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Grass

Grass is quite a unique type in Monothreat, and its metagame is the polar opposite from how it was played last generation. SM Grass Monothreat revolved around special attackers such as Mega Venusaur and Roserade, but the removal of Hidden Power in SS dampened the offensive presence of these Grass / Poison-types, and made them struggle to break through Ferrothorn, an S tier threat. With that in mind, there are still numerous special attackers like Abomasnow, Alolan Exeggutor, and Silvally-Grass, but there is an increased emphasis on physical threats thanks to multiple Acrobatics users like Decidueye, Rillaboom, and Sceptile, Triple Axel Tsareena, and less common but usable Pokémon such as Dhelmise, Tapu Bulu, Virizion, and Zarude. The metagame is quite offensive and revolves around multiple setup strategies with Grassy Seed + Swords Dance, Trick Room, manual sun, and Tailwind.

Abomasnow

Impact

There are no Pokémon in Grass Monothreat that can rival Abomasnow's ability to simultaneously check a plethora of Pokémon both offensively and defensively. The combination of Snow Warning and Blizzard, allowing Blizzard to never miss, challenges teambuilding options due to only a few Pokémon not taking super effective damage. Not only does Abomasnow act as an immense offensive presence, requiring the usage of Pokémon such as special defensive Ferrothorn, opposing Abomasnow, or the recently seen Eject Button Amoonguss, it can also disrupt offensive weather strategies or defensive checks healing with Synthesis with by Snow Warning.

Role & Set Options

Abomasnow is the Pokémon that keeps sun archetypes in check, as it is the only Pokémon in the format that automatically sets weather and can fire back with strong, super effective coverage. Realistically, it is only an offensive Choice Scarf wallbreaker, but that is rarely a hindrance due to its extremely unique niche role and excellence at performing that role. In addition to Snow Warning and Blizzard, Abomasnow has Ice Shard and Aurora Veil to further support the team by revenge killing weakened foes or letting its teammates better take hits.

Decidueye

Impact

Decidueye does not have nearly the same impact as many high-tier threats, but it shares many traits with them and has its own fair share of unique qualities that allow it to excel. Many Pokémon in Grass Monothreat are weak to Flying-type coverage with the exception of Ferrothorn; however, thanks to Long Reach, Decidueye is immune to Ferrothorn's persistent residual damage from Iron Barbs and potential Rocky Helmet. This allows Choice Scarf Decidueye to be an effective pivot and maintain a potent offensive presence with Brave Bird. Decidueye is also the premier physical sweeper on Tailwind archetypes alongside Whimsicott, and its Ghost dual typing allows it to more easily take Poison- and Fighting-type coverage, both of which are seen in an abundance, to set up with Swords Dance.

Role & Set Options

The main disadvantage to Decidueye is its comparatively low base Speed among Pokémon such as Rillaboom, Sceptile, Choice Scarf Abomasnow, and Zarude. To combat this, Decidueye commonly runs Choice Scarf or takes advantage of Tailwind support from Whimsicott. The Choice Scarf set is used to weaken walls, gain momentum, provide priority with Shadow Sneak, and serve as a Fighting-type + Rapid Spin immunity. On Tailwind teams, Decidueye has more flexibility and can choose between focusing on Ghost- or Flying-type coverage, but it will take advantage of Swords Dance. Ghost-type coverage takes advantage of its STAB movepool and avoids resistance berries, namely Coba Berry, while Flying-type coverage is known to use the combination of Power Herb + Sky Attack with Acrobatics. Choice Band and Defog variants are also possibilities, especially if your team does not have an issue with Speed or if the player is expecting a slow build.

Rillaboom

Impact

Rillaboom made its presence known from the start of SS, even though it is comparable to Tapu Bulu, which was rarely seen in SM. Rillaboom has an assortment of useful attributes to bolster its usage, between Grassy Surge to support itself and the team, Flying- and Fighting-type coverage in Acrobatics and Superpower, and pivot potential with U-turn. Rillaboom singlehandedly gave rise to the extremely common and potent combination of Grassy Seed + Acrobatics, which made offense the primary strategy for the archetype. In a similar fashion as Abomasnow, Rillaboom forces hefty teambuilding constraints and incentivizes offensive teams to beat it by outspeeding it rather than relying on taking its hits.

Role & Set Options

The only set Rillaboom uses is the combination of Grassy Seed with Acrobatics and Bulk Up or Swords Dance. Rillaboom is most often seen with Sceptile because Grassy Terrain with a Grassy Seed greatly increases Sceptile's offensive presence. In addition, due to Rillaboom and Sceptile using the same coverage options, they can break through defensive walls for each other.

Ice

Ice Monothreat was graced with most of the same Pokémon as SM, with the exception of Mega Evolutions and Crabominable, and now has access to Heavy-Duty Boots. Hidden Power was lost, but only select Pokémon took advantage of it before; however, the loss of Z-Moves led to many changes. Currently, the metagame is very balanced, as Ice has a plethora of Pokémon for pretty much any niche, and no single Pokémon dominates the scene. Hail with Slush Rush Alolan Sandslash remains a dominant strategy, while Shell Smash Cloyster has had a huge drop-off in usage compared to previous iterations. Ice Monothreat is a fast metagame with many strong attackers between Kyurem, Galarian Darmanitan, Alolan Sandslash, and Glastrier, so positioning and having the Speed advantage are necessary traits to perform well. Defensive teams with Froslass, Piloswine, Avalugg, and Cloyster are also solid playstyles but are not easy to pilot with all the strong sweepers in the metagame.

Glastrier

Impact

Glastrier is certainly not a threat many players will prepare for in the builder because it is rarely seen, but ill-prepared teams will crumble after multiple attempts to KO it due to its surprisingly high defenses and Attack. It has a pure Ice typing, so pretty much any super effective coverage attack will hit it decently. With that said, only a handful of options have the potential to OHKO it outright, so many teams will usually need to expend multiple Pokémon to take it down. Glastrier has notable defensive walls that keep it in check, like Will-O-Wisp Froslass and Iron Defense Avalugg, and its usage is on the low end. Glastrier also needs more support than most due to its low base Speed and reliance on surviving attacks.

Role & Set Options

Glastrier has two unique sets at its disposal. The initial Glastrier set was a defensive Iron Defense + Body Press set that let it more heavily invest in Special Defense to keep it well-rounded. However, this set fell out of the metagame rather quickly due to losing the one-on-one against Iron Defense Avalugg, a metagame staple, and having difficulty with consistently setting up. Offensive Glastrier rose to prominence in its place, taking advantage of its base 140 Attack, Swords Dance, and Close Combat. Offensive Glastrier is usually seen with Heavy-Duty Boots and Galarian Mr. Mime for Healing Wish and Trick Room support, but Black Belt and Life Orb are also great items to OHKO Avalugg after Swords Dance and take advantage of Galarian Mr. Mime providing Rapid Spin.

Kyurem

Impact

It is rare to see a team without Kyurem because of its sheer power and unpredictability. Kyurem's impact on Ice Monothreat revolves less around trying to take an attack and OHKO back, like with Weavile or Alolan Sandslash, as it heavily encourages players to outspeed it and rewards clever positioning. Very few Pokémon in Ice Monothreat can successfully take on Kyurem's offensive presence because it has a sizable 130 base Special Attack, Flash Cannon, Focus Blast, and its ability to target down special walls with physical moves, most notably Iron Head. Only a handful of Pokémon in Ice Monothreat can rival Kyurem's natural bulk, as it has balanced defenses and relatively high base HP, and many players will often trade a Pokémon with Kyurem to take it down.

Role & Set Options

Kyurem takes advantage of its set versatility and multiple setup options. Kyurem was graced with Dragon Dance this generation, allowing it to boost its Attack for Iron Head, and has both Flash Cannon and Focus Blast for physical tanks like Avalugg and defensive Cloyster. Alternatively, Kyurem can solely focus on its Special Attack and rely on Flash Cannon and Focus Blast. The least used but still effective set uses Kyurem's typing, HP, and defensive stats to stomach pretty much any one physical move. Its claim to fame is being able to stomach Galarian Darmanitan's Flare Blitz and healing back with Roost while still having a respectable offensive presence and Speed compared to Avalugg.

Weavile

Impact

Weavile is seen as the must-use Pokémon in the format. Ice Monothreat has a plethora of useful Pokémon, ranging from a defensive Stealth Rock setter in Piloswine to a hail sweeper with both Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin support in Alolan Sandslash. The Speed and power that Choice Scarf Weavile offers is simply unmatched, as it defines the format's Speed tier, even outspeeding Slush Rush Alolan Sandslash under Hail, and is the best revenge killer.

Role & Set Options

Weavile has a unique niche with its high base Speed and an above-average physical movepool. Choice Scarf Froslass and Weavile are the only Pokémon in the format that can outspeed Cloyster after a Shell Smash. While Froslass can more reliably OHKO Cloyster, Weavile is the prime choice because it can effectively threaten an OHKO against other Pokémon such as Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan, opposing Weavile, and Alolan Ninetales with options like Low Kick, Knock Off, and Iron Tail. Weavile also has priority in Quick Attack and STAB Foul Play to do extra damage to Cloyster and potentially circumvent Chople Berry.

Psychic

When someone thinks about Monothreat, Psychic is often one of the first types that come to mind because it is a relatively simple metagame on the outside with a plethora of options and nearly boundless innovations at your disposal. Psychic Monothreat was gifted Galarian Slowking this generation, which took over Meloetta's role and helped with the numerous special attackers. Mega Gallade was a huge loss for Psychic Monothreat, as it had unprecedented dominance over the metagame between Knock Off, Shadow Sneak, high base Speed and Attack, and neutrality to Dark and Bug. With Mega Gallade out, many new offensive threats have emerged between Azelf, setup sweeper Mew, and Latios. Slowbro + Galarian Slowking is the premier defensive core, and they are the defensive benchmarks that all offensive Pokémon prepare for due to how sturdy they are together.

Azelf

Impact

Azelf's presence in Monothreat as opposed to regular Monotype is a huge step up. Azelf is the premier physical wallbreaker and fastest Choice Scarf user in the metagame. It provides valuable revenge killing and can effectively run a mixed set, allowing it to easily handle the core of Galarian Slowking and Slowbro with Knock Off and Signal Beam. Azelf is also immune to Spikes, Psychic's hazard of choice, so it is not easily worn down after multiple pivots.

Role & Set Options

The two main sets Azelf currently uses are physical Choice Scarf and mixed Expert Belt. Choice Scarf Azelf runs Knock Off, U-turn, Trick, and either Stealth Rock or Explosion, depending on if the player needs a last resort check to Tapu Lele. Mixed Expert Belt Azelf cleanly OHKOes Galarian Slowking with Knock Off and 2HKOes Slowbro with Knock Off into Thunderbolt. Even without Choice Scarf, Azelf is a potent threat and can easily make openings for itself. Its main weakness is its frail nature, and it is the most vulnerable Pokémon to priority due to Psychic Terrain not protecting it.

Mew

Impact

Mew's impact can not be understated, as it is the best glue across all Monothreat types. Mew has access to all tutorable moves in-game, so its movepool depth is unmatched. This, in combination with base 100 stats, makes Mew an outlier from pretty much any Pokémon. Mew is still known for specific offensive and defensive sets, but they are never guaranteed and must be carefully considered.

Role & Set Options

Mew can perform a diverse range of roles, but its main sets include being an offensive setup sweeper or bulky lead with Spikes. Mew has Dragon Dance and a plethora of strong coverage options in Poltergeist, Sucker Punch, Beat Up, Leech Life, Knock Off, making it quite the formidable threat to check defensively. Foul Play is a huge asset against offensive Mew because of its general reliance on physical moves. Bulky lead Mew typically runs healing, Knock Off, Spikes, and Gunk Shot, which is specifically for Hatterene, or U-turn; it is the sole Spiker in the format with Deoxys not in SS.

Galarian Slowking

Impact

Galarian Slowking is the pinnacle specially defensive wall in Psychic Monthreat. It cannot be poisoned, making Toxic Spikes an unviable strategy, and it is incredibly difficult to break through when paired with Slowbro. Psychic Monothreat is generally heavily special-centric between Alakazam, Latios, Tapu Lele, and Galarian Slowking itself, so many players see Galarian Slowking as a necessary evil simply because of the support it provides.

Role & Set Options

Galarian Slowking is most well-known for its role as a bulky status spreader and special defensive tank. It always runs Slack Off and commonly runs Thunder Wave, Hex, and Sludge Bomb. Galarian Slowking can also run Calm Mind to act as a wallbreaker and get the upper hand against opposing Galarian Slowking, but it is far less consistent and vulnerable to any physical powerhouse such as Victini or Azelf.

Grass

Alolan Exeggutor

Alolan Exeggutor's strength is all Grass / Poison type Pokémon's weakness. It is the most efficient way to deal with Ferrothorn because of its access to Flamethrower, high base Special Attack, and low base Speed, allowing it to easily OHKO Ferrothorn and take minimal damage from Gyro Ball. Aside from Appletun and Cradily, both of which are rarely seen, Alolan Exeggutor gets a 2HKO if not an OHKO on every switch-in, making it a very potent offensive option. It also acts as the premier Trick Room sweeper with its diverse coverage, ability to tank Ice Shard from Abomasnow, and ability to set up Trick Room for itself.

Tangrowth

A hidden gem, Tangrowth has seen very little usage across all Monothreat generations and hadn't been considered much in SS Monothreat either until recently. Tangrowth's main attribute is its insane physical bulk in combination with Regenerator, allowing it to easily tank a majority of threats. It gets reliable recovery with Synthesis, it uses Sludge Bomb and Focus Blast to damage all Grass-types, including Ferrothorn, and it runs Rocky Helmet to punish U-turn users. It can also comfortably tank +2 Acrobatics from Sceptile and fire back with Sludge Bomb, which no other Pokémon can do without Coba Berry. However, Tangrowth has the downside of being vulnerable to special attackers, so Abomasnow, Alolan Exeggutor, and Silvally-Grass are all problems for it.

Ice

Arctovish

Taking into account how physically bulky Ice Monothreat is with Avalugg, defensive Cloyster, and the rarely seen Walrein and Lapras, in conjunction with the arguably best Pokémon in the type, Kyurem, resisting Arctovish's primary move, Fisheous Rend, Arctovish was quite overlooked in the metagame and sat at D on the VR until recently. Both factors continue to hurt its viability, but it was found that Arctovish can use the combination of Power Herb + Meteor Beam to essentially get rid of its main checks. However, even with Slush Rush, it is slow and underspeeds Alolan Sandslash as well as Choice Scarf Weavile, an Ice Monothreat staple, under Hail. Alternatively, Choice Scarf Arctovish outspeed both threats under Hail and OHKOes with Fisheous Rend, but it has a harder time dealing with its defensive checks.

Froslass

Froslass is one of the go-to Pokémon everyone gravitates toward when they first play Ice Monothreat because it is the only Pokémon in that is immune to one of Ice's natural weaknesses: Fighting. It has Spikes, Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and even Switcheroo or Trick. Its role as the sole spin-blocker is less necessary with the addition of Heavy-Duty Boots and, in a similar vein, its role as a Spiker is nerfed. A majority of the metagame is physical and relies on a specific move, either after setting up or on a Choice item set, so Froslass's ability to burn with Will-O-Wisp and potentially disable threats and prevent Pokémon from using Fighting-type coverage pretty much throughout the entire match only bolsters its viability.

Psychic

Celebi

When you think of Pokémon that naturally do well against other Psychic-types, Celebi is not one that comes up often. Celebi does not help with any of Psychic's natural weaknesses; in fact, Celebi makes the team more vulnerable to Bug-type coverage, and it also naturally loses against Pokémon such as Victini, Galarian Slowking, Latios, and Jirachi. With all that said, Celebi is still a solid Pokémon in the metagame, with its combination of Swords Dance + Sucker Punch, reliable recovery in Recover + Natural Cure to absorb status, and Grass typing to offensively and defensively, surprisingly enough, threaten common walls such as Slowbro and absorb Bolt Strike from Choice-locked Victini. These traits, in conjunction with its supportive movepool in Stealth Rock, U-turn, Heal Bell, Leech Seed, and Healing Wish, allow Celebi to be a successful specially defensive tank.

Latios

Latios does not have many viable sets in Psychic Monothreat, but its Choice Specs set is certainly nothing to take lightly. Psychic lost Meloetta, so the only Ghost immunity now is Indeedee-M. While Indeedee-M is usable, it cannot match Meloetta. Choice Specs Shadow Ball Latios can 2HKO, if not OHKO, the entire metagame aside from Assault Vest Galarian Slowking unless entry hazards are up or it took prior damage. Latios also has a fantastic Speed tier, which only Pokémon such as Alakazam and Azelf outpace it, further solidifying its offensive presence. Latios can run a mixed set as well to break through the core of Galarian Slowking + Slowbro, but that set is harder to support, requires more prediction, and gives the opponent more opportunities.

Honorable Mention: Flying

Moltres

From a quick glance, Moltres does not look great in a metagame where Rock-type moves are in abundance and Electric-type coverage and rain with Pelipper + Mantine exist, but Moltres has a niche no other Flying-type can replicate. It threatens Steel / Flying types like Celesteela and Corviknight and also cripples Fire-resistant Pokémon like Aerodactyl, Dragonite, Gyarados, and Salamence with Will-O-Wisp. This allows Moltres to support its partners by threatening problematic walls, crippling physical sweepers, and acting as a late-game sweeper with Agility. The abundance of Rock-type coverage and rain keeps Moltres at bay, though, so it is not always easy getting Moltres in a good position.

Salamence

Salamence is generally overlooked, both as a teammate and a threat, with its 4x weakness to Ice, lack of useful STAB moves, and most importantly, difficulty breaking through defensive cores consisting of Landorus-T + at least one Flying / Steel type. Its strong suit is as a late-game sweeper that can take advantage of its relatively high base Speed, base 100 stats, neutrality to Electric, and combination of Rock Slide + Moxie. Pairing Salamence with a teammate that can take advantage of Steel-types such as Moltres or Zapdos is a huge asset. There are other Pokémon that can play a similar role, such as Aerodactyl and Landorus-T, but Salamence's bulk, in combination with its ability to break down its own checks and require minimal setup compared to the other two, gives it a distinct niche.