📚 Why Do Tier Lists Change Every Update? Four Real Reasons

Developers buff underused units and tone down dominant ones, which alone reshuffles the middle of any list. On top of that, newer releases tend to arrive slightly stronger or more convenient than older ones — power creep — so a unit can slide down the rankings without ever being changed. Both forces act continuously, which is why a list needs a version stamp to mean anything.

Rankings are always measured against the hardest current content. When an update adds a boss that punishes melee range, or an endgame mode with a strict turn limit, the traits being rewarded change overnight. Units built for the old challenge fall, and previously niche picks suddenly look essential. The characters did not change at all — the exam did.

Early rankings are estimates made in the first days after a release, before anyone has tested unusual team compositions or found interactions the developers may not have intended. Weeks later, a unit dismissed as filler can turn out to enable a whole strategy. Revisions like this are a sign the list is being maintained honestly, not a sign the author was careless.