Summary
Pokemonhas been using real-life animals as inspiration for its designs ever since its conception — its mascot, Pikachu, is an electric mouse, after all. While animals like birds, cats, anddogs have received many, many iterationsacross the series, other creatures have only a select few Pokemon to represent them.
Deer fall somewhat in the middle — there are enough deer Pokemon that we aren’t lacking, but if your favourite animal is a deer, you certainly feel there’s room for more. (How about a Pokemon based on a pudu deer? They’re the smallest deer in the world — nothing could be cuter than that.) From the original Stantler to newer Pokemon like Deerling, here’s every Pokemon based on deer, ranked.
Let’s be honest, the majority of deer Pokemon aren’t winning battles like, say Charizard. While there are a couple of strong legendary Pokemon here, we’ll be mostly basing our ranking on the designs of the Pokemon. It’s a bit unfair to pit Deerling against Cobalion in terms of raw strength, anyway.
Updated on Jun 23, 2025 by Rebecca Phillips:Deer Pokemon are very dear to us, so we couldn’t resist sprucing up our ranking with a few more bells and whistles. Which deer Pokemon do you think is the best?
7Stantler
Typing: Normal
First introduced in Generation 2, Stantler was “the” deer Pokemon for a long time — up untilPokemon Black and White, in fact. Its design is fairly simple, replicating the image of a deer in the real world; however, its large nose and the shape of its antlers set it apart from its realistic counterpart.
It also remained a single-stage Pokemon all the way up untilPokemon Legends: Arceus. Though, technically, as Wyrdeer is only present in the ancient region of Hisui, Stantler still stands independently in modern-day Pokemon, not needing to evolve to show its staying power in the series.
6Cobalion
Typing: Steel And Fighting
Known as the Iron Will Pokemon, Cobalion is the leader of the four Swords of Justice, a quartet of legendary Pokemon in Unova. Though it resembles a goat in some ways, Cobalion also shares many characteristics with stags. Firstly, it has the majesty and pride of a stag, but most notably, its horns are similar to antlers.
Its Pokedex entryalso presents it as a proud and determined Pokemon, standing up against humans if they ever hurt other Pokemon. Along with itsSteelandFightingtyping, it’s certainly not the delicate picture of deer we often think of.
5Wyrdeer
Typing: Normal And Psychic
After over 20 years without an evolution, Stantler received one in the form of Wyrdeer in Legends: Arceus. You mightstruggle to trigger the evolution without knowing the method beforehand, though, as your Stantler has to use the move Psyshield Bash in Agile Style 20 times before it will change forms.
Its design is reminiscent of a wintry reindeer, with a white tail and fluffy tuft of fur on its chest, as well as a coat of grey fur. The Pokemon has a regal appearance, which is only emphasised by the fact that one of its species was “blessed” by Arceus to become a Ride Pokemon, helping the people of Hisui traverse the land, and becoming beloved and respected in return.
4Xerneas
Typing: Fairy
Xerneas, the legendary Pokemon of X and the counterpart to Yveltal, is a Fairy type that strongly resembles a deer, though it has far more antlers than any you would see in real life. In Neutral Mode (when it’s not in battle), its antlers are an icy shade of blue, but in Active Mode, they’re adorned with different colors, including red, blue, purple, and orange.
It’s thought that Xerneas is based on a stag from Norse mythology that stands tall atop Valhalla, with its antlers among the Laerad tree’s branches as it eats the foliage.
3Sawsbuck
Typing: Normal And Grass
Sawsbuck is majestic in all of its forms, of which it has four. In spring, pretty pink flowers adorn its antlers; in summer, it has luscious green leaves; in autumn, it has a wreath of red leaves; and finally, in winter, parts of its coat turn white, giving the effect of winter boots and a scarf.
Its design is one of the most creative in Black and White, working directly with the game’s mechanic of the changing seasons. Though its forms don’t have an effect on how it performs in battle, it’s a nice detail that makes the Pokemon feel more realistic as it adapts to the environment around it.
2Deerling
If Bambi were a Pokemon, it would be a Deerling. Its coat changes with the season (pink in spring, green in summer, orange in autumn, and brown in winter) but it always sports a sweet yellow flower on its head and dots on its back,just like real-life fawns.
Though as the first evolution of Sawsbuck, it’s not particularly strong, it certainly makes up for that fact in cuteness. Who wouldn’t want this cute little thing prancing around in their party? Its name is most likely a combination of ‘deer’ and ‘darling’, and that’s exactly what it is — a darling deer.
Deerling is my personal favorite deer Pokemon, but I know it basically comes down to ‘it’s a cute deer’, which is why I hadsomerestraint and didn’t quite give it the win as the best-ever deer Pokemon.
1Virizion
Typing: Grass And Fighting
Virizion is another member of the Swords of Justice, bearing the Grass and Fighting typing and a green appearance to match. Its antlers are unusual in the way that they spread out horizontally rather than vertically and curl up at the tips. You wouldn’t want to get too close to them, though — according to its Pokedex entries, Virizion’s antlers are “as sharp as blades.” No wonder it can use the move Leaf Blade with great power.
It holds itself in similar stead to Cobalion, protecting other Pokemon and its friends. It also has a brilliant Shiny form, swapping the natural green for a vibrant pink, with green accents to finish it off.
