Special
Balanced
305Low
40Very Slow
DTier

Shellder is technically a pre-evolution of Cloyster, but it can still hold its own in battle. Only weak to Electric and Grass. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets. Been around since Gen 1.

Shellder's spread isn't flashy. Defense leads, Sp. Def trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Common in the wild and worth 1 Defense EV, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats
305Avg
HP30
F
Attack65
C
Defense100
B
Sp. Atk45
D
Sp. Def25
F
Speed40
D
Total305
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Shellder yields +1 Def
HPAtkDef+1SpASpDSpe
Details
Catch190Easy•Slow1.25M XP•0.3m / 1'00"•4kg / 8.8 lbs•61Base XP
Pokedex Entries

At night, this POKéMON uses its broad tongue to burrow a hole in the seafloor sand and then sleep in it. While it is sleeping, SHELLDER closes its shell, but leaves its tongue hanging out.

Ruby / Sapphire

Shellder Weakness

Good

Type-wise, Shellder takes extra damage from Electric and Grass. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Shellder's physical bulk (base 100 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
ElectricGrass
½xResisti
FireWaterIceSteel
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (3)i
FireGroundRock
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Scorei0
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.

Evolving Shellder into Cloyster takes an evolution item. It's not a simple level-up, so check the chain details below. Evolving adds up to 220 stat points total.

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 Shellder easily with 19 breeding partners from the Water3 egg group. Pass egg moves like Barrier, Bubble Beam, Icicle Spear and 3 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Water3
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
6moves
Breed With (best first)
crawdauntcorsolacorphishomastarkabutopsomanytekabutotentacruelcloysterstarmiekinglerstaryu
12 of 19·

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

The egg pool carries weight here. Barrier and Bubble Beam aren't available any other way for Shellder, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Surf and Dive for solid options.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Tackle
3510035Normal
Lv 1
Withdraw
——40Water
Lv 9
Supersonic
—5520Normal
Lv 17
Aurora Beam
6510020Ice
Lv 25
Protect+4
——10Normal
Lv 33
Leer
—10030Normal
Lv 41
Clamp
358510Water
Lv 49
Ice Beam
9510010Ice

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM14
Blizzard
120705Ice
HM08
Dive
6010010Water
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM07
Hail
——10Ice
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
9510010Ice
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
HM03
Surf
9510015Water
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water

Egg Moves

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

Tutor Moves

Shellder can't learn any Tutor moves

No wild encounters for Shellder in Ruby & Sapphire. It's available in Red, Yellow, or Gold and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.

Shellder is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also found in:

RedYellowGold

  • Shellder isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Cloyster to unlock its full potential. At 305 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.

  • Shellder's biggest threats include Jolteon (Electric) and Exeggutor (Grass), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. At base 40 Speed, Shellder won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.

  • Shellder evolves into Cloyster using a Water Stone. Shellder is the base form of this evolutionary line.

  • Shell Armor is the go-to ability for Shellder. It protects against critical hits. Its hidden ability Overcoat can work in specific setups. Skill Link is the other option — pick based on what your team needs.

  • Shellder fills the balanced role. It's a special attacker with base 45 Sp. Atk. Base 40 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. And it's fragile — can't afford to take many hits.

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

Shellder has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 20 titles across all 9 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.