Competitive Information for Cloyster [Sword/Shield]
Water / Ice
Abilities:
This Pokemon is immune to powder moves, Sandstorm or Hail damage, Effect Spore.
This Pokemon cannot be struck by a critical hit.
This Pokemon's multi-hit attacks always hit the maximum number of times.

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Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Cloyster? These builds are optimized for Sword/Shield Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Sword/Shield metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Say hello to Cloyster, an epic Pokémon that excels with Water and Ice typing! It's a sight to see Cloyster out in the 8th generation battlefield. It is weak to Electric, Fighting, Grass, and Rock-typed attacks. Discover Cloyster's movesets below and unleash its potential in battles!
Item: White Herb / Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Steel Roller
- Icicle Spear / Icicle Crash
- Rock Blast
- Protect
Cloyster thrives as a pretty decent Physical Sweeper perfect for single battles. The main aim of this moveset is to take down the opponent's team with formidable physical moves. White Herb will reset Cloyster's negative stat changes once. Focus Sash helps protect Cloyster from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Cloyster's multi-hit attacks will always hit the max times with Skill Link. This boosts the amount of strikes from Icicle Spear and Rock Blast.
◆ Icicle Spear is a physical STAB-boosted 25-base power Ice-type move (hits 2-5 times in one turn).
◆ Icicle Crash is a physical STAB-boosted 85-base power Ice-type move (30% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Rock Blast is a physical 25-base power Rock-type move (hits 2-5 times in one turn).
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Cloyster this turn).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/maa5b
Item: King's Rock / Expert Belt
Ability: Skill Link
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Icicle Spear / Icicle Crash
- Steel Roller / Pin Missile
- Liquidation / Razor Shell
In single battles, Cloyster is known as a stunning Physical Sweeper. It tries to overwhelm foes with intense physical power. King's Rock grants all attacking moves (that do not already have a chance to flinch) a 10% chance of causing each target to flinch. Expert Belt boosts the damage of Cloyster's super effective moves by 20%. Cloyster's multi-hit attacks will always hit the max times with Skill Link. This boosts the amount of strikes from Icicle Spear and Pin Missile. Plus each hit has a chance to cause a flinch due to the King's Rock. Pin Missile or Poison Jab are added to provide additional threat coverage.
◆ Icicle Crash is a physical STAB-boosted 85-base power Ice-type move (30% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Steel Roller is a physical 130-base power Steel-type move (fails if there is no terrain active. Ends the terrain).
◆ Pin Missile is a physical 25-base power Bug-type move (hits 2-5 times in one turn).
◆ Liquidation is a physical STAB-boosted 85-base power Water-type move (20% chance to lower the target's defense by 1 stage).
◆ Razor Shell is a physical STAB-boosted 75-base power Water-type move (50% chance to lower the target's defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mba5b
Item: Life Orb / Choice Specs
Ability: Shell Armor
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Surf / Brine
- Ice Beam / Frost Breath
- Tri Attack / Hyper Beam
- Mud Shot
Dominating single battles, Cloyster is a dazzling Special Sweeper. The intention of this moveset is to take down the opponent's team with intense special attacks. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Cloyster's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. Life Orb boosts the power of Cloyster's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Shell Armor, Cloyster cannot be struck by a critical hit.
◆ Brine is a special STAB-boosted 65-base power Water-type move (power doubles if the target's hp is 50% or less).
◆ Ice Beam is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
◆ Frost Breath is a special STAB-boosted 60-base power Ice-type move (always results in a critical hit).
◆ Tri Attack is a special 80-base power Normal-type move (20% chance to paralyze or burn or freeze target).
◆ Hyper Beam is a special 150-base power Normal-type move (Cloyster cannot move next turn).
◆ Mud Shot is a special 55-base power Ground-type move (100% chance to lower the target's speed by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mca5b
Item: White Herb
Ability: Skill Link
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Razor Shell / Hydro Pump
- Shell Smash
- Rock Blast
- Icicle Spear
Cloyster stands out as a top-notch Physical Sweeper in single battles. It is meant to crush rivals using lethal physical moves. White Herb will reset Cloyster's negative stat changes once (specifically for when it uses Shell Smash). Cloyster's multi-hit attacks will always hit the max times with Skill Link. This boosts the amount of strikes from Rock Blast and Icicle Spear. Cloyster's main set is one that can sweep most teams with ease; in fact, it's a liability to have a bulky Ground-type when your opponent has a Cloyster. This set is best used on an offensive team, where other sweepers can open up holes in defensive cores for Cloyster to take advantage of. Shell Smash is the crux of this set, doubling Cloyster's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed to threatening levels. Icicle Spear is the perfect move for Cloyster; because of Skill Link, it will always hit five times, effectively making it a 125 Base Power STAB move. Rock Blast offers great coverage with Icicle Spear, hitting Fire-, Water-, and Ice-types for at least neutral damage. In the last slot, either Hydro Pump or Razor Shell is acceptable. Hydro Pump is the preferred option for getting past Skarmory, Scizor, Forretress, and Metagross, since it hits their weaker Special Defense; however, Razor Shell will destroy Tyranitar and Heatran without fail, as they both commonly run specially defensive sets.
◆ Hydro Pump is a special STAB-boosted 110-base power Water-type move that deals a enormous amount of damage.
◆ Shell Smash is a status move (lowers def, spd by 1 stage; raises atk, spa, spe by 2 stages).
◆ Rock Blast is a physical 25-base power Rock-type move (hits 2-5 times in one turn).
◆ Icicle Spear is a physical STAB-boosted 25-base power Ice-type move (hits 2-5 times in one turn).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mda5b
Item: Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 232 Atk / 20 Def / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Razor Shell
- Shell Smash
- Icicle Spear
- Rapid Spin
When it comes to single battles, Cloyster shines as an impressive Physical Sweeper. This moveset attempts to crush rivals using potent physical power. Focus Sash helps protect Cloyster from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out (usually Shell Smash to boost Cloyster for the following turns). Cloyster's multi-hit attacks will always hit the max times with Skill Link. Try to Shell Smash first then DESTROY your opponent with Ice and Rocks.
◆ Shell Smash is a status move (lowers def, spd by 1 stage; raises atk, spa, spe by 2 stages).
◆ Icicle Spear is a physical STAB-boosted 25-base power Ice-type move (hits 2-5 times in one turn).
◆ Rapid Spin is a physical 50-base power Normal-type move (free Cloyster from hazards/bind/leech seed; +1 spe).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mea5b
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Cloyster? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Sword/Shield Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Sword/Shield metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: King's Rock / Expert Belt
Ability: Skill Link
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Icicle Spear / Icicle Crash
- Steel Roller / Pin Missile
- Liquidation / Razor Shell
Dominating double battles, Cloyster is an incredible Physical Sweeper. This strategy is built to crush rivals using formidable physical power. King's Rock grants all attacking moves (that do not already have a chance to flinch) a 10% chance of causing each target to flinch. Expert Belt boosts the damage of Cloyster's super effective moves by 20%. Cloyster's multi-hit attacks will always hit the max times with Skill Link. This boosts the amount of strikes from Icicle Spear and Pin Missile. Plus each hit has a chance to cause a flinch due to the King's Rock. Pin Missile or Poison Jab are added to provide additional threat coverage.
◆ Icicle Crash is a physical STAB-boosted 85-base power Ice-type move (30% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Steel Roller is a physical 130-base power Steel-type move (fails if there is no terrain active. Ends the terrain).
◆ Pin Missile is a physical 25-base power Bug-type move (hits 2-5 times in one turn).
◆ Liquidation is a physical STAB-boosted 85-base power Water-type move (20% chance to lower the target's defense by 1 stage).
◆ Razor Shell is a physical STAB-boosted 75-base power Water-type move (50% chance to lower the target's defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/naa5b
Item: Life Orb / Choice Specs
Ability: Shell Armor
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Surf / Brine
- Icy Wind / Ice Beam
- Tri Attack / Hyper Beam
- Mud Shot
When it comes to double battles, Cloyster shines as a pretty decent Special Sweeper. It tries to take down the opponent's team with potent special moves. Choice Specs will increase the damage of Cloyster's special moves by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. Life Orb boosts the power of Cloyster's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Shell Armor, Cloyster cannot be struck by a critical hit.
◆ Brine is a special STAB-boosted 65-base power Water-type move (power doubles if the target's hp is 50% or less).
◆ Icy Wind is a special STAB-boosted 55-base power Ice-type move (100% chance to lower the foes speed by 1 stage).
◆ Ice Beam is a special STAB-boosted 90-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze the target).
◆ Tri Attack is a special 80-base power Normal-type move (20% chance to paralyze or burn or freeze target).
◆ Hyper Beam is a special 150-base power Normal-type move (Cloyster cannot move next turn).
◆ Mud Shot is a special 55-base power Ground-type move (100% chance to lower the target's speed by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/nba5b
Movepool
Want to know what moves Cloyster can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Sword/Shield generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Cloyster.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Cloyster can perform in Sword/Shield. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive SS Move and Ability Combos for Cloyster
- Moves: Swagger + Screech
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Ability: Skill link + Item: King's rock
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Ability: Skill Link + Multihit Move: Pin Missile
- Ability: Skill Link + Multihit Move: Icicle Spear
- Ability: Skill Link + Multihit Move: Rock Blast
- Moves with Priority: Endure, Protect, Ice Shard
- Moves that inflict status: Toxic
Moves that boost Cloyster's stats
- Curse
- Iron Defense
- Rapid Spin
- Shell Smash
- Withdraw
Most notable and possible best moves for Cloyster
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- Icicle Spear
- Light Screen
- Liquidation
- Protect
- Rapid Spin
- Reflect
- Rest
- Rock Blast
- Shell Smash
- Steel Roller
- Teleport
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Cloyster in Sword and Shield
- Jolly Nature ( 4/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Adamant Nature ( 116/252/0/0/0/140 )
- Optimize Cloyster's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Sword and Shield
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.

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Here are the best movesets for Cloyster. Top rated Cloyster Sword/Shield movesets. You can find Cloyster builds Sword/Shield. Cloyster movesets Sword/Shield are listed here. VGC Cloyster Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Cloyster in Sword/Shield along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution