[SET]
name: Defensive Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Recover
move 3: Surf / Hydro Pump
move 4: Thunder Wave / Thunderbolt / Psychic
item: Leftovers
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rapid Spin and Recover give Starmie the longevity to remove entry hazards over the course of the game. This longevity is especially helpful against defensive teams lacking a Pursuit user and against Water-weak Stealth Rock users like Heatran, as Starmie can survive hits from them and ensure entry hazards stay off of the field. Rapid Spin has a lot of PP, allowing Starmie to PP stall foes that struggle to hurt it such as Blissey, Skarmory, and defensive Jirachi. Surf or Hydro Pump hits Gengar, Rotom-A, and Tyranitar hard. Surf 2HKOes non-bulky variants of all three most of the time after Stealth Rock, while Hydro Pump guarantees the ranges on Rotom-A and Tyranitar without bulk investment and is generally being more threatening, but it has poor accuracy and PP for a defensive Pokemon. This is exacerbated by defensive structures featuring Protect users such as Heatran and Jirachi, as they can take multiple Hydro Pumps and force Starmie to conserve PP over the course of the match. While Surf is underwhelming against more defensive Tyranitar, it is the primary option for reliability.
In the last slot, Thunder Wave is the primary option to prevent a wide variety of foes from setting up on Starmie. Thunder Wave synergizes well with its Water-type STAB, move threatening Ground-types immune to Thunder Wave. Paralysis helps Starmie slow down Gengar, both defensive and Calm Mind Jirachi, Dragon Dance Gyarados, Suicune, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, and Choice Scarf Rotom-A. Starmie has a wide variety of other moves it can use as well. Thunderbolt more directly threatens Dragon Dance Gyarados, as Gyarados cannot OHKO Starmie without both Life Orb and a strong neutral attack such as Bounce or Outrage. It also hits Skarmory, opposing Starmie, and Calm Mind Suicune hard. Psychic has good synergy with Surf and Hydro Pump, OHKOing Gengar, most Breloom, and hitting Kingdra as hard as possible. Other options include Ice Beam to 3HKO Latias, 2HKO Breloom, and OHKO Dragonite, Gliscor, and Flygon. Reflect helps to prevent Tyranitar from trapping it as easily and generally shrug off attacks from Swampert, Metagross, and Bronzong.
Set Details
========
Starmie needs absolute maximum Speed EVs to outspeed Choice Scarf Magnezone; even if this benchmark is not as important to the team, Starmie generally wants at least 216 Speed EVs with a Timid nature to outspeed Latias, Gengar, and Infernape. As the extra EVs are not appreciably enough to prevent Tyranitar from Pursuit trapping it, they are generally put into Speed. Maximum HP lets Starmie survive hits as much as it can, as it has meager overall bulk and relies on its Speed and Recover to stave off threats such as Swampert and Bronzong. However, if Starmie uses Psychic or another coverage move, it is possible to allocate EVs into Special Attack. A common EV spread for this is 136 HP / 156 SpA / 216 Spe, as this guarantees Psychic OHKOes maximum HP Breloom and Gengar and Surf 2HKOes Tyranitar without bulk investment and Rotom-A after Stealth Rock.
Alternatively, Starmie can look to improve its physical bulk to better handle common physical threats such as Swampert, Metagross, and Bronzong with a spread of 136 HP / 156 Def / 216 Spe. An even bulkier spread is 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spe EVs with a Bold nature. With this, Starmie is much bulkier and can reliably take on Gyarados while still outspeeding Adamant Lucario, Heatran, and Mamoswine. However, Starmie is now outsped by Infernape and Gengar, two foes it is supposed to threaten, and it can be flinched by faster Jirachi.
Usage Tips
========
The number one rule when using defensive Starmie is to not be too hasty using it to remove entry hazards; if brought in constantly, it is both very easy to wear down via residual damage and remove with Pursuit. Unless it is absolutely necessary to check a threat or remove entry hazards, Starmie is more effective if used cautiously. Bring it in later in the game, possibly after the opposing entry hazard user has been KOed, to force the opponent to either check it or risk losing their entry hazards. Starmie is excellent at soft checking Pokemon such as Heatran, Infernape, Metagross, and Hippowdon with its coverage and Speed; this is especially useful if they are the primary Stealth Rock user. This situation forces the opponent into the uncomfortable position of either letting their Rotom-A or Gengar take Surf or potentially Thunder Wave, or losing their entry hazards. Continually weakening these Ghost-types can facilitate its spinning capabilities.
Starmie generally does not want to be on the field for very long against most teams; while it can PP stall with Rapid Spin, it is not very bulky and has limited Recover PP. Try to stay clear of Tyranitar, as Starmie not hitting it on the switch is usually a death sentence, either via Pursuit if it switches or Crunch if it stays in. Starmie also should try to avoid Clefable's Knock Off if possible, as it really struggles to stay healthy in sand without Leftovers. While Starmie can heal off status from foes such as Heatran and Jirachi with Natural Cure, status only exacerbates it frailty and typically forces it to continuously use Recover.
Team Options
========
Starmie is generally the best support Pokemon in the tier for Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon such as Zapdos and Dragonite as well as grounded walls weak to Spikes and Toxic Spikes such as Blissey, Jirachi, and Celebi. Removing Stealth Rock makes physically defensive Zapdos oppressive to deal with, as it has fantastic overall bulk, great coverage, Pressure, and excellent defensive typing. More offensive variants of Zapdos enjoy using its natural bulk to survive one attack and hit hard in return, something much more difficult to do with Stealth Rock. Dragonite, especially Choice Band or more defensive Dragon Dance sets, enjoy being able to switch back in later in the game without worrying about Stealth Rock. Due to how much Spikes warps DPP OU, Starmie is generally a great partner for grounded Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Heatran, Breloom, Swampert, Abomasnow, Scizor, Metagross, and Jirachi, as it prevents them from being worn down by entry hazards. Tyranitar is especially good, as it can Pursuit trap Rotom-A to prevent spinblocking.
With Thunder Wave, Starmie provides great support for teams built around paralysis spreaders, as they generally let entry hazards go up easily and want to use Blissey's sheer bulk to stop special attackers. Starmie also provides good speed control for these builds and checks dangerous Pokemon such as Infernape, Gliscor, and Gengar. Some example partners include Blissey, Jirachi, Zapdos, Machamp, Clefable, Magnezone, and Breloom. Machamp in particular is an excellent partner, as it is very slow, has just enough bulk to avoid 2HKOs, and appreciates Rapid Spin support to preserve its bulk and; in return, Starmie can paralyze foes such as Jirachi, Skarmory, and Metagross to facilitate it getting a Substitute. Jirachi can use Starmie's paralysis support to flinch foes with Iron Head and act as a back-up check to almost anything in the tier with a defensive set. Breloom both enjoys paralysis support with a Swords Dance set and mitigating its Spikes weakness. Magnezone also helps prevent Skarmory from setting up entry hazards later in the game and can potentially remove dangerous Steel-types such as Heatran, Metagross, and Bronzong that try to use Explosion on Starmie. Starmie also offers great support to powerful Pokemon that need paralysis support such as Choice Band Tyranitar, Substitute + Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Rhyperior.
Starmie is also great alongside other Pokemon that wear down Tyranitar, such as Heatran and Zapdos. Toxic Spikes are also effective for wearing Tyranitar down, especially since it often does not have ways to heal status or residual damage. Celebi can also lure in and weaken Tyranitar with Grass Knot or U-turn and appreciates Rapid Spin support. Other ways to take advantage of Tyranitar include Substitute Breloom, Swords Dance Scizor, Rock Polish Metagross, Substitute or otherwise physical Jirachi, and Swampert.
name: Defensive Rapid Spin
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Recover
move 3: Surf / Hydro Pump
move 4: Thunder Wave / Thunderbolt / Psychic
item: Leftovers
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rapid Spin and Recover give Starmie the longevity to remove entry hazards over the course of the game. This longevity is especially helpful against defensive teams lacking a Pursuit user and against Water-weak Stealth Rock users like Heatran, as Starmie can survive hits from them and ensure entry hazards stay off of the field. Rapid Spin has a lot of PP, allowing Starmie to PP stall foes that struggle to hurt it such as Blissey, Skarmory, and defensive Jirachi. Surf or Hydro Pump hits Gengar, Rotom-A, and Tyranitar hard. Surf 2HKOes non-bulky variants of all three most of the time after Stealth Rock, while Hydro Pump guarantees the ranges on Rotom-A and Tyranitar without bulk investment and is generally being more threatening, but it has poor accuracy and PP for a defensive Pokemon. This is exacerbated by defensive structures featuring Protect users such as Heatran and Jirachi, as they can take multiple Hydro Pumps and force Starmie to conserve PP over the course of the match. While Surf is underwhelming against more defensive Tyranitar, it is the primary option for reliability.
In the last slot, Thunder Wave is the primary option to prevent a wide variety of foes from setting up on Starmie. Thunder Wave synergizes well with its Water-type STAB, move threatening Ground-types immune to Thunder Wave. Paralysis helps Starmie slow down Gengar, both defensive and Calm Mind Jirachi, Dragon Dance Gyarados, Suicune, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, and Choice Scarf Rotom-A. Starmie has a wide variety of other moves it can use as well. Thunderbolt more directly threatens Dragon Dance Gyarados, as Gyarados cannot OHKO Starmie without both Life Orb and a strong neutral attack such as Bounce or Outrage. It also hits Skarmory, opposing Starmie, and Calm Mind Suicune hard. Psychic has good synergy with Surf and Hydro Pump, OHKOing Gengar, most Breloom, and hitting Kingdra as hard as possible. Other options include Ice Beam to 3HKO Latias, 2HKO Breloom, and OHKO Dragonite, Gliscor, and Flygon. Reflect helps to prevent Tyranitar from trapping it as easily and generally shrug off attacks from Swampert, Metagross, and Bronzong.
Set Details
========
Starmie needs absolute maximum Speed EVs to outspeed Choice Scarf Magnezone; even if this benchmark is not as important to the team, Starmie generally wants at least 216 Speed EVs with a Timid nature to outspeed Latias, Gengar, and Infernape. As the extra EVs are not appreciably enough to prevent Tyranitar from Pursuit trapping it, they are generally put into Speed. Maximum HP lets Starmie survive hits as much as it can, as it has meager overall bulk and relies on its Speed and Recover to stave off threats such as Swampert and Bronzong. However, if Starmie uses Psychic or another coverage move, it is possible to allocate EVs into Special Attack. A common EV spread for this is 136 HP / 156 SpA / 216 Spe, as this guarantees Psychic OHKOes maximum HP Breloom and Gengar and Surf 2HKOes Tyranitar without bulk investment and Rotom-A after Stealth Rock.
Alternatively, Starmie can look to improve its physical bulk to better handle common physical threats such as Swampert, Metagross, and Bronzong with a spread of 136 HP / 156 Def / 216 Spe. An even bulkier spread is 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 Spe EVs with a Bold nature. With this, Starmie is much bulkier and can reliably take on Gyarados while still outspeeding Adamant Lucario, Heatran, and Mamoswine. However, Starmie is now outsped by Infernape and Gengar, two foes it is supposed to threaten, and it can be flinched by faster Jirachi.
Usage Tips
========
The number one rule when using defensive Starmie is to not be too hasty using it to remove entry hazards; if brought in constantly, it is both very easy to wear down via residual damage and remove with Pursuit. Unless it is absolutely necessary to check a threat or remove entry hazards, Starmie is more effective if used cautiously. Bring it in later in the game, possibly after the opposing entry hazard user has been KOed, to force the opponent to either check it or risk losing their entry hazards. Starmie is excellent at soft checking Pokemon such as Heatran, Infernape, Metagross, and Hippowdon with its coverage and Speed; this is especially useful if they are the primary Stealth Rock user. This situation forces the opponent into the uncomfortable position of either letting their Rotom-A or Gengar take Surf or potentially Thunder Wave, or losing their entry hazards. Continually weakening these Ghost-types can facilitate its spinning capabilities.
Starmie generally does not want to be on the field for very long against most teams; while it can PP stall with Rapid Spin, it is not very bulky and has limited Recover PP. Try to stay clear of Tyranitar, as Starmie not hitting it on the switch is usually a death sentence, either via Pursuit if it switches or Crunch if it stays in. Starmie also should try to avoid Clefable's Knock Off if possible, as it really struggles to stay healthy in sand without Leftovers. While Starmie can heal off status from foes such as Heatran and Jirachi with Natural Cure, status only exacerbates it frailty and typically forces it to continuously use Recover.
Team Options
========
Starmie is generally the best support Pokemon in the tier for Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon such as Zapdos and Dragonite as well as grounded walls weak to Spikes and Toxic Spikes such as Blissey, Jirachi, and Celebi. Removing Stealth Rock makes physically defensive Zapdos oppressive to deal with, as it has fantastic overall bulk, great coverage, Pressure, and excellent defensive typing. More offensive variants of Zapdos enjoy using its natural bulk to survive one attack and hit hard in return, something much more difficult to do with Stealth Rock. Dragonite, especially Choice Band or more defensive Dragon Dance sets, enjoy being able to switch back in later in the game without worrying about Stealth Rock. Due to how much Spikes warps DPP OU, Starmie is generally a great partner for grounded Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Heatran, Breloom, Swampert, Abomasnow, Scizor, Metagross, and Jirachi, as it prevents them from being worn down by entry hazards. Tyranitar is especially good, as it can Pursuit trap Rotom-A to prevent spinblocking.
With Thunder Wave, Starmie provides great support for teams built around paralysis spreaders, as they generally let entry hazards go up easily and want to use Blissey's sheer bulk to stop special attackers. Starmie also provides good speed control for these builds and checks dangerous Pokemon such as Infernape, Gliscor, and Gengar. Some example partners include Blissey, Jirachi, Zapdos, Machamp, Clefable, Magnezone, and Breloom. Machamp in particular is an excellent partner, as it is very slow, has just enough bulk to avoid 2HKOs, and appreciates Rapid Spin support to preserve its bulk and; in return, Starmie can paralyze foes such as Jirachi, Skarmory, and Metagross to facilitate it getting a Substitute. Jirachi can use Starmie's paralysis support to flinch foes with Iron Head and act as a back-up check to almost anything in the tier with a defensive set. Breloom both enjoys paralysis support with a Swords Dance set and mitigating its Spikes weakness. Magnezone also helps prevent Skarmory from setting up entry hazards later in the game and can potentially remove dangerous Steel-types such as Heatran, Metagross, and Bronzong that try to use Explosion on Starmie. Starmie also offers great support to powerful Pokemon that need paralysis support such as Choice Band Tyranitar, Substitute + Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Rhyperior.
Starmie is also great alongside other Pokemon that wear down Tyranitar, such as Heatran and Zapdos. Toxic Spikes are also effective for wearing Tyranitar down, especially since it often does not have ways to heal status or residual damage. Celebi can also lure in and weaken Tyranitar with Grass Knot or U-turn and appreciates Rapid Spin support. Other ways to take advantage of Tyranitar include Substitute Breloom, Swords Dance Scizor, Rock Polish Metagross, Substitute or otherwise physical Jirachi, and Swampert.
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