Introduced in generation five, with the Pokemon Black and White games, Shelmet is a monotype bug Pokemon. It is the first evolution of its two stage evolution line and evolves into Accelgor when it is traded for a Karrablast. Shelmet is classified by the Pokedex as the “Snail Pokemon” which is likely a nod to its general design. This guide will showcase Shelmet’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Shelmet.
About Shelmet
As a generation five Pokemon, Shelmet first appeared in the Black and White season of the anime in the episode Enter Elesa, Electrifying Gym Leader!. In this episode, Bianca used a Shelmet in her battle against Elesa. Shelmet has a unique evolution requirement as it needs to be traded with a specific Pokemon in order to evolve. Shelmet will evolve into Accelgor as long as it is traded for a Karrablast. The Pokedex mentions that Shelmet’s evolution occurs due to an electric-like energy along with Karrablast, the reason why this occurs is still unknown.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Black and White Enter Elesa, Electrifying Gym Leader! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Black and White |
| Region | Unova |
| Evolution | Evolves into Accelgor, not known to evolve from any other Pokemon |
| 1st Evo level | Evolves when traded for a Karrablast |
| 2nd Evo level | N/A |
| Pokedex Entry | It evolves when bathed in an electric-like energy along with Karrablast. The reason is still unknown. |
Shelmet Base Stats
| HP | 50 |
| ATTACK | 40 |
| DEFENCE | 85 |
| SP. ATTACK | 40 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 65 |
| SPEED | 25 |
| TOTAL | 305 |
Appearance
Shelmet is a small gray Pokemon that resembles a snail with a knight’s helmet as its shell. The helmet is shaped like typical bivalve biology, and it has a knight’s visor where Shelmet can hide. While the helmet is gray, Shelmet’s body is pink. There are small protrusions on the bottom of the helmet that Shelmet will use as legs. It has a long puckered mouth and green accents around its eyes. Shelmet is a small Pokemon at 1 foot and 4 inches, or 0.4 meters, tall.
Behavior
While it is never explicitly stated how Shelmet came into possession of a knight’s helmet, it uses it fairly well. Shelmet will close the lid on its helmet to protect itself and it can spit a poisonous fluid at its attackers. While Shelmet’s evolution is tied to Karrablast, Karrablast will actually hunt Shelmet in the wild. Shelmet can typically be found residing in wet areas like marshes, bogs, or swamps. The Pokedex mentions that it has a natural response to electricity that causes it to change forms.
Strengths and Weaknesses
As a base evolution Pokemon, there are not many strengths regarding Shelmet. Its defensive stats are decent for a base evolution Pokemon, but the rest of its stats are mediocre. Its physical defense is stronger than its special defense. Shelmet also has a slow speed stat making it difficult for Shelmet to survive the longer a battle goes on. As a base evolution bug type Pokemon, Shelmet takes 2x damage from flying, rock, and fire type moves. It is immune to no types but is resistant to fighting, ground, and grass type moves.
Best Moveset
Since Shelmet is a base evolution Pokemon, it finds the best success in the LC (Little Cup) bracket of competitive play. In this format, Shelmet can shine thanks to its higher than average base defensive stats. With Eviolite, as a held item, Shelmet can take many different hits. As Shelmet has higher defensive stats than other base evolution Pokemon, you will want to run Shelmet as a defensive Pokemon. Consider running Spikes, Infestation, Toxic, and Recover. Setting up hazards on your opponent’s side of the field will help Shelmet deal residual damage. Infestation and Toxic can synergize to deal damage over time to your opponent. Finally, Recover will ensure that you get the most benefit out of your Shelmet’s defensive stats.
| Spikes | Infestation |
| Toxic | Recover |
How to Catch Shelmet in Pokemon Go?
If you would like to obtain a Shelmet in Pokemon Go, there are a few different ways of doing so. Since Shelmet is a base evolution Pokemon, it spawns more than a fully evolved Pokemon. You can find Shelmet spawning in the wild, at a boosted rate, near parks, farmlands, forests, gardens, woodlands, and other grassy areas. Shelmet can also be hatched from 5 km eggs. Unfortunately, neither Shelmet or Accelgor has yet to appear as a raid boss at Pokemon Gyms. To evolve Shelmet into Accelgor you will need 200 candies, or you can simply trade it to have it evolve.
Trivia
- Shelmet and Karrablast are unique as they are the only Pokemon in the entire franchise to require a specific Pokemon during trade to evolve.
- The inspiration for Shelmet’s design is based on a snail, specifically the scaly-foot snail.
- The name Shelmet is a combination of the words shell and helmet.
FAQ
How do you evolve Shelmet?
Shelmet has one of the most unique evolution requirements in the entire franchise. In order to evolve Shelmet, you will need to trade Shelmet for a Karrablast. Once the trade has finished, both Pokemon will evolve into their respective forms. This is also interesting because Karrablast and Shelmet are actually predator/prey.
Is Shelmet a Karrablast?
No, Shelmet and Karrablast are their own individual Pokemon. They are connected by an evolution condition, but they do not share evolution lines. Instead, Shelmet will evolve into Accelgor, and Karrablast will evolve into Escavalier once traded. However, they are independent of each other.
What does Shelmet evolve into in Pokemon Go?
Shelmet does not suddenly change its evolution in Pokemon Go. It will still evolve into an Accelgor with enough candies or through trade. Pokemon Go does not seem to require that Shelmet is traded with a Karrablast, but there is no reason to think that Shelmet would evolve into a different Pokemon.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Snail Pokemon”. While Shelmet’s use in competitive play is fairly limited, it does have high base defensive stats making it reliable in the early game. It may be difficult to deal damage with Shelmet given its low offensive stats, but with the right build, Shelmet is capable of a lot. Reserve a slot on your team for Shelmet if you want a defensive bug type Pokemon.
