Is Cloyster Good in HeartGold & SoulSilver Playthrough?
Water Stone on Shellder. Water/Ice with AbilitySkill Link guaranteeing five hits on multi-strike moves. Enormous Defense. Ice coverage handles Clair's Dragon gym and Lance's triple Dragonite. One of the best evolution payoffs in HGSS.
Shellder has the type edge here and should clean up Falkner's team.
Shellder has the type edge here and should clean up Bugsy's team.
Shellder trades roughly evenly with Whitney's team.
Shellder trades roughly evenly with Morty's team.
Chuck's team hits Cloyster's weaknesses hard.
Cloyster has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Cloyster trades roughly evenly with Pryce's team.
Cloyster trades roughly evenly with Clair's team.
Cloyster resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Cloyster trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Cloyster trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Cloyster has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Cloyster has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Cloyster trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Cloyster has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Cloyster has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Cloyster has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Cloyster has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Cloyster has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Cloyster has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Cloyster has the type edge here and should clean up Lance's team.
Catch Shellder
Catch Shellder in New Bark Town (Good Rod fishing, Lv 20, rare).
Recommended Moves
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM66DarkPaybackPower 50Accuracy 100%PP 10Route 35
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Kimono Girl in the Ecruteak Dance Theater
- LV 32IceAurora BeamPower 65Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Lake of Rage
- LV 44WaterBrinePower 98Accuracy 100%PP 10
- LV 49IceIce BeamPower 95Accuracy 100%PP 10
Evolve Shellder to Cloyster
Shellder evolves into Cloyster with a Water Stone. You can receive the Water Stone from an NPC in Route 42. 2 other locations are also available.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 25)
- LV 25IceAurora BeamPower 98Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- TM13IceIce BeamPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Goldenrod Department Store
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Gift from a Kimono Girl in the Ecruteak Dance Theater
- After Pryce
- TM72IceAvalanchePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 10Ice Path
- After Jasmine
- TM43NormalSecret PowerPower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Lake of Rage
- TM10NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15Lake of Rage
How to Get Cloyster in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Cloyster has no wild encounters. A Water Stone on Shellder cracks it open into the spiked fortress, so fish up a Shellder first and commit the stone when you are ready. The shell only forms through that one item.
Wild Cloyster may be holding when caught:
Pearl (50% chance) A somewhat-small pearl that sparkles in a pretty silver color. It can be sold cheaply to shops.
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.Catch Shellder at any of these 10 spots to eventually evolve into Cloyster.
Encountered via fishing with a Rod
- 1Catch Shellder
- 2Evolve CloysterUse Water Stone
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8How to Obtain Cloyster in HGSS
Shellder is your first catch on the way to Cloyster. You'll find fishing encounters from Lv. 20-40 across 40 total spots in the chain.
- Step 1Catch ShellderNew Bark TownLv.20Good RodRate 10%Route 41Lv.20Good RodRate 10%Route 47Lv.20Good RodRate 10%Cinnabar IslandLv.20Good RodRate 10%Pallet TownLv.20Good RodRate 10%Route 20Lv.20Good RodRate 10%Route 21Lv.20Good RodRate 10%Route 26Lv.20Good RodRate 10%Route 27Lv.20Good RodRate 10%Vermilion City - CityLv.20Good RodRate 10%New Bark TownLv.40Super RodRate 30%Route 41Lv.40Super RodRate 30%Route 47Lv.40Super RodRate 30%Cinnabar IslandLv.40Super RodRate 30%Pallet TownLv.40Super RodRate 30%Route 20Lv.40Super RodRate 30%Route 21Lv.40Super RodRate 30%Route 26Lv.40Super RodRate 30%Route 27Lv.40Super RodRate 30%Vermilion City - CityLv.40Super RodRate 30%
- Step 2Cloyster ✓
How to Get Shiny Cloyster in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Cloyster needs a Water Stone, so breed a Shellder Masuda-style and evolve it once the shiny shows. Compare Shiny Cloyster odds across every game
HeartGold & SoulSilver Shiny Cloyster 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.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in HeartGold & SoulSilver with Cloyster preloaded.
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass, Fighting, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Ice |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Cloyster Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Cloyster
 Hariyama Fighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Hariyama builds →Focus Punch 2x95-112%KO Stone Edge 2x43-50% | ||
 Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Gallade builds →Focus Punch 2x99-118%KO Leaf Blade 2x40-48% Stone Edge 2x44-53% Thunderbolt 2x75-89% | ||
 Breloom GrassFighting | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Breloom builds →Focus Punch 2x102-121%KO Seed Bomb 2x55-65% Stone Edge 2x46-54% | ||
 Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Pewter City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 2x126-149%KO Focus Punch 2x84-99% Thunderbolt 2x75-89% | ||
 Toxicroak PoisonFighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Toxicroak builds →Focus Punch 2x86-102%KO Stone Edge 2x39-46% | ||
 Blaziken FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Silph Co Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Blaziken builds →Focus Punch 2x95-112%KO Solar Beam 2x146-172%KO Stone Edge 2x43-50% | ||
 Hitmonlee Fighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Tyrogue (Mt Mortar Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Hitmonlee builds →Focus Punch 2x95-112%KO Stone Edge 2x43-50% | ||
 Primeape Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Primeape builds →Focus Punch 2x86-102%KO Stone Edge 2x39-46% Thunderbolt 2x71-84% | ||
 Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x82-96% Rock Slide 2x27-33% | ||
 Tangrowth Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Tangrowth builds →Solar Beam 2x219-258%KO Focus Blast 2x146-172%KO Rock Slide 2x27-33% Shock Wave 2x73-87% | ||
 Raikou Electric | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Raikou builds →Thunderbolt 2x180-212%KO Rock Smash 2x13-16% | ||
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
 Roserade GrassPoison | B | |
 Ludicolo WaterGrass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Cloyster View Ludicolo builds →Solar Beam 2x185-218%KO Focus Punch 2x42-49% | ||
Cloyster Evolutions
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. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Cloyster to get Shellder eggs easily using 21 partners from the Water 3 egg group. Notable egg moves include Barrier, Bubble Beam, Icicle Spear and 5 more.
HGSS Cloyster Best Moveset
180 Defense blocks any physical attack, and AbilitySkill Link makes multi-hit moves always connect all five times. The moveset combines extreme physical bulk with Water/Ice coverage off 95 Attack. 45 Sp. Def is the one opening, and every special attacker knows it.
Best Build
Cloyster best EVs are Attack and HP
Physical Tank Moveset
- Rapid Spin
- Explosion
- Toxic Spikes
- Spikes
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
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.
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 20 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
Once it slams its shell shut, it is impossible to open, even by those with superior strength.
CLOYSTER that live in seas with harsh tidal currents grow large, sharp spikes on their shells.
Cloyster HeartGold & SoulSilver Guide
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, use Cloyster as a hazard setter. Splits damage between physical and special. Speed is middling,
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, build your team around Abomasnow. These have the highest co-usage rates with Cloyster in competitive formats. They cover each other's weaknesses.
For HeartGold & SoulSilver, run Adamant on Cloyster. +Attack is what matters, and the -Sp. Atk cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the hazard setter role.
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
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
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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