Introduction to Tier Rooms

"What is a tier room?" isn't a question that comes up often, but when it does, you must consider checking things out more often. Tier rooms are the rooms on the server individualized by their use of a particular tier as a focal point of discussion. These rooms are known for being the epicenter of live discussion pertaining a multitude of things, ranging from suspect testing to raving on about issues in the current tier to how and what can be fixed. Each room has a very standardized goal: to offer a place for users with similar metagame interests to gather, teambuild, discuss, and debate with each other. However, some rooms have slight differences that set them apart from one another.

The Overused room is very popular when it comes to suspect testing, a tradition within Smogon metagame discussion. Popular discussions include Baton Pass strategies which rose in prevalence in the XY Overused metagame, as well as various Pokémon suspects like Aegislash. Baton Pass provoked many arguments in particular, and its dire impact on the tier lead to a reduction in its viability multiple times, dropping from a permitted six Baton Pass users on a team to three and finally to only one. The Overused room also provides a link to the OU Council page for those interested in learning about the people that operate the tiering system on Smogon.

The Underused, Rarelyused, and Neverused rooms are home to similar discussions to those of the OU room, and the latter famously announces their frequent drops. These tier rooms are convenient in the fact that discussions are often isolated to the rooms in which the Pokémon being tested are home to, since people tend to prefer live debate rather than sitting and waiting on thread replies. The RU tier could be referred to as a tier dependent on the stats of its core Pokémon, and they have created a list of Speed tiers that ranks each Pokémon in the tier by their speed. It's a useful tool for teambuilders of every walk. Speaking of teambuilding, the Underused and Neverused rooms frequently talk about the teambuilding aspect of the respective metagames, offering a place for new NU and UU players to learn what's viable within the tier and what isn't; if you're a rookie to those tiers, these are the rooms for you.

The Little Cup room is another room that helps to solidify the fact that not all rooms solely gravitate around tiering, as it offers various perspectives in which to approach the metagame. Since the tier's rules are queer compared to other standard tiers, there is a beginner's guide present to offer new players all the insight they might need to get into the tier. This room is also known to host a plentiful amount of tournaments throughout the day, and they aren't limited to just Little Cup - though that's what they're known for, of course - and it's a nice place to escape to if you're looking for a lax competitive environment in general.

The user experience of the rooms is incredible. In fact, many rooms can be called a sanctuary for those who play a certain undervalued tier that gets less limelight than the standardized tiers that compose the core of Smogon. These rooms include the Other Metagames room, which is often host to countless different tournaments through the day, the Monotype room, which is famous for its monthly championship, challenging those who claim to be the best of the tier's players to prove themselves in a month-long campaign, and the Doubles room which is popular for throwing curveballs with its out-of-the-box competitions, such as the Achievement Tournament which dares Doubles players to step out of their comfort zone to get what they want.

There's a room for everyone, and whether you're into the fast-paced banter between expert tiering contributors or just a casual tournament, one quick gander at the list of rooms just might have something to offer you.

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