Shellder 100% perfect IV stats, shiny Shellder in Pokémon Go

This week’s Spotlight Hour is all about the Bivalve Pokémon – while this pretty much applies to all of the shellfish Pokémon, we’re here to catch a shiny Shellder in Pokémon Go.

Shellder, as one of the original 150 and, believe it or not, one half of Slowbro/Slowking, has a unique place in the franchise. Its evolution, Cloyster, is not unheard of in Go Battle League – the competitive player-vs-player part of Pokémon Go. So, if you’re still hunting for a perfect 100% IV Shellder, this will be the perfect time to go looking.

As usual, catching as many Pokémon as possible is the plan for this week’s Spotlight Hour, although the main attraction really is the chance to maximise the double transfer candy bonus that runs alongside the event. Remember, taking the time to clear out your storage makes it easier to catch more Pokémon in the long term!

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Shellder 100% perfect IV stats in Pokémon Go

This week’s Spotlight Hour is a great opportunity to catch an Shellder with perfect IV stats.

'Perfect', of course, means two things in Pokémon Go. First, there’s the maxed out, 100% IV version, which is the 15/15/15 you’re looking for your 4* Pokédex, raids and Master League. Yet, because of how CP is calculated using these three stats, a perfect IV Pokémon is usually only ever the best version of itself in the Master League, raids and Go Rocket battles.

Of course, you can’t see the IV of a Pokémon without catching it first, so it helps to know the CPs that a perfect Shellder will spawn at.

If you’re at Level 30 (or above), you’ll ideally be looking for the following CPs for a perfect 15/15/15 Shellder:

The wild CP value aligns with your Trainer Level until you reach Level 30 and, due to the majority of the player base now being above this level, we’ve kept to these values for the sake of simplicity. These values will, however, be different if you’re currently below Level 30.

Is Cloyster good in PVP?

Cloyster is a solid, reliable Pokémon in Go Battle League, but it’s by no means an all-star.

Running Ice Shard, Icy Wind and Hydro Pump, this Water/Ice type applies leans slightly harder into its secondary typing. In Great League, it’s perfectly ok, but by no means standout. You’re looking at two attacks: Hydro Pump as a nuke and Icy Wind as a low-energy debuff, dropping the enemy’s attack by one stage. This means wins against Altaria, Noctowl, Alolan Ninetails, Swampert and Azumarill, but losses against Medicham, Lanturn, Galarian Stunfisk, Trevenant and Sableye.

When you get to Ultra League Cloyster’s bulk becomes more of a factor, thanks in no part to its high level at the CP cap. As such, Ultra League is the best place to run a Cloyster; especially if you have a perfect 0/14/14, which reaches 2496 CP at level 45.

In terms of match-ups, this means wins against Pidgeot, Trevenant, Alolan Muk, Giratina and Swampert – which is a decent list of Pokémon to beat. However, you lose against Charizard, Walrein, Obstagoon, Cresselia and Tapu Fini, most of which are meta-relevant Pokémon. So, while it’s not in the strongest position in this meta, it’s not in a bad place either.

Master League, however, is a different story – at a max CP of 2880, that bulk is no longer a factor. Leaning into the Shadow is the way to go here, since it’s more a case of hitting hard with Ice-type attacks. Mamoswine, Yveltal, Excadrill, Togekiss and Garchomp are good match-ups for you, but you will lose to Dialga, Zacian, Gyarados, Lugia and Dragonite.

The Season of Rising Heroes is here! Currently the A Valorous Hero event is running, bringing with it Mega Pinsir and the A Valorous Hero special research quest. The new Grass and Gratitude quest allows you to catch a mythical Shaymin! A new Team Go Rocket quest - From The Shadows - has been released, along with a shake up of the Giovanni and Team Go Rocket Leaders lineups. As you continue your Pokémon Go adventure, make sure to battle in the new Go Battle League season. Don't forget to take a look at the Remote Raid Passes changes or, if you purchased it, work on the Masterwork Research: Wish Granted quest. Elsewhere, be sure to use Daily Adventure Incense for the chance of encountering Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos and Galarian Moltres. This incense may also give you encounters with other rare Pokémon in Pokémon Go.

Is there a shiny Shellder in Pokémon Go?

Yes, as with all Kantonian Pokémon, there is shiny Shellder in Pokémon Go!

Shiny Shellder was released in June 2018 as part of the Water Festival 2018.

What does shiny Shellder look like?

Shiny Shellder is a pretty obvious one swapping its purple shell for a vivid orange one. You certainly won’t mistake it for a regular Shellder!

This makes shiny Cloyster all the more disappointing. It simply takes its purple shell and slides the red slider down on Photoshop. It’s such a lazy shiny that we wouldn’t be surprised if anyone chooses to skip this evolution.

Didn't realize Shellder could be shiny before I tapped on it
by in pokemongo

Thanks to Reddit for the image above.

Other things to know about Shellder Spotlight Hour

Spotlight Hour always brings a bonus for you to exploit, and this week it’s double transfer candy. As always, this runs throughout the hour and affects more than just the Pokémon in the spotlight.

But this is not the most important bonus for this week’s Spotlight Hour. Instead, it’s something that isn’t advertised by the game at all — it’s the fact that catching Shellder actually gives you bonus stardust.

At 1000 Stardust per catch, this is actually one of the most lucrative Pokémon to target if you’re low on the purple stuff. Combine this with a Star Piece, head to an area with dense spawns and catch everything you can as quickly as you can. Depending on your level of skill, amount of time and spawn density, you could easily get the better part of one million Stardust from this.

But, going back to the actual bonus for this hour - double transfer candy, this is a very important bonus to make the most of. The smartest way to maximise do this is to have a Tag in your Pokémon storage just for this purpose. We recommend creating one called 'Transfer', where you can place Pokémon you don’t want or need. Instead of transferring them as and when you catch them, hold them back for events like these, when you can bulk transfer them. All that Candy adds up very quickly, and is especially useful when transferring something like a Mewtwo for double candy, or after a huge event like Hoenn Tour!

It’s also good to note that, thanks to Shellder being a Water-type, catching a bunch during this Spotlight Hour will add progress to your respective catch bonus medal.

Spotlight Hour events only last for an hour — 6pm to 7pm (local time). Next week will see Trapinch find its way into the spotlight with double evolution XP!

Good luck finding a perfect shiny Shellder!