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| '''Tiers''' are an attempt by players to classify {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} in a given [[generation]] by their utility or popularity in competitive battles. The classification of Pokémon into tiers can be challenging, as a Pokémon's [[statistic]]s or [[move]]s are not the only factors that can impact a match. Combinations of Pokémon, along with player skill and overall strategy greatly affects the outcome. | | '''Tiers''' are an unofficial method of classifying {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} within a particular competitive battling format based on their relative usage. |
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| ==Tiers in Pokémon==
| | Individual sites, users, or organizations may publish tiers, but the most prominent tier lists are produced and published by [[Smogon]], usually based on usage stats from unofficial battle simulators, currently [[Pokémon Showdown]]. The battle simulator {{OBP|Pokémon Online|battle simulator}} also previously published its own tier lists. |
| Pokémon features [[List of Pokémon|hundreds of species]] available for use in a battle, with great variation in [[base stats]], movesets, [[Type]]s, and {{Abilities}}. Individual sites, users, or organizations may publish tiers, but the most prominent tier lists are produced and published by [[Smogon]] and [[Pokémon Online]] and usually based on statistics from [[Pokémon Showdown]]. Tiers for current [[Appendix:Metagame terminology|metagames]] are updated on a regular basis to reflect the current competitive battling environment; older generations tend to retain the same banlists. Pokémon in higher tiers often but not always have higher [[statistic]]s. For example, {{p|Pelipper}} is usually tiered much higher than {{p|Slaking}} because of their abilities, despite Slaking's stronger stats.
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| Tier lists are often targets of discussion because there is no "official" tier list for Pokémon. Tiers are often quite fluid—as strategies evolve, Pokémon may move from one tier to another. However, even official tournaments will present lists of disallowed Pokémon.
| | Tiers are defined separately for each generation. Tiers for the latest generation of games are typically updated more often than older generations, due to those usually being the most played formats. |
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| As commonly defined, a "standard" battle allows any Pokémon not listed in the Uber tier. Tiers are exclusive in only one direction; for instance, in a UU battle, Pokémon from tiers above UU (OU or Uber) are banned, but Pokémon from lower tiers (such as RU or NU) are allowed.
| | ==Purpose== |
| | Each tier functions as its own format, where only Pokémon that are not commonly used in higher tiers can be used. By categorizing Pokémon in this way, Pokémon that would normally be outclassed in higher tiers' formats can still be useful in lower-tier formats. |
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| A common addition to the tiers below may be several "Borderline" or "Banlist" tiers ("UUBL", "RUBL", and so on). Players can vote Pokémon into a borderline if said Pokémon are "broken" for one tier, but not sufficiently used in the next tier to be a part of it. Pokémon are banned usually because they are very difficult to counter without specifically preparing for them. In other words, battles involving "broken" Pokémon are more likely to be decided by team matchups and the presence of specialized counters rather than "player skill".
| | In addition to usage-based metrics, some Pokémon are banned from a tier due to being considered unhealthy for that tier's metagame. |
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| Below are some of the most common tiers/formats.
| | ==Classification== |
| | If a Pokémon is meets a certain threshold of usage within a particular tier, it is classified as being within that tier, and cannot be used in any lower tiers. A Pokémon's classified tier is only its lower limit; it can still be used in any higher tier. Some Pokémon may still be useful in higher tiers despite their classification, but are simply not widely used. |
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| ===Ubers===
| | If a Pokémon has multiple forms that it cannot switch between within battle, those forms may have usage calculated separately from each other. However, if the form difference is purely or mostly aesthetic, those forms are often grouped together and tiered on their own. |
| The Ubers tier is effectively a banlist for the OU tier, as "standard" battles allow everything in the OU list and below. Players can, similarly to BL tiers, vote to ban Pokémon to Ubers if said Pokémon are too "broken" to the OU [[Appendix:Metagame terminology|metagame]] to allow.
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| The Uber tier may include any Pokémon, not necessarily just [[Legendary Pokémon]]. Typically, it includes most {{pkmn2|Legendary}} [[game mascot]]s except [[List of Pokémon with form differences#Kyurem|Black]] {{p|Kyurem}}, due to various factors preventing it from becoming "too centralizing". Although many legendary Pokémon reside in the Uber tier, a far larger number exists in lower tiers due to similar inadequacies.
| | If a Pokémon is banned from a tier, it is placed in a special BL (borderline) group for that tier, meaning it cannot be used within that tier or any lower tier, regardless of its usage. |
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| After the release of [[Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]], due to the dominance of [[Mega Evolution|Mega]] {{p|Rayquaza}}, Smogon made their version of Ubers a full-fledged tier, allowing bans from Ubers. Smogon has also banned the move {{m|Baton Pass}} from their version of Ubers. However, unlike other tiers, it is not affected by usage. As a result, Smogon also endorses a playstyle referred to as "Anything Goes", which has no fan-imposed rules other than the "Endless Battle Clause".
| | Because the metagame shifts over time, as well as Pokémon being banned and unbanned, Pokémon's usage within a given tier will vary over time. At certain points in time, the publisher of the tier system will update which Pokémon are in which tiers based on current usage. |
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| ===OverUsed=== | | ==Tiers== |
| OverUsed, commonly abbreviated as "'''OU'''", refers to Pokémon that are most frequently used in [[standard play]]. Pokémon in this tier are often Legendary or {{pkmn2|Mythical}} and almost always fully evolved.
| | Different generations have different numbers of tiers. Newer generations have more Pokémon and more interest, so typically have more tiers as a result. Publishers of tier lists usually only create new tiers when there is enough interest in them to justify maintaining that new tier. |
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| OU status does not have to do with a Pokémon's power or ability. The Pokémon that make up OU, as with all tiers, are determined based on usage. If an OU Pokémon is not used enough in the OU tier, it will fall to the UU tier, and "not used enough" usually means that a player can play 15 battles and have less than a one-half chance of encountering an opponent using said Pokémon. (i.e. appears on less than approximately 4.5% of teams) For example, in [[Generation VII]], {{p|Gastrodon}} was PU by usage, but still widely considered "viable" in the OU metagame. A Pokémon's tier may change from generation to generation. For instance, {{p|Magneton}} is often considered OU in [[Generation III]] because of its advantage over {{p|Skarmory}}, another commonly used Pokémon. In [[Generation IV]], {{p|Magnezone}}, the evolution of Magneton, took Magneton's role in OU in some tier lists due to its generally higher base stats.
| | Tiers are normally ranked as follows. |
| | #OU (Overused) |
| | #UU (Underused) |
| | #RU (Rarely Used) |
| | #NU (Never Used) |
| | #PU ([[wiktionary:PU|expression of disgust]]) |
| | #ZU (Zero Used) |
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| ===UnderUsed===
| | Some publishers of tier lists used the LU (Little Used) tier in place of RU. However, due to the prominence of Smogon's tier list, Smogon's terminology has dominated most tier lists. |
| UnderUsed, commonly referred to as "'''UU'''", consists of Pokémon that are not used enough to be in OU. Pokémon classified as UU are often outclassed by Pokémon in higher tiers, possibly as a result of generally lower base stats, available moves, or Abilities. For example, in Generation V, {{p|Machamp}} fell to UU in some tier lists largely as a result of the introduction of {{p|Conkeldurr}}, which has {{m|Mach Punch}}, {{m|Drain Punch}}, and generally superior base stats. UU Pokémon are sometimes used in OU battles, but most have smaller niches. If a UU Pokémon is not used enough in the UU tier, it will fall to the RU tier.
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| ===RarelyUsed=== | | ==Formats== |
| RarelyUsed, commonly referred to as either "'''RU'''". The tier consists of Pokémon that are not used enough to be in UU. For example, {{p|Escavalier}} is considered RU in Generation V in some tier lists because it is not used enough in UU battles. If an RU Pokémon is not used enough in the RU tier, it will fall to the NU tier.
| | Each tier functions as its own format. Each of these tiers has its own banlist, normally referred to as the tier's name appended with BL (e.g. UU-BL). However, OU's banlist has its own unique name, Ubers. |
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| ===NeverUsed===
| | Unlike the other banlists, Ubers functions as a format itself. Due to functioning as format itself, Ubers itself has its own banlist, for Pokémon that considered too unhealthy even within its own metagame. Unlike tiers, Ubers is not based on usage, so usage within Ubers does not result in a Pokémon ceasing to be in the OU tier. |
| NeverUsed, commonly referred to as "'''NU'''", consists of Pokémon that are not used enough to be in RU. The name is not literal, stemming from the tiers of [[Generation I]], where Neverused Pokémon had generally lower "competitive value" in comparison to other Pokémon. Some Pokémon that are pre-evolutions of Pokémon in higher tiers may be classified as NU.
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| ===PU===
| | In addition to banning specific Pokémon, each format may also ban certain moves, Abilities, items, or even the usage of particular game mechanics (such as [[Dynamax]]). They may also issue bans on certain combinations of these, such as a party having two particular moves at the same time, although this is considerably more rare. |
| PU consists of Pokémon that are not used enough in NU. Some Pokémon in PU are not fully evolved or have lackluster stat distribution. Unlike the other tiers, PU is not an acronym, coming from the expression of disgust "PU".
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| There is no inherent reason for the tiers to end here, in fact, there is an unofficial tier known as "ZeroUsed" (ZU) that consists of Pokémon that are underused in PU. The tiers could theoretically go on until every Pokémon belongs to a tier. In practice, tiers can come into fruition only when enough players are playing them.
| | Playing without any restrictions (or only very specific rules such as the "Endless Battle Clause") is typically referred to as "Anything Goes". |
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| ==Other Smogon formats==
| | Battle simulators typically offer tier-based formats by default, automatically enforcing the restrictions associated with them. To play with these formats in the games themselves, both players need to agree to the rules in advance, as in-game rule-creation options typically do not offer enough granular control over the rules to support these formats. Due to both the difficulty of enforcing these rules in-game and the availability of usage data, tier lists are usually based on usage within battle simulators. |
| ===Doubles OU===
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| Similar to OU, but it ranks Pokémon based on their effectiveness in [[Double Battle]]s rather than Single Battles. Consequently, Doubles OU and singles OU use different and completely independent banlists, for example, in [[Generation VII]], Pokémon like {{p|Blaziken}} and {{Me|Lucario}} were banned in OU but allowed in Doubles OU, while {{p|Snorlax}} and {{p|Jirachi}} were allowed in OU and banned in Doubles OU. Similarly to singles ZU, lower tiers such as Doubles UU and Doubles RU exist, as well as Doubles Ubers, but the playerbase is too small for these to be considered developed metagames.
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| ===Little Cup (LC)=== | | ==Format types== |
| {{main|Little Cup}}
| | Fans usually discuss tiers in the context of standard Single Battles. However, tier systems have also been published for other variants, such as [[Double Battle]]s and [[Little Cup]] Single Battles. Tier systems for these format types function in the same way, but typically do not have as many tiers as standard Single Battles due to lower popularity of these format types. |
| Little Cup is an entirely separate format where only the Pokémon that are the lowest evolutionary stage in their family are allowed, like {{p|Bulbasaur}} and {{p|Mienfoo}}. Pokémon that do not evolve at all, such as {{p|Luvdisc}}, are not allowed in the tier. The moves {{m|Sonic Boom}} and {{m|Dragon Rage}} are also prohibited. All Pokémon must be level 5 or lower to compete.
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| This format is based on the [[Stadium Cup]].
| | Similarly, some sites (such as Smogon) create their own custom Pokémon, and have format types that include those Pokémon with their own tier lists. |
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| Some unevolved Pokémon—for example, {{p|Meditite}}, {{p|Scyther}} and {{p|Gligar}}—are sometimes considered broken and banned in some tier lists. In this special battle style, [[Berry Juice]] is also sometimes banned, although more recent formats typically allow it.
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| [[Eviolite]] is one of the most commonly used items in this format, because it can boost the Defense and Special Defense of any legal Pokémon in this format by 50%. Despite this, it's considered to be a highly offensive metagame, due to the way that damage rolls work at level 5.
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| ===Monotype===
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| Monotype is a format where each Pokémon on a team must share a [[type]]. Note that a Pokémon must always be in possession of a particular type to be allowed on a team, for example, {{me|Altaria}} isn't allowed in {{t|Fairy}} teams because its base form is not {{type|Fairy}}, while also not being allowed in {{t|Flying}} teams as it loses its {{type|Flying}} upon [[Mega Evolution]] - it can only be used in {{t|Dragon}} teams. Like with Doubles OU, it has its own independent banlist, as certain Pokémon such as {{p|Tapu Lele}} and {{p|Kartana}} can become very overwhelming when their counters aren't allowed on every team.
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| ===National Dex===
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| Because many old Pokémon cannot transfer to the [[Pokémon Sword and Shield|newest games]], fans created a format called National Pokedex Anything Goes, which assumes the entire [[National Pokédex]] is allowed. Others similarly created National Pokedex Overused in attempt to ban Pokémon based only on Smogon's tiering policy and "brokenness", not the [[List of Pokémon by Galar Pokédex number|Galar Pokédex]].
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| ===Create-a-Pokémon (CAP)===
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| This is a project on [[Smogon University]] where the community works together to create new Pokémon, usually intended to either balance the metagame or explore interesting potential competitive niches. The CAP metagame is similar to OU, but also allows the use of Pokémon created in this project. There's also a CAP LC, which allows the use of the preevolutions of the created Pokémon.
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| ==External links== | | ==External links== |