Generation 9 Monotype, Singles Format Reference
Gen 9 Monotype is the Smogon Singles format where every Pokémon on your team must share at least one common type. The constraint produces an entirely different metagame from OU, type strengths and weaknesses cascade across the whole team rather than being patched piecemeal.
Cartridge
Scarlet & Violet
Type
6v6 Singles, single-type teams
Constraint
All 6 Pokémon share ≥1 type
Defining list
Per-type bans + Monotype-specific banlist
One typing decides everything : your offensive coverage, your defensive walls, your matchup chart. Picking a type is choosing a deck, and the deck is fixed for the whole game.
At a glance
Monotype is built on a single rule with cascading consequences : every Pokémon you bring must share at least one type with every other Pokémon on your team. Dual-typed Pokémon are eligible for any of their types. The format runs on the standard Singles 6v6 framework, but every other strategic decision flows from your chosen type.
Monotype shares Smogon's standard Singles clause set with OU, Sleep Clause, Species Clause, Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause, etc., and layers on a per-type banlist plus a Monotype-wide ban list for Pokémon that are too strong even with the type constraint. Tera mechanics are legal but Tera type is restricted to a Pokémon's native typing in Monotype, preventing the constraint from being trivially bypassed.
- Format type6v6 Singles, all six brought to battle, type-shared teams
- ConstraintEvery team Pokémon shares ≥1 type with every other (dual-types eligible for either)
- MechanicsTera legal but restricted to native types, no off-type Tera surprises
- BanlistOU-banned Pokémon + per-type bans + Monotype-wide bans
- Where it's playedPokémon Showdown ladder + Smogon Monotype tournaments. Live tier page: /sv/monotype.
Format rules
Monotype layers two banlist constraints on top of standard Singles, per-type bans (e.g. specific Pokémon banned only on certain types where they'd be too strong) and Monotype-wide bans for Pokémon too oppressive across multiple types.
| Clause / Rule | Effect |
|---|---|
| Sleep Clause | Only one opposing Pokémon may be put to sleep at a time. |
| Species Clause | Each team can only carry one of any given species. |
| Evasion Clause | Evasion-boosting moves and abilities are banned. |
| OHKO Clause | Sheer Cold, Fissure, Horn Drill, Guillotine are banned. |
| Endless Battle Clause | Battle states that cannot end are forbidden. |
| Same Type Clause | All six Pokémon must share at least one type, the defining Monotype constraint. |
| Tera Type Clause | Tera type is restricted to a Pokémon's native typing, preserves the type-share constraint. |
| Per-type bans + Monotype banlist | Specific Pokémon banned on certain types, plus tier-wide bans. |
Type strength tiers
Not all 18 types are created equal in Monotype. Smogon's Monotype community informally tiers each type by competitive viability, type pools with deep movesets, multiple roles, and strong Pokémon clusters reach the top.
High-tier types (Gen 9 trends)
Types like Steel, Fairy, Water, and Dragon typically run near the top, deep Pokémon pools, multiple offensive identities, and reliable defensive cores. Ghost and Psychic have spent stretches at the top in past gens via Mega Evolutions or specific Pokémon (Hatterene, Iron Valiant variants).
Middle-tier types
Fire, Grass, Electric, Ground, Dark, Flying, Fighting, all have viable teams but typically rely on a narrower set of cores. Matchup-dependent against the top types.
Lower-tier types
Bug, Rock, Ice, Normal, Poison, historically struggle against the top types. Their pools lack reliable defensive walls or top-end offensive ceilings. Ladder players still bring them, but tournament use is rare.
Archetypes
Monotype archetypes mirror standard Singles, Hyper Offense, Balance, Stall, but each is scoped by the chosen type. A Steel HO looks nothing like a Water HO ; they share the role label but draw from disjoint Pokémon pools.
Aggressive
Hyper Offense
Six offensive Pokémon of the chosen type. Common build : hazard lead + Choice Band wallbreaker + Choice Specs special breaker + setup sweeper + priority cleaner. Type-specific, Steel HO leans on Iron-prefix Pokémon, Water HO on Booster Energy abusers.
Balance
Bulky Offense
3-4 offensive Pokémon plus 2-3 defensive pivots from the same type pool. Most types have at least one reliable defensive core ; thin types (Bug, Ice) struggle to find these.
Defensive
Stall
Six defensive Pokémon. Stall is restricted to types with deep defensive pools, Steel, Water, Fairy. Types like Fire or Bug rarely produce viable stall.
Specialty
Weather mono
Some types stack weather setters that share the type. Ground + Sand setters, Water + Rain setters, Fire + Sun setters all viable on their respective monos.
Setup
Setup spam
Types with multiple setup sweepers stack them. Dragon Dance Dragon, Calm Mind Psychic, Swords Dance Steel, picking 3-4 setup sweepers and supporting them all is a common strategy.
Trick Room
TR offense
Slow types (Steel, Ghost, Psychic) often run Trick Room teams that flip the speed equation. Setters + slow wallbreakers exploit the 5-turn window.
Team roles in Monotype
The seven structural roles still apply, but every role must come from the chosen type. Some types lack certain roles entirely, forcing creative substitutions or accepting structural gaps the other side will exploit.
Type-locked. Steel has deep options (Heatran, Skarmory drops, Iron Treads). Bug has Sticky Web specialists. Some types (Normal, Ice) lack reliable hazard setters entirely.
Steel has multiple removers, Water has Defog, Flying historically has access. Types without removers (Bug, Ice on bad days) suffer hazard tax all game.
Slow types (Steel, Ghost) lean on Trick Room ; fast types (Electric, Flying) lean on Choice Scarf. Priority access varies wildly by type.
Limited type-specific options. Sylveon (Fairy) Heal Bell, Clefable (Fairy) Magic Guard. Most types lack a clean answer to Toxic and need to play around it.
Bug has multiple U-turners, Electric has Volt Switch, Psychic has Teleport. Slow pivots build tempo on Trick Room teams.
Every type has at least one wallbreaker, but quality varies. Top types stack two, physical and special, for matchup coverage.
Type-locked setup sweepers. Dragon Dance, Calm Mind, Swords Dance, pick the type-appropriate variant and build the team to enable +1 / +2 turns.
What makes Monotype different
Monotype rewards type knowledge over universal Pokémon mastery. Knowing which Pokémon answer which threats matters less than knowing which TYPES counter your type, because every threat that resists your STAB cascades across all six slots.
↑
Type lock-in
Picking a type sets the ceiling
↑
Matchup variance
Some matchups feel decided turn 1
↓
Defensive flexibility
Resistances are type-locked
- Matchup-locked games, Steel vs Fire feels close to lost from preview ; Fairy vs Steel similarly. Mastering the "fight from behind" matchups is core skill.
- Cascading weaknesses, every Pokémon resisting Fairy resists your whole team's STAB. Coverage moves matter more than in OU.
- Tera as the constraint, Tera lets a single Pokémon flip a matchup, but Tera Type Clause prevents Tera-baiting an off-type counter ; Tera is mostly used to remove a 4× weakness or boost STAB.
- Smaller pools, each type has 30-100 viable Pokémon in Gen 9. Builder mastery comes from knowing your type's 20 best, not from broad gen-wide knowledge.
How to get started
Monotype has a smaller community than OU but a passionate one. The format rewards specialization, most top players pilot one or two types deeply rather than all 18.
- Pick a high-tier type first, Steel, Water, Fairy, or Dragon. Mid-tier types are playable but punish builder mistakes more harshly.
- Read Smogon's Monotype hub, banlist + Tera Type Clause canonical there.
- Copy a sample team, Smogon's Monotype samples are vetted ; tier shifts rotate them but baseline structures stay valid for your type.
- Ladder Pokémon Showdown, Gen 9 Monotype ladder is active. Start at 1300, climb by understanding your type's top matchups.
- Watch tournament VODs, Smogon Monotype Premier League, Monotype Tournament, both showcase top-level type-specific play.
Where to go from here
The above is the static reference for Gen 9 Monotype. Live tier data, usage by type, top Pokémon per type, recent shifts, lives in the rest of Pokékipe.
- Live tier data, /sv/monotype for Monotype usage and Pokémon stats per type.
- Mechanics, Gen 9, Scarlet & Violet covers Tera mechanics and the Gen 9 engine.
- Adjacent tiers, Gen 9 OU (the standard Singles tier), Gen 9 Ubers (the no-holds-barred tier).
- Tier shifts, Timeline tracks Monotype banlist updates and per-type rises/drops.