Proposal OU by technicality in Gens 1-3

[Hydrametr0nice]

After reviewing some old posts and code changes, I noticed that a few Pokémon were dropped from OU due to viability but, as far as I can tell, were never officially banned from UU. The current list appears to be:

• GSC: Porygon2
• ADV: Raikou, Regice and Porygon2

Is there a reason these Pokémon aren’t considered OU by technicality? I understand that in Gens 4+, (OU) Pokemon are mostly determined by ladder usage, while in the first three generations, Pokémon are mostly dropped from OU by council decision. Still, based on everything I've seen, these Pokémon were never actually banned from UU, which makes their UUBL status seem inaccurate and misleading.

There is also precedent. In 2021, RBY dropped Lapras and Victreebel from OU to (OU). Later, they were moved to UU, banned to UUBL (correctly) and then eventually freed back into UU.

My proposal is simple: any Pokémon dropped from OU, but not allowed in UU, should always be classified as (OU) if they were never explicitly banned from UU. The four Pokémon mentioned above (and any others that meet this criterion) would be moved to (OU).

References:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/gsc-ou-tiering-changes.3652655/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/adv-ou-tiering-changes.3652636/

 

[bdt2002]

After reviewing some old posts and code changes, I noticed that a few Pokémon were dropped from OU due to viability but, as far as I can tell, were never officially banned from UU. The current list appears to be:

• GSC: Porygon2
• ADV: Raikou, Regice and Porygon2

Is there a reason these Pokémon aren’t considered OU by technicality? I understand that in Gens 4+, (OU) Pokemon are mostly determined by ladder usage, while in the first three generations, Pokémon are mostly dropped from OU by council decision. Still, based on everything I've seen, these Pokémon were never actually banned from UU, which makes their UUBL status seem inaccurate and misleading.

There is also precedent. In 2021, RBY dropped Lapras and Victreebel from OU to (OU). Later, they were moved to UU, banned to UUBL (correctly) and then eventually freed back into UU.

My proposal is simple: any Pokémon dropped from OU, but not allowed in UU, should be classified as (OU) unless they were explicitly banned from UU—in which case, they should be UUBL. The four Pokémon mentioned above (and any others that meet this criterion) would be moved to (OU).

References:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/gsc-ou-tiering-changes.3652655/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/adv-ou-tiering-changes.3652636/

I'm definitely not in a spot where I myself could try and enforce tiering changes, that's for sure, but even as a more casual player and a pretty big fan of Gens 2 and 3 in general, I've always found this group of Pokémon to be one of the most fascinating in the games they're in. For the most part, the Pokémon most often cited for potential tiering changes tend to be right around that same point of viability as one another. For anyone wondering, here's a full list of the tiering changes that have taken place so far in those two threads.

• Rose to OU from UUBL in Gen 2: Jynx, Golem, Jolteon, Alakazam
• Fell to UUBL from OU in Gen 2: Porygon2
  • Jolteon was originally on this list at one point but has risen back in OU
• Rose to OU from UUBL in Gen 3: Moltres, Breloom, Charizard, Medicham
  • Jynx, Hariyama and... Vaporeon? have also been examined but were decided on to not be promoted
• Fell to UUBL from OU in Gen 3: Raikou, Regice, Porygon2
  • Cloyster has also been examined but was decided on to not be demoted
  • Raikou has also been re-examined following its drop for a potential rise back into OU at a later time

To my knowledge, Gen 1's tiering philosophy revolves around the Viability Rankings for each tier. If I recall, Pokémon ranked in the S, A, or B Tiers are ranked as official members of that tier, whereas B/C Tier serves as the cutoff line for a Pokémon to fall. Incidentally, I did actually spot one Pokémon that hasn't dropped correctly; Jolteon in Gen 1 is currently ranked in C1 as of the 2025 Viability Rankings Update but is still considered an OU Pokémon at this time. Was that an error or was there a change in the cutoff line that I missed? Odds are I probably missed something and for that I apologize.

Gen 2 and Gen 3's tiering philosophy is more similar to what would come after it, but earlier this decade the "OU by technicality" designation actually had its definition updated. Originally, this was designed for Pokémon who were not considered part of the OU metagame but could not be dropped into the lower tiers for one reason or another. This is perhaps most famous with Mega Garchomp in Gens 6 and 7 because dropping Mega Garchomp to UU would require base Garchomp to drop as well. The new definition, though, which is applied to Generations 4 onward, also allows any Pokémon previously ranked in OU to be designated as "OU by technicality" should their weighted usage in a six-month period following the generation's conclusion warrant a tiering demotion under normal circumstances. By extension, Pokémon can now also be returned to OU from this designation should the opposite happen.

Currently, only Gens 4, 5, 6, and 7 contain at least Pokémon designated as "OU by technicality" by at least one of these definitions. Coupled with Gen 1's unique tiering philosophy and these tiering changes in Gens 2 and 3, this makes Gen 8 (SwSh) the only Past Generation at this time whose list of true OU Pokémon has remained the exact same since the generation's conclusion, as no Pokémon have reached "OU by technicality" status in Gen 8 OU as of yet.

 

[Karxrida]

I am frankly just really confused why we even drop Pokémon out of OU in old gens if they're not allowed in their respective UU tiers (or at least officially banned by them). This is extra confounding to me in the context of the gens that predate tracking of usage stats, as their tiering methods were already vibes based.

The existence of this (OU) label seems like a really pointless extra designation outside of weird edge cases like the aforementioned Mega Garchomp.

 

[Hydrametr0nice]

I am frankly just really confused why we even drop Pokémon out of OU in old gens if they're not allowed in their respective UU tiers (or at least officially banned by them). This is extra confounding to me in the context of the gens that predate tracking of usage stats, as their tiering methods were already vibes based.

The existence of this (OU) label seems like a really pointless extra designation outside of weird edge cases like the aforementioned Mega Garchomp.

I think it's mainly meant as an indicator to players that those Pokémon are "discontinued" in terms of viability, without affecting the lower tiers. Other than that, it is the respective UU council's responsibility to decide whether to test the Pokémon or not.

 

[Karxrida]

I think it's mainly meant as an indicator to players that those Pokémon are "discontinued" in terms of viability, without affecting the lower tiers.

I still find this to be a pointless gesture if no actual tier shifting happens. Anyone digging into old gens will likely check RoA for resources, with the viability rankings in particular already serving this purpose for messaging.

Other than that, it is the respective UU council's responsibility to decide whether to test the Pokémon or not.

I understand that the respective UU councils need to be involved, but the fact that the OU councils seemingly didn't talk to them about a bunch of these shifts makes them come across as disorganized and uncommunicative.

 

[Sabelette]

RBY is irrelevant to this conversation as we have active tiering and things drop/rise based on VRs. This only applies to gens 2 and 3.

 

[Hydrametr0nice]

RBY is irrelevant to this conversation as we have active tiering and things drop/rise based on VRs. This only applies to gens 2 and 3.

Just to be clear, my proposal is independent of the tier shift method:

My proposal is simple: any Pokémon dropped from OU, but not allowed in UU, should always be classified as (OU) if they were never explicitly banned from UU.

I didn't mention Gens 4+ because I already knew they comply with it through the 6-month shift. If RBY drops automatically move the Pokémon to the tier below and they don't remain in a 'by technicality' limbo—great!