[SET]
name: Offensive Rapid Spin
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt / Grass Knot / Thunder Wave
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Rapid Spin
item: Leftovers / Colbur Berry
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Starmie can take advantage of its fantastic coverage and offensive prowess to provide opportunities to use Rapid Spin. Hydro Pump makes Starmie very threatening, OHKOing bulkless Heatran and Gengar after Stealth Rock and 2HKOing Rotom-A, Metagross, and Tyranitar without a Passho Berry. Surf is also a possibility for higher PP and accuracy, as Hydro Pump especially struggles to pressure defensive Jirachi due to running out of PP against Protect. Thunderbolt pressures Water-types, hitting Starmie, Suicune, and Gyarados hard. Grass Knot is another option to surprise Swampert and hit Suicune harder at the expense of only hitting Gyarados neutrally. However, Starmie needs bulk to not get OHKOed by Gyarados's +1 Earthquake after Stealth Rock. Another option is Thunder Wave, which is often a surprise alongside coverage moves and an invested Hydro Pump or Surf. It can paralyze Steel-types that generally take Starmie's attacks well such as Jirachi, but beware that Starmie no longer offensively threatens Water-types and is setup fodder for Gyarados, Suicune, and Kingdra, despite the fact they do not enjoy paralysis.
Ice Beam provides crucial coverage for Dragon- and Grass-types, OHKOing Dragonite, Flygon, and frailer Breloom while also hitting Latias, Zapdos, and Celebi hard. Ice Beam gives an accurate attack to hit weakened Ground-types such as Gliscor. Starmie’s coverage allows it to hit most Water-resistant foes super effectively except for weather Pokemon such as Kingdra, Ludicolo, and Abomasnow.
Set Details
========
Offensive Starmie needs maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs with a Timid nature to be as threatening as possible. With the Special Attack investment and its coverage, it is difficult for frailer hyper offensive teams to switch into. Starmie has an excellent Speed tier that facilitates this but needs absolute maximum investment to outspeed Choice Scarf Magnezone and Latias, Gengar, Infernape as well as Speed tying with opposing Starmie and Azelf. However, it can also use a spread of 92 Def / 200 SpA / 216 Spe with a Timid nature, as this lets it survive +1 Gyarados's Earthquake after Stealth Rock and sand damage as well as its +1 Outrage without Stealth Rock.
Starmie has a couple of item choices. The foremost one is Leftovers, as this help Starmie make up for its lack of Recover and bulk. With Leftovers, Starmie can often fake being a more defensive set and unexpectedly hit Breloom or Latias with Ice Beam. Colbur Berry is another choice to stave off Tyranitar, as without investment, Starmie is extraordinarily frail and very easy to trap. With a Colbur Berry, Starmie can survive any attack from Tyranitar and either remove entry hazards, switch out, or 2HKO it back. Another choice is Life Orb, which lets it hit extremely hard and punish frailer teams. However, the recoil damage makes Starmie faint exceptionally quickly against more defensive foes such as Jirachi and Clefable.
Usage Tips
========
Offensive Starmie is only designed to remove Stealth Rock and other entry hazards once or twice at most a game and requires careful play to get the most out of it. Starmie’s power and extra coverage is often unexpected, and it can be very dangerous for offensive teams to deal with due to its power and Speed. Use this pressure to remove entry hazards, preferably after the opposing Stealth Rock user is incapacitated. Predicting switches to either Ghost-types or pivots and hitting them hard can be backbreaking for both offensive and defensive teams. Colbur Berry is also relatively unexpected, meaning Tyranitar can be 2HKOed if it tries to switch into Starmie. However, Starmie is very frail and cannot heal, so try to pick your spots and only remove entry hazards when absolutely needed.
Team Options
========
Starmie fits best on bulky offense and hyper offense teams, as it tends to faint quickly and does not provide any form of long-term pivoting. Pokemon that enjoy entry hazard removal such as offensive Zapdos, Gyarados, and Dragonite appreciate having Starmie as a partner to use Rapid Spin. Offensive Pokemon vulnerable to Spikes such as Scizor, Jirachi, Heatran, and Breloom also enjoy Starmie's Rapid Spin, particularly Scizor and Jirachi, which can use U-turn to keep momentum against Tyranitar. On the other hand, Starmie enjoys partners that help it beat Blissey and Clefable, such as Breloom, Metagross, Tyranitar, and Scizor. Scizor and Tyranitar can Pursuit trap them as well as Latias, a common pivot for more offensive teams. Explosion lures such as Heatran and Gengar can also be effective. Faster Choice Band variants of either are especially good at this, as they can also trap defensive Rotom-A. In terms of offensive synergy, Starmie appreciates being paired with other special attackers that are also vulnerable to Tyranitar so they can overload it. Ghost-types such as offensive or Choice item Rotom-A and Gengar, Calm Mind Jirachi, Electric-types such as Zapdos, and offensive Rotom-A can be effective. Starmie is also useful alongside other Water-types such as offensive Calm Mind Suicune, Gyarados, Kingdra, Vaporeon, and offensive Empoleon to overwhelm opposing Water-resistant foes and help them against entry hazards. Empoleon is an especially good partner, as offensive variants can either use Knock Off on Clefable or blast past it with Choice Specs, threaten Water-resistant foes with coverage, and weaken neutral targets so Starmie can get by them later.
name: Offensive Rapid Spin
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 2: Thunderbolt / Grass Knot / Thunder Wave
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Rapid Spin
item: Leftovers / Colbur Berry
ability: Natural Cure
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Starmie can take advantage of its fantastic coverage and offensive prowess to provide opportunities to use Rapid Spin. Hydro Pump makes Starmie very threatening, OHKOing bulkless Heatran and Gengar after Stealth Rock and 2HKOing Rotom-A, Metagross, and Tyranitar without a Passho Berry. Surf is also a possibility for higher PP and accuracy, as Hydro Pump especially struggles to pressure defensive Jirachi due to running out of PP against Protect. Thunderbolt pressures Water-types, hitting Starmie, Suicune, and Gyarados hard. Grass Knot is another option to surprise Swampert and hit Suicune harder at the expense of only hitting Gyarados neutrally. However, Starmie needs bulk to not get OHKOed by Gyarados's +1 Earthquake after Stealth Rock. Another option is Thunder Wave, which is often a surprise alongside coverage moves and an invested Hydro Pump or Surf. It can paralyze Steel-types that generally take Starmie's attacks well such as Jirachi, but beware that Starmie no longer offensively threatens Water-types and is setup fodder for Gyarados, Suicune, and Kingdra, despite the fact they do not enjoy paralysis.
Ice Beam provides crucial coverage for Dragon- and Grass-types, OHKOing Dragonite, Flygon, and frailer Breloom while also hitting Latias, Zapdos, and Celebi hard. Ice Beam gives an accurate attack to hit weakened Ground-types such as Gliscor. Starmie’s coverage allows it to hit most Water-resistant foes super effectively except for weather Pokemon such as Kingdra, Ludicolo, and Abomasnow.
Set Details
========
Offensive Starmie needs maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs with a Timid nature to be as threatening as possible. With the Special Attack investment and its coverage, it is difficult for frailer hyper offensive teams to switch into. Starmie has an excellent Speed tier that facilitates this but needs absolute maximum investment to outspeed Choice Scarf Magnezone and Latias, Gengar, Infernape as well as Speed tying with opposing Starmie and Azelf. However, it can also use a spread of 92 Def / 200 SpA / 216 Spe with a Timid nature, as this lets it survive +1 Gyarados's Earthquake after Stealth Rock and sand damage as well as its +1 Outrage without Stealth Rock.
Starmie has a couple of item choices. The foremost one is Leftovers, as this help Starmie make up for its lack of Recover and bulk. With Leftovers, Starmie can often fake being a more defensive set and unexpectedly hit Breloom or Latias with Ice Beam. Colbur Berry is another choice to stave off Tyranitar, as without investment, Starmie is extraordinarily frail and very easy to trap. With a Colbur Berry, Starmie can survive any attack from Tyranitar and either remove entry hazards, switch out, or 2HKO it back. Another choice is Life Orb, which lets it hit extremely hard and punish frailer teams. However, the recoil damage makes Starmie faint exceptionally quickly against more defensive foes such as Jirachi and Clefable.
Usage Tips
========
Offensive Starmie is only designed to remove Stealth Rock and other entry hazards once or twice at most a game and requires careful play to get the most out of it. Starmie’s power and extra coverage is often unexpected, and it can be very dangerous for offensive teams to deal with due to its power and Speed. Use this pressure to remove entry hazards, preferably after the opposing Stealth Rock user is incapacitated. Predicting switches to either Ghost-types or pivots and hitting them hard can be backbreaking for both offensive and defensive teams. Colbur Berry is also relatively unexpected, meaning Tyranitar can be 2HKOed if it tries to switch into Starmie. However, Starmie is very frail and cannot heal, so try to pick your spots and only remove entry hazards when absolutely needed.
Team Options
========
Starmie fits best on bulky offense and hyper offense teams, as it tends to faint quickly and does not provide any form of long-term pivoting. Pokemon that enjoy entry hazard removal such as offensive Zapdos, Gyarados, and Dragonite appreciate having Starmie as a partner to use Rapid Spin. Offensive Pokemon vulnerable to Spikes such as Scizor, Jirachi, Heatran, and Breloom also enjoy Starmie's Rapid Spin, particularly Scizor and Jirachi, which can use U-turn to keep momentum against Tyranitar. On the other hand, Starmie enjoys partners that help it beat Blissey and Clefable, such as Breloom, Metagross, Tyranitar, and Scizor. Scizor and Tyranitar can Pursuit trap them as well as Latias, a common pivot for more offensive teams. Explosion lures such as Heatran and Gengar can also be effective. Faster Choice Band variants of either are especially good at this, as they can also trap defensive Rotom-A. In terms of offensive synergy, Starmie appreciates being paired with other special attackers that are also vulnerable to Tyranitar so they can overload it. Ghost-types such as offensive or Choice item Rotom-A and Gengar, Calm Mind Jirachi, Electric-types such as Zapdos, and offensive Rotom-A can be effective. Starmie is also useful alongside other Water-types such as offensive Calm Mind Suicune, Gyarados, Kingdra, Vaporeon, and offensive Empoleon to overwhelm opposing Water-resistant foes and help them against entry hazards. Empoleon is an especially good partner, as offensive variants can either use Knock Off on Clefable or blast past it with Choice Specs, threaten Water-resistant foes with coverage, and weaken neutral targets so Starmie can get by them later.
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