How to Make a Tier List

Five steps, about ten minutes, and one good argument afterwards. You can follow along in the tier list maker in another tab.

  1. Pick one criterion

    “Best Pokémon” is vague. “Best Pokémon to take through a first playthrough” is a list people can judge. Write the criterion into the title so every placement has a reason.

  2. Gather the items

    Aim for 10 to 40. Start from a template, paste a list, upload images, or let the assistant suggest items for your topic. Remove anything you have not actually tried; blind placements are what start flame wars.

  3. Set the tiers

    S to F is the classic. Five tiers suit short lists; “Must play / Worth it / Skip” suits recommendations. Tap a tier label in the maker to rename or recolour it. The meaning of each tier is worth agreeing on up front.

  4. Rank fast, then adjust

    Drop each item in on gut feel first. Then compare neighbours: is the last thing in A really better than the first thing in B? Order within a row matters, so leftmost reads as best.

  5. Share it

    Download the PNG for Discord, X, Reddit or a video thumbnail, or copy a share link so friends can remix your list and send theirs back.

Why a tier list instead of a top 20?

A strict ranking forces you to decide whether item 11 beats item 12, a question you probably have no strong opinion about. A tier list asks one question per item: which band does it belong in? That is far less work, as the demo shows.

Try it: why tier lists are fast

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If you do want a strict order, the ranking maker runs that smart head-to-head sort for you and then splits the result into tiers.

Mistakes that sink a tier list

  • An overstuffed S tier. If half the list is S, the letter means nothing.
  • Mixing criteria. Ranking one character on strength and another on design makes the list impossible to read.
  • Empty-looking rows. Delete tiers you do not use, or keep an empty S on purpose and say so.
  • Unreadable images. Square, close-cropped pictures read best at card size.

Questions people ask

How many tiers should a tier list have?

Six (S, A, B, C, D, F) is the common default. For short lists of under ten items, four or five tiers keep each row meaningful. For very long lists, add rows rather than cramming.

How many items should be in S tier?

Few. Around one in ten is a good ceiling. S should feel exceptional; if it fills up, raise the bar or split off an A tier.

Can I make a tier list with pictures?

Yes. In the TierFlux maker, tap “Upload images”. Pictures are cropped square, stay on your device and appear in the downloaded PNG.

How do I share a tier list?

Download a PNG to post anywhere, or copy the share link. The link contains the whole list, so friends can open it and make their own version.