How to Beat Starmie

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If you are looking for the best ways to defeat Starmie in Pokemon Go, you've come to the right place! This guide will teach you how to successfully win battles against Starmie by exploiting its Type weakness(es). In addition, it is equally as important to choose the optimal Pokemon and Movesets to take advantage of those weaknesses. This will allow you to to deal maximum damage during battle and defeat Starmie quickly and easily.
How to Beat Starmie
To defeat Starmie in Pokemon Go you must take advantage of its Type Weakness(es). Being a Water/Psychic Type, Starmie is vulnerable against Bug, Electric, Grass, Dark and Ghost Type Moves. This guide lists the best Pokemon and best Movesets you should use in order to defeat Starmie as effectively and as efficiently as possible.
Before we get into the details of this guide, please see below. The following is a simple step by step guide/checklist on how to defeat Starmie. If you would like more information surrounding terminology, specific Pokemon, Movesets, DPS, etc. feel free to check out the rest of this guide.
5 Simple Tips to Defeat Starmie
Tip #1. CP (Combat Power) Advantage
Choose Pokemon with equal or higher CP than that of the Starmie you are battling. If your CP advantage is high enough, the next steps will not be as important in battle. Starmie can have up to a maximum of 2303 CP.
Tip #2. Use Move Types Starmie is Weak Against
Taking advantage of the Type Weakness(es) of Starmie will allow you to deal more damage during battle. Starmie is weak against the following Types:
		Bug	Electric	Grass	Dark	Ghost
	Damage Increase	1.25	1.25	1.25	1.25	1.25
Tip #3. Use Pokemon & Moves of the Same Type for Additional Damage
For example, Bulbasaur using a Grass Move, Charmander using a Fire Move or Squirtle using a Water Move will deal 25% more damage simply because the Pokemon is the same Type as the Move it is using. You can find out more about damage mechanics at the end of this page.
Tip #4. Choose the Best Type(s) of Pokemon
Dealing additional damage, while taking reduced damage is important in defeating Starmie. Avoid using Types of Pokemon Starmie Moves are Super Effective against, instead try to use Types of Pokemon of which Starmie Moves are Not Very Effective against.
	Move		X	Starmie Moves are Super Effective Against
	Tackle
	Water Gun
	Hydro Pump
	Power Gem
	Psychic
	Move		✓	Starmie Moves Not Very Effective Against
	Tackle
	Water Gun
	Hydro Pump
	Power Gem
	Psychic
Tip #5. Use High DPS Movesets for Max Damage
Taking advantage of the Type Weakness(es) of Starmie and the STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) of your own Pokemon will allow you to deal a great amount of damage during battle. Starmie will go down quickly if the optimal Pokemon & Movesets are used. You can learn more about high damage Movesets at the end of this guide: Section IV. Best Pokemon & Movesets to use against Starmie in battle.
Thank you for reading. If you would like further or more detailed information on how to defeat Starmie please continue reading the rest of this guide. If you have questions, comments, or tips of your own, feel free to leave a message in the comment section at the end of this guide!
I. Starmie Type Weaknesses
To defeat Starmie you must first learn its Type weaknesses. Using specific Types of Moves that Starmie is weak against will result in those Moves dealing Super Effective damage (25% damage bonus).
Starmie is a Water/Psychic Type Pokemon, which means it is weak against the following Move Type(s) and will be vulnerable to the following damage multipliers:
		Bug	Electric	Grass	Dark	Ghost
		1.25	1.25	1.25	1.25	1.25
II. Utilizing Benefit of Super Effective Moves
Next we must identify Moves of the above Types. This is important as Moves that are Super Effective deal 25% additional damage. If a Pokemon has a double weakness, the Move will deal 56% additional damage.
In order to defeat Starmie you will want to choose a Pokemon with Move Types Starmie is vulnerable against. The moves of these types are shown below:
	Move Name	Fast/ Charge	Type	Power	Sec.	Energy	DPS
	Bug Bite	Fast	Bug	5	0.45	7	11.11
	Bug Buzz	Charge	Bug	75	4.25	-50	17.65
	Fury Cutter	Fast	Bug	3	0.40	6	7.50
	Megahorn	Charge	Bug	80	3.20	-100	25.00
	Signal Beam	Charge	Bug	45	3.10	-33	14.52
	X-Scissor	Charge	Bug	35	2.10	-33	16.67
	Move Name	Fast/ Charge	Type	Power	Sec.	Energy	DPS
	Discharge	Charge	Electric	35	2.50	-33	14.00
	Spark	Fast	Electric	7	0.70	4	10.00
	Thunder	Charge	Electric	100	4.30	-100	23.26
	Thunder Punch	Charge	Electric	40	2.40	-33	16.67
	Thunder Shock	Fast	Electric	5	0.60	7	8.33
	Thunderbolt	Charge	Electric	55	2.70	-50	20.37
	Move Name	Fast/ Charge	Type	Power	Sec.	Energy	DPS
	Leaf Blade	Charge	Grass	55	2.80	-50	19.64
	Petal Blizzard	Charge	Grass	65	3.20	-50	20.31
	Power Whip	Charge	Grass	70	2.80	-100	25.00
	Razor Leaf	Fast	Grass	15	1.45	7	10.34
	Seed Bomb	Charge	Grass	40	2.40	-33	16.67
	Solar Beam	Charge	Grass	120	4.90	-100	24.49
	Vine Whip	Fast	Grass	7	0.65	7	10.77
	Move Name	Fast/ Charge	Type	Power	Sec.	Energy	DPS
	Bite	Fast	Dark	6	0.50	7	12.00
	Dark Pulse	Charge	Dark	45	3.50	-33	12.86
	Feint Attack	Fast	Dark	12	1.04	7	11.54
	Night Slash	Charge	Dark	30	2.70	-25	11.11
	Sucker Punch	Fast	Dark	7	0.70	4	10.00
	Move Name	Fast/ Charge	Type	Power	Sec.	Energy	DPS
	Lick	Fast	Ghost	5	0.50	7	10.00
	Ominous Wind	Charge	Ghost	30	3.10	-25	9.68
	Shadow Ball	Charge	Ghost	45	3.08	-33	14.61
	Shadow Claw	Fast	Ghost	11	0.95	7	11.58
III. Pokemon Weakness(es) vs. Starmie
Before we go any further, please take a minute to consider the following. Most of this guide is focused on dealing high amounts of damage in a short period of time, in order to beat Starmie as quickly as possible. However, it is important to note that defensive Type weaknesses play an important role in Pokemon Go battles as well.
First off, Starmie can deal a great amount of damage using Water Gun and Hydro Pump. This is especially true if you are using Pokemon that are weak against these Move Type(s). The damage per second and ranking of this moveset is shown below.
			High DPS Moveset for Starmie:
			Move:		Water Gun	Hydro Pump
			Move Type:		Water	Water
			Category:		Fast	Charge
			DPS:		12.0	23.7
			Rank (DPS):		#34	#38
			DPS (w/ STAB):		15.0	29.6
			Rank (w/ STAB):		#4	#13
	Starmie is capable of using the following Moves:
	Starmie Fast Moves:				Starmie Charge Moves:
		Tackle	Water Gun			Hydro Pump	Power Gem	Psychic
	Type:				Type:
	Power:	12	6		Power:	90	40	55
	Sec:	1.1 sec	0.5 sec		Sec:	3.8 sec	2.9 sec	2.8 sec
	Energy:	7	7		Energy:	-100	-33	-50
	DPS:	10.9	12.0		DPS:	23.7	13.8	19.6
	STAB:	10.9	15.0		STAB:	29.6	13.8	24.6
While Water Gun and Hydro Pump is a strong Moveset, most of Starmie's Moves will deal additional damage if used against certain Types of Pokemon as they will take increased damage from Starmie. Depending on the particular Moveset of the Starmie you are battling against, you will want to try and avoid using Pokemon of the following Types.
	Move		X	Starmie Moves are Super Effective Against
	Tackle
	Water Gun
	Hydro Pump
	Power Gem
	Psychic
On the other hand, there are certain Types of Pokemon in Pokemon Go, that will take less damage from the Moves of Starmie. Therefore, to survive longer during Gym battles you will want to try and use Pokemon of the below Types when battling against Starmie.
	Move		✓	Starmie Moves are Not Very Effective Against
	Tackle
	Water Gun
	Hydro Pump
	Power Gem
	Psychic
It is important to note that this is not the only factor in choosing the optimal Pokemon to defeat Starmie. If you have a Pokemon with much higher CP and a high damage Moveset vs. Starmie you will obviously want to use that Pokemon. You will be able to win the battle quickly before your opponent has even had a chance to deal much damage. However, if you are using a Pokemon with average CP and an average moveset, choosing the right Type of Pokemon becomes much more important.
IV. Benefits of Type Weakness & STAB Damage
Getting back to the offensive side of battling, the next step is to identify which Pokemon have the capability of using Super Effective Moves against Starmie. Furthermore, we must identify Pokemon that are the same Type as the Moves they are using. This will result in an added 25% additional damage bonus, commonly referred to as STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus).
If you are new to Pokemon Go or to the damage mechanics in general, be sure to review the chart below before making your way to Section V. (Best Pokemon Movesets vs. Starmie). It explains how Pokemon Go DB determines the best damage Moveset/Pokemon to beat Starmie.
The following chart explains the terms used in this guide:
Battle Mechanics Terminology (Quick Reference Guide)
DPS		DPS stands for Damage per Second. The DPS of each Move is calculated by taking the Power of a Move and dividing it by the time (seconds) it takes to actually perform the move (also known as a cooldown).
STAB		STAB stands for Same Type Attack Bonus. When a Pokemon uses a Move that is the same Type as itself that Move will deal additional bonus damage. For example, if a Water Type Pokemon uses a Water Type Move it will deal 25% more damage.
Best Fast Move		The Best Fast Move is calculated by taking the highest DPS Fast Move a Pokemon is capable of using. This includes the 25% STAB bonus. Generally every Pokemon in Pokemon Go will have one of two possible Fast Moves.
Best Charge Move		The Best Charge Move is calculated by taking the highest DPS Charge Move a Pokemon is capable of using. This includes the 25% STAB bonus. Generally every Pokemon in Pokemon Go will have one of three possible Charge Moves.
Best Fast Move DPS vs. Starmie		Best Fast Move DPS vs. Starmie is calculated by taking the Best Fast Move DPS w/ STAB and multiplying that DPS by 1.25 if Starmie has a single weakness to that Type or multiplying that DPS by 1.56 if Starmie has a double weakness to that Type.
Best Charge Move DPS vs. Starmie		Best Charge Move DPS vs. Starmie is calculated by taking the Best Charge Move DPS w/ STAB and multiplying that DPS by 1.25 if Starmie has a single weakness to that Type or multiplying that DPS by 1.56 if Starmie has a double weakness to that Type.
Average DPS		Average DPS is simply the average of the Best Fast Move DPS vs. Starmie and the Best Charge Move DPS vs. Starmie. The chart is then sorted by highest Average DPS to lowest.
V. Best Pokemon & Movesets to use against Starmie in battle.
The following chart lists the top Pokemon/Moveset against Starmie. The list is sorted by highest Average Damage per Second to lowest. Type Effectiveness and STAB play a big role in increasing the damage that is done to Starmie. If you follow every step in this guide, you will have a much easier time defeating Starmie. Good Luck!
Best Pokemon Movesets vs. Starmie
Pic	Name	Best Fast Move	Best Charge Move	Fast Move Type	Charge Move Type	Best Fast Move DPS vs. Starmie	Best Charge Move DPS vs. Starmie	Average DPS
	Ivysaur	Vine Whip	Power Whip	Grass	Grass	16.8	39.1	27.9
	Bellsprout	Vine Whip	Power Whip	Grass	Grass	16.8	39.1	27.9
	Tangela	Vine Whip	Power Whip	Grass	Grass	16.8	39.1	27.9
	Parasect	Bug Bite	Solar Beam	Bug	Grass	17.4	38.3	27.8
	Weepinbell	Razor Leaf	Power Whip	Grass	Grass	16.2	39.1	27.6
	Venusaur	Vine Whip	Solar Beam	Grass	Grass	16.8	38.3	27.5
	Vileplume	Razor Leaf	Solar Beam	Grass	Grass	16.2	38.3	27.2
	Victreebel	Razor Leaf	Solar Beam	Grass	Grass	16.2	38.3	27.2
	Exeggutor	Zen Headbutt	Solar Beam	Psychic	Grass	14.3	38.3	26.3
	Raichu	Spark	Thunder	Electric	Electric	15.6	36.3	26.0
	Mankey	Scratch	Cross Chop	Normal	Fighting	12.0	37.5	24.8
	Pikachu	Thunder Shock	Thunder	Electric	Electric	13.0	36.3	24.7
	Electabuzz	Thunder Shock	Thunder	Electric	Electric	13.0	36.3	24.7
	Jolteon	Thunder Shock	Thunder	Electric	Electric	13.0	36.3	24.7
	Zapdos	Thunder Shock	Thunder	Electric	Electric	13.0	36.3	24.7
	Jigglypuff	Pound	Body Slam	Normal	Normal	16.2	32.1	24.1
	Primeape	Low Kick	Cross Chop	Fighting	Fighting	10.4	37.5	24.0
	Machop	Low Kick	Cross Chop	Fighting	Fighting	10.4	37.5	24.0
	Machoke	Low Kick	Cross Chop	Fighting	Fighting	10.4	37.5	24.0
	Gloom	Razor Leaf	Petal Blizzard	Grass	Grass	16.2	31.7	24.0
	Magnemite	Spark	Thunderbolt	Electric	Electric	15.6	31.8	23.7
	Voltorb	Spark	Thunderbolt	Electric	Electric	15.6	31.8	23.7
	Electrode	Spark	Thunderbolt	Electric	Electric	15.6	31.8	23.7
	Meowth	Bite	Body Slam	Dark	Normal	15.0	32.1	23.5
	Machamp	Karate Chop	Cross Chop	Fighting	Fighting	9.4	37.5	23.4
	Pidgeot	Wing Attack	Hurricane	Flying	Flying	15.0	31.3	23.1
	Wigglytuff	Pound	Hyper Beam	Normal	Normal	16.2	30.0	23.1
	Chansey	Pound	Hyper Beam	Normal	Normal	16.2	30.0	23.1
	Graveler	Mud Slap	Stone Edge	Ground	Rock	13.9	32.3	23.1
	Golem	Mud Slap	Stone Edge	Ground	Rock	13.9	32.3	23.1
	Rhydon	Mud Slap	Stone Edge	Ground	Rock	13.9	32.3	23.1
	Dewgong	Frost Breath	Blizzard	Ice	Ice	13.9	32.1	23.0
	Cloyster	Frost Breath	Blizzard	Ice	Ice	13.9	32.1	23.0
	Lapras	Frost Breath	Blizzard	Ice	Ice	13.9	32.1	23.0
	Articuno	Frost Breath	Blizzard	Ice	Ice	13.9	32.1	23.0
	Rattata	Tackle	Body Slam	Normal	Normal	13.6	32.1	22.8
	Eevee	Tackle	Body Slam	Normal	Normal	13.6	32.1	22.8
	Nidoking	Poison Jab	Megahorn	Poison	Bug	14.3	31.3	22.8
	Charizard	Wing Attack	Fire Blast	Flying	Fire	15.0	30.5	22.7
	Arcanine	Bite	Fire Blast	Dark	Fire	15.0	30.5	22.7
	Raticate	Bite	Hyper Beam	Dark	Normal	15.0	30.0	22.5
	Psyduck	Water Gun	Cross Chop	Water	Fighting	15.0	30.0	22.5
	Butterfree	Bug Bite	Bug Buzz	Bug	Bug	17.4	27.6	22.5
	Venomoth	Bug Bite	Bug Buzz	Bug	Bug	17.4	27.6	22.5
	Ninetales	Feint Attack	Fire Blast	Dark	Fire	14.4	30.5	22.5
	Nidoqueen	Bite	Earthquake	Dark	Ground	15.0	29.8	22.4
	Wartortle	Bite	Hydro Pump	Dark	Water	15.0	29.6	22.3
	Blastoise	Bite	Hydro Pump	Dark	Water	15.0	29.6	22.3
	Golduck	Water Gun	Hydro Pump	Water	Water	15.0	29.6	22.3
	Seadra	Water Gun	Hydro Pump	Water	Water	15.0	29.6	22.3
	Starmie	Water Gun	Hydro Pump	Water	Water	15.0	29.6	22.3
	Gyarados	Bite	Hydro Pump	Dark	Water	15.0	29.6	22.3
	Vaporeon	Water Gun	Hydro Pump	Water	Water	15.0	29.6	22.3
	Omastar	Water Gun	Hydro Pump	Water	Water	15.0	29.6	22.3
	Tentacruel	Poison Jab	Hydro Pump	Poison	Water	14.3	29.6	21.9
	Beedrill	Bug Bite	Sludge Bomb	Bug	Poison	17.4	26.4	21.9
	Dugtrio	Mud Slap	Earthquake	Ground	Ground	13.9	29.8	21.8
	Marowak	Mud Slap	Earthquake	Ground	Ground	13.9	29.8	21.8
	Snorlax	Zen Headbutt	Body Slam	Psychic	Normal	11.4	32.1	21.7
	Paras	Bug Bite	Seed Bomb	Bug	Grass	17.4	26.0	21.7
	Sandslash	Mud Shot	Earthquake	Ground	Ground	13.6	29.8	21.7
	Onix	Rock Throw	Stone Edge	Rock	Rock	11.0	32.3	21.6
	Poliwrath	Bubble	Hydro Pump	Water	Water	13.6	29.6	21.6
	Kabutops	Mud Shot	Stone Edge	Ground	Rock	10.9	32.3	21.6
	Lickitung	Zen Headbutt	Power Whip	Psychic	Grass	11.4	31.3	21.3
	Seaking	Poison Jab	Megahorn	Poison	Bug	11.4	31.3	21.3
	Oddish	Razor Leaf	Sludge Bomb	Grass	Poison	16.2	26.4	21.3
	Ponyta	Ember	Fire Blast	Fire	Fire	11.9	30.5	21.2
	Rapidash	Ember	Fire Blast	Fire	Fire	11.9	30.5	21.2
	Magmar	Ember	Fire Blast	Fire	Fire	11.9	30.5	21.2
	Flareon	Ember	Fire Blast	Fire	Fire	11.9	30.5	21.2
	Moltres	Ember	Fire Blast	Fire	Fire	11.9	30.5	21.2
	Dragonite	Dragon Breath	Dragon Claw	Dragon	Dragon	15.0	27.3	21.2
	Arbok	Bite	Gunk Shot	Dark	Poison	15.0	27.1	21.0
	Nidoran♀	Bite	Sludge Bomb	Dark	Poison	15.0	26.4	20.7
	Nidorina	Bite	Sludge Bomb	Dark	Poison	15.0	26.4	20.7
	Zubat	Bite	Sludge Bomb	Dark	Poison	15.0	26.4	20.7
	Muk	Poison Jab	Gunk Shot	Poison	Poison	14.3	27.1	20.7
	Haunter	Shadow Claw	Sludge Bomb	Ghost	Poison	14.5	26.4	20.5
	Gengar	Shadow Claw	Sludge Bomb	Ghost	Poison	14.5	26.4	20.5
	Nidorino	Poison Jab	Sludge Bomb	Poison	Poison	14.3	26.4	20.4
	Grimer	Poison Jab	Sludge Bomb	Poison	Poison	14.3	26.4	20.4
	Growlithe	Bite	Body Slam	Dark	Normal	15.0	25.6	20.3
	Venonat	Bug Bite	Signal Beam	Bug	Bug	17.4	22.7	20.0
	Ekans	Poison Sting	Gunk Shot	Poison	Poison	12.9	27.1	20.0
	Alakazam	Psycho Cut	Psychic	Psychic	Psychic	15.4	24.6	20.0
	Mewtwo	Psycho Cut	Psychic	Psychic	Psychic	15.4	24.6	20.0