Mixed
Hazard Setter
525High
70Moderate
STier

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

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

Crystal

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.

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
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 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)
corsolaomastarkabutopsomanytekabutotentacruelcloysterstarmiekinglerstaryutentacoolkrabby
12 of 13·

Spikes is the priority every time Cloyster comes in. A nature nature and flexible EVs EVs keep it alive long enough to get layers down, while Leftovers provides passive recovery each turn. An ability rounds it out.

Best Build

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

Best Cloyster Moveset

  • SpikesHazard
  • SurfSTAB
  • ExplosionCoverage
  • ToxicUtility

Recommended Teammates

Snorlax
SnorlaxGood
Zapdos
ZapdosGood
Exeggutor
ExeggutorDecent

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
——10Normal
Lv 1
Supersonic
—5520Normal
Lv 1
Withdraw
——40Water
Lv 33
Spikes
——20Ground
Lv 41
Spike Cannon
2010015Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
TM03
Curse
——10Ghost
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM20
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM16
Icy Wind
559515Ice
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
TM35
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM13
Snore
4010015Normal
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM34
Swagger
—8515Normal
TM39
Swift
60—20Normal
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison
HM06
Whirlpool
358515Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Barrier
——30Psychic
Egg
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Egg
Rapid Spin
5010040Normal
Egg
Screech
—8540Normal
Egg
Take Down
908520Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Ice Beam
9510010Ice

Reminder Moves

Src
Rem
Clamp
358510Water
Rem
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
Rem
Leer
—10030Normal
Rem
Tackle
3510035Normal

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 RodLv.20UncommonMidCity
    MODERATE
    Olivine City - Harbor
    Good RodLv.20UncommonMidCity
    MODERATE
    Pallet Town
    Good RodLv.20UncommonMidCity
    MODERATE
    Route 26
    Good RodLv.20UncommonMidRoute
    MODERATE
    Route 27
    Good RodLv.20UncommonMidRoute
    MODERATE
    Vermilion City - City
    Good RodLv.20UncommonMidCity
    MODERATE
    Vermilion City - Harbor
    Good RodLv.20UncommonMidCity
    MODERATE
    New Bark Town
    Super RodLv.40CommonLateCity
    EASY
    Olivine City - Harbor
    Super RodLv.40CommonLateCity
    EASY
    Pallet Town
    Super RodLv.40CommonLateCity
    EASY
    Route 26
    Super RodLv.40CommonLateRoute
    EASY
    Route 27
    Super RodLv.40CommonLateRoute
    EASY
    Vermilion City - City
    Super RodLv.40CommonLateCity
    EASY
    Vermilion City - Harbor
    Super RodLv.40CommonLateCity
    EASY
  2. Cloyster
    Step 2Cloyster ✓

  • We rate Cloyster S-Tier — one of the best competitive options available. At 525 BST, it fits the hazard setter role. 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.

  • 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. Best used as a hazard setter.

  • 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.