I've never made a post of this magnitude regarding site policy. Bear with me if I go about this in an unorthodox way.
I want to push for the formation of councils for old-generation lower tiers and the ability to opt out of them if they choose. I would like to make it abundantly clear that I am NOT advocating for the unfreezing of old-generation metagames. I am instead advocating that old-generation metagames be given a choice on how to tier their meta through a unified council for that metagame or a much more informal lower-tier council. The latter being informal would need to work directly with the TL and maintain approval before pushing anything.
The only experience I have with this is through ADV ZU. I was added to council around 3 years ago and since then we've made leaps and bounds into creating a healthy stable metagame with every drop for a generation that's been around for 20 years. We've followed ADV PU's lead since we unfroze in 2023 and will continue to do so. This is a course of action that we as a council chose to take and while we miss our original near-perfect metagame we're all able to see the immense benefits that unfreezing has brought to our meta. We've archived every resource from that frozen period and we hold that part of our history close to our hearts. If I'm not mistaken other old-gen lower tiers have a rich history and some may or may not want to actively tier their metagame because of it. This history/nostalgia and the ability to remain impartial in the tiering system is what keeps metagames frozen. I completely understand and identify with this viewpoint but this actively hurts the playability, visibility, and overall health of the metagame.
Recently, BeeOrSomething and other GSC lower-tier players made the second option a reality and have taken the initiative to brute force more active discussion within their generation. This was created this week and there's already been a substantial and arguably positive change within GSC PU. While I can understand why this was controversial I believe this was a major step in the right direction. I'm not necessarily advocating that other generations follow suit. I'm instead advocating for specific councils for each metagame. However, I would be fine with either concept. I am aware of the "State of Old Gen Lower Tiers" thread that was created back in 2021. I'd like to think there's a way to comprise this and that my thread is not just a fool's errand.
Here's an example of the way I see this playing out:
BW RU decides Jolteon is unviable and sends it to NUBL, where it becomes the NU council's choice as to what to do with it from that point on.
Before deciding to make this post I discussed the GSC situation with BigFatMantis as I was curious if this could be done for ADV Metagames.
The most confusing aspect of tiering is what you can and can't do with official and unofficial metagames. I do not understand the idea of being consistent purely for the sake of being consistent. It seems that this isn't even the case considering the erasure of the NFE clause as well as the most recent PR thread regarding Glalie and Haunter.
I will share my philosophy on what being a council member should entail for both frozen and unfrozen metagames.
For Frozen Metagames:
A council for a frozen metagame should consist of resource development, player base growth, and archival of previous resources. Councils for frozen metagame should attempt to maintain a stable and healthy metagame and should take action against unhealthy metagame trends/discoveries should the need arise.
For Unfrozen Metagames:
A council for an unfrozen metagame should engage in all aspects previously stated for an unfrozen metagame. Additionally, the council should be engaging in active VR-based tiering. In ADV UU's case, their current method is also acceptable and a fine option for slower more methodical tiering.
I want to push for the formation of councils for old-generation lower tiers and the ability to opt out of them if they choose. I would like to make it abundantly clear that I am NOT advocating for the unfreezing of old-generation metagames. I am instead advocating that old-generation metagames be given a choice on how to tier their meta through a unified council for that metagame or a much more informal lower-tier council. The latter being informal would need to work directly with the TL and maintain approval before pushing anything.
The only experience I have with this is through ADV ZU. I was added to council around 3 years ago and since then we've made leaps and bounds into creating a healthy stable metagame with every drop for a generation that's been around for 20 years. We've followed ADV PU's lead since we unfroze in 2023 and will continue to do so. This is a course of action that we as a council chose to take and while we miss our original near-perfect metagame we're all able to see the immense benefits that unfreezing has brought to our meta. We've archived every resource from that frozen period and we hold that part of our history close to our hearts. If I'm not mistaken other old-gen lower tiers have a rich history and some may or may not want to actively tier their metagame because of it. This history/nostalgia and the ability to remain impartial in the tiering system is what keeps metagames frozen. I completely understand and identify with this viewpoint but this actively hurts the playability, visibility, and overall health of the metagame.
Recently, BeeOrSomething and other GSC lower-tier players made the second option a reality and have taken the initiative to brute force more active discussion within their generation. This was created this week and there's already been a substantial and arguably positive change within GSC PU. While I can understand why this was controversial I believe this was a major step in the right direction. I'm not necessarily advocating that other generations follow suit. I'm instead advocating for specific councils for each metagame. However, I would be fine with either concept. I am aware of the "State of Old Gen Lower Tiers" thread that was created back in 2021. I'd like to think there's a way to comprise this and that my thread is not just a fool's errand.
Here's an example of the way I see this playing out:
BW RU decides Jolteon is unviable and sends it to NUBL, where it becomes the NU council's choice as to what to do with it from that point on.
Before deciding to make this post I discussed the GSC situation with BigFatMantis as I was curious if this could be done for ADV Metagames.
The most confusing aspect of tiering is what you can and can't do with official and unofficial metagames. I do not understand the idea of being consistent purely for the sake of being consistent. It seems that this isn't even the case considering the erasure of the NFE clause as well as the most recent PR thread regarding Glalie and Haunter.
I will share my philosophy on what being a council member should entail for both frozen and unfrozen metagames.
For Frozen Metagames:
A council for a frozen metagame should consist of resource development, player base growth, and archival of previous resources. Councils for frozen metagame should attempt to maintain a stable and healthy metagame and should take action against unhealthy metagame trends/discoveries should the need arise.
For Unfrozen Metagames:
A council for an unfrozen metagame should engage in all aspects previously stated for an unfrozen metagame. Additionally, the council should be engaging in active VR-based tiering. In ADV UU's case, their current method is also acceptable and a fine option for slower more methodical tiering.
Last edited:
