Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players will need to get a Cloyster in order to complete the Pokedex, but it’s also a Pokemon worth tracking down on its own. For the story mode and even for ranked battles, Cloyster is one of the most threatening Water and Ice-type Pokemon in the Paldea region.
While there’s no shortage of water Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, water is often a defense-focused typing. Players who don’t choose Quaxly as their starter or go out of their way to get all three starters may have trouble finding a water Pokemon that can carry them to victory.
For those who start with Fuecoco or Sprigatito, Cloyster can be a great water-type Pokemon. Players just need to catch the right Shellder, evolve it, and give it the right build to start bowling through opponents.
How to Evolve Shellder into Cloyster
Shellder can be evolved into Cloyster at any level by using a Water Stone. The Pokemon will not evolve through leveling up. Though Water Stones can be hard to come by in the wild, they can be purchased from the Delibird Presents shop in Mesagoza for 3,000 Poke Dollars.
How to Catch Shellder and Cloyster
Naturally, the process starts with catching a Shellder. Shellder is commonly found along the coasts of Paldea, swimming in the ocean. If players can’t find a Water Stone and don’t want to spend any money, Cloyster is a rare spawn that appears in the waters surrounding the Paldea region.
It can be found in oceans along the southwestern beaches of the Paldea region and along the northwest. It can also be found in the waters along the shores of the East Province, east of Levincia and its gym leader, Iono.
Finally, Cloyster can appear in four and five-star Tera Raid battles. Because Cloyster is a rare spawn and it can’t consistently be found in raids, players may want to consider just spending the money on a Water Stone.
Is Cloyster a Good Pokemon?
Cloyster can be extremely powerful in the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet story mode and even ranked singles battles. This stems from the Pokemon’s Shell Smash move, Skill Link ability, and changes to the Focus Sash item.
Focus Sash prevents a Pokemon from being knocked out in one hit. If it is at maximum HP and suffers what would normally be a knockout, it is instead left with one HP. In previous generations, the Focus Sash would break and disappear upon use, but in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, that isn’t the case. The item is “used up” but will not disappear.
Cloyster can be extremely powerful in the game when paired with a Focus Sash. Players can use Shell Smash to sharply boost its attack and speed stats, then survive an attack with Focus Sash. From there, Icicle Spear empowered by Skill Link is effectively a 125-damage move with 100% accuracy. Unless Cloyster is wildly under-leveled or facing a defensively strong Pokemon that resists ice moves, it will be able to knock out basically anything it comes across.
This can carry the player to victory in the story mode and can be quite strong in ranked single battles as well. King’s Rock is another item that can be powerful on Cloyster in single battles, but Focus Sash is the safest option.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.