Special
Balanced
40Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

Shellder's spread isn't flashy. Defense leads, Sp. Def trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Common in the wild and worth 1 Defense EV, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats
Avg
HP30
F
Attack65
C
Defense100
B
Sp. Atk45
D
Sp. Def25
F
Speed40
D
Total305
Details
Catch Rate
Easy190 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height0.3 m
Weight4.0 kg
Base XP61
Abilities
Shell Armor
Protects against critical hits.
Skill Link
Extends two-to-five-hit moves and triple kick to their full length every time.
OvercoatHANot in game
Protects against damage from weather.
EV Yield
HPAtkDef+1SpASpDSpe
Defense training source
Pokedex Entries

It is encased in a shell that is harder than diamond. Inside, however, it is surprisingly tender.

Shellder Weakness

Type-wise, Shellder takes extra damage from Electric and Grass. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Shellder's physical bulk (base 100 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Shellder Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
Type ChartGood
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Score0
Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCritical
None
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
How to Beat Shellder in FireRed & LeafGreen (Best Counters)
Pikachu
Pikachu
Electric
C
Available Moves
Moves
  • Shock WaveTM34
  • Thunder ShockLv. 1
Damage vs Shellder
Shock Wave 2x
100-120%KO
Thunder Shock 2x
70-83%
View Pikachu builds →

FireRed & LeafGreen Evolution

Evolving Shellder into Cloyster takes an evolution item. It's not a simple level-up, so check the chain details below. Evolving adds up to 220 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
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 Shellder easily with 19 breeding partners from the Water3 egg group. Pass egg moves like Barrier, Bubble Beam, Icicle Spear and 3 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Water3
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
6moves
Breed With (best first)
crawdauntcorsolacorphishomastarkabutopsomanytekabutotentacruelcloysterstarmiekinglerstaryu

FireRed & LeafGreen Shellder Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

The egg pool carries weight here. Barrier and Bubble Beam aren't available any other way for Shellder, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Surf and Dive for solid options.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Tackle
3510035Normal
Lv 1
Withdraw
40Water
Lv 8
Icicle Spear
2510030Ice
Lv 15
Supersonic
5520Normal
Lv 22
Aurora Beam
6510020Ice
Lv 29
Protect+4
C10Normal
Lv 36
Leer
10030Normal
Lv 43
Clamp
358510Water
Lv 50
Ice Beam
D9510010Ice

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
D120705Ice
TM
Dive
6010010Water
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM42
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM07
Hail
10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
D9510010Ice
TM17
Protect+4
C10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
C5Water
TM44
Rest
C10Psychic
TM27
Return
D10020Normal
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
HM03
Surf
C9510015Water
TM06
Toxic
C8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Barrier
D30Psychic
Egg
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Egg
Icicle Spear
2510030Ice
Egg
Rapid Spin
D5010040Normal
Egg
Screech
D8540Normal
Egg
Take Down
D908520Normal

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal
Tutor
Explosion
B2501005Normal
Tutor
Mimic
10Normal
Tutor
Substitute
C10Normal

FireRed & LeafGreen Shellder Locations

Easy grab on Shellder with high spawn rates across 7 locations in early-game fishing spots. The sorted list below shows the full spread so you can pick the most convenient spot.

Best Locations to Catch Shellder in FireRed & LeafGreen

Shellder is a fishing-only catch in this game. 7 spots at Lv. 15-25 using Super Rod, so bring the right rod and check the rates on each location.

Cinnabar Island
Super Rod Lv.15-25 Water
40%Early
Pallet Town
Super Rod Lv.15-25 City
40%Early
Vermilion City - City
Super Rod Lv.15-25 City
40%Early
Vermilion City - Harbor
Super Rod Lv.15-25 City
40%Early
Five Island
Super Rod Lv.15-25 Water
CommonEarly
Icefall Cave - 1F Room 3
Super Rod Lv.15-25 Cave
CommonEarly
One Island
Super Rod Lv.15-25 Water
CommonEarly

Shellder Guide

  • Shellder evolves into Cloyster using a Water Stone. One evolution, no branching. Solid jump from 305 BST.

  • In FireRed & LeafGreen, Shellder does the job early-game if you need a Water type on your team. Evolve it into Cloyster before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.

  • Shellder is catchable in FireRed & LeafGreen. Check the Locations section above for specific routes, encounter rates, and methods. It also appears in 19 other games across the series.

  • Shellder is available in FireRed & LeafGreen. Across the full series, it appears in 20 games total.

Game Availability

Shellder has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 20 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.

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