MrAldo
Hey
QC checks: phantom | Teachable | avocado
GP checks: Zrpz200 and marthaa | The Dutch Plumberjack
:clapper:
[OVERVIEW]
Cloyster's offensive typing in conjunction with its access to Shell Smash makes it stand out over other Water-types in the current RU metagame. After using Shell Smash, Cloyster jumps to an outstanding Speed tier, becoming a potent cleaner that can be really hard to stop and difficult to revenge kill outside a select pool of Choice Scarf users like Salazzle and finding itself able to punish many team compositions that include multiple Ice-weak Pokemon like Nidoqueen, Xatu, and Chesnaught. Furthermore, Cloyster's amazing ability Skill Link allows it to make good use of moves like Icicle Spear and Rock Blast, enabling it to break through Focus Sashes and Sturdy. Finally, Cloyster's gargantuan Defense stat that provides it with plenty of setup opportunities against a good number of physical attackers like Flygon, Snorlax, Araquanid, and Zygarde-10%. However, being weak to all form of entry hazards means that Cloyster has to be preserved for late-game, since it gets worn down rather easily by those, removing potential setup opportunities. Cloyster also lacks the coverage to hit Steel-types like Registeel, Escavalier, and Bronzong and other defensive Pokemon like Cresselia, so it becomes a less appealing choice over its Water-type competition like Feraligatr and Bruxish. Finally, an abysmal Special Defense stat means that even resisted special hits will do excessive amounts of damage to Cloyster, which means it can't afford to setup against any kind of special attacker.
[SET]
name: Shell Smash Sweeper
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Icicle Spear
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Hydro Pump
item: Normalium Z / Life Orb
ability: Skill Link
nature: Naive / Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Shell Smash increases Cloyster's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed by 2 stages, sending them to really threatening levels. Icicle Spear works excellently in conjunction with Skill Link, giving Cloyster a 125-Base Power Ice-type move. Explosion provides Cloyster with the ability to blow through defensive Water-types that would otherwise easily counter it like Milotic. Hydro Pump allows Cloyster to beat Pokemon like Doublade, Torkoal, and Durant, which would otherwise beat Cloyster rather easily one-on-one even after it sets up.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed EVs maximize Cloyster's offensive presence. A Naive nature is the preferred nature despite the lack of initial power, since it allows Cloyster to outspeed Jolly Bewear and Speed tie with Jolly Decidueye and Timid Hoopa. It also allows Cloyster to avoid getting revenge killed by Modest Venusaur under sun and by Choice Scarf users like Shaymin and Durant. However, Naughty can be an option over Naive, since it provides Cloyster with more initial power, allowing it to more easily 2HKO Quagsire with Icicle Spear when equipped with a Life Orb and secure the KO on defensive Milotic with Breakneck Blitz after a Shell Smash boost. Skill Link guarantees that moves like Icicle Spear and Rock Blast will always hit five times. Normalium Z turns Explosion into a 200-Base Power Breakneck Blitz, allowing Cloyster to plow through defensive Water-types like Milotic and Slowking after using Shell Smash without sacrificing itself through Explosion. Life Orb makes for a decent item alternative, since it provides Cloyster with more initial power, which helps it 2HKO Pokemon like Quagsire, obtain a guaranteed 3HKO on Doublade unboosted, and always 2HKO specially defensive Bronzong after a Shell Smash with Hydro Pump.
Usage Tips
========
As Icicle Spear makes for a rather spammable move, Cloyster should use it constantly early-game to weaken its checks. Ideally, you should save Cloyster for late-game, when Pokemon like Milotic, Cresselia, and Registeel are weakened enough for Cloyster to effectively sweep through them. Cloyster finds a good number of setup opportunities against physical attackers like Flygon, Doublade lacking Sacred Sword or Toxic, and Araquanid, so make sure to take advantage of that by using them as setup fodder when provided a free switch. Since it relies on its natural physical bulk to tank some priority moves that could otherwise end its sweep like Sucker Punch from Honchkrow and Extreme Speed from Zygarde-10%, Cloyster should be kept as healthy as possible. Lastly, Comfey, although relatively uncommon, is a Pokemon Cloyster should be really careful around, since, thanks to Triage, it can stop a set-up Cloyster at any given moment.
Team Options
========
Pokemon like Feraligatr, Decidueye, and Tyrantrum make for great partners because they share similar defensive checks in Porygon2, Registeel, and Escavalier, which can easily be overwhelmed by the offensive pressure Cloyster can generate in conjunction with any of these Pokemon. Wallbreakers like Bewear, Durant, Kommo-o, Araquanid, and Salazzle can punch holes through the opposing team and remove Cloyster's defensive answers so that it has an easier time sweeping. Cloyster really hates all sort of entry hazards, so Pokemon like Gligar and Espeon are appreciated to remove or reflect hazards through Defog or Magic Bounce respectively. Cloyster appreciates being brought safely into the match, so U-turn users like Xatu and Gligar and Volt Switch users like Mega Ampharos make for great partners. Spikes helps Cloyster sweep more easily through teams, so Chesnaught and Roserade are fantastic partners; an added bonus is that these two can also beat opposing Water-types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Running a Choice Scarf can be a functional option, since it enables Cloyster to revenge kill notable offensive Pokemon like Shaymin, Zoroark, Roserade, and Salazzle, and due to its surprise value, it can be used effectively to catch the aforementioned Pokemon off guard. A suicide lead set consisting of Spikes, Shell Smash, Icicle Spear, and Explosion makes good use of Cloyster's powerful offensive presence, especially as common hazard control options like Xatu and Gligar will not be willing to switch directly into it. However, it faces direct competition with Froslass and Mega Glalie as an Ice-type Spikes user. Razor Shell can help Cloyster defeat Registeel and Bronzong, since they generally invest in their Special Defense, but it is objectively inferior to Hydro Pump, which covers more relevant targets like Doublade more effectively. Toxic Spikes can make for an interesting choice, since, as previously mentioned, Cloyster can punish common hazard control options like Gligar and beats common Toxic Spikes absorbers like Dragalge and Nidoqueen. Ice Shard can enable Cloyster to revenge kill opposing Flygon and Zygarde-10% as well as weakened Choice Scarfed Grass-types like Roserade, but it holds very little merit over other moves due to its low Base Power, and Cloyster can set up against Flygon and Zygarde-10% if needed. Rock Blast can make dealing with Pokemon like Snorlax and Mega Abomasnow easier, but Normalium Z allows Cloyster to take care of them anyway.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Pokemon like Registeel and Bronzong can easily beat Cloyster one-on-one by putting it on a timer with Toxic, while Escavalier and Durant can easily overpower it with Choice Band Megahorn and Superpower, respectively.
**Special Attackers**: Thanks to its abysmal Special Defense stat along with the fact that it has to run a nature that decreases that stat even further, Cloyster should avoid taking even resisted special attacks (for example, Slowbro's Scald 3HKOes it) and attacks like Draining Kiss from Comfey at all costs.
**Bulky Water-types**: Pokemon like Milotic, Slowbro, Quagsire, and Slowking can easily stop Cloyster's sweep with their status moves. While Breakneck Blitz helps to get past most of these, Cloyster still has to be wary of a Scald burn, Quagsire can go for Toxic, and Milotic can just opt to run Haze.
**Grass-types**: While they can't switch directly into Cloyster thanks to its STAB Ice-type attacks, Pokemon like Roserade, Shaymin, and Virizion can all outspeed and KO Cloyster before it can set up a Shell Smash. Whimsicott also can stop it in its tracks thanks to Prankster Encore.
**Status**: Cloyster absolutely despises any form of status due to its role as a sweeper, so putting it on a timer with Toxic or paralyzing it with Thunder Wave from Pokemon like Porygon2 heavily hinders its effectiveness.
GP checks: Zrpz200 and marthaa | The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
Cloyster's offensive typing in conjunction with its access to Shell Smash makes it stand out over other Water-types in the current RU metagame. After using Shell Smash, Cloyster jumps to an outstanding Speed tier, becoming a potent cleaner that can be really hard to stop and difficult to revenge kill outside a select pool of Choice Scarf users like Salazzle and finding itself able to punish many team compositions that include multiple Ice-weak Pokemon like Nidoqueen, Xatu, and Chesnaught. Furthermore, Cloyster's amazing ability Skill Link allows it to make good use of moves like Icicle Spear and Rock Blast, enabling it to break through Focus Sashes and Sturdy. Finally, Cloyster's gargantuan Defense stat that provides it with plenty of setup opportunities against a good number of physical attackers like Flygon, Snorlax, Araquanid, and Zygarde-10%. However, being weak to all form of entry hazards means that Cloyster has to be preserved for late-game, since it gets worn down rather easily by those, removing potential setup opportunities. Cloyster also lacks the coverage to hit Steel-types like Registeel, Escavalier, and Bronzong and other defensive Pokemon like Cresselia, so it becomes a less appealing choice over its Water-type competition like Feraligatr and Bruxish. Finally, an abysmal Special Defense stat means that even resisted special hits will do excessive amounts of damage to Cloyster, which means it can't afford to setup against any kind of special attacker.
[SET]
name: Shell Smash Sweeper
move 1: Shell Smash
move 2: Icicle Spear
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Hydro Pump
item: Normalium Z / Life Orb
ability: Skill Link
nature: Naive / Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Shell Smash increases Cloyster's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed by 2 stages, sending them to really threatening levels. Icicle Spear works excellently in conjunction with Skill Link, giving Cloyster a 125-Base Power Ice-type move. Explosion provides Cloyster with the ability to blow through defensive Water-types that would otherwise easily counter it like Milotic. Hydro Pump allows Cloyster to beat Pokemon like Doublade, Torkoal, and Durant, which would otherwise beat Cloyster rather easily one-on-one even after it sets up.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed EVs maximize Cloyster's offensive presence. A Naive nature is the preferred nature despite the lack of initial power, since it allows Cloyster to outspeed Jolly Bewear and Speed tie with Jolly Decidueye and Timid Hoopa. It also allows Cloyster to avoid getting revenge killed by Modest Venusaur under sun and by Choice Scarf users like Shaymin and Durant. However, Naughty can be an option over Naive, since it provides Cloyster with more initial power, allowing it to more easily 2HKO Quagsire with Icicle Spear when equipped with a Life Orb and secure the KO on defensive Milotic with Breakneck Blitz after a Shell Smash boost. Skill Link guarantees that moves like Icicle Spear and Rock Blast will always hit five times. Normalium Z turns Explosion into a 200-Base Power Breakneck Blitz, allowing Cloyster to plow through defensive Water-types like Milotic and Slowking after using Shell Smash without sacrificing itself through Explosion. Life Orb makes for a decent item alternative, since it provides Cloyster with more initial power, which helps it 2HKO Pokemon like Quagsire, obtain a guaranteed 3HKO on Doublade unboosted, and always 2HKO specially defensive Bronzong after a Shell Smash with Hydro Pump.
Usage Tips
========
As Icicle Spear makes for a rather spammable move, Cloyster should use it constantly early-game to weaken its checks. Ideally, you should save Cloyster for late-game, when Pokemon like Milotic, Cresselia, and Registeel are weakened enough for Cloyster to effectively sweep through them. Cloyster finds a good number of setup opportunities against physical attackers like Flygon, Doublade lacking Sacred Sword or Toxic, and Araquanid, so make sure to take advantage of that by using them as setup fodder when provided a free switch. Since it relies on its natural physical bulk to tank some priority moves that could otherwise end its sweep like Sucker Punch from Honchkrow and Extreme Speed from Zygarde-10%, Cloyster should be kept as healthy as possible. Lastly, Comfey, although relatively uncommon, is a Pokemon Cloyster should be really careful around, since, thanks to Triage, it can stop a set-up Cloyster at any given moment.
Team Options
========
Pokemon like Feraligatr, Decidueye, and Tyrantrum make for great partners because they share similar defensive checks in Porygon2, Registeel, and Escavalier, which can easily be overwhelmed by the offensive pressure Cloyster can generate in conjunction with any of these Pokemon. Wallbreakers like Bewear, Durant, Kommo-o, Araquanid, and Salazzle can punch holes through the opposing team and remove Cloyster's defensive answers so that it has an easier time sweeping. Cloyster really hates all sort of entry hazards, so Pokemon like Gligar and Espeon are appreciated to remove or reflect hazards through Defog or Magic Bounce respectively. Cloyster appreciates being brought safely into the match, so U-turn users like Xatu and Gligar and Volt Switch users like Mega Ampharos make for great partners. Spikes helps Cloyster sweep more easily through teams, so Chesnaught and Roserade are fantastic partners; an added bonus is that these two can also beat opposing Water-types.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Running a Choice Scarf can be a functional option, since it enables Cloyster to revenge kill notable offensive Pokemon like Shaymin, Zoroark, Roserade, and Salazzle, and due to its surprise value, it can be used effectively to catch the aforementioned Pokemon off guard. A suicide lead set consisting of Spikes, Shell Smash, Icicle Spear, and Explosion makes good use of Cloyster's powerful offensive presence, especially as common hazard control options like Xatu and Gligar will not be willing to switch directly into it. However, it faces direct competition with Froslass and Mega Glalie as an Ice-type Spikes user. Razor Shell can help Cloyster defeat Registeel and Bronzong, since they generally invest in their Special Defense, but it is objectively inferior to Hydro Pump, which covers more relevant targets like Doublade more effectively. Toxic Spikes can make for an interesting choice, since, as previously mentioned, Cloyster can punish common hazard control options like Gligar and beats common Toxic Spikes absorbers like Dragalge and Nidoqueen. Ice Shard can enable Cloyster to revenge kill opposing Flygon and Zygarde-10% as well as weakened Choice Scarfed Grass-types like Roserade, but it holds very little merit over other moves due to its low Base Power, and Cloyster can set up against Flygon and Zygarde-10% if needed. Rock Blast can make dealing with Pokemon like Snorlax and Mega Abomasnow easier, but Normalium Z allows Cloyster to take care of them anyway.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Pokemon like Registeel and Bronzong can easily beat Cloyster one-on-one by putting it on a timer with Toxic, while Escavalier and Durant can easily overpower it with Choice Band Megahorn and Superpower, respectively.
**Special Attackers**: Thanks to its abysmal Special Defense stat along with the fact that it has to run a nature that decreases that stat even further, Cloyster should avoid taking even resisted special attacks (for example, Slowbro's Scald 3HKOes it) and attacks like Draining Kiss from Comfey at all costs.
**Bulky Water-types**: Pokemon like Milotic, Slowbro, Quagsire, and Slowking can easily stop Cloyster's sweep with their status moves. While Breakneck Blitz helps to get past most of these, Cloyster still has to be wary of a Scald burn, Quagsire can go for Toxic, and Milotic can just opt to run Haze.
**Grass-types**: While they can't switch directly into Cloyster thanks to its STAB Ice-type attacks, Pokemon like Roserade, Shaymin, and Virizion can all outspeed and KO Cloyster before it can set up a Shell Smash. Whimsicott also can stop it in its tracks thanks to Prankster Encore.
**Status**: Cloyster absolutely despises any form of status due to its role as a sweeper, so putting it on a timer with Toxic or paralyzing it with Thunder Wave from Pokemon like Porygon2 heavily hinders its effectiveness.
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