[OVERVIEW]
Shell Smash Cloyster is a threatening sweeper in RU due to Skill Link, good offensive typing, and a sky-high defense that allows for plenty of setup opportunities. Cloyster also preys on teams relying on Seismitoad, Gastrodon, and Starmie as their bulky Water-type, as none are a suitable check. Cloyster has many set variations it can viably run, making it an unpredictable threat, and it can support both itself and its team with Spikes. However, it gets easily checked by common bulky Water- and Steel-types like Milotic and Metagross, which can make it a hit-or-miss sweeper. It is also a high-maintenance Pokemon, as it requires support from its teammates, either with strong hazard control or ways to neutralize its checks so it can sweep. Furthermore, it can get easily worn down if not running Heavy-Duty Boots, which often results in it having a single opportunity for it to set up and sweep cleanly.
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Icicle Spear
move 3: Rock Blast / Explosion / Spikes
move 4: Spikes / Liquidation / Ice Shard
item: Life Orb / Heavy-Duty Boots / Focus Sash
ability: Skill Link
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Cloyster's moveset is very flexible, so you can mix and match depending on your team's needs. Rock Blast hits Water-types neutrally and OHKOs Golisopod and Starmie while boosted; with Life Orb, a +2 Rock Blast can OHKO Milotic after Stealth Rock and a Spike. Explosion presents a more aggressive approach, sacrificing Cloyster to lure a Pokemon like Suicune, Milotic, or a healthy Umbreon for its teammates. It doesn't need Life Orb to achieve this, so it is better paired with other items. Spikes Cloyster can get plenty of opportunities to set hazards due to the threat of Shell Smash and its potent offensive typing, which allows it to beat most hazard removers. This allows Cloyster to give value to its team in matchups where it cannot viably sweep itself, or weaken its own checks and eventually overwhelm them. Boosted Liquidation 2HKOs Bronzong and Registeel after a Spike and OHKOs Diancie, however, Life Orb sets can also achieve this after a Spike. STAB Ice Shard is excellent priority against weakened Pokemon such as Togekiss and it prevents Cloyster from being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Flygon. Life Orb and an Adamant nature at +2 can let you OHKO Umbreon, Reuniclus, Weezing-Galar after Stealth Rock, and Milotic after Stealth Rock and Spikes. Alternatively, Heavy-Duty Boots help Cloyster set up Shell Smash, and synergize well with Spikes since Cloyster will have more opportunities to set them. Focus Sash is a viable alternative on hyper offense builds or teams with sufficient hazard control, offering guaranteed setup.
Cloyster's natural physical bulk is impressive even without investment and gives it some notable setup opportunities against Pokemon such as Flygon, Crobat, and Mimikyu. Bulky Water- and Steel-types can halt a Cloyster sweep, so efforts should be put into wearing these Pokemon down. Knock Off from the likes of Incineroar, Reuniclus, and Golisopod can remove items from Pokemon like Umbreon, Milotic, and Suicune, making it easier for Cloyster to break through them, particularly for Spikes variants. Strong Water-type checks like Celebi and Raikou can switch into and deal with them. Pivoting teammates, such as Flygon, Incineroar, and Crobat, can get Cloyster into battle safely. Toxic from Diancie and Incineroar can help wear down Water-types to let Cloyster go wild late-game. Hazard removal is crucial if not running Heavy-Duty Boots, so Rapid Spin users like Tsareena, Starmie, and Dhelmise are ideal. If not running Spikes itself, Spikes setters like Klefki and Roserade are recommended teammates, helping Cloyster achieve benchmarks such as 2HKOing Registeel after two layers. Cloyster's ability to take advantage of Spikes and ease of setup makes it a great choice for hyper offense teams, as it can be a devastating wincon or a supportive wallbreaker for another sweeping teammate such as Sharpedo, Mimikyu, or Polteageist with Explosion.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
White Herb makes setting up easier and renders Cloyster less vulnerable to priority. It's generally outclassed by Heavy-Duty Boots, but it can find use in teams with strong hazard control. Protect can block First Impression from Golisopod and Flygon. Hydro Pump with a Naughty nature offers more damage on Metagross and OHKOs Steelix and Weezing Galar, although its inaccuracy makes it riskier to use than Liquidation. A Speed boosting nature can be used to outrun Choice Scarf Flygon although it can be circumvented with Ice Shard, and it forces Cloyster to give up on extra power.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Cloyster has a hard time getting past healthy Water-types such as Milotic, Vaporeon, and Suicune, although they must be preserved with high health to properly check it as they can get worn down with Spikes into range of Life Orb Rock Blast or Explosion.
**Steel-types**: Healthy Steel-types like Metagross and Registeel can check or cripple Cloyster with Toxic after it has used Shell Smash, particularly if not running Liquidation.
**Special Attackers**: Cloyster's middling Special Defense make it easy prey for Pokemon such as Gardevoir or Celebi.
**Residual Damage**: Cloyster struggles to maintain its health throughout the match if not running Heavy-Duty Boots; with a Stealth Rock weakness, Life Orb recoil, reduced defenses from Shell Smash, and needing to take a hit to set up, its not hard to see why.
**Priority**: Priority from the likes of Golisopod, Mimikyu, Lucario, and Choice Band Flygon can prevent a Cloyster sweep if it is sufficiently weakened.
**Choice Scarf Flygon**: Flygon is the only Choice Scarf user which can reliably outspeed Cloyster and revenge kill it. That being said, Cloyster can potentially tank a hit if healthy or, if running Ice Shard, turn the matchup around.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Although they can't check Life Orb variants, very bulky Pokemon like Umbreon, Snorlax, or Galarian Weezing can tank a hit from Cloyster even after setup and retaliate with Foul Play or Sludge Bomb.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[zizalith, 410251], [Sputnik, 475916]]
- Quality checked by: [[Yourwelcomethanku, 541847], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ]]
Shell Smash Cloyster is a threatening sweeper in RU due to Skill Link, good offensive typing, and a sky-high defense that allows for plenty of setup opportunities. Cloyster also preys on teams relying on Seismitoad, Gastrodon, and Starmie as their bulky Water-type, as none are a suitable check. Cloyster has many set variations it can viably run, making it an unpredictable threat, and it can support both itself and its team with Spikes. However, it gets easily checked by common bulky Water- and Steel-types like Milotic and Metagross, which can make it a hit-or-miss sweeper. It is also a high-maintenance Pokemon, as it requires support from its teammates, either with strong hazard control or ways to neutralize its checks so it can sweep. Furthermore, it can get easily worn down if not running Heavy-Duty Boots, which often results in it having a single opportunity for it to set up and sweep cleanly.
[SET]
name: Shell Smash
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Icicle Spear
move 3: Rock Blast / Explosion / Spikes
move 4: Spikes / Liquidation / Ice Shard
item: Life Orb / Heavy-Duty Boots / Focus Sash
ability: Skill Link
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Cloyster's moveset is very flexible, so you can mix and match depending on your team's needs. Rock Blast hits Water-types neutrally and OHKOs Golisopod and Starmie while boosted; with Life Orb, a +2 Rock Blast can OHKO Milotic after Stealth Rock and a Spike. Explosion presents a more aggressive approach, sacrificing Cloyster to lure a Pokemon like Suicune, Milotic, or a healthy Umbreon for its teammates. It doesn't need Life Orb to achieve this, so it is better paired with other items. Spikes Cloyster can get plenty of opportunities to set hazards due to the threat of Shell Smash and its potent offensive typing, which allows it to beat most hazard removers. This allows Cloyster to give value to its team in matchups where it cannot viably sweep itself, or weaken its own checks and eventually overwhelm them. Boosted Liquidation 2HKOs Bronzong and Registeel after a Spike and OHKOs Diancie, however, Life Orb sets can also achieve this after a Spike. STAB Ice Shard is excellent priority against weakened Pokemon such as Togekiss and it prevents Cloyster from being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Flygon. Life Orb and an Adamant nature at +2 can let you OHKO Umbreon, Reuniclus, Weezing-Galar after Stealth Rock, and Milotic after Stealth Rock and Spikes. Alternatively, Heavy-Duty Boots help Cloyster set up Shell Smash, and synergize well with Spikes since Cloyster will have more opportunities to set them. Focus Sash is a viable alternative on hyper offense builds or teams with sufficient hazard control, offering guaranteed setup.
Cloyster's natural physical bulk is impressive even without investment and gives it some notable setup opportunities against Pokemon such as Flygon, Crobat, and Mimikyu. Bulky Water- and Steel-types can halt a Cloyster sweep, so efforts should be put into wearing these Pokemon down. Knock Off from the likes of Incineroar, Reuniclus, and Golisopod can remove items from Pokemon like Umbreon, Milotic, and Suicune, making it easier for Cloyster to break through them, particularly for Spikes variants. Strong Water-type checks like Celebi and Raikou can switch into and deal with them. Pivoting teammates, such as Flygon, Incineroar, and Crobat, can get Cloyster into battle safely. Toxic from Diancie and Incineroar can help wear down Water-types to let Cloyster go wild late-game. Hazard removal is crucial if not running Heavy-Duty Boots, so Rapid Spin users like Tsareena, Starmie, and Dhelmise are ideal. If not running Spikes itself, Spikes setters like Klefki and Roserade are recommended teammates, helping Cloyster achieve benchmarks such as 2HKOing Registeel after two layers. Cloyster's ability to take advantage of Spikes and ease of setup makes it a great choice for hyper offense teams, as it can be a devastating wincon or a supportive wallbreaker for another sweeping teammate such as Sharpedo, Mimikyu, or Polteageist with Explosion.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
White Herb makes setting up easier and renders Cloyster less vulnerable to priority. It's generally outclassed by Heavy-Duty Boots, but it can find use in teams with strong hazard control. Protect can block First Impression from Golisopod and Flygon. Hydro Pump with a Naughty nature offers more damage on Metagross and OHKOs Steelix and Weezing Galar, although its inaccuracy makes it riskier to use than Liquidation. A Speed boosting nature can be used to outrun Choice Scarf Flygon although it can be circumvented with Ice Shard, and it forces Cloyster to give up on extra power.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Cloyster has a hard time getting past healthy Water-types such as Milotic, Vaporeon, and Suicune, although they must be preserved with high health to properly check it as they can get worn down with Spikes into range of Life Orb Rock Blast or Explosion.
**Steel-types**: Healthy Steel-types like Metagross and Registeel can check or cripple Cloyster with Toxic after it has used Shell Smash, particularly if not running Liquidation.
**Special Attackers**: Cloyster's middling Special Defense make it easy prey for Pokemon such as Gardevoir or Celebi.
**Residual Damage**: Cloyster struggles to maintain its health throughout the match if not running Heavy-Duty Boots; with a Stealth Rock weakness, Life Orb recoil, reduced defenses from Shell Smash, and needing to take a hit to set up, its not hard to see why.
**Priority**: Priority from the likes of Golisopod, Mimikyu, Lucario, and Choice Band Flygon can prevent a Cloyster sweep if it is sufficiently weakened.
**Choice Scarf Flygon**: Flygon is the only Choice Scarf user which can reliably outspeed Cloyster and revenge kill it. That being said, Cloyster can potentially tank a hit if healthy or, if running Ice Shard, turn the matchup around.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Although they can't check Life Orb variants, very bulky Pokemon like Umbreon, Snorlax, or Galarian Weezing can tank a hit from Cloyster even after setup and retaliate with Foul Play or Sludge Bomb.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[zizalith, 410251], [Sputnik, 475916]]
- Quality checked by: [[Yourwelcomethanku, 541847], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ]]
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