Mixed
Balanced
525High
70Moderate
BTier

Nothing about Cloyster screams competitive powerhouse, and that's fine. Water/Ice means only weak to Electric, Grass, Fighting, and Rock. An original Gen 1 pick. Needs some investment to avoid getting outsped.

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 EVs.

Base Stats
525High
HP50
D
Attack95
B
Defense180
S
Sp. Atk85
C
Sp. Def45
D
Speed70
C
Total525
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Cloyster yields +2 Def
HPAtkDef+2SpASpDSpe
Details
Catch60Challenging•Slow1.25M XP•1.5m / 4'11"•132.5kg / 292.1 lbs•184Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It fights by keeping its shell tightly shut for protection and by shooting spikes to repel foes.

Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl

Cloyster Weakness

Vulnerable

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

4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
ElectricGrassFightingRock
½xResisti
Water
¼xResisti
Ice
0xImmunei
None
STAB (6)i
FireGroundRockGrassFlyingDragon
4Weak
2Resist
0Immune
Scorei-5
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Shell ArmorProtects against critical hits.
Skill LinkExtends two-to-five-hit moves and triple kick to their full length every time.
OvercoatHAProtects against damage from weather.

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.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Shellder
#090Shellder
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 from the Water3 egg group. Notable egg moves include Aqua Ring, Bubble Beam, Icicle Spear and 6 more.

Egg Groups
Water3
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
9moves

One guaranteed turn is all Cloyster needs. Focus Sash buys it, max Attack and Speed EVs make it count, and Skilllink adds something extra. The goal: deal early damage and deal damage with Icicle Spear. The remaining moves gives it play beyond just the lead turn.

Best Build

Physical Sweeper
Ability
Skilllink
Item
Focus SashSURVIVAL
Nature
Adamant+ATK
EVs

Best Cloyster Moveset

  • Icicle SpearSTAB
  • Shell Smash
  • Rock Blast
  • Ice ShardSTAB

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

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Aurora Beam
6510020Ice
Lv 1
Hydro Pump
110805Water
Lv 1
Ice Beam
9010010Ice
Lv 1
Ice Shard+1
4010030Ice
Lv 1
Icicle Crash
859010Ice
Lv 1
Icicle Spear
2510030Ice
Lv 1
Iron Defense
——15Steel
Lv 1
Leer
—10030Normal
Lv 1
Protect+4
——10Normal
Lv 1
Razor Shell
759510Water
Lv 1
Shell Smash
——15Normal
Lv 1
Spikes
——20Ground
Lv 1
Supersonic
—5520Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Toxic Spikes
——20Poison
Lv 1
Water Gun
4010025Water
Lv 1
Whirlpool
358515Water
Lv 1
Withdraw
——40Water

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM72
Avalanche-4
6010010Ice
TM14
Blizzard
110705Ice
TM55
Brine
6510010Water
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM58
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM64
Explosion
2501005Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM07
Hail
——10Ice
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9010010Ice
TM16
Light Screen
——30Psychic
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM84
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM82
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
TM95
Surf
9010015Water
TM87
Swagger
—8515Normal
TM41
Torment
—10015Dark
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Aqua Ring
——20Water
Egg
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Egg
Icicle Spear
2510030Ice
Egg
Life Dew
——10Water
Egg
Mud Shot
559515Ground
Egg
Rapid Spin
5010040Normal
Egg
Rock Blast
259010Rock
Egg
Screech
—8540Normal
Egg
Take Down
908520Normal

Tutor Moves

Cloyster can't learn any Tutor moves

Cloyster doesn't appear wild. Catch Shellder instead, it shows up at moderate rates. Evolve it through a special method to get Cloyster. The 2-stage line is mapped in the step cards below.

How to Obtain Cloyster in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

The path to Cloyster starts with Shellder at Lv. 20-63 via walking and fishing encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Shellder
    Step 1Catch Shellder
    Fuego Ironworks
    Brilliant DiamondSuper RodLv.20-405%MidPower-plant
    EXTREME
    Fuego Ironworks
    Shining PearlSuper RodLv.20-405%MidPower-plant
    EXTREME
    Route 205 - South
    Shining PearlSuper RodLv.20-405%MidRoute
    EXTREME
    Route 205 - South
    Brilliant DiamondSuper RodLv.20-405%MidRoute
    EXTREME
    Valley Windworks
    Shining PearlSuper RodLv.20-405%MidPower-plant
    EXTREME
    Valley Windworks
    Brilliant DiamondSuper RodLv.20-405%MidPower-plant
    EXTREME
    Fountainspring Cave
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Fountainspring Cave
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Riverbank Cave
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Riverbank Cave
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Still-Water Cavern
    Shining PearlGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
    Still-Water Cavern
    Brilliant DiamondGrassLv.58-63PostCavePost-game
  2. Cloyster
    Step 2Cloyster ✓

  • We rate Cloyster B-Tier — a solid choice for the right team. At 525 BST, the stats are spread pretty evenly. Base 180 Defense stands out.

  • 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.

  • Shellder evolves into Cloyster using a Water Stone. Cloyster is the fully evolved form. At 525 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.

  • Shell Armor protects against critical hits — that's the one you want on Cloyster. Overcoat is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses. Skill Link works too if your team needs something different.

  • Base 70 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Cloyster is a mixed attacker — base 95 Attack and 85 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two.

  • Cloyster appears in 20 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

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