[OVERVIEW]
Cloyster is one of the most important Pokemon in GSC Ubers mainly due to its access to Spikes, although it also has other virtues. Spikes gives teammates like Zapdos and offensive Mewtwo some extra help in threatening Pokemon like Snorlax and Raikou. Cloyster excels at providing offensive utility in other ways as well, with its decently strong STAB Surf dealing damage to every Pokemon that resists Normal that would try and pivot into Explosion, namely Tyranitar, Steelix, Golem, and Gengar. Furthermore, Cloyster's access to supportive moves like Toxic, Icy Wind, and potentially Rapid Spin gives it surprising depth in what it can do to support its team.
However, while Cloyster's Defense stat is gigantic, it cannot switch in constantly on physical attackers like Snorlax during longer games. Because of this, it faces direct competition with Forretress, as the latter's Normal resistance and, more importantly, Toxic immunity mean that it can come onto the field with more ease and excel in longer, drawn-out games, whereas Cloyster excels at fast-paced offense. Cloyster's Special Defense is abysmal and, due to it being very common, teams are prepared for it and may run special attacks on their physical attackers, namely Thunder on Mew and sometimes even Snorlax. Lastly, different status conditions like poison and paralysis can force Cloyster to go sooner on the offensive with Explosion, with Cloyster usually trading poison with another Cloyster. This worsens Cloyster's ability to be a mid-game switch-in to Snorlax, Golem, and Tyranitar.
[SET]
name: Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Surf
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Explosion / Rapid Spin
item: Leftovers / Miracle Berry
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Spikes is a fantastic progress maker for teams because of its guaranteed chip damage against every foe bar Flying-types. Pokemon like Mewtwo, Zapdos, and Mew all become far more threatening to consistently check for the opposing team with Spikes up. Surf is Cloyster's main STAB move that hits Pokemon that might switch into it, like Gengar, for decent damage. It also allows Cloyster to check Rock- and Ground-type Pokemon like Tyranitar, Golem, Steelix, and Marowak. Toxic is Cloyster's main tool for making progress against Flying-type Pokemon like Zapdos and Lugia. It is also used to force Rest users like Snorlax and Tyranitar to use Rest, making them lose precious offensive momentum. Rapid Spin is an option for Cloyster to remove Spikes against opposing Cloyster in order to support teammates like Marowak. This is best used on bulkier styles of teams that appreciate Cloyster's ability to check Pokemon like Tyranitar and Marowak while also functioning as a pivot against Snorlax. However, Rapid Spin is illegal alongside Explosion.
Miracle Berry can be an option over Leftovers if Cloyster wants a one-time immunity to Lovely Kiss from Snorlax. This is best used in the lead slot, as lead Cloyster will not miss Leftovers's passive recovery as much.
Team Options
========
Cloyster is a good facilitator for offensive teams that appreciate its Spikes in order to more easily net KOs. As such, strong attackers and setup sweepers like Mewtwo, Mew, Zapdos, Snorlax, Gengar, and Vaporeon are good partners. Pokemon with access to Explosion and Self-Destruct are good partners as well, as they mesh well with Cloyster's offensive capabilities; as such, having Mewtwo, Mew, Gengar, Steelix, Exeggutor, and Golem as teammates is appreciated. If Cloyster is running Rest, teammates with access to Heal Bell like Celebi are appreciated as well. Checks to special attackers, such as Snorlax, Celebi, and Raikou are also appreciated, as Cloyster's abysmal Special Defense makes it a target for common special threats. Phazers like Whirlwind Zapdos, Tyranitar, Steelix, and Lugia make for great partners as well for their ability to take advantage of Spikes to force chip damage onto the opposing team.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Icy Wind can be used over Toxic if Cloyster wants to slow down foes switching into it like Mewtwo, Zapdos, Celebi, and Gengar; Icy Wind allows Cloyster to play mind games with the opponent, as Explosion will KO every slowed Pokemon bar Gengar. This, however, makes Cloyster unable to make significant progress against boosted Curse users like Snorlax.
Ice Beam is an option over Surf for Cloyster to deal heavy damage to Zapdos while having the chance to freeze foes. However, by running Ice Beam, Cloyster becomes checked by Forretress and Tyranitar, making the Cloyster user lose important momentum and role compression.
Rest makes Cloyster more durable for bulkier teams that need its ability to constantly keep Spikes off the field. However, using Rest means that Cloyster will have to give up Toxic, which makes Cloyster incapable of making progress against foes like Snorlax, Zapdos, and Celebi.
Cloyster can run Protect on Rapid Spin sets to take advantage of Leftovers's passive recovery while having the added benefit of potentially blocking Explosion and Self Destruct from the likes of Mew and Snorlax. It is best used with Heal Bell support from Celebi and Blissey because Cloyster will often be using Rapid Spin against opposing Cloyster, getting hit by Toxic in the process.
Screech is an option that Cloyster can run to take out even Defense-boosted Pokemon like Snorlax. This works best on playstyles like paralysis spam that prefer spreading status other than poison while still needing Cloyster's ability to switch into Snorlax and threaten Tyranitar.
Clamp is an option alongside Screech if Cloyster wants to trap and KO boosted Pokemon. However, it is very unreliable and might not guarantee taking out what it is supposed to.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rapid Spin users**: Starmie is one of the greatest annoyances for Cloyster as it threatens to remove its Spikes while also threatening Cloyster with a powerful Psychic or Thunderbolt. Forretress is another Rapid Spin user that, while not as good as Starmie at keeping Spikes off the field against Cloyster, can still use Toxic on it alongside Protect to wear it down. Lastly, if Cloyster is poisoned with Toxic, Golem will also be an annoyance for it, as it can always use Rapid Spin for free as Cloyster switches into it.
**Special attackers**: Due to Cloyster's abysmal Special Defense, Pokemon like Mewtwo, Jolteon, Zapdos, Raikou, and Gengar all threaten to OHKO Cloyster and force it out. Ho-Oh can also switch into Surf and threaten to take out a Cloyster at half HP. However, Ho-Oh must be careful of Icy Wind and Explosion.
**Toxic**: Toxic from the likes of opposing Cloyster heavily punishes Cloyster by wearing it down quickly, making it more likely it will need to use Explosion as it loses more HP from poison. Furthermore, a poisoned Cloyster will have a tougher time keeping Spikes on the field if the opposing team has a Rapid Spin user.
**Ghost-types**: Gengar and Misdreavus are immune to Explosion and can force Cloyster out with Thunder and Thunderbolt. Gengar is immune to Toxic and is not hurt too badly by Surf, meaning that it will be switching regularly into Cloyster and posing a threat to its team. They can also potentially block Rapid Spin.
**Physical Attackers with Electric-type coverage**: Because Cloyster is extremely common, physical attackers like Mew may slot Thunder onto their moveset to lure it in. Albeit uncommon, Tyranitar can use Thunderbolt to always 2HKO Cloyster. Lastly, Snorlax can also use Thunder to KO Cloyster in conjuction with Double-Edge.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/corvere.306317/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/isa.168574/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/conflict.37399/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aurora.109385/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/stupidflandrs48.633500/
Cloyster is one of the most important Pokemon in GSC Ubers mainly due to its access to Spikes, although it also has other virtues. Spikes gives teammates like Zapdos and offensive Mewtwo some extra help in threatening Pokemon like Snorlax and Raikou. Cloyster excels at providing offensive utility in other ways as well, with its decently strong STAB Surf dealing damage to every Pokemon that resists Normal that would try and pivot into Explosion, namely Tyranitar, Steelix, Golem, and Gengar. Furthermore, Cloyster's access to supportive moves like Toxic, Icy Wind, and potentially Rapid Spin gives it surprising depth in what it can do to support its team.
However, while Cloyster's Defense stat is gigantic, it cannot switch in constantly on physical attackers like Snorlax during longer games. Because of this, it faces direct competition with Forretress, as the latter's Normal resistance and, more importantly, Toxic immunity mean that it can come onto the field with more ease and excel in longer, drawn-out games, whereas Cloyster excels at fast-paced offense. Cloyster's Special Defense is abysmal and, due to it being very common, teams are prepared for it and may run special attacks on their physical attackers, namely Thunder on Mew and sometimes even Snorlax. Lastly, different status conditions like poison and paralysis can force Cloyster to go sooner on the offensive with Explosion, with Cloyster usually trading poison with another Cloyster. This worsens Cloyster's ability to be a mid-game switch-in to Snorlax, Golem, and Tyranitar.
[SET]
name: Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Surf
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Explosion / Rapid Spin
item: Leftovers / Miracle Berry
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Spikes is a fantastic progress maker for teams because of its guaranteed chip damage against every foe bar Flying-types. Pokemon like Mewtwo, Zapdos, and Mew all become far more threatening to consistently check for the opposing team with Spikes up. Surf is Cloyster's main STAB move that hits Pokemon that might switch into it, like Gengar, for decent damage. It also allows Cloyster to check Rock- and Ground-type Pokemon like Tyranitar, Golem, Steelix, and Marowak. Toxic is Cloyster's main tool for making progress against Flying-type Pokemon like Zapdos and Lugia. It is also used to force Rest users like Snorlax and Tyranitar to use Rest, making them lose precious offensive momentum. Rapid Spin is an option for Cloyster to remove Spikes against opposing Cloyster in order to support teammates like Marowak. This is best used on bulkier styles of teams that appreciate Cloyster's ability to check Pokemon like Tyranitar and Marowak while also functioning as a pivot against Snorlax. However, Rapid Spin is illegal alongside Explosion.
Miracle Berry can be an option over Leftovers if Cloyster wants a one-time immunity to Lovely Kiss from Snorlax. This is best used in the lead slot, as lead Cloyster will not miss Leftovers's passive recovery as much.
Team Options
========
Cloyster is a good facilitator for offensive teams that appreciate its Spikes in order to more easily net KOs. As such, strong attackers and setup sweepers like Mewtwo, Mew, Zapdos, Snorlax, Gengar, and Vaporeon are good partners. Pokemon with access to Explosion and Self-Destruct are good partners as well, as they mesh well with Cloyster's offensive capabilities; as such, having Mewtwo, Mew, Gengar, Steelix, Exeggutor, and Golem as teammates is appreciated. If Cloyster is running Rest, teammates with access to Heal Bell like Celebi are appreciated as well. Checks to special attackers, such as Snorlax, Celebi, and Raikou are also appreciated, as Cloyster's abysmal Special Defense makes it a target for common special threats. Phazers like Whirlwind Zapdos, Tyranitar, Steelix, and Lugia make for great partners as well for their ability to take advantage of Spikes to force chip damage onto the opposing team.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Icy Wind can be used over Toxic if Cloyster wants to slow down foes switching into it like Mewtwo, Zapdos, Celebi, and Gengar; Icy Wind allows Cloyster to play mind games with the opponent, as Explosion will KO every slowed Pokemon bar Gengar. This, however, makes Cloyster unable to make significant progress against boosted Curse users like Snorlax.
Ice Beam is an option over Surf for Cloyster to deal heavy damage to Zapdos while having the chance to freeze foes. However, by running Ice Beam, Cloyster becomes checked by Forretress and Tyranitar, making the Cloyster user lose important momentum and role compression.
Rest makes Cloyster more durable for bulkier teams that need its ability to constantly keep Spikes off the field. However, using Rest means that Cloyster will have to give up Toxic, which makes Cloyster incapable of making progress against foes like Snorlax, Zapdos, and Celebi.
Cloyster can run Protect on Rapid Spin sets to take advantage of Leftovers's passive recovery while having the added benefit of potentially blocking Explosion and Self Destruct from the likes of Mew and Snorlax. It is best used with Heal Bell support from Celebi and Blissey because Cloyster will often be using Rapid Spin against opposing Cloyster, getting hit by Toxic in the process.
Screech is an option that Cloyster can run to take out even Defense-boosted Pokemon like Snorlax. This works best on playstyles like paralysis spam that prefer spreading status other than poison while still needing Cloyster's ability to switch into Snorlax and threaten Tyranitar.
Clamp is an option alongside Screech if Cloyster wants to trap and KO boosted Pokemon. However, it is very unreliable and might not guarantee taking out what it is supposed to.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Rapid Spin users**: Starmie is one of the greatest annoyances for Cloyster as it threatens to remove its Spikes while also threatening Cloyster with a powerful Psychic or Thunderbolt. Forretress is another Rapid Spin user that, while not as good as Starmie at keeping Spikes off the field against Cloyster, can still use Toxic on it alongside Protect to wear it down. Lastly, if Cloyster is poisoned with Toxic, Golem will also be an annoyance for it, as it can always use Rapid Spin for free as Cloyster switches into it.
**Special attackers**: Due to Cloyster's abysmal Special Defense, Pokemon like Mewtwo, Jolteon, Zapdos, Raikou, and Gengar all threaten to OHKO Cloyster and force it out. Ho-Oh can also switch into Surf and threaten to take out a Cloyster at half HP. However, Ho-Oh must be careful of Icy Wind and Explosion.
**Toxic**: Toxic from the likes of opposing Cloyster heavily punishes Cloyster by wearing it down quickly, making it more likely it will need to use Explosion as it loses more HP from poison. Furthermore, a poisoned Cloyster will have a tougher time keeping Spikes on the field if the opposing team has a Rapid Spin user.
**Ghost-types**: Gengar and Misdreavus are immune to Explosion and can force Cloyster out with Thunder and Thunderbolt. Gengar is immune to Toxic and is not hurt too badly by Surf, meaning that it will be switching regularly into Cloyster and posing a threat to its team. They can also potentially block Rapid Spin.
**Physical Attackers with Electric-type coverage**: Because Cloyster is extremely common, physical attackers like Mew may slot Thunder onto their moveset to lure it in. Albeit uncommon, Tyranitar can use Thunderbolt to always 2HKO Cloyster. Lastly, Snorlax can also use Thunder to KO Cloyster in conjuction with Double-Edge.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/corvere.306317/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/isa.168574/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/conflict.37399/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aurora.109385/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/stupidflandrs48.633500/
Last edited:
