Climbing the Ropes - A Guide to Learning a New Tier

Introduction:

Have you ever contemplated learning a new tier, but were too lazy to go through with it? Well, this article is for you! Smogon supports many tiers, from Ubers to Underused to Neverused, each with its own traits and characteristics. Learning a tier can be difficult and even annoying at times, but it's definitely worth it in the long run. Each tier has its own community that you can be a part of, and it's one of the ways that you can make lasting friendships on this site. Another benefit comes when the sign-ups for prestigious Smogon tournaments, such as the Smogon Premier League and the Grand Slam, open up. You can easily find yourself being fluent in multiple tiers, giving you an edge over opponents that may only know one. Because each tier has its own major playstyle (such as UU and stall, or RU and bulky offense), you can hone your teambuilding skills. All it takes a couple of simple steps!

Battling 101 and The Mentorship Program:

Once you have finally decided on which tier to learn, check out the Battling 101 and Mentorship subforums!

B101 is Smogon's tutoring program. A sign-up thread is created every three weeks where you have to fill out a small application that consists of your username, age, timezone, the tier you want to learn, and a little bit about yourself. If you're really new (and have less than 20 posts), you have to fill out an additional section on why you should be tutored in the tier that you want to learn. Since the program has a number of qualified applicants, don't be discouraged if you are not chosen. Once the next sign-up thread is created in about three more weeks, make sure to note that you were skipped the previous round, and you will be given priority!

If having lessons like this intimidates you, or if you don't have enough time to commit to a tutor, then you can check out a Mentor! All you need to do is go to the Mentor Profiles page and look for someone that has the tier you want to learn listed under their "content area". Alternatively, you can post in the New Users Introduction Thread about yourself and your goals, and a mentor might be able to take you in. The best way, though, is to join #mentor on IRC. There, you can discuss your goals with a variety of people who will be happy to help. You should also check the Mentorship subforum from time to time to see if a mentor is planning a workshop in the tier that you want to learn! Visiting #mentor is also an option.

The Competitive Discussion Subforum:

Each tier has its own subforum in Competitive Discussion (Ubers, OU, UU, RU, NU, LC, Doubles, VGC, Battle Spot, and Other Metagames). There, you can see discussion threads about individual Pokémon, tournaments, projects, and resources. I found it very beneficial to start a project (XY NU Research Week) while learning a new tier, so it would be a good idea to do so too. Be sure to get permission from the subforum's moderation team before posting the project, though! Also, be sure to make the project something that you can handle without excessive amounts of knowledge about the tier.

You should also lurk around the "Viability Rankings" thread. These threads discuss how good certain Pokémon are and rank them (S-rank being the best and E-rank being the worst). The "NP" (stands for "now playing") threads are great to look at because they provide insight into the top players' ideas and thoughts. Just look through the threads here and there. A tip I like to use is to skim through the thread and read posts that have received multiple likes, because most of the time, they tend to be good, well-thought-out posts. Also keep a look out for posts made by people with the "Community Contributor" badge for the same reason! These two threads should give you a more than basic idea of the tier, but that doesn't mean that you should ignore the rest! Look at threads labeled "Projects," since they also help. Keep on eye on the "Teambuilding" and "Good Cores" threads if you're having trouble building a team!

If you're really stuck, go to the "Sample Teams for Entering the Metagame" thread. After all, it was created for people like you!

Laddering:

Easily the most important aspect of learning a new tier is playing it! You learn the most by getting your hands dirty and jumping into the tier. As my tutor told me, you should always review your battles, especially your losses. You should ask yourself a couple of questions afterwards. "Which Pokémon carried their weight?", "Which Pokémon did the most?", and "What did I do to cost/earn me the match?" are all solid questions that you should make yourself ask. Once you get yourself to about 1300 ELO, you should feel confident with your skills!

If you're having trouble building a successful team, you can can look through the RMT subforum for a team that has peaked high on the ladder.

Making Comparisons:

The only reason I caught onto NU so fast was because I kept comparing it to UU, a tier that I'm familiar with. Try to take a team from a tier you know, and switch the Pokémon out with similar ones in the new tier. For example, you could replace your OU hazard setter, Ferrothorn, with its little brother, Ferroseed, in NU. Likewise, your Milotic in UU can be swapped out for an Alomomola in RU. Doing this allows you to expand your thinking and catch on faster.

Concluding Thoughts:

The most important thing you should take from leaning a new tier is the friendships you make! I couldn't have learned NU without all of my friends helping me out with a team I made, or just talking to me about the metagame in general. Hopefully this article will inspire and help you in your endeavors of leaning a new tier!

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