Shellder is the Bivalve Pokémon, encased in a spiky blue-violet shell purported to be harder than diamonds, with a long red tongue it uses to burrow into sand and lure prey. It evolves into Cloyster using a Water Stone.
In the anime, Shellder clamps onto a Slowpoke's tail to trigger its evolution into Slowbro, or onto its head while it wears a King's Rock to create a Slowking, though no game has ever required this.
In The Evolution Solution, Jessie caught a Shellder on Seafoam Island, but it bit a Slowpoke's tail, turning it into a Slowbro, and left Team Rocket as a result. In Battling a Cute Drama, Marilyn's Shellder was set to battle Brock's Happiny before Team Rocket interrupted.
Shellder's earliest card is the 1999 Fossil Common illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita, followed by the Gym Heroes printing of Misty's Shellder by Ken Sugimori. Dragon Frontiers later added a delta species version illustrated by Hisao Nakamura.
The 2023 151 set carried a Common by Nelnal.
Shellder's earliest card, the 1999 Fossil Common by Mitsuhiro Arita.
Misty's Shellder from Gym Heroes, illustrated by Ken Sugimori.
Dragon Frontiers delta species Common by Hisao Nakamura.
151 Common illustrated by Nelnal.
Shellder evolves into Cloyster using a Water Stone.
Shellder clamps onto a Slowpoke's tail or head to trigger its evolution into Slowbro or Slowking, a mechanic not reflected in the games.
Our catalog lists 14 Shellder cards across 13 sets.
| # | Card | Set | Year | Rarity | Price | 30D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shellder | Expedition Base Set | 2002 | Common | — | $4.43guide | +4.2% |
| 2 | Shellder δ | Dragon Frontiers | 2006 | Common | — | $1.26guide | +18.9% |
| 3 | Misty's Shellder | Gym Heroes | 2000 | Common | Unlimited | $1.11guide | -7.5% |
| 4 | Shellder | FireRed & LeafGreen | 2004 | Common | — | $1.05guide | -0.9% |
| 5 | Shellder | Fossil | 1999 | Common | Unlimited | $0.43guide | -6.5% |
| 6 | Shellder | Secret Wonders | 2007 | Common | — | $0.31guide | -3.1% |
| 7 | Shellder | XY | 2014 | Common | — | $0.20guide | 0.0% |
| 8 | Shellder | Generations | 2016 | Common | — | $0.16guide | -11.1% |
| 9 | Shellder | Sun & Moon | 2017 | Common | — | $0.16guide | +14.3% |
| 10 | Shellder | Fusion Strike | 2021 | Common | — | $0.11guide | -15.4% |
Ranked by each card’s main print in near-mint raw condition. 1st Edition, Shadowless and other versions are priced on each card’s page. The table updates live.
Shellder card value is spread across three eras: Wizards of the Coast, EX and a run of later sets. The most valuable Shellder card is the Expedition Base Set Common from 2002, and all 14 Shellder cards carry a market value. The ten leading cards hold 97 percent of the total, so that group sets the Shellder card value picture, with cards printed between 1999 and 2023.
The Expedition Base Set Shellder from 2002 leads the most valuable Shellder cards by 3.9 times over the next card, the Shellder δ from Dragon Frontiers in 2006. Third is Misty's Shellder from Gym Heroes in 2000, followed by the FireRed & LeafGreen Shellder from 2004. Every one of these is printed as a Common, so the top of the Shellder cards ranking is made up of Common prints from older sets.
Of the twenty-five leading Shellder cards, 4 come from the XY era, 3 from WOTC, 2 each from EX and Sword & Shield, and 1 each from Diamond & Pearl, Sun & Moon and Scarlet & Violet. The newest era's leader is the Shellder from 151 in 2023, 8th overall. Vintage means the WOTC era and modern is every later era: the top ten holds 3 vintage and 7 modern cards, and the top twenty-five holds 3 vintage and 11 modern.
Among the 1020 species with priced cards, Shellder ranks 866th by the value of its single leading card and 699th of 753 by the combined value of its ten leaders. Cloyster, the other member of the line, ranks 269th of 1020 by its top card. The Shellder cards market is built from a run of Common prints across many sets and eras, led by the Expedition Base Set card.
Written from market data as of October 29, 2026; the table updates live.

Shellder is the Bivalve Pokémon, a pure Water type that evolves into Cloyster with a Water Stone, and in the anime it is what a Slowpoke needs to evolve into Slowbro or Slowking. Our catalog lists 14 Shellder cards across 13 sets, including a delta species printing from Dragon Frontiers.
ShellderCloyster
ShellderExpedition Base Set · 129 · Normal$4.430.0%73Quant score73 / 100
ShellderFossil · 54 · Normal · Unlimited$0.43+2.4%37Quant score37 / 100
Shellder151 · 090 · Normal$0.10—36Quant score36 / 100
Misty's ShellderGym Heroes · 89 · Normal · Unlimited$1.11+1.8%42Quant score42 / 100
Shellder δDragon Frontiers · 63$1.26+0.8%76Quant score76 / 100
ShellderFireRed & LeafGreen · 79 · Normal$1.050.0%38Quant score38 / 100
ShellderSword & Shield · 40 · Normal$0.10-9.1%83Quant score83 / 100
ShellderFusion Strike · 50 · Normal$0.11+10.0%49Quant score49 / 100
ShellderBREAKpoint · 23 · Normal$0.100.0%48Quant score48 / 100
ShellderBREAKpoint · 22 · Normal$0.100.0%83Quant score83 / 100
ShellderSun & Moon · 33 · Normal$0.160.0%68Quant score68 / 100
ShellderGenerations · 19 · Normal$0.160.0%23Quant score23 / 100