Special
Balanced
ATier
70Speed · Below Avg

Stats & Training

Defense leads and HP gets almost nothing. That's Cloyster's stat line in a nutshell. 4 stats sit in respectable range, but the spread is brutal. Moderately hard to find and yields 2 Defense stat exp.

Base Stats
High
HP50
D
Attack95
B
Defense180
S
Sp. Atk85
C
Sp. Def85
C
Speed70
C
Total565
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging60 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height1.5 m
4'11"Average
Weight132.5 kg
292.1 lbsHeavy
Base XP184
High Yield
Abilities
Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.
Shell Armor
Protects against critical hits.
Skill Link
Extends two-to-five-hit moves and triple kick to their full length every time.
OvercoatHA
Protects against damage from weather.
EV Yield
HPAtkDef+2SpASpDSpe
Defense training target
Pokedex Entries

For protection, it uses its harder-than-diamonds shell. It also shoots spikes from the shell.

Yellow

Cloyster Weakness

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

Cloyster Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Grass, Fighting, Rock
0.5x (Resist)Water
0.25x (Resist)Ice
Type ChartVulnerable
4Weak
2Resist
0Immune
Score-5
Gen I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
ElectricGrassFightingRock
½xResist
Water
¼xResist
Ice
0xImmune
None
STAB (6)
FireGroundRockGrassFlyingDragon
How to Beat Cloyster in Yellow (Best Counters)

In Yellow, Snorlax's Self-Destruct hits Cloyster for 58-68%. Exeggutor deals 56-66% with Psychic.

Snorlax
SnorlaxResists Ice via Thick Fat, walls special sets
Normal
S
Recommended Build
Moves
  • Body Slam
  • RestRecovery
  • Self Destruct
  • Earthquake
Damage vs Cloyster
Body Slam
25-30%
Self Destruct
58-68%
Earthquake
20-23%
View Snorlax builds →

Yellow Evolution

The Water/Ice-type Cloyster caps Shellder's chain at 565 stats. No daycare options for this one. Defense grew the most through evolution (+80 over Shellder), and Cloyster peaks at 565 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Shellder
#090Shellder
Water Stone
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 not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Yellow Cloyster Best Moveset

Best Build

Solid pick
Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Utility Moveset

  • ExplosionCoverage
  • ClampSTAB
  • BlizzardSTAB
  • RestRecovery

Recommended Teammates

Tauros
TaurosGood
Chansey
ChanseyGood
Snorlax
SnorlaxGood

Moves

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Cloyster. TMs unlock Normal coverage and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Blizzard and Ice Beam into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Aurora Beam
C6510020Ice
Lv 1
Clamp
S358510Water
Lv 1
Supersonic
——5520Normal
Lv 1
Withdraw
D——40Water
Lv 50
Spike Cannon
—2010015Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM34
Bide+1
———10Normal
TM14
Blizzard
S110905Ice
TM11
Bubble Beam
C6510020Water
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal
TM47
Explosion
S2501005Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
C9510010Ice
TM31
Mimic
———10Normal
TM20
Rage
—2010020Normal
TM33
Reflect
C——20Psychic
TM44
Rest
A——10Psychic
TM36
Self-Destruct
B2001005Normal
TM50
Substitute
C——10Normal
HM03
Surf
C9510015Water
TM39
Swift
D60—20Normal
TM09
Take Down
—908520Normal
TM30
Teleport-6
———20Psychic
TM06
Toxic
C—9010Poison
TM49
Tri Attack
—8010010Normal
TM12
Water Gun
D4010025Water

Egg Moves

Cloyster doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Cloyster can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Cloyster in Yellow

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 Yellow

Shellder is your first catch on the way to Cloyster. You'll find fishing encounters from Lv. 10-40 across 3 total spots in the chain.

  1. Shellder
    Step 1Catch Shellder
    Vermilion City - Harbor
    Super Rod Lv.10 City
    50%Early
    Route 18
    Super Rod Lv.20-40 Route
    75%Mid
    Route 17
    Super Rod Lv.25-35 Route
    50%Mid
  2. Cloyster
    Step 2Cloyster ✓

Cloyster Guide

  • For Yellow, we rate Cloyster A-Tier: a strong pick in Yellow's competitive scene. At 565 BST, the stats are spread pretty evenly. Explosion anchors the moveset.

  • In Yellow, 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. Cloyster has enough bulk to absorb a hit, but don't push the matchup. Pivot to a teammate that resists.

  • Base 70 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Cloyster is a special attacker with base 85 Special. Defensively? Tanky enough to absorb a few hits.

  • For Yellow, Cloyster has answers, but so do you. Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Electric, Grass, and Fighting-type attackers hit hardest.

  • In Yellow, run Explosion, Clamp, Blizzard, and Rest on Cloyster. Explosion is the most common pick at 23% usage. Clamp provides reliable STAB damage.

Game Availability

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

Click a game to view version-specific details

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