Special
Hazard Setter
STier
70Speed · Below Avg

Stats & Training

Defense leads and Sp. Def gets almost nothing. That's Cloyster's stat line in a nutshell. 3 stats sit in respectable range, but the spread is brutal. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Defense stat exp.

Base Stats
High
HP50
D
Attack95
B
Defense180
S
Sp. Atk85
C
Sp. Def45
D
Speed70
C
Total525
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging60 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height1.5 m
4'11"Average
Weight132.5 kg
292.1 lbsHeavy
Base XP184
High Yield
Abilities
Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.
Shell Armor
Protects against critical hits.
Skill Link
Extends two-to-five-hit moves and triple kick to their full length every time.
OvercoatHA
Protects against damage from weather.
EV Yield
HPAtkDef+2SpASpDSpe
Defense training target
Pokedex Entries

Even a missile can’t break the spikes it uses to stab opponents. They’re even harder than its shell.

Crystal

Cloyster Weakness

Cloyster's Water/Ice typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric, Grass, Fighting, and Rock. Cloyster's physical bulk (base 180 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Cloyster Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Grass, Fighting, Rock
0.5x (Resist)Water
0.25x (Resist)Ice
Type ChartVulnerable
4Weak
2Resist
0Immune
Score-5
Gen II Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
  • Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
ElectricGrassFightingRock
½xResist
Water
¼xResist
Ice
0xImmune
None
STAB (6)
FireGroundRockGrassFlyingDragon
How to Beat Cloyster in Crystal (Best Counters)

In Crystal, Golem's Explosion hits Cloyster for 52-61%. Marowak deals 35-42% with Fire Blast.

Golem
GolemSturdy guarantees survival, walls physical sets
RockGround
A
Recommended Build
ItemLeftovers
Moves
  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • Explosion
  • Rapid Spin
  • RoarUtility
Damage vs Cloyster
Earthquake
32-37%
Explosion
52-61%
Rapid Spin
11-13%
View Golem builds →

Crystal Evolution

Getting Cloyster requires an evolution item, not just grinding levels. The chain starts at Shellder. Breed this form to get Shellder eggs (average hatch time). Defense grew the most through evolution (+80 over Shellder), and Cloyster peaks at 525 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Shellder
#090Shellder
Water Stone
Water Stone
Cloyster
#091Cloyster
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Shellder
Water
Cloyster
WaterIce
HP
30
50+20
ATK
65
95+30
DEF
100
180+80
SP.ATK
45
85+40
SP.DEF
25
45+20
SPE
40
70+30
BST
305B-Tier
525B-Tier+220
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Physical
Mixed

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Cloyster to get Shellder eggs easily using 13 partners from the Water3 egg group. Notable egg moves include Barrier, Bubble Beam, Rapid Spin and 2 more.

Egg Groups
Water3
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
5moves
Breed With (best first)
corsolaomastarkabutopsomanytekabutotentacruelstarmiekinglerstaryutentacoolkrabbyshellder
12 of 13·

Crystal Cloyster Best Moveset

Best Build

Recommended
Support
Ability
Not in Gen 2
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Nature
Not in Gen 2

Support Moveset

  • SpikesHazard
  • SurfSTAB
  • ExplosionCoverage
  • ToxicUtility

Recommended Teammates

Snorlax
SnorlaxGood
Zapdos
ZapdosGood
Exeggutor
ExeggutorDecent

Moves

You'll want to breed for Barrier and Bubble Beam on Cloyster. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Blizzard and Surf, they expand what Cloyster can actually threaten in practice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Aurora Beam
—6510020Ice
Lv 1
Protect+4
C——10Normal
Lv 1
Supersonic
——5520Normal
Lv 1
Withdraw
———40Water
Lv 33
Spikes
S——20Ground
Lv 41
Spike Cannon
—2010015Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
D—10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
C120705Ice
TM03
Curse
C——10Ghost
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM20
Endure+4
D——10Normal
TM21
Frustration
D—10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM16
Icy Wind
C559515Ice
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
C——5Water
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM35
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM13
Snore
—4010015Normal
HM03
Surf
S9510015Water
TM34
Swagger
C—8515Normal
TM39
Swift
D60—20Normal
TM06
Toxic
S—8510Poison
HM06
Whirlpool
D358515Water

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Barrier
D——30Psychic
Egg
Bubble Beam
—6510020Water
Egg
Rapid Spin
D5010040Normal
Egg
Screech
D—8540Normal
Egg
Take Down
C908520Normal

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Ice Beam
C9510010Ice

Reminder Moves

Rem
Rem
Clamp
—358510Water
Rem
Ice Beam
C9510010Ice
Rem
Leer
——10030Normal
Rem
Tackle
D3510035Normal

How to Get Cloyster in Crystal

Can't catch Cloyster directly. Start with Shellder at solid rates from the locations below, then evolve through a special method. The 2-stage line from Shellder to Cloyster is where the leveling time goes.

How to Obtain Cloyster in Crystal

To get Cloyster, start by catching Shellder through fishing encounters at Lv. 20-40. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.

  1. Shellder
    Step 1Catch Shellder
    New Bark Town
    Good Rod Lv.20 City
    10%Mid
    Olivine City - Harbor
    Good Rod Lv.20 City
    10%Mid
    Pallet Town
    Good Rod Lv.20 City
    10%Mid
    Route 26
    Good Rod Lv.20 Route
    10%Mid
    Route 27
    Good Rod Lv.20 Route
    10%Mid
    Vermilion City - City
    Good Rod Lv.20 City
    10%Mid
    Vermilion City - Harbor
    Good Rod Lv.20 City
    10%Mid
    New Bark Town
    Super Rod Lv.40 City
    30%Late
    Olivine City - Harbor
    Super Rod Lv.40 City
    30%Late
    Pallet Town
    Super Rod Lv.40 City
    30%Late
    Route 26
    Super Rod Lv.40 Route
    30%Late
    Route 27
    Super Rod Lv.40 Route
    30%Late
    Vermilion City - City
    Super Rod Lv.40 City
    30%Late
    Vermilion City - Harbor
    Super Rod Lv.40 City
    30%Late
  2. Cloyster
    Step 2Cloyster ✓

Cloyster Guide

  • For Crystal, we rate Cloyster S-Tier: one of the best picks in the Crystal meta. At 525 BST, it fits the hazard setter role. Spikes with Leftovers is the standard set.

  • In Crystal, watch for Raikou (Electric), Venusaur (Grass), and Hitmonlee (Fighting) when using Cloyster. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Rock-type attackers are also a problem.

  • Base 70 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Cloyster is a special attacker with base 85 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a hazard setter.

  • For Crystal, Cloyster has answers, but so do you. Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Electric, Grass, and Fighting-type attackers hit hardest.

  • In Crystal, run Spikes, Surf, Explosion, and Toxic on Cloyster. Spikes is the most common pick at 25% usage. Surf provides reliable STAB damage.

Game Availability

One of the original 151, Cloyster has appeared in 20 games — most mainline games. From Red & Blue through the latest titles, it's rarely been left out of a regional Pokedex.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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