TENETS
be polite and chill
scaling is not that serious don't get heated
be in good faith no toxicity allowed
focus on your favs
A guide on categories used in the scaling and distribution in who' outsmarts / who's smarter etc
(see check comments reddit is flagging the post due to the links)
SCD scaling categories
II. SCD scaling Categories
Detailed Explanation Of SCD Categories
DAX PMFT'S SCALING GUIDE (including explanation of diffs and pre made distribution system**)
Dax's scaling model explained
(categories =/= characterize. That's why situations & scenarios are included where characters are placed sometimes, though it requires knowing the characterization and personality.
advice - don't give certain takes on something you don't know about, and avoid absolute certainty, as there is no such thing, especially in fiction.
However, remember this quote: "Who decided that smart people are categorically superior?" (quote from one series)
remember to know what kind of character type (planner, XYZ merchants , behind the curtain it is; some characters thrive in the long game/term only)
Frequent used distribution system
feel free to create your own dist also
Explanation of "DIFFS ,"DIFFED" and "TIERS":
note: no low diff and neg diff are possible unless there's a 3-tier gap, but at that point you're using a spite matchup
Diffs - characters wins by points in matchup
Diffed - other character loss by points in matchup
(+- Implies the difficulty could be higher than what is estimated.)
(-) - Implies the difficulty could be lower than what is estimated.
check dax labelled link docs for more info
~ A Beginners Guide to Tiers: What they mean and what the defining characteristics between tiers are
\ tiers are arbitrary. there are times when a character cannot be placed into a tier for various reasons, such as differences, etc.)
\for that, tiers are relative and exist in correlation with a specific thing. however, having an idea of F to S+ and low to top-tier comparisons gives a general framework to map things and establish a general consensus.)
Scaling system ,situations etc
Explanation and role of narrative , feats and anti-feats in the scaling and matchup
Feats : Things and notable actions the character implicitly or explicitly demonstrated/accomplished.
Anti-feats : blunders by characters . two types - impediment or non impediment
Statements: Explicit claims regarding a character's intelligence, abilities, accomplishments, reputation, or capabilities.
Statements should be considered alongside their context, reliability, and consistency with the character's actual portrayal.
Methods/Processes: "how " a character/feat achieves a result. it's about the pathology of the formulation and the steps of the feat rather than just the outcome
Narrative: The broader portrayal of a character through the story.
Narrative should be properly read and discerned rather than treated as an automatic substitute for feats. It can include recurring portrayal, characterization, comparisons, thematic framing, consistency, and the character's established role within the story.
Narrative isn't some magical excuse to scale a character higher than their feats, nor is it something that should automatically be dismissed because it isn't a direct feat.
\narrative word is literally the bogeyman for scaling/scalers for some reason. like read properly and discern)
READ .THE NARRATIVE. PROPERLY.
also narrative is called story-wise.
Ability: What the character is capable of doing, demonstrated or established through feats, methods/processes, statements, narrative, etc.
ability is not necessarily the same as what a character consistently performs in every situation.
if only methods and feats are taken into account then it's proven ability aka establish ability basically a rigorous way of judging ability expecting to to work consistently.
Outsmarting Situations:The specific circumstances in which a character's intelligence is being tested.
SCALING SYSTEM:
word of advice - don't scale any fear/character in isolation & independence ; scale rather taking account of continuity and sequence of events. ask "is the character doing something logical to their past, character and environment or not?"
normal scaling (default system): taking everything into account, including anti-feats, feats, abilities, methods etc.
note: normal =/= narrative
non normal scaling :
- stop scaling - only explicit, explainable feats with steps/steps that can be derived
- pure methodology - significant focus on rigour and steps
- methodology scaling - focus on the process/method of a feat, either implicit or explicit
(other methods are mostly neurodivergent or neurotic)
normal + non-normal scaling:
- Complete Scaling Method
- Dynamic Gauntlet system
- any scaling that measures a character holistically
(except any scaling that invalidates a character for any reason, including "objectivity")
OUTSMARTING SITUATIONS:
The Fixed Situation (FS) - fixed rules and variables
The Non-Fixed Situation (NFS) - non-fixed rules and variables
The Cat and Mouse Chase Situation(C&M)
- as the cat(: cat)
- as the rat(:rat)
Reference Series
These series are mostly familiar within SCD on a broad and overall level. They make up a lot of the commonly used reading/scaling material in SCD. The main reference pool is Classroom of the elite, Tomodachi Game, Death Note (the big three ), Liar Game, Usogui, and Monster, while Code Geass, The Mentalist, and Danganronpa are used more occasionally or as supplementary references.
The reference pool and its series have characters across many different tiers and levels, making them useful for comparing and scaling characters against each other.
Familiarity here generally means broad knowledge of the series and its SCD-relevant material, rather than knowing every feat or interpretation in depth.
Reasons why I'm referring to TG, COTE, and DN as the big three are:
First, popularity and starters of SCD.
Second, all three are digestible and diegetic. COTE has digestible and diegetic hierarchy & dynamic of smart characters, TG has digestible and diegetic games & mind games, and DN has diegetic and digestible opposition and difficulty.
In other words, these series don't just have characters who are called smart. Their stories diegetically demonstrate and establish intelligence through games, conflicts, hierarchies, opposition, strategies, and interactions between characters.
This makes TG, COTE, and DN useful starting points for newer people to center themselves around when learning SCD. They provide recognizable examples of different types of intelligence and outsmarting while also giving people material that can be directly examined and scaled.
Plus, most people already have a general understanding of these series and characters, making it easier to learn by “osmosis” — you don't necessarily need to read the entire series yourself to have a basic understanding of the characters, their feats, and their general scaling.
This doesn't mean these three series are inherently superior to everything else. They're being used primarily because of their popularity, familiarity, diegetic material, and usefulness as reference points.
USEFUL THINGS
One useful thing you can make for SCD is a 3×3 grid showing a character’s strongest categories or suits. You can make one easily by using any 3×3 grid template in Canva and replacing the images with your own. Alternatively, you can attach nine images to Gemini or ChatGPT, provide the nine categories you want represented, and ask it to arrange them into a 3×3 grid.
For fanart, Pinterest is a convenient place to find images. Simply search for the character you want and save a piece of art that fits your edit. Safebooru is another useful alternative for finding character artwork. Always credit and source the artist when using someone else’s artwork.
For tier lists, you can use any tier-list-making site, or use the SCD-specific TierMaker template.
Finally, pixel conversion is completely optional and is mainly useful for aesthetics. You can convert an image into a pixel-art style using the Sora Pixel Converter.
