While most trainers evolve Deerling into Sawsbuck immediately, the unevolved form has a niche with Eviolite boosting its defenses. Ghost moves can't touch it, which offsets the 6 weaknesses somewhat. Can go either physical or special depending on the set. Been around since Gen 5.
Deerling's spread isn't flashy. Speed leads, Sp. Atk trails, 0 stats clear the bar. Common in the wild and worth 1 Speed EV, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
The color and scent of their fur changes to match the mountain grass. When they sense hostility, they hide in the grass.
The turning of the seasons changes the color and scent of this Pokémon’s fur. People use it to mark the seasons.
Deerling Weakness
VulnerableFire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, and Bug-type moves hit Deerling for super-effective damage. The upside? Ghost-type moves can't touch it at all. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Sap Sipper grants an additional Grass immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
Deerling evolves into Sawsbuck. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolved forms gain up to 140 total stats over Deerling.
How to Evolve
Breed Deerling easily with 180 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Agility, Baton Pass, Fake Tears and 6 more to offspring.
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 5.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Don't skip the egg moves. Deerling picks up Agility and Baton Pass only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Double-Edge and Solar Beam while Fighting and Dark coverage and more adds range.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Deerling starts showing up in mid-game routes at high spawn rates across 12 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Best Locations
Before you go hunting for Deerling, check which of the 12 spots belong to your version. White and Black each have different walking encounters at Lv. 22-32.
Deerling isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Sawsbuck to unlock its full potential. At 335 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Deerling evolves into Sawsbuck at level 34. Deerling is the base form of this evolutionary line.
Run Chlorophyll on Deerling. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Deerling also gets Sap Sipper and Serene Grace, but they don't compare.
Deerling fills the balanced role. It's a physical attacker with base 60 Attack. Base 75 Speed is workable — faster than some, slower than many. And it's fragile — can't afford to take many hits.
Deerling appears in 7 games, including Black & White, Black 2 & White 2, and X & Y.
Introduced in Black & White, Deerling has appeared in 7 games across 5 generations. Later debuts mean fewer total appearances, but it's been a consistent presence since its introduction.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBWDebut
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A