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But doesn't that, in turn, raise their Tier? Someone who is smart enough to skip the battle entirely is never defeated, no?

That doesn't raise their tier.

Because if they are forced into the fight. Then they will be forced to confront the fact that they are low tier.

Tiers = your effectiveness and attack priority in battle.

Lemme throw a random situation at you. Why we're using a mouse, which has a rediculous power difference, is beyond me.. but yes, it could "win".

Let us say, we were at a fortress, and a mage was walking towards it, when a mouse accidently sets off a weapon that launches forward, obliterating said mage.

Was it random chance? Sure. Was it totally based on the situation/environment and not on the mouse's own skills? Sure. Did the mouse defeat the mage? Yes. Yes it did.

And originally, yes you were saying lower tier characters, if their roleplayer's skill level was the same as a higher tier character's roleplayer's skill level, would never win. My point was in the opposite direction.

My point is: yes, if you want to play into this "tiers", character creation and power play a giant role. But there is always the possibility, due to the situation at hand, the environment, luck, interference, you name it.. that even the lowest of tier characters can best a high tier, if things play right. That's just simple truth.

But, you're SOMEWHAT missing the point-
True, the Tier system WOULD play a part... If someone ACTUALLY made a low-tier character. I assure you anyone that has any role-playing merit would not simply make a human with a sword as their main character that they spend most of their time RPing with. A Side-Character? Perhaps. But not their main character. But, if you give the character proper techniques, as a good RPer does? You raise the character's tier significantly, making the Tier advantage null and void, making the system useless.

And, EVEN if you manage to disregard all the above arguments,
using your logic?

Character Creation = Tier System, correct?
Well.
Writer's skill = Character Creation.
Unless someone else makes the character for the RP'er, the Character's tier usually matches the Writer's writing tier.

The weak is defeated by the strong,
Yet the strong is the rival of the weak.

Tis kewl'. But then, that makes my point valid about how when the guy's bound, blindfolded, and in front of a firing squad, he HAD a battle that he already lost, didn't he? And he could've escaped THEN, or killed them THEN, or called in support somehow THEN, couldn't he have?

If you're telling me there hasn't been situations where one man managed to overwhelm or escape a much large section of forces.. well, check some war stories lying around.

But the point is he is facing another threat. And in this threat. Him winning.. isn't likely. In fact.. it isn't going to happen.

Even if his supporting army dropped bombs.

He still lost. He died.