We’re back for the Normal-type reviews, and today we’re going to focus on Stantler, who has antlers with special abilities! If you are ready with this one, please proceed.
Selected Fan Art (Artist: Emryswolf)
Stantler seems like an unremarkable Pokémon because it looks too much like a real animal, so it tends to be a forgotten Pokémon on many fans’ list. Its standout characteristic of eye-like antlers is perhaps a bit too subtle for many fans to notice. This is one Pokémon that will likely be remembered for Christmas for resembling a reindeer, and those balls on its antlers could look like jingle bells too (interstingly, Santa Claus replaced Rapidash with Stantler in a later episode in the anime).
The antlers found on Stantler look a bit unusual for a deer, because it isn’t branched similarly to any deer. Instead, they give an appearance of eyes, what with the balls located on each antler. Those antlers have some sort of psychic powers, which it could use to subtly change the flow of the air, creating a strange space where reality is distorted, essentially creating an illusion. Interestingly, moves where reality is distorted are introduced much later, namely Trick Room and Magic Room. Staring at those eye-like antlers will cause one to lose their control on their senses and become unable to stand, or creates an odd sensation as if one is drawn to the centre.
The Pokémon itself is based on the idea of the “deer scare” in Japan, a simple device used to scare birds and deer from the garden (mainly the former), where they might take food found there for their supplements. In some ways, it is similar to a scarecrow, whose main function is not to just scare crows, but other animals. One such device used for this purpose is a type of eyeball balloon, where the circles create an unnerving effect on birds because of its association with predators’ eyes. Those eyeballs look a bit like the nazar, a Turkish amulet that looks like a blue eye that is said to protect against evil eyes. In a way, Stantler is a deer scarer that is also a deer, based on a pun in Japan. This might not be known outside of Japan because deer are not known to scare animals in a way similar to scarecrows.
The antlers that Stantler have are prized for its magnificence and powers, which is why they are hunted for them. They are sold as works of art for high prices as a result, similar to the act of selling horns and tusks found on animals. It could be carved in something different, like how wood is carved into something else. The round balls found on its antlers are used as an aid for sleeping, after it is grounded. It is quite common for Eastern medicine to use animal parts for remedies, so that’s where this act comes from.
It is widely hunted that it might be close to extinction, though the Pokémon world is not exactly a place where extinction happens because breeding is a common practice among trainers for the perfect Pokémon. This must be how its psychic abilities come in handy: to ward off predators by creating illusions with its antlers. Then again, its antlers are the reason it is prized, so there is a possibility that its abilities and the reason it’s pursued are intertwined.
It has a certain degree of psychic skills in battling, due to its knowledge in many Psychic moves, such as Hypnosis, Calm Mind, Psyshock and Zen Headbutt. It is similar to Girafarig in a sense, who is a quadruped with psychic abilities. Unlike Girafarig, Stantler is not a Psychic-type, which is strange because it manifests psychic abilities and it’s more overt about it compared to Girafarig. Stantler is also more of a Physical attacker with its higher Attack and some useful coverage such as Jump Kick, Megahorn and Wild Charge, so it benefits more from Sap Sipper compared to Girafarig. It does have a particular niche as a Skill Swap user with Intimidate, as using this move will cause the ability to be reused again, effectively lowering Attack twice.
The inspiration behind Stantler is one of the most noteworthy aspects of this Pokémon, because it is quite foreign for those outside Japan to understand the thought behind Stantler. Some Pokémon have origins that are not widely known, but they are still appealing, such as Farfetch’d and Golurk, but Stantler is a Pokémon that is so esoteric in origins that its appeal is really limited because its looks like a forgettable Pokémon. I suppose that’s the appeal of such Pokémon: their forgotten nature makes them more easily appreciated.
+ Psychic abilities
± Esoteric origins
– Forgettable Pokémon
– Not a Psychic-type
TCG Card
I normally have a policy to eliminate cards from the selection of cards for each Pokémon because it’s essentially just a background with the Sugimori art placed to fit into the surroundings, but for this card, I could make an exception because Stantler’s pose surprisingly works well in allowing it to blend into the surroundings, given its easily adaptable stance. Besides that, the background looks quite pleasing to the eye.
Disable
As a Pokémon that is constantly on the hunt, Disable is a useful skill for Stantler. By using its intimidating horns, it could cause any of its threats to be unable to do something that will threaten Stantler. While this move is an Egg Move, it fits Stantler quite well even if it doesn’t learn it normally.
The useful of Disable increases overtime. For the first Generation, it was easy to miss this move with its low accuracy, but it also affects a random move the opponent has. In Generation 2, it is more consistent in the move it disables, where the move the opponent used last is affected. In Generation 3, it lasts for more turns. In Generation 4, its accuracy increases from 55% to 80%. Finally, in Generation 5, it gets full accuracy, though the number of turns it disables is consistent (4 turns).
Because of this move’s consistency, this is a useful move for any fast Pokémon, preferably with immunities so that they won’t be affected by other of the opponent’s moves. Gengar is the most prominent user, since its Speed is high that could set up a cycle between disabling a threatening attack and setting up Substitutes. It is also useful for preventing Choice users from attacking, and if the opponent chooses to attack, they will be forced to use Struggle, which is less preferable to switching out (giving you a free turn).
All in all, Disable’s power is immensely useful if one wants to prevent the opponent from continually attack, and could even be a lifesaver.
That’s all for today’s article. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it.
Next Article: Starly, Staravia & Staraptor
