Monothreat: The Original Monotype OM

By Moosical.
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LifeisDANK's Pangoro

Art by LifeisDANK.

Introduction to Monothreat

Monothreat is the premier OM featured in Monotype. As the name suggests, it is a Monotype battle where both players use the same type. Given that both players are using the same type, they can build around very specific threats and run Pokémon that counter their own type. This leads to interesting developments, seeing Pokémon and sets be used that would not likely be seen otherwise in competitive Monotype play. Monothreat has been a popular type of tournament run in the Monotype room on Pokémon Showdown! for several years. It has been featured in the Monotype Premier League every year and has had several forum-based tournaments of its own. Each Monothreat type forms a metagame within itself, so the format can be daunting to begin playing. In this article, we'll be taking a closer look at some of the Monothreat types seen in MPL3. Hopefully this introduction will promote strategies for teambuilding and provide guidance as you begin playing it!

General Considerations for Team Building

When building a team for Monothreat, it's best to examine all your options in the teambuilder. Obvious choices would be Pokémon with STAB moves super effective against their own base type and Pokémon that are neutral to the type's weaknesses. For example, in Fighting Monothreat, Hawlucha provides strong Flying-type STAB attacks, and Cobalion is neutral to Flying, Psychic, and Fairy. Less obvious choices would be Pokémon with super effective coverage options such as Low Kick Weavile in Ice Monothreat and Earth Power Torkoal in Fire Monothreat. Because Pokémon only need to run super effective or strong STAB moves in Monothreat, Pokémon often have room to run utility moves not usually used, which can be invaluable to inhibit your fore or enable your own Pokémon; examples include Curse Mega Venusaur in Poison Monothreat, Sword Dance Ludicolo in Water Monothreat, and Mirror Coat Magnezone in Steel Monothreat, to name a few. Furthermore, due to the nature of Monothreat, there are very few Pokémon you have to consider when teambuilding. Therefore, specific EVs can be run to survive certain attacks or outspeed certain Pokémon while maintaining a good offensive or defensive presence.

Items such as type damage-reduction Berries are very relevant in Monothreat. For example, both Yache Berry and Wacan Berry are run in Flying Monothreat to prevent certain offensive Pokémon from being OHKOed. For example, Thundurus-T can utilize Yache Berry to comfortably survive an Ice-type attack, allowing it to set up with Nasty Plot or KO the opposing Pokémon. Weakness Policy can be a viable choice to enable a fast sweeper. Even items such as Expert Belt or a Plate can be run to bluff a Choice Scarf. Z-Moves especially have a huge impact in Monothreat. Because every Pokémon in the type generally shares weaknesses, Z-Moves can threaten entire teams, gaining important KOs. Certain Z-Moves could also be run to OHKO specific threats to your team that may be neutral to most super effective moves. For example, Icium Z Greninja can be run in Dark Monothreat to OHKO Mandibuzz. Finally, given that you're only preparing for a small selection of Pokémon, slow but otherwise offensive threats, such as Abomasnow in Grass Monothreat, can run a Choice Scarf to effectively outspeed all potential Pokémon in the meta.

Mega Sableye Mega Venusaur Keldeo Necrozma
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Introduction

Dark Monothreat is a balance-oriented metagame characterized by a large number of bulky Pokémon, with a handful of strong wallbreakers. Mega Sableye is one of the most centralizing Pokémon in Dark Monothreat. It has a great typing, enormous bulk, and the ability to work as a Calm Mind sweeper, requiring teams to have dedicated checks or counters to it. Furthermore, while the type itself has three weaknesses, all of them are easily checked. This makes powerful STAB moves such as Stone Edge from Tyranitar, Draco Meteor from Hydreigon, and Earthquake from Krookodile very useful.

Major Threats

Mega Sableye

If one were to pick the most centralizing Pokémon in Dark Monothreat, it would be Mega Sableye, as it has amazing bulk and reliable recovery. On top of this, it learns Dazzling Gleam and Calm Mind, allowing it to function as a setup sweeper. Although it is initially weak, it can prove to be a dangerous threat after boosting. It has the option to run either Toxic or Will-O-Wisp; Toxic helps take down Pokémon such as Incineroar and Mandibuzz, while Will-O-Wisp helps against physical Pokémon such as Drapion, Skuntank, and Tyranitar. While it is weak to Fairy, Fairy-type moves are not overly common in Dark Monothreat outside of Mega Sableye, Mega Absol, and Skuntank.

Greninja

Greninja is another major threat in Dark Monothreat. With the aid of Protean, each of its hits becomes STAB-boosted and therefore threatening. Its great Speed allows it to chip down opposing Pokémon with U-turn and pivot into one of Dark Monothreat's many defensive Pokémon or hit hard with low kick. Otherwise, Hydro Pump and Ice Beam allow Greninja to check Incineroar and Mandibuzz, respectively. Icium Z is an optional item in order to OHKO Special Defense-invested Mandibuzz or take a large chunk of HP out of Mega Sableye.

Pangoro

With the dominance of Mega Sableye comes Pangoro, which is one of the best Mega Sableye checks, as it's able to bypass Mega Sableye's Ghost typing with Scrappy and hit it super effectively. A Choice Scarf set can be run to reach a decent Speed tier, while Choice Band allows it to have a more threatening presence. Parting Shot is a great utility move to help keep the momentum in your favor with accurate predictions. Darkinium Z coupled with Parting Shot allows you to fully heal whatever Pokémon you switch out to. Interestingly enough, Parting Shot can also act as an emergency button to force out an opposing Mega Sableye, as when Parting Shot is bounced back, it forces Mega Sableye to switch out.

Incineroar

Incineroar has made its mark in Dark Monothreat. Its decent bulk, neutrality to Fairy, and immunity to burn allow it to be a decent Mega Sableye check. When given a free switch in opportunity, it can Substitute, Bulk Up, and then potentially sweep with Leech Life. 240 Speed EVs are run to outspeed Mandibuzz and use Taunt to prevent it from Whirlwinding Incineroar away or Taunting it. Flare Blitz is an optional attack over Substitute in order to have a greater offensive presence versus Pokémon neutral to Bug.

Hydreigon

Hydreigon is a strong and effective mixed attacker in Dark Monothreat. While it has a 4x weakness to Fairy, it reaches a great Speed tier and has a wonderful movepool. Choice Scarf with U-turn allows it to outspeed the entire meta and chip down opposing Pokémon, or it can revenge kill foes with Draco Meteor or Focus Blast. Earth Power allows it to hit Drapion and Skuntank super effectively.

Other Pokémon

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Introduction

Grass Monothreat is a very versatile metagame. Teams can center around specific archetypes such as defensive hazard stacking or using Pokémon that take advantage of weather. Aside from featuring an archetype, teams can be generally bulky or offensively oriented, making teams often very different. In general, an effective Grass Monothreat team should have at least one dedicated Mega Venusaur check with some sort of speed control to prevent threats such as Celebi and Virizion from sweeping.

Major Threats

Mega Venusaur

Mega Venusaur is a very defining Pokémon of Grass Monothreat. It runs STAB Sludge Bomb, takes reduced damage from both Ice- and Fire-type attacks due to Thick Fat, great bulk, and has reliable recovery. It checks a large number of Pokémon the meta and requires dedicated checks or counters to beat. The EVs you run and last moveslot can vary depending on what your team needs. Substitute prevents it from being paralyzed from Ferrothorn, Growth allows it to have more offensive presence, and Roar can be utilized on hazard stacking teams.

Celebi

Celebi is the main offensive check to Mega Venusaur, as well as being able to scare out most Roserade sets. Hidden Power Fire is typically run to prevent Ferrothorn from walling it, and Signal Beam is used to hit opposing Celebi. Due to the large variation in items that Celebi runs, predicting the item can be difficult. Weakness Policy can enable it to switch into a super effective attack and fire back hard the next turn. Life Orb allows it to be a more immediate threat, while Salac Berry enables Celebi to be faster than most common Choice Scarf users.

Virizion

With the introduction of Z-Moves in SM, Virizion has become an important Pokémon in Grass Monothreat. Supersonic Skystrike allows it to hit for high damage, threatening almost every Pokémon in the meta. It is one of the fastest Pokémon and has great natural special bulk. Unfortunately, its Attack stat is not the highest, and it requires to be at +2 to gain many OHKOs. For example, X-Scissor is unable to OHKO Celebi, and Z-Bounce is unable to OHKO Mega Venusaur while unboosted.

Roserade

Roserade is an amazing offensive Pokémon, revenge killer, and late-game sweeper in Grass Monothreat. STAB Sludge Bombs hit the majority of Pokémon very hard, and Roserade's typically the fastest Choice Scarf user. It can run either Technician Hidden Power Flying or Fire, depending on what coverage is needed. Running Hidden Power Flying guarantees the OHKO on Virizion after Stealth Rock damage, as well as hitting Mega Venusaur hard. Hidden Power Fire on the other hand scares out Ferrothorn. If running Hidden Power Fire, typically Roserade will run Extrasensory to hit Mega Venusaur super effectively. The last moveslot can be either Spikes or Weather Ball, as hazard stacking can be difficult to deal with, while Weather Ball synergizes with Hail or Sunny Day when Roserade is being run on a weather team.

Decidueye

Decidueye is a strong and versatile Pokémon for Grass Monothreat. It can act as a revenge killer with Choice Scarf and Brave Bird or with U-turn to gain an advantage. Alternatively, it can be used as a utility Pokémon by trapping foes with Spirit Shackle, Defogging away hazards, or running Swords Dance coupled with Sucker Punch.

Other Pokémon

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Introduction

Water Monothreat is characterized by a large number of setup sweepers, making it difficult to effectively check all of them. This is a very offensive meta that can prove difficult to catch up in once your opponent gains an advantage. Given the large number of viable Water-type Pokémon, teams can vary greatly. Unfortunately, like many types, Water Monothreat can come down to important Speed ties that heavily change the flow of the game.

Major Threats

Keldeo

Keldeo is the first of the setup sweepers. Between Secret Sword and Hidden Power Electric, it is able to hit nearly every Pokémon in the meta at least neutrally. Checking Keldeo can be difficult due to its sheer power in STAB Secret Sword. Toxapex is the best defensive check, but it is stopped by Taunt, while some offensive checks include Azumarill, Greninja, and Tapu Fini.

Manaphy

Manaphy is the second of the setup sweepers. It sits at a comfortable base 100 Speed, only outpaced by Keldeo and Greninja. When given the opportunity, Manaphy can perform a clean sweep, needing to only pull off one or two Tail Glows to sweep entire teams. It has enough natural bulk to survive two unboosted Secret Swords from Keldeo from full health, as well as any unboosted attack Ludicolo can throw at it. Manaphy's fourth slot is flexible; it can run either an additional coverage move or Heart Swap. Heart Swap allows Manaphy to check Calm Mind Tapu Fini by stealing its stat boosts and enabling your Manaphy to sweep.

Mega Gyarados

Gyarados is the third of the setup sweepers. While it doesn't have as many opportunities to set up as the previous two Pokémon, when given the opportunity, it has a strong offensive presence. This is an example of a bulky Gyarados spread. 216 Speed EVs are enough to outpace maximum Speed Greninja after one Dragon Dance, and 40 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature are enough to OHKO Keldeo with Bounce at +1 Attack. Using Mega Gyarados often requires accurate predictions of when to Mega Evolve. While Gyarados itself is 4x weak to Electric, it is neutral to Grass and resistant to Fighting. However, once it Mega Evolves, it gains a new set of weaknesses for the trade of a reduced weakness to Electric, additional power, and increased bulk.

Tapu Fini

Tapu Fini is the fourth of the dangerous setup sweepers. It has great natural bulk, allowing it to safely set up on a fair number of Pokémon. While Tapu Fini isn't the fastest, Taunt is run to prevent Toxapex from utilizing Haze and Empoleon from utilizing Roar. It can either run Electric + Grass coverage or utilize powerful STAB Moonblast. Refresh is the last optional move, to be ran only as a Z-Move. Z-Refresh fully heals Tapu Fini, which can provide it with another longevity option aside from Leftovers.

Ludicolo

Ludicolo is the last of the setup sweepers. Interestingly, it often runs a physical set, because of the great coverage in Seed Bomb + Thunder Punch, along with boosting via Swords Dance. If given the opportunity, Ludicolo can cleanly sweep entire teams due to the power in +2 Seed Bombs and the speed given via Rain Dance and Swift Swim. Electrium Z is an optional item to OHKO Tentacruel from full at +0 and leave a large dent in Toxapex for the trade-off of having less overall power.

Other Pokémon

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Introduction

Psychic Monothreat is mainly an offensive metagame. It features a large number of setup sweepers, offensive wallbreakers, and speed control options. Even an archetype such as Trick Room is viable. Stealth Rock and Spikes are very important to dissuade your opponent from repeatedly using U-turn and to whittle down Victini, while dual screens can be utilized to enable your sweepers to set up with ease. Keeping up momentum in Psychic Monothreat is very important in gaining an advantage versus your opponent. Overall, teams must run at least one answer to Necrozma and offensive Mew, as otherwise they can easily sweep.

Major Threats

Necrozma

Necrozma is one of the largest threats in Psychic Monothreat. It has great defenses and an amazing ability for Monothreat. Prism Armor makes Necrozma only take 75% damage from super effective attacks, and in Monothreat, almost every attack hitting Necrozma will be super effective. It acts as a setup sweeper and can be almost impossible to stop without dedicated answers. It typically runs Darkinium Z to gain important OHKOs, as well as minimizing damage from Knock Off. While most teams rely on sheer damage to nullify Necrozma before it sets up, other teams may rely on Toxic damage.

Mew

With the buff to Leech Life, offensive sweeper Mew is a very threatening presence in Psychic Monothreat. It sports great 100 / 100 / 100 bulk even uninvested and hits hard with perfect Bug + Dark + Ghost coverage. It will typically run a type-resist Berry to reduce damage from a strong hit, notably from Darkinium Z Necrozma, therefore giving it an opportunity to set up with Swords Dance. Alternatively, it sometimes can run Z-Hypnosis to gain a +1 Speed boost and have the chance to put the foe to sleep. It is a riskier set to run, relying on RNG for the win, but it can act as a very strong wincon. Aside from offensive sets, Mew sometimes runs a defensive set, running utility moves such as Defog, Will-o-Wisp, Roost, and Knock Off.

Alakazam

Mega Alakazam is both a great offensive and utility Pokémon in Psychic Monothreat. It is the second fastest non-Choice Scarf Pokémon in the meta, only losing out to Deoxys-S. On top of this, Trace has the potential to steal a useful ability such as Serene Grace or Prism Armor. Aside from its great Speed and Special Attack, it is otherwise defensively squishy, able to be taken down by most physical attackers.

Victini

While Victini doesn't carry any super effective moves aside from U-turn, V-create hits every Pokémon in the meta like a truck. The Choice Scarf set allows Victini to work more effectively as a pivot, but the sheer power of Choice Band is invaluable to wallbreak. Quick Attack is more effective on a Choice Band set to revenge kill faster Pokémon or to prevent important Speed ties when the foe is in range of a KO.

Meloetta

Meloetta provides a very important Ghost immunity for your team, letting it switch in freely on Choice-locked Pokémon or with accurate predictions. It has a great movepool for Psychic Monothreat, being able to work as a pivot, hamper another Pokémon with Knock Off, and act as a strong or bulky special attacker.

Other Pokémon

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Get Out There!

Monothreat is a very interesting and different way to play Monotype. With each type forming its own metagame, there is plenty of room for innovation and exploration. If you're interested in trying out Monothreat, head on over to the Monotype room on Pokémon Showdown!, where Monothreat tournaments are frequently held.

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