Decision between time or high-rank try
I think you (or the hypothetical person here) are gaming the system to your own disadvantage. I'm reading the first sentence as &quot;...more than a Tier 2 journal...&quot;.
You don't know you will be rejected. The suggestions of the reviewers might, when incorporated, result in acceptance.
And there is no guarantee about the time to publication for any journal. It is highly unpredictable for most journals, depending on the work load of reviewers, etc.
Moreover the break between &quot;tiers&quot; is pretty fuzzy.
Send it to the &quot;most appropriate&quot; journal for the work itself.