UMotM Spotlight: Monocolor
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Art by DaWolfKid.
What is the Unofficial Metagame of the Month?
Unofficial Metagames serve as a catch-all term for a wide range of formats that are cart-legal but otherwise do not stand on their own as a fully-fledged format for any number of reasons. The Unofficial Metagame of the Month serves to provide some of these metagames that can't support full year-round ladders with a monthly spotlight ladder. This month, the UMotM is Monocolor!
What is the Concept of Monocolor?
As far back as the third generation, the Pokédex became capable of declaring any Pokémon a specific color. In the time since "blue offense," some Pokémon have gone through some color shifts, while others would occasionally be torn between their in-game data and the mobile Pokémon HOME lists, but all colors have reached a point of legitimacy and viability in the late-generation SV format.
However, not all colors are created equal in Monocolor, as it mirrors its conceptual neighbor, Monotype. While none are outright worth ignoring, some colors are more threatening than others. Additionally, many types can make use of Pokémon less often seen in standard OU, where the niches they bring can help patch up a color's weaker spots, such as Fezandipiti or Okidogi providing Black a more defensive profile a lot of its best Pokémon is otherwise lacking.
Threats in Monocolor
Blue
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Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay
Glimmora @ Power Herb
Samurott-Hisui @ Choice ScarfPutting aside any linguistic or color theory conversations about the distinction between blue and green, you will see a lot of OU presence in Blue, with Pokémon like Garchomp, Primarina, and even Dondozo and Toxapex presenting a deep well of options on the bench for teambuilders to select from. Even less common options like Azumarill can find success here, with many combinations available should one attempt to mix and match to make Blue stew.
The presence of Alolan Ninetales basically locks up snow and Aurora Veil to Blue, providing strong defensive support to more offensive options in the color. Glimmora brings both entry hazard removal and setup, which many colors often struggle to fit comfortably, alongside a one-time "Big Damage" button to prevent it from sapping too much momentum. And just in case you didn't think Blue had enough utility, Hisuian Samurott combines big damage and hazard setup to provide opposing teams a painful sting that only keeps hurting throughout the course of a battle. Disregarding Blue in the builder is a quick trip to finding yourself blue on the ladder.
Yellow
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Keldeo @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Haxorus @ Loaded DiceYellow is a great example of the versatility of Monocolor: each color is limited to a select group of Pokémon, which enables less commonly seen Pokémon to have success. While sure, nobody is trying to downplay the effectiveness of Gholdengo and Raging Bolt, and Ribombee's presence makes Sticky Web an existential threat to any color that can't easily pack entry hazard removal (especially when paired with the capitalist string cheese), there are plenty of powerful Pokémon that aren't seen much elsewhere making good progress on Yellow.
Keldeo is not entirely absent from other metagames, but on Yellow, it serves many possible roles, ranging from a fast Calm Mind sweeper with potent STAB coverage to a defensive pivot to even a Choice item user. However, Haxorus and Galarian Zapdos are rarely seen in OU-type metagames, given the presence of others that frequently outclass them. In Galarian Zapdos's case especially, the presence of Zapdos would usually spell its doom due to the Species Clause, but in a more defensively leaving color, the more offensive presence of the Galarian bird is considered exceptionally beneficial.
Green
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Rillaboom @ Choice Band
Hawlucha @ Grassy Seed
Comfey @ Life OrbWhile no type is outright the "gimmick" type, Green is the one that has combinations like Politoed + Basculegion / Ludicolo and Rillaboom + Hawlucha. Even specific Pokémon like Sinsitcha, Serperior, and Hydrapple lean into the perspective that Green has a lot of "skill check" options—if you're prepared and knowledgeable, these strategies are unlikely to sweep you at Team Preview, but if you're careless, Green can quickly overrun you.
Comfey is a known commodity, as its rare Triage ability makes it difficult to revenge kill, and Taunt gives it a unique avenue to shut down non-traditional means of removal such as phazing. Rillaboom and Hawlucha do much of what they do in OU and other similar metagames: set up Grassy Terrain and make use of Unburden to outpace the entire metagame and threaten lethal damage on anything that can't resist either Pokémon's range of attacks. And just in case you thought you were through after dealing with either one, there's a Dragapult waiting in the back to ruin your endgame.
Purple
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Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Hoopa-Unbound @ Choice Specs
Goodra-Hisui @ Assault VestFor those who enjoy a bulkier playstyle that doesn't necessarily give up the ability to land some heavy hits, Purple sits comfortably in the bulky offense to balance range of the spectrum, featuring a number of utility stars alongside its fair share of offensive behemoths. Great Tusk and Corviknight go unlisted for the latter, but Ceruledge, Cloyster, and Polteageist are also present for explosive runaway potential if you leave them unwatched for even a turn or let Grimmsnarl do its work before they come in.
Gliscor acts here like it does in most every tier it is present in, locking in powerful regeneration via Poison Heal and threatening a snowball sweep should you be unable to crack through its armor. Hoopa-U benefits from Monocolor's restrictions on teambuilding, with many teams likely to struggle against its absurd power output when limited to a much smaller selection of defensive options. Hisuian Goodra stands out as a Pokémon uniquely viable in Monocolor due to those restrictions, however, earning a spot on teams due to incredible defenses and a surprisingly useful utility movepool of attacking moves.
Conclusion
For those who focus on aesthetics or want a new challenge selecting from limited Pokémon pools, Monocolor is right up your alley. With only ten colors available but no overlap between color categories, each type feels meaningfully different and holds unique powers and challenges to overcome. No type is totally outclassed or unviable, though fans of Pink and Big Stall might find their depth of selection a bit narrower than most. Monocolor is the UMotM for the month of April and can be found as a ladderable format in the Ladder Spotlight section. You can discuss it in the forum thread, Unofficial Metagames Discord, and the Unofficial Metagames room on Pokémon Showdown! See you on the ladder!
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