Is Clamperl Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Wild encounter in various waterways. Water with AbilityShell Armor. Trade with Deep Sea Tooth for Huntail or Deep Sea Scale for Gorebyss. Two trade branches from one base. High effort, modest returns.
Clamperl has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Clamperl has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Clamperl has the type edge here and should clean up Whitney's team.
Clamperl trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Chuck's typing presses Clamperl's defenses.
Clamperl has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Clamperl trades roughly evenly with Pryce's team.
Clair's typing presses Clamperl's defenses.
Clamperl has the type edge here and should clean up Brock's team.
Misty's typing presses Clamperl's defenses.
Clamperl trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Erika's team hits Clamperl's weaknesses hard.
Clamperl trades roughly evenly with Janine's team.
Sabrina's team hits Clamperl's weaknesses hard.
Clamperl has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Huntail has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Blue:
Will's typing presses Clamperl's defenses.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Will:
Clamperl trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Koga:
Clamperl trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Bruno:
Clamperl trades roughly evenly with Karen's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Karen:
Clamperl trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Your evolution path matters here. Pick a branch to see how it fares against Lance:
Catchable
Catch Clamperl on Route 19 (Surf, Lv 35, common). Swarm.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 35)
- LV 35WaterWater GunPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 25
- LV 35WaterClampPower 53Accuracy 75%PP 10
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Kimono Girl in the Ecruteak Dance Theater
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Item ball on Ice Path 1F
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Lake of Rage
Evolve Clamperl to Huntail
Clamperl evolves into Huntail when traded. Most players are ready to trade before reaching Blue.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 59)
- LV 59WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
- LV 59WaterAqua TailPower 135Accuracy 90%PP 10
- LV 59WaterDivePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 59WaterBrinePower 98Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Kimono Girl in the Ecruteak Dance Theater
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Item ball on Ice Path 1F
Evolve Clamperl to Gorebyss
Clamperl evolves into Gorebyss when traded. Most players are ready to trade before reaching Blue.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 59)
- LV 59WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
- LV 59WaterAqua TailPower 135Accuracy 90%PP 10
- LV 59WaterDivePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 59PsychicPsychicPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10
- After Bugsy
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Kimono Girl in the Ecruteak Dance Theater
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Item ball on Ice Path 1F
How to Get Clamperl in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Clamperl is the first stage of its evolution line, so no trade evolution leads to it. A trade is needed only further along the line, as the step cards below show.
Wild Clamperl may be holding when caught:
Big Pearl (5% chance) A quite-large pearl that sparkles in a pretty silver color. It can be sold at a high price to shops.1 location to catch Clamperl
Encountered via Surfing
Badge 8Where To Catch Clamperl in HGSS
- Step 1Clamperl ✓
Available in-game· 2 pathsPick one
Want the exact numbers? Work out your catch odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver for Clamperl.
How to Get Shiny Clamperl in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Clamperl hides in the shallows off Route 19, though a shiny hatches faster from Masuda breeding. Compare Shiny Clamperl odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Clamperl Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Masuda Method, about 1 in 1,639 on each try.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 173-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 472-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 1,136-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 3,773-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Curious how fast a hunt could go? Work out your HeartGold & SoulSilver shiny odds for Clamperl.
Clamperl Weakness
Type-wise, Clamperl takes extra damage from Electric and Grass. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Clamperl's physical bulk (base 85 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Clamperl Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Clamperl
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Cacturne GrassDark | B | |
 Parasect BugGrass | C | |
 Sceptile Grass | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Treecko (Silph Co Gift) | ||
 Tangrowth Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Clamperl View Tangrowth builds →Solar Beam 2x215-254%KO Shock Wave 2x72-85% | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Clamperl View Victreebel builds →Leaf Storm 2x233-274%KO | ||
 Venusaur GrassPoison | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Bulbasaur (Pallet Town Gift) | ||
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
 Shiftry GrassDark | C | |
 Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
 Raikou Electric | B | |
 Carnivine Grass | C | |
 Breloom GrassFighting | A | |
 Meganium Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chikorita (New Bark Town Gift) | ||
Clamperl Evolutions
Clamperl's evolution chain splits 2 ways into Huntail and Gorebyss. The method you choose determines which form you get. Evolving adds up to 140 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Clamperl easily with 69 breeding partners from the Water 1 egg group. Pass egg moves like Aqua Ring, Barrier, Body Slam and 5 more to offspring.
HGSS Clamperl Best Moveset
Evolves via trade: Held ItemDeep Sea Tooth for Huntail, Held ItemDeep Sea Scale for Gorebyss. While holding the Tooth, 74 Sp. Atk doubles to 148, usable power if kept unevolved. A trade-evolution waiting room.
Best Build
Clamperl best EVs are HP and Sp. Atk
Special Tank Moveset
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power Electric
- Hidden Power Grass
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breeding's the move. Aqua Ring and Barrier give Clamperl options it can't learn any other way, and Ice and Normal coverage already covers a decent range on top of Surf and Muddy Water. The egg moves push it further.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
All 18 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
When it evolves, it makes a mysterious pearl that amplifies psychic powers when it’s held.
Clamperl HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
Clamperl evolves into Huntail via trade. The Deep Sea Tooth must be held during the trade. Bring one over from a sibling Gen 3 game if needed.
Yes. Wild Clamperl in HeartGold & SoulSilver can hold Big Pearl (5%). Use Thief (TM46) or Covet to swipe the held item without affecting your catch chance. Quickest way to farm rare items like Big Pearl.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Clamperl has 345 BST and evolves into Huntail. Compare the two forms before you give either one a team slot.
Yes. Clamperl is not available during the main story. It can only be obtained after entering the Hall of Fame. Clamperl becomes available after the main story is complete in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Game Availability
Clamperl has been available in 13 games since Ruby & Sapphire, though obtaining it requires a trade evolution. This extra step makes it less common than Pokemon found through standard wild encounters.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
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