Approved by KaenSoul and UT
TIER SHIFT
Banner by me, Gen 8 thread by G-Luke">G-Luke
Have you ever wanted to shine a light into the depths of Smogon's tiering system, breathing new life in to oft-forgotten low tier dwellers, and allowing them to finally compete alongside their OU brethren as equals? Welcome to Tier Shift, the metagame that aims to do exactly that. Fear not, RU rejects, NU ne'er-do-wells, and Pokemon from the paltry pits of PU, for at last you'll get a taste of sweet, sweet viability.
TIER SHIFT
Banner by me, Gen 8 thread by G-Luke">G-Luke
Have you ever wanted to shine a light into the depths of Smogon's tiering system, breathing new life in to oft-forgotten low tier dwellers, and allowing them to finally compete alongside their OU brethren as equals? Welcome to Tier Shift, the metagame that aims to do exactly that. Fear not, RU rejects, NU ne'er-do-wells, and Pokemon from the paltry pits of PU, for at last you'll get a taste of sweet, sweet viability.
COUNCIL
KaenSoul
Rules:
Mechanic: Non-OU Pokémon get boosts to all their stats excluding HP according to the lowest tier they are legal in.
ie. UU gets +15, RU +20, NU +25, and PU +30.
Clauses: Standard OMs, Sleep Moves Clause, Terastal Clause, Evasion Clause, Min Source Gen=9 Arceus* Some Arceus formes are free, and they can be found in the list below
Calyrex-Shadow
Hoopa-Unbound
Koraidon
Medicham
Miraidon
Zacian-Crowned
* Kyogre is banned by technicality.
Bug, Grass, Ice
Hoopa-Unbound
Koraidon
Medicham
Miraidon
Zacian-Crowned
* Kyogre is banned by technicality.
Drizzle
Moody
Arena Trap
Shadow Tag
Last Respects
Razor Fang and King's Rock
Watchlist
Tier History (dd/mm/yyyy)
22/04/2023 - Initial ruleset created
01/05/2023 - Falinks, Cloyster, Damp and Heat Rock banned
06/05/2023 - Medicham, Oricorio Pom-Pom, Polteageist, Light Clay and Terastralisation banned
30/05/2023 - Post-Home bans
18/07/2023 - Post-Home bans: part 2
04/09/2023 - September Slayte
19/11/2023 - Big Slate Time
05/12/2023 - Azumarill, Drizzle, King's Rock and Razor Fang are banned from Tier Shift, and Damp Rock has been freed!
17/12/2023 - DLC 2 Slate
01/05/2023 - Falinks, Cloyster, Damp and Heat Rock banned
06/05/2023 - Medicham, Oricorio Pom-Pom, Polteageist, Light Clay and Terastralisation banned
30/05/2023 - Post-Home bans
18/07/2023 - Post-Home bans: part 2
04/09/2023 - September Slayte
19/11/2023 - Big Slate Time
05/12/2023 - Azumarill, Drizzle, King's Rock and Razor Fang are banned from Tier Shift, and Damp Rock has been freed!
17/12/2023 - DLC 2 Slate
Strategies and threats: The aim of this metagame is to make every Pokemon viable, or at least have a niche, and as a result all play styles and Pokemon will see use. However there are some Pokemon that will inevitably be stronger in the format.
RU 130/85/80/130/115/85
Vaporeon returns, leveraging its insane bulk and passing base 130 wishes in the process. Haze and Yawn are other good supporting options, and sitting at base 130 special attack leaves Vaporeon far from passive. This premiere wall is set to make some waves in the format, although the loss of Scald and Toxic will no doubt hurt a bit.
NU 150/105/69/115/79/105
Drifblim makes up for its somewhat mediocre defensive stats with a HUGE hp stat, making it one of the bulkiest Pokemon around. With access to Will-O-Wisp and the much coveted Defog, alongside a decent special attack stat and strength sap for longevity, this spooky balloon is a solid defensive pick in the meta.
UU 68/140/80/80/130/95
Gallade got a huge buff this gen in the form of its new ability Sharpness, which boosts its slicing moves (of which it has a few to choose from) by 1.5 times. This gives it highly spammable STAB moves, and alongside various other options like Trick, Swords Dance, and Taunt, Gallade makes up for its middling speed with great wallbreaking potential.
FAQs:
Q: What about BL Pokemon?
A: BLs are counted as the tier above them. So, UUBL gets no boosts, RUBL gets +15, etc. It would be unreasonable for them to get boosts for a tier they aren't allowed in.
Q: What happens when a stat goes over 255?
A: It caps at 255 base, since that's the highest possible stat.
Q: What are the shifts for untiered and NFE/LC Pokemon?
A: They are classed as PU Pokemon, thus they also recieve a +30 stat boost
Q: How can I find the adjusted stats for a Pokemon?
A: Using the command /ts in a showdown chat room can show you a Pokemon's shifted stats.
Challenge code:
/challenge gen9anythinggoes @@@ Standard OMs, Tier Shift Mod, Terastal Clause, Sleep Moves Clause, Evasion Clause, -Arceus-*, +Arceus-Bug, +Arceus-Grass, +Arceus-Ice, -Calyrex-Shadow, -Hoopa-Unbound, -Koraidon, -Medicham, -Miraidon, -Zacian-Crowned, -Drizzle, -Moody, -Arena Trap, - Shadow Tag, -Baton Pass, -Shed Tail, -Last Respects, -Heat Rock, -Light Clay, -Razor Fang, -King's Rock
Important Links
Viability Rankings
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