Pokedex Page
[Overview]
<p>With the introduction of Generation V, Cloyster received a gift it could only have dreamed of: Shell Smash. With one of the best boosting moves around, the clam now finds itself being able to perform an entirely different role; as one of the most threatening sweepers around. When one also takes into account its ability, Skill Link, Cloyster can abuse 125 Base Power Icicle Spear and Rock Blast that, at +2 Attack, will destroy anything that doesn't resist them. Its Water-type move of choice also makes sure that Steel-types aren't surefire counters as a +2 STAB Hydro Pump or Razor Shell will inflict huge damage to most of them.</p>
<p>However, Cloyster isn't without its flaws. Its Ice typing provides it with a fatal weakness to Stealth Rock, as well as the oft-seen priority moves Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave. With Conkeldurr and Lucario available, one has to make sure they are eliminated first or Cloyster won't be able to sweep after setting up. Cloyster also has some troubles getting past bulky Water-types such as Jellicent and Vaporeon that can burn or phaze it and thus prevent a sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Icicle Spear
move 3: Rock Blast
move 4: Razor Shell / Hydro Pump
item: Life Orb / White Herb
ability: Skill Link
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 48 HP / 252 Atk / 208 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is the set Cloyster should always use. With a very good Defense stat, Cloyster will have many chances to set up. After the clam manages to use Shell Smash, its Attack and Speed skyrocket to 578 and 500, respectively. Icicle Spear is the main attack and, thanks to Cloyster's ability Skill Link and STAB, it gets to a whopping 187 Base Power, and destroys everything that doesn't resist it. To show how true this sentence is, specially defensive Ferrothorn is OHKOed by Icicle Spear and the standard set will often be OHKOed with a layer of Spikes. Rock Blast is the other very useful move Cloyster may carry to abuse Skill Link. It helps by giving some coverage against Ice- and Water-type Pokemon, the latter being the most important because these would wall Cloyster almost entirely otherwise. The final slot brings one of the decisions one has to make when using this set. Since Cloyster has a much higher Attack than Special Attack - 578 against 412 - and the fact Hydro Pump would require a drop in the clam's defenses, Razor Shell is the superior option to hit the Steel-types that resist both of the previous moves.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature with 208 Speed EVs are needed to outspeed Scarf Landorus after a Shell Smash. One should then use 252 Attack EVs to maximize the damage output and the rest into HP to give a small boost to Cloyster's bulk. Life Orb is the preferred item to power up the clamp's attacks but White Herb nullifies the defense drops from Shell Smash, and thus is useful to maintain Cloyster's bulk, making it less prone to being revenge killed. The first three moves on the set are, due to Skill Link, irreplaceable and thus, the only change that should be considered is Hydro Pump over Razor Shell. Hydro Pump has the benefit of hitting most Steel-types for greater damage due to their superior Defense stat. However, when using it, one should go with a Naive nature so as not to hurt Cloyster's sweeping capabilities and to still outspeed Scarf Landorus after a boost. If one wants Cloyster to have more power, an Adamant or Naughty nature can be used with an EV spread of 8 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spe to outspeed Choice Scarf Darmanitan and Kyurem after the boost.</p>
<p>Due to the sheer power of this set, there aren't many Pokemon that can counter it. However, Empoleon resists every attack Cloyster carries and can OHKO back with Grass Knot. Entry hazards can also limit the clam's potential so Magnezone is a great teammate that can trap and KO Empoleon and, as a bonus, it can trap some of the most common entry hazard users, such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Forretress. Another option to get rid of entry hazards is to carry a Rapid Spinner: Forretress is the one that synergizes best with the clam. It can also set up entry hazards to help Cloyster sweep. Finally, rain helps Cloyster getting past Steel-types such as Jirachi, Metagross, and Bronzong, which means Politoed is a great teammate for its ability to summon it</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Outside of using Shell Smash, Cloyster doesn't have many options. It can still set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes but, with the return of Deoxys-S and the appearance of Ferrothorn to lay down Spikes, along with the new abilities of Nidoqueen and Forretress that help them set up Toxic Spikes, Cloyster is now even more outclassed at this job. The last thing it can do is to use Rapid Spin to support its team but Forretress, Starmie, Tentacruel, and Excadrill can spin away entry hazards more efficiently.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Empoleon is the only true counter to Cloyster because its typing grants resistance against the three attacks Cloyster will often carry. It can then OHKO the clam back with Grass Knot. Entry hazards are the second thing Cloyster should be aware of as it is weak to Stealth Rock and vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes that can limit and, sometimes, prevent a sweep. Water-types are also tough to take down as, for example, Jellicent, Unaware Quagsire, and Vaporeon can all come in while Cloyster uses Shell Smash and, if they're healthy enough, threaten it out thanks to the former two having a status move and the latter having Roar as well. If entry hazards are up, this can be done multiple times due to the fact that they all have recovery moves, and Cloyster will eventually lose.</p>
<p>Strong priority users can also abuse the drop in the defenses to KO Cloyster. Lucario is the most threatening among these and its Vacuum Wave targets the clamp's very frail Special Defense, OHKOing it even before Shell Smash. Conkeldurr is, however, the most common of the dangerous priority users and can deal at least 53% with Mach Punch, so if Stealth Rock is on the field, it can stop Cloyster from attacking more than twice. Finally, Pokemon that are faster than Landorus can still outspeed Cloyster after a boost if they hold a Choice Scarf. Luckily, the most common is Starmie that has no troubles OHKOing with Thunderbolt, but even then Starmie only rarely is found holding it.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Cloyster gets Overcoat as its Dream World ability. Overcoat should never be used because without Skill Link, Cloyster can no longer count on reliable and high powered Icicle Spear and Rock Blast, thus losing its main niche in OU.</p>
