How to Make a Tier List That People Actually Finish

A tier list is a small design project. The roster, the criterion and the number of rows decide whether the board takes five minutes or fifty. The goal is not to rank everything; it is to make one comparison clear enough that someone else can respond to it.

Start with one question

Write the question the board answers. “Which Genshin characters are worth building in the current patch?” is a question. “Best characters” is not, because best at what?

If you cannot fit the question into one sentence, split the board. A beginner board and a top-level board are different lists, even when they use the same names.

Keep the roster small enough to finish

Ten to twenty items is the sweet spot for a first board. Thirty is still workable. A hundred is a data-entry project, not a tier list.

If the full roster matters, start with the items you have an opinion about, publish that board, then add the rest in a second pass. A finished smaller board is more useful than an abandoned complete one.

Use six rows, not sixteen

S, A, B, C, D and F are enough for almost every argument. Extra rows such as SS, S+, C− or “unranked” add resolution without adding clarity. If two items are both excellent, they can share A.

Use the unranked pool for items you have not placed yet. Do not leave items in a vague “maybe” row; either place them or remove them from the roster.

Write the criteria before you drag

For a game board: patch, role, ease of use, team requirements. For an anime board: story importance, arc quality, screen time. For a food board: flavour, texture, consistency.

Put the criteria in the page description or the first line of the post. When someone disagrees, you can point to the criterion instead of arguing about taste.

Test the board on one person

Show the finished board to someone who knows the subject and ask which placement they would change first. If they point to the same item you were unsure about, the board is communicating. If they ask what the rows mean, the criteria are still too vague.

Do not add more rows to solve that feedback. Rewrite the question or remove the item that does not fit.

Publish, share, and let it age

Use the tier list maker to build the board, then copy the share link or download a PNG. Add a date to the post. A board without a date is treated as current forever, which is almost never true.

When the patch or season changes, make a new board instead of silently editing the old one. The comparison between versions is often more interesting than either board alone.

A five-minute checklist. One question, 10–20 items, six rows, one sentence of criteria, one date. If any of those is missing, the board is not ready to share.

If you are stuck, publish the first 10 items and add the rest in a second version. A board that exists is more useful than a perfect roster that never ships.

Choose the right moment

A tier list is a snapshot, so the moment matters. A game board is most useful after a balance patch, not in the middle of one. An anime board is most useful after a season ends, when the arc is complete. A sports board is most useful before a season, when the roster is settled.

If you publish during a transition, say so. “Pre-patch board, July 2026” is a legitimate scope. “Current tier list” during a patch week is not; it will be wrong before the week ends.

The date is part of the argument. A board without one is treated as current forever, which is almost never what the author intended.

Build the top and bottom first

Start with three S picks and three F picks. The extremes are easier to agree on than the middle, and they establish the scale. Once the top and bottom exist, the middle rows have somewhere to sit.

If you cannot find three F picks, the bottom row may be too harsh. If you cannot find three S picks, the top row may be too generous. Either way, the exercise tells you something about the roster before you spend time on the middle.

Do not fill every row. An empty D row is better than moving items there just to complete the grid.

Use names people recognise

The item names are the interface. Use the name people search for, not an inside joke or a shorthand that only your Discord understands. For games, include the character or weapon name, not just the player who popularised it. For anime, use the character name and the series if the roster mixes shows.

If two items have the same name, add a qualifier: the version, the season, the patch. Ambiguity at the item level makes the whole board harder to read.

Spelling matters for search, but consistency matters more. Pick one spelling and use it across the roster, the page title and the share text.

Make the board readable on a phone

Most readers will see the board on a phone, often as a screenshot inside another app. Six rows, short names and a clear S/F contrast survive that trip. Twelve rows, long names and a low-contrast theme do not.

Check the export at phone size before posting. If you have to zoom to read an item, remove items or split the board. A readable ten-item board is more useful than a cramped thirty-item board.

Do not rely on colour alone to carry the tiers. The letters are already there; keep them visible and keep the text contrast high.

Know when to stop editing

Stop when the remaining changes are swaps within a row, not moves between rows. At that point, the board is communicating its main argument; further edits are polishing a claim that is already visible.

Publish, share it, and keep a note of the one placement you are least sure about. That note is more useful than another hour of dragging, because it tells you what to watch when the next patch or season arrives.

A finished board with a stated uncertainty is more credible than a perfect board with no method. The uncertainty is part of the ranking, not a flaw to hide.

A five-line publish checklist

Before you share, check five lines: the question, the roster scope, the criterion, the date, and the link or image. If any line is missing, the reader will supply their own assumption.

The question and criterion can be the same sentence. The roster scope can be “current playable characters, patch 7.3”. The date can be the publish date. The link or image is the delivery format.

This checklist takes less time than fixing a misunderstood board after it has been reposted fifty times.