Starmie

Starmie-Mega is a top-tier physical wallbreaker in singles, boasting a 14.86% usage rate at the 1760 ladder, placing it at rank 11. Huge Power elevates its Attack to fearsome levels, and base 115 Speed lets it outpace most non-scarfed threats in the current meta. Aqua Jet provides reliable priority and Flip Turn enables safe pivoting under unfavorable matchups. A cornerstone of rain teams and rated SS by GameWith.

Playstyle：The dominant spread runs Adamant with full Attack and Speed EVs (Adamant 2/32/0/0/0/32 at 52.5%), holding Starminite. Aqua Jet (23.8%), Liquidation (21.8%), and Flip Turn (17.6%) form the offensive and pivoting core; Zen Headbutt (15.5%) and Ice Spinner (9%) provide coverage. Commentary highlights it as the preferred second Mega choice for its ability to heavily threaten Lucario-Mega and Delphox-Mega. In rain, Flip Turn enables seamless momentum plays, and the overall game plan centers on brute-force pressure. Its weakness, as noted in competitive articles, is being heavily targeted on the final day of ranked seasons.

✅ Favorable matchups5

GarchompVolcaronaLucario-MegaHippowdonDelphox-Mega

⚠️ Unfavorable matchups4

ArchaludonAegislashGyarados-MegaKingambit

Starmie-Mega posts a 0.89% usage rate at the 1760 threshold in doubles, ranking 73rd — firmly niche. Its all-format use rate is higher at 2.12%, indicating some experimentation at lower ladders, but it lacks traction at high play. In doubles, other Huge Power physical attackers offer better burst or synergy, and the strong Protect meta reduces the value of Flip Turn's pivoting utility. Zero tournament appearances confirm limited high-level adoption.

Playstyle：In doubles, Starmie-Mega runs a similar Adamant full-offense spread, with Protect (21.9%) taking priority over Flip Turn in the moveset. Liquidation and Aqua Jet remain the primary damage dealers, while Ice Spinner covers Dragon-types. Pelipper (13.4% teammate rate) signals rain-based synergy as the core doubles role. Rain amplifies Aqua Jet damage and compensates for the speed tier somewhat, but overall potency remains below the format's top tier.

Starmie sees only 0.12% usage (rank 172) in high-ladder singles (1760+), placing it firmly in niche territory. Its 19 ladder Top 300 appearances indicate select high-skill players leveraging it effectively, primarily as a high-pressure team slot to threaten specific Mega picks such as Mega Lucario and Mega Delphox. Usage is not broad enough for a consistent meta presence.

Playstyle：Item distribution splits between Focus Sash (38.3%), Mystic Water (33.4%), and Choice Scarf (20.5%), reflecting three distinct builds. Natural Cure (62.6%) serves bulkier, longevity-focused sets, while Analytic (37.0%) rewards switching last. The core coverage is Psychic (17.1%), Ice Beam (15.3%), and Thunderbolt (14%), with Surf (10.2%) or Scald (7.4%) as Water STAB. Top players specifically note Starmie is brought as a team slot to threaten Mega Lucario and Mega Delphox, and performs stronger as an aggressive attacker than anticipated.

Starmie sees only 0.07% doubles usage (rank 182) in high-ladder, effectively absent from the doubles meta. Doubles demands immediate offensive presence, Fake Out for tempo, and durable pivoting — Starmie provides none of these. Its 60 base HP is dangerously fragile under doubles spread-move pressure, and while its 115 Speed is respectable, it falls far short of generating the board control that top doubles picks like Sneasler deliver.