Pokemon Showdown Tier Guides
 

What is this?

With current revisions to the Pokemon Showdown Sim page underway, we are looking to replace the current list explaining tiers and clauses with a more Showdown specific version, including every metagame hosted on Pokemon Showdown as a playable ladder. Each tier will have a list detailing both things banned in it, a list containing the various clauses in play, and a short description of how the tier plays, written in a way to encourage users to try it out.


Where do I come in?

Unfortunately, I'm not very well versed in quite a few of Pokemon Showdown's tiers, and thus am unable to write a truly accurate depiction of the individual metagames. I do however, have access to a large competitive community teeming with experts in the various tiers, experts who are much more qualified to write a tier's description. The entries will later be collected and used to create a more complete list of tiers on Smogon's Sim page. Authors of approved descriptions will be noted in the page for their contribution.


What are the rules?

• Anyone is allowed to write an entry for a tier they consistently play in, however, council members of those tiers will possess the ability to override another user's entry if they feel it is not an accurate description of the tier.

• Entries will be limited to between 100 and 200 words. We want the descriptions to be long enough to give users a good idea of the tier, and short enough as to not bore people.

• Focus your entries on how the tier is played, who are the important mons and how do they affect the metagame. Keep in mind that this is meant to be for users who have no idea what the tier is like.

• We will be covering rules and clauses separately from the descriptions, so please leave them out of your submissions.

At the request of hugendugen and poppy,

Ubers; a tier where anything is possible, and almost any idea you can conceive of is legal in standard play. Some call ubers an unforgiving environment. The monsters lurking around every corner prepared to blow holes into teams with 150 base attacking stats certainly make this true. But rising to the level of their competition, some of the sturdiest walls around make their home here, and they often flummox even the most powerful offensive forces. The tier that seems most lopsided is actually one of the most balanced to exist. Every weather is viable, with behemoths like Kyogre and Groudon being the mainstays, while the upstart OU setters take advantage of the tier’s make up. It’s truly the “artist’s paradise” of Pokémon. The medium is static, the main influence of change being individual player’s creativity, letting one player truly make a mark on the whole metagame, and every possible playstyle, from rain to sun, full stall to trick room, balance to heavy offense, possess excellent Pokémon to choose from. In the tier where you think you know what to expect, you’re bound to be surprised, time and time again.

Neverused:

The tier of the so called "rejects," the Neverused tier is for the Pokemon that no other tier wants. However, just because they're rejects doesn't mean that the tier lacks variety, as Neverused has the most Pokemon out of any tier. Nor does that mean they're helpless; while not every strategy is optimal, anything is possible! In addition, the lower relative power levels at play means that you don't have to worry about specific meta-defining behemoths, thus making building a team very easy. So come on down and give those Pokemon like Gardevoir, Electrode, and Persian a second try - they may surprise you.

Random Battles (Randbats)

Looking for a change of pace in the competitive Pokémon scene? Try out Random Battles, you don't even need a team to participate. Your team is 6 randomly generated sets of any Pokémon in the game. So how does a Sunkern compete with an Arceus? A level balance is put in place where a Pokémon's level is reduced based on a few factors, mainly base stats. Therefore, Sunkern does have a fighting chance against Arceus since it's almost 40 levels higher. You won't see things like Double Team or Eviolite but practically everything else is available for you, should you be lucky (or unlucky) enough to be given it. Of course, your random team is only good if it proves superior to your opponent's. So while a Shell Smash Gorebyss could easily win you a game against an opponent with Rhydon, Onix, and Landorus, that same Gorebyss won't do you so much good when you have to face a team of Shedinja, Chinchou, and Gastrodon. This concept also applies to other things like entry hazards or Acupressure sweepers. If your opponent has 3 separate users of Rapid Spin or a Psych Up Pokémon, respectively, you might have to change up your strategy. Almost nothing consistently wins games and very little proves to be totally useless, so the options in this tier are endless.

Little Cup (LC)

Much like children fighting on the playground, Little Cup is a tier where the offspring of our favorite fully-evolved Pokemon battle it out to show their tiny powers and prove their baby dominance over their rivals. How does Larvesta compare to its father? Is Murkrow as stylish as its parent? Did Abra pass his Math test? Find out all this and more, today! Take a journey back to the younger years and come down to our level in Little Cup!

I cant understand it....

Little Cup is a tier where the offspring of our favorite fully-evolved Pokemon battle,
Second it.

lol firstposters. Gengan is right though.

Happy 2013, folks.

cool
 

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Smogon Doubles:
Smogon Doubles is an interesting hybrid of VGC and OU - with the format and power levels of the former but the team roster of the ladder, it certainly provides a different experience from both. Overall the tier is fairly fast-paced, with most battles lasting on the order of ten turns, and focuses on bulky, setup-free offense as opposed to defense or setup sweeping. It has a minimalist banlist including basically only BST 680s - importantly, Aldaron's Proposal is not in this tier. Some common supporters you'll find in the tier are Landorus-T, Hitmontop, and Cresselia, while offensive presences include Shaymin-S and Kingdra.