Mixed
Hazard Setter
525High
70Moderate
CTier

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.

Diamond / 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.

Gen IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
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 21 partners from the Water3 egg group. Notable egg moves include Barrier, Bubble Beam, Icicle Spear and 4 more.

Egg Groups
Water3
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
7moves
Breed With (best first)
drapioncrawdauntcorsolaskorupicorphishomastarkabutopsomanytekabutotentacruelcloysterstarmie
12 of 21·

This build takes hits and hits back. Leftovers provides passive recovery each turn, Skilllink supports the gameplan, and max HP and Attack EVs mean Cloyster doesn't crumble to chip damage. Plus Normal coverage backing it up.

Best Build

Physical Tank
Ability
Skilllink
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Nature
Adamant+ATK
EVs

Best Cloyster Moveset

  • Rapid Spin
  • ExplosionCoverage
  • Toxic Spikes
  • SpikesHazard

Recommended Teammates

Abomasnow
AbomasnowDecent

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 Ice Beam, 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
Toxic Spikes
——20Poison
Lv 1
Withdraw
——40Water
Lv 28
Spikes
——20Ground
Lv 40
Spike Cannon
2010015Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM72
Avalanche-4
6010010Ice
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
TM55
Brine
6510010Water
TM78
Captivate
—10020Normal
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM58
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM64
Explosion
2501005Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM07
Hail
——10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM83
Natural Gift
—10015Normal
TM66
Payback
5010010Dark
TM84
Poison Jab
8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM82
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM87
Swagger
—9015Normal
TM41
Torment
—10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Barrier
——30Psychic
Egg
Bubble Beam
6510020Water
Egg
Icicle Spear
2510030Ice
Egg
Mud Shot
559515Ground
Egg
Rapid Spin
5010040Normal
Egg
Screech
—8540Normal
Egg
Take Down
908520Normal

Tutor Moves

Cloyster can't learn any Tutor moves

Reminder Moves

Src
Rem
Brine
6510010Water
Rem
Clamp
358510Water
Rem
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
Rem
Ice Shard+1
4010030Ice
Rem
Icicle Spear
2510030Ice
Rem
Iron Defense
——15Steel
Rem
Leer
—10030Normal
Rem
Tackle
3510035Normal
Rem
Whirlpool
358515Water

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
——10Normal

You're catching Shellder first, not Cloyster. Shellder appears at moderate rates in the encounters below. The step cards map the full 2-stage line with evolution methods between each stage.

How to Obtain Cloyster in Diamond & Pearl

Shellder is your first catch on the way to Cloyster. You'll find fishing encounters from Lv. 20-40 across 6 total spots in the chain.

  1. Shellder
    Step 1Catch Shellder
    Fuego Ironworks
    DiamondSuper RodLv.20-40RareMidPower-plant
    EXTREME
    Fuego Ironworks
    PearlSuper RodLv.20-40RareMidPower-plant
    EXTREME
    Route 205 - South
    DiamondSuper RodLv.20-40RareMidRoute
    EXTREME
    Route 205 - South
    PearlSuper RodLv.20-40RareMidRoute
    EXTREME
    Valley Windworks
    PearlSuper RodLv.20-40RareMidPower-plant
    EXTREME
    Valley Windworks
    DiamondSuper RodLv.20-40RareMidPower-plant
    EXTREME
  2. Cloyster
    Step 2Cloyster ✓

  • We rate Cloyster C-Tier — a situational pick that fills a niche. 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.

  • 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. 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.