Staross, Pokémon XY and ROSA, Strat

Staross Guide – Pokémon #121

Find our guide for Staross, Pokemon #121 of 1^D generation (1G) in OverUsed. Movesets, stats, weaknesses, resistancesdiscover all the useful information and our advice for Pokemon XY And Pokémon ROSA.

An 80 kg starfish is definitely worth the detour!

Looking at Starmie’s stats, the first thing you notice is his excellent Speed ​​(115) coupled with a decent Special Attack (100). His decent defensive stats (60/85/85) and his dual typing give him good resistances, especially to the most dangerous priority attacks of the format (Steel, Fighting, Water). But Starmie shines above all with his excellent movepool and two extremely useful special abilities (Analyst and Nature Medic) which give him great versatility.

Offensively, it has an effective double STAB supported by access to Bolt-Beam (Ice Laser + Thunder combo) and Grass Neud. This flexibility makes it difficult to anticipate, especially since with Analyst its damage will be boosted by 30% if the opponent changes Pokémon, enough to make you think twice.

His support movepool is no slouch, with Heal, Quick Spin, and Type Copy. Yes, Type Copy. This (rightly so) little-known attack allows its user to change his type to that of his opponent. This move simply allows him to bypass some of his counters, including Bisharp, Scizor, and Tyranitar who will no longer be able to trap him with Pursuit, while Starmie can burn them with Scald while healing himself.

Ultimately, Starmie is a Pokémon that is geared towards offense, but still has excellent support attacks. It also appears to be one of the best users of Rapid Spin, with its speed making it almost certain to be able to do its job. Let’s see how to put its many assets into action.

0 IV in Atk is a minimal optimization, almost useless on cartridge: it is about reducing as much as possible the damage that will be inflicted on you by Cheating. 4 EV in Def rather than in HP to keep an odd number of life points: this allows you to take less residual damage (PdR, Poison…). Hydrocannon can be replaced by Surf for precision, but the damage reduction is considerable. STAB Psy is not a requirement, you are free to adapt Staross’ coverage according to your team’s needs.

The goal here is to optimize Staross’ damage in order to maximize its impact on the opponent. Staross will not only be able to remove Entry Hazards, but also to considerably undermine the enemy’s defenses. The idea is to come at a Pokémon that can do nothing to us or almost nothing (Heatran, Keldeo, Gyarados…) or in revenge kill, in order to put the opponent under pressure. Its excellent speed will almost certainly guarantee you an attack, and you can easily adapt its coverage to the needs of your team (a weakness to Garchomp? Ice Laser. Marsh is difficult to pass? Grass Neud).

This set fits very well in offensive teams with sweepers weak to Rocks (such as Flambusard, Pyrax or Dragonite for example). It also forms with Flambusard or Pyrax the beginning of an effective offensive Water/Fire/Grass core, which could be completed by Chapignon for example.

Quick Spin is the key to the set here, if you want to use Starmie with 4 offensive moves consider using a Pokémon like Créfadet, which despite a lower bulk and movepool will have much more damage. Indeed, despite Analyst and the Life Orb, our protégé can sometimes lack power against the most defensive teams. Tanks like Cresselia or Ferrothorn will be able to use Starmie as a pivot to heal themselves or send status attacks and Entry Hazards.

Finally, invested in Atk Spe and Vit, Staross is fragile, he could have trouble positioning himself outside of a revenge kill and the damage of the Life Orb is not going to add to his longevity. A set to be reserved for offensive teams, who will be able to fully benefit from his ability to start the opponent’s walls and remove Entry Hazards.

0 IV in Atk still to minimize the damage of Cheating. 248 EVs in HP to maximize the bulk while keeping an odd number of life points. 224 EVs in Vit allow to exceed up to Fulgurus full speed (111 BS), while 244 allow to exceed Magnezone Scarfer in order to Copy Type on it. The rest is put in Def Spe in order not to be 2HKO by CP Electrik of Keldeo Scarf, but can be invested in Def depending on the needs of your team. Scald is the attack of choice on this set, the burn being a real threat for many Pokémon. Shock Psy is an option in order to best counter Keldeo and Mega Venusaur. Finally, Ice Laser is an interesting alternative for dragons and Demeteros-I, which we outspeed and OHKO at 87% without investment (namely that with 36 Def Spe Telluriforce from Demeteros Timide gives us 91% maximum).

Focusing on Starmie’s defensive side may seem odd given his average stats (60/85/85), but his speed, movepool, and dual typing make him an extremely effective fast support, perfectly suited to Balanced or Semi-Stall teams. While less bulky than Slowbro, he offers a number of advantages that, when used well, allow him to fulfill his role more than effectively.

First of all: its speed. It’s quite rare for a Defensive Pokémon to be able to outspeed and RK a Garchomp SD, a Landorus-I or a Thundurus for example. Add to that the ability to remove Rocks, win a duel against Ferrothorn, effectively counter Keldeo, not to mention its special ability which makes it a convincing Status Absorber. Finally, the ability to trap its usual counters (the Pursuit Trappers in particular) is a big plus, and makes Clefable with Full Mind an excellent partner: Starmie can attract Bisharp and Scizor and burn them, which greatly facilitates the placement of Clefable.

However, not everything is rosy: this set suffers greatly from 4MSS (4 Move Slot Syndrome). Depending on the attacks you choose to use, there will always be a category of Pokémon that you will have difficulty defeating. The choice between Boil, Type Copy, Psychic Shock and Ice Beam is complicated and you will have to decide according to the most problematic Pokémon for your team. It should be noted that Psychic Shock > Psychic to counter versions of Keldeo playing Fullness.

Like the previous set, it will fit perfectly into teams with Pokémon that require the Rocks removed before they can work: Gyarados, Talonflame, etc. Having a more defensive range, its partners will have to be adapted, so Heatran, Talonflame Def Spe, Mega Mega Venusaur or Ferrothorn will be good partners in the context of a defensive Water/Fire/Grass core.

In conclusion

Starmie is a great Pokémon, whether played offensively or defensively it provides great support in the form of Rapid Spin, and a suitable set on the right team can not only remove Entry Hazards but also advance the game plan towards victory (by damaging the opponent’s walls or crippling some of its counters). It is a force to be reckoned with when building a team and the need for a Spinner arises, it is no surprise that it is considered to be among the best Spinners in the format along with Excadrill and Tentacruel.

And you, how and why do you use Staross? What are your favorite cores with it?