable, and therefore, (comma) some may prefer the more reliable Surf as an alternative. The next two slots are devoted to attacking moves, which cover all the types that resist Starmie's Water-type STAB; (semi-colon) Ice Beam covers Grass- and Dragon-types while Thunderbolt strikes down opposing Water-types, providing a combination resisted by none but Shedinja and Volt Absorb Lanturn.</p>
<p>In the last slot, Recover is the traditional option, which lengthens Starmie's lifespan, and becomes all the more important when you consider the recoil caused by Life Orb. Passive damage can wear Starmie down very quickly, and so it is advisable to keep a recovery move in reserve; however, in this new generation, in order to meet the rising demands of an ever-increasing threat list, you can choose to drop Recover in favour of a number of attacking options. Hidden Power Fire is chief among them, allowing Starmie to easily 2HKO Ferrothorn, one of Starmie's biggest threats, and also allowing Starmie to remove Scizor with little trouble. On the other hand, Psycho Shock is a secondary STAB move that can actually 2HKO Calm Blissey, removing Starmie's greatest nemesis. However, remember that neither of these moves have much utility outside of these specific targets, so generally Recover is better unless you have no other way of dealing with the aforementioned threats on your team. Rapid Spin is also an option in the last slot if you think you have partners that could make good use of it, or just want a way to surprise the opponent.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature are relatively straightforward. Timid and 252 Speed EVs are essential in order to outrun the very large contingent of Pokemon lurking just above the base 100 mark, with particular emphasis on Garchomp and Terrakion. After that, maximise Special Attack to hit as hard as possible, and then chuck the rest in HP. Much of Starmie's success stems from its ability of choice, Natural Cure, which makes it effectively immune to status, making Thunder Wave and Toxic essentially a non-issue. For alternative STAB moves, Scald is another option in the first moveslot if you want to try to cripple the opponent's physical sweepers, and it has pretty decent power as well.</p>
<p>Entry hazard support is very helpful to allow Starmie to achieve the necessary 2HKOs and OHKOs that it promises, as it is essentially operating unboosted. With the strength of its type coverage, Starmie has very few Pokemon that can switch into it directly. It is also very difficult to outrun and hence revenge kill without resorting to priority. However, the main bulky Pokemon who will be causing Starmie pain include Ferrothorn, Blissey, and Snorlax. Evolution Stone Porygon2 is also a massive pain, as it is not 2HKOed even by Hydro Pump without previous damage, and can strike back with Thunderbolt or just Recover off its damage. All of these Pokemon have a Fighting-type weakness, so a Pokemon such as Conkeldurr or Machamp can be a fantastic ally to dispose of them. Dugtrio can trap and revenge kill Blissey thanks to Arena Trap and STAB Earthquake, and can also threaten Snorlax, Tyranitar, and various Steel-types. To deal with Ferrothorn, Magnezone can be employed to trap and OHKO with Hidden Power Fire. Magnezone is also a useful ally against Scizor, who could try to revenge kill Starmie with Bullet Punch or U-turn, and can also use its powerful Electric-type STAB moves against bulky Water-types.</p>
<p>Aside from these dedicated special walls, Starmie will generally have the most trouble with bulky Grass- and Water-types, most importantly Ferrothorn and Kingdra, (comma) respectively. Both have resistance to Starmie's STAB moves and neutrality to its coverage moves, so can pretty much switch in with impunity. Both can also wipe Starmie out with their STAB moves. Magnezone has already been mentioned for use against Ferrothorn, but for Celebi and Shaymin, you may want an alternative. Heatran makes an excellent partner thanks to its ability to come in on Grass-, Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks with impunity and has a powerful STAB Fire Blast to obliterate bulky Grass-types with. Both Heatran and Starmie have trouble with bulky Water-types, however. Generally the best way to be rid of these Water-types, primarily Suicune, Kingdra, and Vaporeon, is to hit them with a strong super effective attack. Ferrothorn and the previously mentioned Magnezone work well for this reason.</p>
[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move1: Rapid Spin
move2: Surf / Hydro Pump
move3: Thunderbolt / Ice Beam
move4: Recover
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is more focused on the supporting nature of Starmie than its offensive nature, through the very rare move, Rapid Spin, which Starmie can make excellent use of. The key to Starmie's effectiveness as a Rapid Spinner is its potent offensive ability, as most people would not switch a Ghost-type into Starmie for fear of a Life Orb variant's attacks, meaning that it actually have a pretty good chance of bluffing an offensive set and getting a free Rapid Spin off. Starmie is also one of the strongest Rapid Spinners offensively, so is capable of dealing severe damage to many Ghost-types foolish enough to switch in, helped by the fact that two common Ghost-types, Chandelure and Golurk, are both weak to its STAB Water-type moves. (repeated or unnecessary)</p>
<p>Once again, a STAB Water-type move is essential to make the most of Starmie's offensive capabilities. Surf is the most reliable option, though Hydro Pump is also worth a look in for the increased offensive power. Scald is another option in case you want some added utility. Recover is also a good idea in order to maintain Starmie's presence on the field, as not only is Starmie likely to be called upon multiple time to keep the ground free of hazards, but it is also a powerful offensive threat, and worth saving if possible. Lastly, a coverage move is imperative so that you pose more of an offensive threat, especially to those Ghost-types who resist Starmie's STAB. Thunderbolt is given as a critical option for this set, since this is the only way you will be able to hit Jellicent, one of the most popular Ghost-types available. Ice Beam is, generally speaking, the secondary option, but if you are genuinely worried about Hydreigon and Celebi, it is always available.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As this Starmie is playing more of a support role, it helps to stick around for longer. While Recover helps with this somewhat, Leftovers is the primary option to improve its recovery rate, although Life Orb is also an option if you want Starmie to have more of an offensive presence. The EVs, again, are self-explanatory sweeper EVs, with 252 EVs in both Special Attack and Speed. If you want to play Starmie more defensively, a bulkier spread can be used in order to give Starmie a greater potential to switch in, lessening the necessity of using Recover. 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe is a reasonably good bulky spread, but this compromises Starmie's offensive power significantly.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, Starmie can just bulldoze through most Ghost-types, with the possible exceptions of Jellicent and Evolution Stone Dusclops, but it is still threatened by Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Chandelure, who can be very troublesome if they predict a Rapid Spin and switch in, so you may want to include a Pursuit-user such as Tyranitar in order to deal with them. On the offensive side, Starmie is limited by the fact that it has room for only one coverage move available, meaning that it will be left open to either bulky Grass- and Dragon-types, (comma) or bulky Water-types. If you choose Thunderbolt, Celebi, Hydreigon, and Shaymin will all be troublesome opponents. To deal with them, something with a strong Ice-type move is recommended, such as Mamoswine or Kyurem. Scizor is also notable in that it can hit all of the aforementioned threats super effectively with its U-turn, but all of them outrun it, making it a shaky check. A strong Fire-type such as Heatran can be used to deal with Grass-types, though it has trouble with the many support moves that Grass-types like to use, and can barely touch most Dragon-types. If going with Ice Beam instead, bulky Water-types become more troublesome. For example, Suicune can set up Calm Mind in your face and obliterate the rest of your team. To deal with them, a specially defensive Grass- or Water-type is recommended. (full stop) Ferrothorn can hit back with STAB Power Whip, lay down entry hazards, and has excellent defensive synergy with Starmie, while Vaporeon or Jellicent can block Water-type attacks with Water Absorb - Vaporeon is an excellent choice since it can use Hidden Power Electric, Roar, or Toxic, while also passing Starmie extremely bulky Wishes, which greatly helps Starmie's survivability.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Trick / Psycho Shock
item: Choice Specs
nature: Timid / Modest
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Specs Starmie is a vicious attacker, and can be an immensely potent special sweeper. The idea of this set is simply to hit hard and fast, trusting to Starmie's superb type coverage and Speed in order to secure vital KOs. Hydro Pump is advised for your STAB option, as the Choice Specs set needs to hit as hard as possible in order to best take advantage of the power available; however, Surf is an agreeable alternative should you want it for reliability. The elemental counterparts of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are, as always, necessary for coverage, creating the infamous "BoltBeam" combination.</p>
<p>The last moveslot is reserved for a way to foul up Blissey and other 'counters'. Trick is a very useful way of crippling anything on the opponent's team, and if you can catch Blissey or Ferrothorn with it on the switch, it can be very rewarding indeed, as you will greatly hinder their effectiveness as walls. On the other hand, Psycho Shock is a useful option that allows you to 2HKO special walls such as Blissey with entry hazard damage; however, this can mean a Starmie locked into a Psychic-type attack, perfect set-up fodder for Scizor and Excadrill.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs remain unchanged, as Starmie really needs Speed and power over anything else. Timid is also generally the most favorable nature for the reasons already stated - Starmie cannot afford to lose out on the Speed front. This is especially important as Starmie will be switching very often already, as is the nature of Choice sets, and so will not want to be forced out if it can help it. However, if you want you can run a Modest nature, as not only does it allow you to hit just about everything harder, which allows you to wear down the opponent's team more easily, but it also allows you to 2HKO even the most defensive of Blissey with Psycho Shock after Stealth Rock, and even sometimes without.</p>
<p>Entry hazards are an important factor to consider for any Starmie set, but with Choice Specs Starmie this is a very crucial point. This Starmie will be forcing plenty of switches, so it is best to capitalize on this with a nice few layers of entry hazards. Deoxys-S can lay down both Spikes and Stealth Rock, while Ferrothorn can do the same, and has the benefit of considerable defensive synergy with Starmie, resisting Starmie's Electric-, Grass-, Dark-, and Ghost-type weaknesses, while Starmie resists its Fighting- and Fire-type weaknesses. The same is true in reverse, as Starmie will be switching very often itself, and so Rapid Spin is not such a bad idea.</p>
<p>Choice Specs Starmie is very good at breaking down plenty of walls, and even those resistant to its STAB moves take heavy damage - 4 HP Hydreigon takes a minimum of 41% from Timid Hydro Pump, meaning that it can be 2HKOed with Stealth Rock if you get a high damage roll. Even those that can take its attacks, such as Blissey, can easily be crippled with a predicted Trick or Psycho Shock on the switch. Because of this, sweepers that have problems with the Pokemon that Starmie baits, namely Blissey, Grass-types, and Water-types, are all good partners to Starmie. Butterfly Dance Volcarona benefits greatly from the removal of Blissey and bulky Water-types, and can break through Ferrothorn, whom Starmie cannot handle. Such Pokemon as Cloyster and Latios are good partners for similar reasons.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>In terms of support for itself, Starmie generally does not need all that much to function as a successful attacker. However, as with all offensive Pokemon, Starmie greatly appreciates entry hazard damage, which is magnified since Starmie is excellent at forcing switches due to its ability to threaten so many different kinds of Pokemon. U-turn pivoting is also helpful to secure a free switch, and can be provided by Pokemon like Scizor, who tends to draw in Fire-types for Starmie to smack down on. This also allows you to ward off Grass-types, whom Starmie will appreciate seeing the back of. Up to a point, Politoed can make an excellent partner for its Drizzle ability, as not only does it banish the weather effects that plague Starmie so, it boosts Starmie's Water-type STAB moves and allows the use of Thunder, which becomes far more reliable under the rain. In addition, thanks to its Speed and type coverage, Starmie is one of the deadliest Pokemon on a dedicated offensive rain team. Lastly, if you are not carrying any recovery move, Starmie will greatly appreciate Wish support from Blissey or Vaporeon, allowing it to continue its rampage for longer.</p>
<p>The Pokemon that are most likely to foil Starmie's attempts at breaking the opposing team are strong special walls, such as Blissey, Snorlax, Ferrothorn, Porygon2, and Chansey. Thus, Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr are excellent partners, as their STAB moves are super effective on all those Pokemon mentioned, and can easily dispose of them once positioned to do so. Trappers like Dugtrio are also helpful to remove important threats to Starmie without a second thought, notably Blissey, Chansey, Lanturn, and Tyranitar. Magnezone is a powerful ally that can trap and OHKO Ferrothorn and Scizor with Hidden Power Fire, while its powerful STAB Thunderbolt can tear apart bulky Water-types. Volcarona is another good partner, as it can come in on Grass-type attacks and set up, while Starmie can Rapid Spin away Stealth Rock to facilitate its sweep. Lastly, it is worth mentioning that, as Starmie will inevitably attract Pursuit-users, set-up sweepers with a resistance to Dark-type attacks can easily take advantage of Pokemon locked into Pursuit. Swords Dance Lucario and Rock Polish Terrakion are excellent examples; Terrakion in particular is notable for its Justice Heart ability, which boosts its Attack when hit by a Dark-type attack.</p>
<p>On the defensive side of things, Ferrothorn has almost perfect defensive synergy with Starmie - Ferrothorn resists all of Electric-, Grass-, Dark-, and Ghost-type attacks, while Starmie resists Ferrothorn's Fire- and Fighting-type weaknesses. The only fault is that Ferrothorn does not resist Bug-type attacks, which Starmie is weak to. Latias and other defensive Dragon-types resist both Grass- and Electric-type moves, the STAB proponents of which are big threats to Starmie, and Latias can defeat their owners with its impressive special bulk, access to Recover, and STAB Dragon-type moves. However, it shares weaknesses to Bug-, Ghost-, and Dark-type attacks due to its shared Psychic typing. Lastly, Heatran is worth a mention as it resists Starmie's Bug-, Grass-, Ghost-, and Dark-type weaknesses, while Starmie takes care of its Fighting-type weakness.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Even though many may think it redundant with Starmie's blistering Speed stat, a Choice Scarf set can actually work very effectively if you are in need of a revenge killer for numerous faster threats, such as Dragon Dance Salamence, Haxorus, and Gyarados, and destroying Choice Scarf Garchomp. However, even with this much Speed, Starmie will still be unable to outrun Excadrill under a sandstorm, and more to the point, it lacks the power of the Choice Specs set, meaning it will be relatively easy to set up on. Also, Trick can work with the item Bull's Eye quite effectively, as if you can catch a Ghost on the switch you can remove their Normal-type immunity, hence allowing you to freely Rapid Spin as you please. However, Starmie can generally better accomplish this by smashing the Ghost on the switch with a STAB attack.</p>
<p>Starmie has a few other special moves worth mentioning. Psychic gives it a stronger secondary STAB, while Grass Knot and Power Gem are worth mentioning for a slightly harder hit on foes such as Quagsire and Yanmega, respectively. Light Screen and Reflect are useful support options, which along with Thunder Wave could make a useful dual screens set, but unfortunately Starmie is outclassed by Deoxys-S and Azelf for the most part where support is concerned outside of Rapid Spinning. Lastly, Mirror Type could be a fun little gimmick to annoy Ferrothorn and any Pursuit-trappers, but has no real competitive implications outside of that.</p>
[Counters]
<p>There are a whole host of specially defensive Normal-types who can make Starmie's spikes fall off in frustration. Chief among these is its old nemesis Blissey, who can take everything outside of Psycho Shock and Trick, and can cripple with Thunder Wave or Toxic and proceed to stall Starmie out. However, between Natural Cure and Recover, Starmie has a chance to outstall Blissey itself. Blissey's old lackey Snorlax is also at hand, and has access to Pursuit to really make Starmie's life hell. Not only that, but the item Evolution Stone means that both Porygon2 and Chansey have the ability to take all of Starmie's attacks as well, both have reliable recovery, and unlike the former two, can easily take Psycho Shock as well. However, Trick really screws both of them over as neither can afford to lose their precious Evolution Stone. In terms of resistances, the closest thing to a total counter is Lanturn, who has excellent Special Defense and can take all of Starmie's attacks, (remove comma) thanks to its resistances to Water and Ice, and immunity to Electric-type attacks. Its light weight also means it takes basically nothing even from Grass Knot, and can do some serious damage back with STAB Thunderbolt. However, it must beware of Starmie's STAB Psycho Shock if it carries it.</p>
<p>Starmie's next-biggest foes generally boil down to those that resist its STAB and can take a coverage attack. Ferrothorn is one of the biggest threats, as it can take just about everything Starmie throws at it barring Hidden Power Fire or Trick, (comma) and has the potential to OHKO with STAB Power Whip, or can simply annoy Starmie with Leech Seed and Thunder Wave as it sets up Spikes. Celebi and Shaymin both have similar applications as bulky Grass-types. As far as bulky Water-types go, Lanturn has already been mentioned, but Suicune is also a nasty poser, with the ability to Calm Mind up on Starmie and blow it away with Hidden Power Electric. Jellicent is immune to Starmie's STAB attacks thanks to Water Absorb, has access to reliable recovery, and can also block Rapid Spin, making it a double threat, but Thunderbolt will sting and Psycho Shock won't be too pleasant either. Kingdra is also a potent threat, and unlike Jellicent cannot be scared away by Thunderbolt due to its neutrality, and can take the opportunity to set up Dragon Dance or begin firing off Draco Meteor. Other Dragon-types are similarly problematic if Starmie lacks Ice Beam.</p>
<p>Lastly, Starmie suffers greatly from being worn down by all forms of passive damage, and so can be worn down quite quickly. It is difficult to revenge kill due to its impressive Speed stat combined with its resistance to essentially every common priority attack; however, its Psychic typing brings with it a weakness to Pursuit, which is especially deadly for the Choice set in particular. Weavile is faster than Starmie and can thus essentially place Starmie in a checkmate position, while the same is true of Choice Scarf Tyranitar. Scizor is another problem Pokemon, who also has the option of U-turning away if you have Magnezone waiting in the wings.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>For some reason, everybody was hoping and praying that Starmie would get Regeneration as its Dream World ability. However, Gamefreak committed yet another flavour faux pas, and gave Starmie an intriguing ability, Analyse, which is not strictly useless, but it is very close to it. In the hands of another Pokemon it could be a mighty weapon; however, for Starmie, it is just a bit wasted. The way it works is that, if Starmie is last to attack, its move is powered up. Of course, thanks to that awesome Speed stat Starmie is almost guaranteed to not move last, and that's not even considering how great Natural Cure is anyway, meaning Starmie barely even needs a new ability anyway. Analyse Staryu is confirmed to be released in the Dream World, though why you would ever want to use it competitively is beyond us.</p>
Removals in red
Comments in bold red
[Overview]
<p>Starmie is one of four Pokemon, the others being Gengar, Snorlax, and Zapdos, who have been in the OU tier ever since they were first introduced in RBY, and all four of them have arguably changed very little since they were first introduced. Starmie has always had its acclaimed BoltBeam coverage alongside its powerful Water-type STAB, backed by its impressive Speed and reasonable Special Attack, and this remains the very core of its power. However, in the generation shift it gained a number of new and useful tools. In the way of new attacks, Starmie received Psycho Shock, which when combined with Choice Specs, a Modest nature, and Stealth Rock can actually allow Starmie to 2HKO its greatest nemesis, Blissey - which means that Starmie can reclaim its old title of having no safe switch-ins. Another useful tool is Boiling Water, a Water-type Lava Plume, which can allow Starmie to spread the burn status around the foe's team, and can also catch out and cripple a Pursuit-trapper that tries to get lucky.</p>
<p>However, with a new generation comes new enemies that threaten Starmie greatly. Ferrothorn stands out among them, as it is able to take just about everything Starmie has and is equipped with every tool necessary to stop it, and Whimsicott promises to be a great source of annoyance as well. Despite all this, the future is not necessarily bleak for the falling star. With the introduction of so many new and fast threats, Starmie's high Speed will likely be called upon much more often than before, not to mention the value of Rapid Spinning to Pokemon such as Volcarona, especially considering Starmie's ability to defeat Jellicent, Chandelure, and Golurk. All in all, expect Starmie to be just as good as it has always been, and that's higher praise than most.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Hidden Power Fire / Recover (your set comments seem to favour recover though..)
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Where would Starmie be without its bread-and-butter offensive set? While its composition has certainly not remained constant, Starmie's offensive set has barely changed in its fundamental impact, with a high-power STAB attack backed up by comprehensive coverage and recovery. Hydro Pump is a hard-hitting STAB attack that Starmie uses very well; however, it is certainly true that its accuracy is questionable, and therefore, (comma) some may prefer the more reliable Surf as an alternative. The next two slots are devoted to attacking moves, which cover all the types that resist Starmie's Water-type STAB; (semi-colon) Ice Beam covers Grass- and Dragon-types while Thunderbolt strikes down opposing Water-types, providing a combination resisted by none but Shedinja and Volt Absorb Lanturn.</p>
<p>In the last slot, Recover is the traditional option, which lengthens Starmie's lifespan, and becomes all the more important when you consider the recoil caused by Life Orb. Passive damage can wear Starmie down very quickly, and so it is advisable to keep a recovery move in reserve; however, in this new generation, in order to meet the rising demands of an ever-increasing threat list, you can choose to drop Recover in favour of a number of attacking options. Hidden Power Fire is chief among them, allowing Starmie to easily 2HKO Ferrothorn, one of Starmie's biggest threats, and also allowing Starmie to remove Scizor with little trouble. On the other hand, Psycho Shock is a secondary STAB move that can actually 2HKO Calm Blissey, removing Starmie's greatest nemesis. However, remember that neither of these moves have much utility outside of these specific targets, so generally Recover is better unless you have no other way of dealing with the aforementioned threats on your team. Rapid Spin is also an option in the last slot if you think you have partners that could make good use of it, or just want a way to surprise the opponent.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature are relatively straightforward. Timid and 252 Speed EVs are essential in order to outrun the very large contingent of Pokemon lurking just above the base 100 mark, with particular emphasis on Garchomp and Terrakion. After that, maximise Special Attack to hit as hard as possible, and then chuck the rest in HP. Much of Starmie's success stems from its ability of choice, Natural Cure, which makes it effectively immune to status, making Thunder Wave and Toxic essentially a non-issue. For alternative STAB moves, Scald is another option in the first moveslot if you want to try to cripple the opponent's physical sweepers, and it has pretty decent power as well.</p>
<p>Entry hazard support is very helpful to allow Starmie to achieve the necessary 2HKOs and OHKOs that it promises, as it is essentially operating unboosted. With the strength of its type coverage, Starmie has very few Pokemon that can switch into it directly. It is also very difficult to outrun and hence revenge kill without resorting to priority. However, the main bulky Pokemon who will be causing Starmie pain include Ferrothorn, Blissey, and Snorlax. Evolution Stone Porygon2 is also a massive pain, as it is not 2HKOed even by Hydro Pump without previous damage, and can strike back with Thunderbolt or just Recover off its damage. All of these Pokemon have a Fighting-type weakness, so a Pokemon such as Conkeldurr or Machamp can be a fantastic ally to dispose of them. Dugtrio can trap and revenge kill Blissey thanks to Arena Trap and STAB Earthquake, and can also threaten Snorlax, Tyranitar, and various Steel-types. To deal with Ferrothorn, Magnezone can be employed to trap and OHKO with Hidden Power Fire. Magnezone is also a useful ally against Scizor, who could try to revenge kill Starmie with Bullet Punch or U-turn, and can also use its powerful Electric-type STAB moves against bulky Water-types.</p>
<p>Aside from these dedicated special walls, Starmie will generally have the most trouble with bulky Grass- and Water-types, most importantly Ferrothorn and Kingdra, (comma) respectively. Both have resistance to Starmie's STAB moves and neutrality to its coverage moves, so can pretty much switch in with impunity. Both can also wipe Starmie out with their STAB moves. Magnezone has already been mentioned for use against Ferrothorn, but for Celebi and Shaymin, you may want an alternative. Heatran makes an excellent partner thanks to its ability to come in on Grass-, Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks with impunity and has a powerful STAB Fire Blast to obliterate bulky Grass-types with. Both Heatran and Starmie have trouble with bulky Water-types, however. Generally the best way to be rid of these Water-types, primarily Suicune, Kingdra, and Vaporeon, is to hit them with a strong super effective attack. Ferrothorn and the previously mentioned Magnezone work well for this reason.</p>
[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move1: Rapid Spin
move2: Surf / Hydro Pump
move3: Thunderbolt / Ice Beam
move4: Recover
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
nature: Timid
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is more focused on the supporting nature of Starmie than its offensive nature, through the very rare move, Rapid Spin, which Starmie can make excellent use of. The key to Starmie's effectiveness as a Rapid Spinner is its potent offensive ability, as most people would not switch a Ghost-type into Starmie for fear of a Life Orb variant's attacks, meaning that it actually have a pretty good chance of bluffing an offensive set and getting a free Rapid Spin off. Starmie is also one of the strongest Rapid Spinners offensively, so is capable of dealing severe damage to many Ghost-types foolish enough to switch in, helped by the fact that two common Ghost-types, Chandelure and Golurk, are both weak to its STAB Water-type moves. (repeated or unnecessary)</p>
<p>Once again, a STAB Water-type move is essential to make the most of Starmie's offensive capabilities. Surf is the most reliable option, though Hydro Pump is also worth a look in for the increased offensive power. Scald is another option in case you want some added utility. Recover is also a good idea in order to maintain Starmie's presence on the field, as not only is Starmie likely to be called upon multiple time to keep the ground free of hazards, but it is also a powerful offensive threat, and worth saving if possible. Lastly, a coverage move is imperative so that you pose more of an offensive threat, especially to those Ghost-types who resist Starmie's STAB. Thunderbolt is given as a critical option for this set, since this is the only way you will be able to hit Jellicent, one of the most popular Ghost-types available. Ice Beam is, generally speaking, the secondary option, but if you are genuinely worried about Hydreigon and Celebi, it is always available.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As this Starmie is playing more of a support role, it helps to stick around for longer. While Recover helps with this somewhat, Leftovers is the primary option to improve its recovery rate, although Life Orb is also an option if you want Starmie to have more of an offensive presence. The EVs, again, are self-explanatory sweeper EVs, with 252 EVs in both Special Attack and Speed. If you want to play Starmie more defensively, a bulkier spread can be used in order to give Starmie a greater potential to switch in, lessening the necessity of using Recover. 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe is a reasonably good bulky spread, but this compromises Starmie's offensive power significantly.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, Starmie can just bulldoze through most Ghost-types, with the possible exceptions of Jellicent and Evolution Stone Dusclops, but it is still threatened by Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Chandelure, who can be very troublesome if they predict a Rapid Spin and switch in, so you may want to include a Pursuit-user such as Tyranitar in order to deal with them. On the offensive side, Starmie is limited by the fact that it has room for only one coverage move available, meaning that it will be left open to either bulky Grass- and Dragon-types, (comma) or bulky Water-types. If you choose Thunderbolt, Celebi, Hydreigon, and Shaymin will all be troublesome opponents. To deal with them, something with a strong Ice-type move is recommended, such as Mamoswine or Kyurem. Scizor is also notable in that it can hit all of the aforementioned threats super effectively with its U-turn, but all of them outrun it, making it a shaky check. A strong Fire-type such as Heatran can be used to deal with Grass-types, though it has trouble with the many support moves that Grass-types like to use, and can barely touch most Dragon-types. If going with Ice Beam instead, bulky Water-types become more troublesome. For example, Suicune can set up Calm Mind in your face and obliterate the rest of your team. To deal with them, a specially defensive Grass- or Water-type is recommended. (full stop) Ferrothorn can hit back with STAB Power Whip, lay down entry hazards, and has excellent defensive synergy with Starmie, while Vaporeon or Jellicent can block Water-type attacks with Water Absorb - Vaporeon is an excellent choice since it can use Hidden Power Electric, Roar, or Toxic, while also passing Starmie extremely bulky Wishes, which greatly helps Starmie's survivability.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Trick / Psycho Shock
item: Choice Specs
nature: Timid / Modest
ability: Natural Cure
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Specs Starmie is a vicious attacker, and can be an immensely potent special sweeper. The idea of this set is simply to hit hard and fast, trusting to Starmie's superb type coverage and Speed in order to secure vital KOs. Hydro Pump is advised for your STAB option, as the Choice Specs set needs to hit as hard as possible in order to best take advantage of the power available; however, Surf is an agreeable alternative should you want it for reliability. The elemental counterparts of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are, as always, necessary for coverage, creating the infamous "BoltBeam" combination.</p>
<p>The last moveslot is reserved for a way to foul up Blissey and other 'counters'. Trick is a very useful way of crippling anything on the opponent's team, and if you can catch Blissey or Ferrothorn with it on the switch, it can be very rewarding indeed, as you will greatly hinder their effectiveness as walls. On the other hand, Psycho Shock is a useful option that allows you to 2HKO special walls such as Blissey with entry hazard damage; however, this can mean a Starmie locked into a Psychic-type attack, perfect set-up fodder for Scizor and Excadrill.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs remain unchanged, as Starmie really needs Speed and power over anything else. Timid is also generally the most favorable nature for the reasons already stated - Starmie cannot afford to lose out on the Speed front. This is especially important as Starmie will be switching very often already, as is the nature of Choice sets, and so will not want to be forced out if it can help it. However, if you want you can run a Modest nature, as not only does it allow you to hit just about everything harder, which allows you to wear down the opponent's team more easily, but it also allows you to 2HKO even the most defensive of Blissey with Psycho Shock after Stealth Rock, and even sometimes without.</p>
<p>Entry hazards are an important factor to consider for any Starmie set, but with Choice Specs Starmie this is a very crucial point. This Starmie will be forcing plenty of switches, so it is best to capitalize on this with a nice few layers of entry hazards. Deoxys-S can lay down both Spikes and Stealth Rock, while Ferrothorn can do the same, and has the benefit of considerable defensive synergy with Starmie, resisting Starmie's Electric-, Grass-, Dark-, and Ghost-type weaknesses, while Starmie resists its Fighting- and Fire-type weaknesses. The same is true in reverse, as Starmie will be switching very often itself, and so Rapid Spin is not such a bad idea.</p>
<p>Choice Specs Starmie is very good at breaking down plenty of walls, and even those resistant to its STAB moves take heavy damage - 4 HP Hydreigon takes a minimum of 41% from Timid Hydro Pump, meaning that it can be 2HKOed with Stealth Rock if you get a high damage roll. Even those that can take its attacks, such as Blissey, can easily be crippled with a predicted Trick or Psycho Shock on the switch. Because of this, sweepers that have problems with the Pokemon that Starmie baits, namely Blissey, Grass-types, and Water-types, are all good partners to Starmie. Butterfly Dance Volcarona benefits greatly from the removal of Blissey and bulky Water-types, and can break through Ferrothorn, whom Starmie cannot handle. Such Pokemon as Cloyster and Latios are good partners for similar reasons.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>In terms of support for itself, Starmie generally does not need all that much to function as a successful attacker. However, as with all offensive Pokemon, Starmie greatly appreciates entry hazard damage, which is magnified since Starmie is excellent at forcing switches due to its ability to threaten so many different kinds of Pokemon. U-turn pivoting is also helpful to secure a free switch, and can be provided by Pokemon like Scizor, who tends to draw in Fire-types for Starmie to smack down on. This also allows you to ward off Grass-types, whom Starmie will appreciate seeing the back of. Up to a point, Politoed can make an excellent partner for its Drizzle ability, as not only does it banish the weather effects that plague Starmie so, it boosts Starmie's Water-type STAB moves and allows the use of Thunder, which becomes far more reliable under the rain. In addition, thanks to its Speed and type coverage, Starmie is one of the deadliest Pokemon on a dedicated offensive rain team. Lastly, if you are not carrying any recovery move, Starmie will greatly appreciate Wish support from Blissey or Vaporeon, allowing it to continue its rampage for longer.</p>
<p>The Pokemon that are most likely to foil Starmie's attempts at breaking the opposing team are strong special walls, such as Blissey, Snorlax, Ferrothorn, Porygon2, and Chansey. Thus, Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr are excellent partners, as their STAB moves are super effective on all those Pokemon mentioned, and can easily dispose of them once positioned to do so. Trappers like Dugtrio are also helpful to remove important threats to Starmie without a second thought, notably Blissey, Chansey, Lanturn, and Tyranitar. Magnezone is a powerful ally that can trap and OHKO Ferrothorn and Scizor with Hidden Power Fire, while its powerful STAB Thunderbolt can tear apart bulky Water-types. Volcarona is another good partner, as it can come in on Grass-type attacks and set up, while Starmie can Rapid Spin away Stealth Rock to facilitate its sweep. Lastly, it is worth mentioning that, as Starmie will inevitably attract Pursuit-users, set-up sweepers with a resistance to Dark-type attacks can easily take advantage of Pokemon locked into Pursuit. Swords Dance Lucario and Rock Polish Terrakion are excellent examples; Terrakion in particular is notable for its Justice Heart ability, which boosts its Attack when hit by a Dark-type attack.</p>
<p>On the defensive side of things, Ferrothorn has almost perfect defensive synergy with Starmie - Ferrothorn resists all of Electric-, Grass-, Dark-, and Ghost-type attacks, while Starmie resists Ferrothorn's Fire- and Fighting-type weaknesses. The only fault is that Ferrothorn does not resist Bug-type attacks, which Starmie is weak to. Latias and other defensive Dragon-types resist both Grass- and Electric-type moves, the STAB proponents of which are big threats to Starmie, and Latias can defeat their owners with its impressive special bulk, access to Recover, and STAB Dragon-type moves. However, it shares weaknesses to Bug-, Ghost-, and Dark-type attacks due to its shared Psychic typing. Lastly, Heatran is worth a mention as it resists Starmie's Bug-, Grass-, Ghost-, and Dark-type weaknesses, while Starmie takes care of its Fighting-type weakness.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Even though many may think it redundant with Starmie's blistering Speed stat, a Choice Scarf set can actually work very effectively if you are in need of a revenge killer for numerous faster threats, such as Dragon Dance Salamence, Haxorus, and Gyarados, and destroying Choice Scarf Garchomp. However, even with this much Speed, Starmie will still be unable to outrun Excadrill under a sandstorm, and more to the point, it lacks the power of the Choice Specs set, meaning it will be relatively easy to set up on. Also, Trick can work with the item Bull's Eye quite effectively, as if you can catch a Ghost on the switch you can remove their Normal-type immunity, hence allowing you to freely Rapid Spin as you please. However, Starmie can generally better accomplish this by smashing the Ghost on the switch with a STAB attack.</p>
<p>Starmie has a few other special moves worth mentioning. Psychic gives it a stronger secondary STAB, while Grass Knot and Power Gem are worth mentioning for a slightly harder hit on foes such as Quagsire and Yanmega, respectively. Light Screen and Reflect are useful support options, which along with Thunder Wave could make a useful dual screens set, but unfortunately Starmie is outclassed by Deoxys-S and Azelf for the most part where support is concerned outside of Rapid Spinning. Lastly, Mirror Type could be a fun little gimmick to annoy Ferrothorn and any Pursuit-trappers, but has no real competitive implications outside of that.</p>
[Counters]
<p>There are a whole host of specially defensive Normal-types who can make Starmie's spikes fall off in frustration. Chief among these is its old nemesis Blissey, who can take everything outside of Psycho Shock and Trick, and can cripple with Thunder Wave or Toxic and proceed to stall Starmie out. However, between Natural Cure and Recover, Starmie has a chance to outstall Blissey itself. Blissey's old lackey Snorlax is also at hand, and has access to Pursuit to really make Starmie's life hell. Not only that, but the item Evolution Stone means that both Porygon2 and Chansey have the ability to take all of Starmie's attacks as well, both have reliable recovery, and unlike the former two, can easily take Psycho Shock as well. However, Trick really screws both of them over as neither can afford to lose their precious Evolution Stone. In terms of resistances, the closest thing to a total counter is Lanturn, who has excellent Special Defense and can take all of Starmie's attacks, (remove comma) thanks to its resistances to Water and Ice, and immunity to Electric-type attacks. Its light weight also means it takes basically nothing even from Grass Knot, and can do some serious damage back with STAB Thunderbolt. However, it must beware of Starmie's STAB Psycho Shock if it carries it.</p>
<p>Starmie's next-biggest foes generally boil down to those that resist its STAB and can take a coverage attack. Ferrothorn is one of the biggest threats, as it can take just about everything Starmie throws at it barring Hidden Power Fire or Trick, (comma) and has the potential to OHKO with STAB Power Whip, or can simply annoy Starmie with Leech Seed and Thunder Wave as it sets up Spikes. Celebi and Shaymin both have similar applications as bulky Grass-types. As far as bulky Water-types go, Lanturn has already been mentioned, but Suicune is also a nasty poser, with the ability to Calm Mind up on Starmie and blow it away with Hidden Power Electric. Jellicent is immune to Starmie's STAB attacks thanks to Water Absorb, has access to reliable recovery, and can also block Rapid Spin, making it a double threat, but Thunderbolt will sting and Psycho Shock won't be too pleasant either. Kingdra is also a potent threat, and unlike Jellicent cannot be scared away by Thunderbolt due to its neutrality, and can take the opportunity to set up Dragon Dance or begin firing off Draco Meteor. Other Dragon-types are similarly problematic if Starmie lacks Ice Beam.</p>
<p>Lastly, Starmie suffers greatly from being worn down by all forms of passive damage, and so can be worn down quite quickly. It is difficult to revenge kill due to its impressive Speed stat combined with its resistance to essentially every common priority attack; however, its Psychic typing brings with it a weakness to Pursuit, which is especially deadly for the Choice set in particular. Weavile is faster than Starmie and can thus essentially place Starmie in a checkmate position, while the same is true of Choice Scarf Tyranitar. Scizor is another problem Pokemon, who also has the option of U-turning away if you have Magnezone waiting in the wings.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>For some reason, everybody was hoping and praying that Starmie would get Regeneration as its Dream World ability. However, Gamefreak committed yet another flavour faux pas, and gave Starmie an intriguing ability, Analyse, which is not strictly useless, but it is very close to it. In the hands of another Pokemon it could be a mighty weapon; however, for Starmie, it is just a bit wasted. The way it works is that, if Starmie is last to attack, its move is powered up. Of course, thanks to that awesome Speed stat Starmie is almost guaranteed to not move last, and that's not even considering how great Natural Cure is anyway, meaning Starmie barely even needs a new ability anyway. Analyse Staryu is confirmed to be released in the Dream World, though why you would ever want to use it competitively is beyond us.</p>
good read as usual =]
Alright, I'm collectively stamping NatGeo and Aeron Ee1's checks together.
Honestly, top of the queue and not a single look in...
Honestly, top of the queue and not a single look in...
I'm not a GP member either, but why not :p
add
delete
add
delete
I corrected some spelling errors, assuming that Smogon uses American English as opposed to British English. Hope this helped!
subsplit starmie is good
Come on you guys. It already passed Quality Control, and Starmie pretty much has all the viable options written out, so further recommendations are not necessary.
Also, Subsplit? What does what have over Recover AND three coverage moves?
Also, Subsplit? What does what have over Recover AND three coverage moves?
GP CHECK 2/2
Additions in Bold, Deletions in Red
*Use the Em Dash. In other words, when using an aside, do "—" not "-".
Additions in Bold, Deletions in Red
*Use the Em Dash. In other words, when using an aside, do "—" not "-".
[Overview]
<p>Starmie is one of four Pokemon, the others being Gengar, Snorlax, and Zapdos, who have been in the OU tier ever since they were first introduced in RBY, and all four of them have arguably changed very little since they were first introduced. Starmie has always had its acclaimed BoltBeam coverage alongside its powerful Water-type STAB, backed by its impressive Speed and reasonable Special Attack, and this remains the very core of its power. However, in the generation shift it gained a number of new and useful tools. In the way of new attacks, Starmie received Psyshock, which when combined with Choice Specs, a Modest nature, and Stealth Rock can actually allow Starmie to 2HKO its greatest nemesis, Blissey—-which means that Starmie can reclaim its old title of having no safe switch-ins. Another useful tool is Scald, a Water-type Lava Plume, which can allow Starmie to spread the burn status around the foe's team, and also to catch out and cripple a Pursuit-trapper that tries to get lucky.</p>
<p>However, with a new generation comes new enemies that threaten Starmie greatly. Ferrothorn stands out among them, as it is able to take just about everything Starmie has and is equipped with every tool necessary to stop it, and Whimsicott promises to be a great source of annoyance as well. Despite all this, the future is not necessarily bleak for the falling star. With the introduction of so many new and fast threats, Starmie's high Speed will likely be called upon much more often than before, not to mention the value of Rapid Spinning for Pokemon such as Volcarona, especially considering Starmie's ability to defeat Jellicent, Chandelure, and Golurk. All in all, expect Starmie to be just as good as it has always been, and that's higher praise than most.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Hidden Power Fire / Recover
item: Life Orb
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
name: Life Orb
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Hidden Power Fire / Recover
item: Life Orb
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Where would Starmie be without its bread-and-butter offensive set? While its composition has certainly not remained constant, Starmie's offensive set has barely changed in its fundamental impact, with a high-power STAB attack backed up by comprehensive coverage and recovery. Hydro Pump is a hard-hitting STAB attack that Starmie uses very well; however, it is certainly true that its accuracy is questionable. , and Therefore therefore, some may prefer the more reliable Surf as an alternative. The next two slots are devoted to attacking moves, which cover all the types that resist Starmie's Water-type STAB; Ice Beam covers Grass- and Dragon-types while Thunderbolt strikes down opposing Water-types, providing a combination resisted by none excluding but Shedinja and Volt Absorb Lanturn.</p>
<p>In the last slot, Recover is the traditional option, which lengthens Starmie's lifespan, and becomes all the more important when you consider the recoil caused by Life Orb. Passive damage can wear Starmie down very quickly, and so it is advisable to keep a recovery move in reserve; however, in this new generation, in order to meet the rising demands of an ever-increasing threat list, you can choose to drop Recover in favor of a number of attacking options. Hidden Power Fire is chief among them, allowing Starmie to easily 2HKO Ferrothorn, one of Starmie's biggest threats, and also allowing Starmie to remove Scizor with little trouble. On the other hand, Psyshock is a secondary STAB move that can actually 2HKO Calm Blissey, removing Starmie's greatest nemesis. However, remember that neither of these moves have much utility outside of these specific targets, so generally Recover is better unless you have no other way of dealing with the aforementioned threats on your team. Rapid Spin is also an option in the last slot if you think you have partners that could make good use of it, or just want a way to surprise the opponent.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature are relatively straightforward. Timid and 252 Speed EVs are essential in order to outrun the very large contingent of Pokemon lurking just above the base 100 mark, with particular emphasis on Garchomp and Terrakion. After that, maximize Special Attack to hit as hard as possible, and then chuck the rest in HP. Much of Starmie's success stems from its ability of choice, Natural Cure, which makes it effectively immune to status, making Thunder Wave and Toxic essentially a non-issue. For alternative STAB moves, Scald is another option in the first moveslot if you want to try to cripple the opponent's physical sweepers, and it has pretty decent power as well.</p>
<p>Entry hazard support is very helpful to allow Starmie to achieve the necessary 2HKOs and OHKOs that it promises, as it is essentially operating unboosted. Politoed is an excellent partner to Starmie due to its Drizzle ability, and Starmie can perform extremely well on a dedicated rain offense team, thanks to the combination of its Speed and type coverage. Not only does Drizzle banish the weather effects that plague Starmie so, it also boosts Starmie's Water-type STAB moves and allows the use of Thunder, which becomes far more reliable under the rain. Also, if you are not carrying any recovery move, Starmie will greatly appreciate Wish support from Blissey or Vaporeon, allowing it to continue its rampage for longer.</p>
<p>With the strength of its type coverage, Starmie has very few Pokemon that can switch into it directly. It is also very difficult to outrun and hence revenge kill without resorting to priority. However, the main bulky Pokemon who will be causing Starmie pain include Ferrothorn, Blissey, and Snorlax. Evolution Stone Porygon2 is also a massive pain, as it is not 2HKOed even by Hydro Pump without previous damage, and can strike back with Thunderbolt or just Recover off its damage. All of these Pokemon have a Fighting-type weakness, so a Pokemon such as Conkeldurr or Machamp can be a fantastic ally to dispose of them. Dugtrio can trap and revenge kill Blissey thanks to Arena Trap and STAB Earthquake, and can also threaten Snorlax, Tyranitar, and various Steel-types. To deal with Ferrothorn, Magnezone can be employed to trap and OHKO with Hidden Power Fire. Magnezone is also a useful ally against Scizor, who could try to revenge kill Starmie with Bullet Punch or U-turn, and can also use its powerful Electric-type STAB moves against bulky Water-types.</p>
<p>Aside from these dedicated special walls, Starmie will generally have the most trouble with bulky Grass- and Water-types, especially Ferrothorn and Kingdra. Both have resistance to Starmie's STAB moves and neutrality to its coverage moves, so can pretty much switch in with impunity. Both can also wipe Starmie out with their STAB moves. Magnezone has already been mentioned for use against Ferrothorn, but for Celebi and Shaymin, you may want an alternative. Heatran makes an excellent partner thanks to its ability to come in on Grass-, Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks with impunity and has a powerful STAB Fire Blast to obliterate bulky Grass-types with. Both Heatran and Starmie have trouble with bulky Water-types, however. Generally the best way to be rid of these Water-types, primarily Suicune, Kingdra, and Vaporeon, is to hit them with a strong super effective attack. Ferrothorn and the previously mentioned Magnezone work well for this reason.</p>
[SET]
name: Rapid Spin
move1: Rapid Spin
move2: Surf / Hydro Pump
move3: Thunderbolt / Ice Beam
move4: Recover
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
name: Rapid Spin
move1: Rapid Spin
move2: Surf / Hydro Pump
move3: Thunderbolt / Ice Beam
move4: Recover
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is more focused on the supporting nature of Starmie than its offensive nature, through the very rare move, Rapid Spin, which Starmie can make excellently use of. The key to Starmie's effectiveness as a Rapid Spinner is its potent offensive ability, as most people would not switch a Ghost-type into Starmie for fear of a powerful Life Orb boosted attack, meaning that it actually has a pretty good chance of bluffing an offensive set and getting a free Rapid Spin off.</p>
<p>Once again, a STAB Water-type move is essential to make the most of Starmie's offensive capabilities. Surf is the most reliable option, though Hydro Pump is also worth a spot look in for the increased offensive power. Scald is another option in case you want some added utility. Recover is also a good idea in order to maintain Starmie's presence on the field, as not only is Starmie likely to be called upon multiple time to keep the ground free of hazards, but it is also a powerful offensive threat, and worth saving if possible. Lastly, a coverage move is imperative so that you pose more of an offensive threat, especially to those Ghost-types who resist Starmie's STAB. Thunderbolt is given as a critical option for this set, since this is the only way you will be able to hit Jellicent, one of the most popular Ghost-types available. Ice Beam is, generally speaking, the secondary option, but if you are genuinely worried about Hydreigon and Celebi, it is always available.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>As this Starmie is playing more of a support role, it helps to stick around for longer. While Recover helps with this somewhat, Leftovers is the primary option to improve its recovery rate, although Life Orb is also an option if you want Starmie to have more of an offensive presence. The EVs, again, are self-explanatory sweeper EVs, with 252 EVs in both Special Attack and Speed. If you want to play Starmie more defensively, a bulkier spread can be used in order to give Starmie a greater potential to switch in, lessening the necessity of using Recover. 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe is a reasonably good bulky spread, but this compromises Starmie's offensive power significantly.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, Starmie can just bulldoze through most Ghost-types, with the possible exceptions of Jellicent and Evolution Stone Dusclops, but it is still threatened by Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Chandelure, who can be very troublesome if they predict a Rapid Spin and switch in, so you may want to include a Pursuit-user such as Tyranitar in order to deal with them. On the offensive side, Starmie is limited by the fact that it only has room for one coverage move, meaning that it will be left open to either bulky Grass- and Dragon-types, or bulky Water-types. If you choose Thunderbolt, Celebi, Hydreigon, and Shaymin will all be troublesome opponents. To deal with them, something with a strong Ice-type move is recommended, such as Mamoswine or Kyurem. Scizor is also notable in that it can hit all of the aforementioned threats super effectively with its U-turn, but all of them outrun it, making it a shaky check. A strong Fire-type such as Heatran can be used to deal with Grass-types, though it has trouble with the many support moves that Grass-types like to use, and can barely touch most Dragon-types. If going with Ice Beam instead, bulky Water-types become more troublesome. For example, Suicune can set up Calm Mind in your face and obliterate the rest of your team. To deal with them, a specially defensive Grass- or Water-type is recommended. Ferrothorn can hit back with STAB Power Whip, lay down entry hazards, and has excellent defensive synergy with Starmie, while Vaporeon or Jellicent can block Water-type attacks with Water Absorb - Vaporeon is an excellent choice since it can use Hidden Power Electric, Roar, or Toxic, while also passing Starmie extremely bulky Wishes, which greatly helps Starmie's survivability.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Trick / Psyshock
item: Choice Specs
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
name: Choice Specs
move1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move2: Ice Beam
move3: Thunderbolt
move4: Trick / Psyshock
item: Choice Specs
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid / Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Specs Starmie is a vicious attacker, and can be an immensely potent special sweeper. The idea of this set is simply to hit hard and fast, trusting to Starmie's superb type coverage and Speed in order to secure vital KOs. Hydro Pump is advised for your STAB option, as the Choice Specs set needs to hit as hard as possible in order to best take advantage of the power available; however, Surf is an agreeable alternative should you want it for reliability. The elemental counterparts of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt are, as always, necessary for coverage, creating the infamous "BoltBeam" combination.</p>
<p>The last moveslot is reserved for a way to foul up Blissey and other 'counters'. Trick is a very useful way of crippling anything on the opponent's team, and if you can catch Blissey or Ferrothorn with it on the switch, it can be very rewarding indeed, as you will greatly hinder their effectiveness as walls. On the other hand, Psyshock is a useful option that allows you to 2HKO special walls such as Blissey with entry hazard damage; however, this can mean that Starmie is locked into a Psychic-type attack, making it perfect set-up fodder for Scizor and Excadrill.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs remain unchanged, as Starmie really needs Speed and power over anything else. Timid is also generally the most favorable nature for the reasons already stated—-Starmie cannot afford to lose out on the Speed front. This is especially important as Starmie will be switching very often already, as is the nature of Choice sets, and so will not want to be forced out if it can help it. However, if you want you can run a Modest nature, as not only does it allow you to hit just about everything harder, wearing down the opponent's team more easily, but it also allows you to 2HKO even the most defensive of Blissey with Psyshock after Stealth Rock, and even sometimes without.</p>
<p>Entry hazards are an important factor to consider for any Starmie set, but with Choice Specs Starmie this is a very crucial point. This Starmie will be forcing plenty of switches, so it is best to capitalize on this with a nice few layers of entry hazards. Deoxys-S can lay down both Spikes and Stealth Rock, while Ferrothorn can do the same, and has the benefit of considerable defensive synergy with Starmie, as it resists Starmie's Electric-, Grass-, Dark-, and Ghost-type weaknesses, while Starmie resists its Fighting- and Fire-type weaknesses. The same is true in reverse, as Starmie will be switching very often itself, and so Rapid Spin is not such a bad idea.</p>
<p>Choice Specs Starmie is very good at breaking down plenty of walls, and even those resistant to its STAB moves take heavy damage - 4 HP Hydreigon takes a minimum of 41% from Timid Hydro Pump, meaning that it can be 2HKOed with Stealth Rock if you get a high damage roll. Even those that can take its attacks, such as Blissey, can easily be crippled with a predicted Trick or Psyshock on the switch. Because of this, sweepers that have problems with the Pokemon that Starmie baits, namely Blissey, Grass-types, and Water-types, are all good partners to Starmie. Butterfly Dance Volcarona benefits greatly from the removal of Blissey and bulky Water-types, and can break through Ferrothorn, whom Starmie cannot handle. Such Pokemon as Cloyster and Latios are good partners for similar reasons.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Even though many may think it redundant with Starmie's blistering Speed stat, a Choice Scarf set can actually work very effectively if you are in need of a revenge killer for numerous faster threats, such as Dragon Dance Salamence, Haxorus, Gyarados, and Choice Scarf Garchomp. However, even with this much Speed, Starmie will still be unable to outrun Excadrill under a sandstorm, and more to the point, it lacks the power of the Choice Specs set, meaning it will be relatively easy to set up on. Also, Trick can work with the item Ring Target quite effectively, as if you can catch a Ghost on the switch you can remove their Normal-type immunity, hence allowing you to freely Rapid Spin as you please. However, Starmie can generally better accomplish this by smashing the Ghost on the switch with a STAB attack.</p>
<p>Starmie has a few other special moves worth mentioning. Psychic gives it a stronger secondary STAB, while Grass Knot and Power Gem are worth mentioning for a slightly harder hit on foes such as Quagsire and Yanmega, respectively. Light Screen and Reflect are useful support options, which along with Thunder Wave could make a useful dual screens set, but unfortunately Starmie is outclassed by Deoxys-S and Azelf for the most part outside of Rapid Spin. Lastly, Reflect Type could be a fun little gimmick to annoy Ferrothorn and any Pursuit-trappers, but has no real competitive implications outside of that.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>There are a whole host of specially defensive Normal-types who can make Starmie's spikes fall off in frustration. Chief among these is its old nemesis Blissey, who can take everything outside of Psyshock and Trick, and can cripple with Thunder Wave or Toxic and proceed to stall Starmie out. However, between Natural Cure and Recover, Starmie has a chance to outstall Blissey itself. Blissey's old lackey Snorlax is also at hand, and has access to Pursuit to really make Starmie's life hell. Not only that, but the item Evolution Stone means that both Porygon2 and Chansey have the ability to take all of Starmie's attacks as well, both have reliable recovery, and unlike the former two, can easily take Psyshock as well. However, Trick really screws both of them over as neither can afford to lose their precious Eviolite. In terms of resistances, the closest thing to a total counter is Lanturn, who has excellent Special Defense and can take all of Starmie's attacks thanks to resistances to Water and Ice, and immunity to Electric-type attacks. Its light weight also means that it takes basically nothing from Grass Knot, and can do some serious damage back with STAB Thunderbolt. However, it must beware of Starmie's STAB Psyshock if it carries it.</p>
<p>Starmie's next-biggest foes generally boil down to those that resist its STAB and can take a coverage attack. Ferrothorn is one of the biggest threats, as it can take just about everything Starmie throws at it barring Hidden Power Fire or Trick, and has the potential to OHKO with STAB Power Whip, or simply annoy Starmie with Leech Seed and Thunder Wave as it sets up Spikes. Celebi and Shaymin both have similar applications as bulky Grass-types. As far as bulky Water-types go, Lanturn has already been mentioned, but Suicune is also a nasty poser, with the ability to Calm Mind up on Starmie and blow it away with Hidden Power Electric. Jellicent is immune to Starmie's STAB attacks thanks to Water Absorb, has access to reliable recovery, and can also block Rapid Spin, making it a double threat, but Thunderbolt will sting and Psyshock won't be too pleasant either. Kingdra is also a potent threat, and unlike Jellicent cannot be scared away by Thunderbolt due to its neutrality, and can take the opportunity to set up Dragon Dance or begin firing off Draco Meteor. Other Dragon-types are similarly problematic if Starmie lacks Ice Beam.</p>
<p>Lastly, Starmie suffers greatly from all forms of passive damage, and so can be worn down quite quickly if it doesn't carry Leftovers. It is difficult to revenge kill due to its impressive Speed stat combined with its resistance to essentially every common priority attack; however, its Psychic typing brings with it a weakness to Pursuit, which is especially deadly for the Choice set in particular. Weavile is faster than Starmie and thus can essentially place Starmie in a checkmate position, while the same is true of Choice Scarf Tyranitar. Scizor is another problem Pokemon, who also has the option of U-turning away if you have Magnezone waiting in the wings.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>For some reason, everybody was hoping and praying that Starmie would get Regeneration as its Dream World ability. However, Gamefreak committed yet another flavour faux pas, and gave Starmie an intriguing ability, Analytic, which is not strictly useless, but it is very close to it. In the hands of another Pokemon it could be a mighty weapon; however, for Starmie, it is just a bit wasted. The way it works is that, if Starmie is last to attack, its move is powered up. Of course, thanks to that awesome Speed stat Starmie is almost guaranteed to not move last, and that's not even considering how great Natural Cure is anyway, meaning Starmie barely even needs a new ability anyway. Analytic Staryu is confirmed to be released in the Dream World, though why you would ever want to use it competitively is beyond explanation.</p>
Thank you Dr. Reid and all the other grammar/quality control checkers.
This is now done. Probably.
This is now done. Probably.
TheSpecialOne
formerly Santuga
Isnt scald a better option for the rapid spin set?
How about a set with reflect type? It's situational but I've used it on random wifi and it netted a few surprise wins.
Reflect type/Support Star
1) cosmic power/light screen/reflect
2) recover
3) scald/toxic/ice beam
4) reflect type
Ability:Natural cure
Item:leftovers/light clay
Nature: bold
252 HP/ 144 def/ 108 sp def
Cosmic power is to boost your defenses to take hits better while light screen/reflect is good for team support. Scald is so your not totally helpless against taunt users and the burn can help your defense while toxic is for stalling (this works best with cosmic power). Ice beam is ice beam, it's good for chipping away (the good coverage and naturally high sp attack will turn it into mini tank, sweeper thing. Reflect type can give you either an immunity or surprise resistance. If Ferrothorn switches in, you get a free steel/grass typing with cosmic power, recover and possible stalling options. Beware because if a dragon or ghost switches in, your screwed. Lefties is for recovery and light clay is for screens.
Thoughts, comments, concerns?
Reflect type/Support Star
1) cosmic power/light screen/reflect
2) recover
3) scald/toxic/ice beam
4) reflect type
Ability:Natural cure
Item:leftovers/light clay
Nature: bold
252 HP/ 144 def/ 108 sp def
Cosmic power is to boost your defenses to take hits better while light screen/reflect is good for team support. Scald is so your not totally helpless against taunt users and the burn can help your defense while toxic is for stalling (this works best with cosmic power). Ice beam is ice beam, it's good for chipping away (the good coverage and naturally high sp attack will turn it into mini tank, sweeper thing. Reflect type can give you either an immunity or surprise resistance. If Ferrothorn switches in, you get a free steel/grass typing with cosmic power, recover and possible stalling options. Beware because if a dragon or ghost switches in, your screwed. Lefties is for recovery and light clay is for screens.
Thoughts, comments, concerns?
LO Starmie can run psychic over Thunderbolt. It makes it a Conkeldurr check and it hits water types pretty well too, especially Kingdra.
Also, very situational but I noticed whenever I pull out my Starmie Celebii comes right out (if the player has it) so I have actually been running a Rapid Spin set with
-Rapid Spin
-Thunderbolt
-Scald
-Signal Beam
You don't ever get tired of seeing someone go "WTF" in the log after you OHKO their cute little bug boy.
-Rapid Spin
-Thunderbolt
-Scald
-Signal Beam
You don't ever get tired of seeing someone go "WTF" in the log after you OHKO their cute little bug boy.
Is there a reason the Dream World section is so long? That section should be to mention the pokémon's DW ability and its competitive use; there's no need in saying it should have gotten Regeneration or wasting 3-4 sentences saying it's useless and Natural Cure is better.
I can't see how those two sentences do anything to the section short of clogging up the read.
[Checks and Counters]
<p>There are a whole host of specially defensive Normal-types who can make Starmie's spikes fall off in frustration. Chief among these is its old nemesis Blissey, who can take everything outside of Psyshock and Trick, and can cripple with Thunder Wave or Toxic and proceed to stall Starmie out. However, between Natural Cure and Recover, Starmie has a chance to outstall Blissey itself. Blissey's old lackey Snorlax is also at hand, and has access to Pursuit to really make Starmie's life hell. Not only that, but the item Evolution Stone means that both Porygon2 and Chansey have the ability to take all of Starmie's attacks as well, both have reliable recovery, and unlike the former two, can easily take Psyshock as well. However, Trick really screws both of them over as neither can afford to lose their precious Eviolite. In terms of resistances, the closest thing to a total counter is Lanturn, who has excellent Special Defense and can take all of Starmie's attacks thanks to resistances to Water and Ice, and immunity to Electric-type attacks. Its light weight also means that it takes basically nothing from Grass Knot, and can do some serious damage back with STAB Thunderbolt. However, it must beware of Starmie's STAB Psyshock if it carries it.</p>
Found another mention of "Evolution Stone".
<p>There are a whole host of specially defensive Normal-types who can make Starmie's spikes fall off in frustration. Chief among these is its old nemesis Blissey, who can take everything outside of Psyshock and Trick, and can cripple with Thunder Wave or Toxic and proceed to stall Starmie out. However, between Natural Cure and Recover, Starmie has a chance to outstall Blissey itself. Blissey's old lackey Snorlax is also at hand, and has access to Pursuit to really make Starmie's life hell. Not only that, but the item Evolution Stone means that both Porygon2 and Chansey have the ability to take all of Starmie's attacks as well, both have reliable recovery, and unlike the former two, can easily take Psyshock as well. However, Trick really screws both of them over as neither can afford to lose their precious Eviolite. In terms of resistances, the closest thing to a total counter is Lanturn, who has excellent Special Defense and can take all of Starmie's attacks thanks to resistances to Water and Ice, and immunity to Electric-type attacks. Its light weight also means that it takes basically nothing from Grass Knot, and can do some serious damage back with STAB Thunderbolt. However, it must beware of Starmie's STAB Psyshock if it carries it.</p>
Found another mention of "Evolution Stone".