The Monotype tiering council has reviewed the legality of a couple elements in ORAS Monotype.
The first is Shadow Tag. Shadow Tag was always a contentious part of Monotype, and one that never got a chance on the tiering chopping block due to the presence and suspects of a different incredibly controversial Pokemon. However, the ability is no less uncompetitive in ORAS than it was in SM, and it was voted out of SM Monotype by public vote. In ORAS, the ability still allows the user to very reliably remove specific threats to their team while the opponent has few to no realistically reliable counterplay options. The ability was deemed uncompetitive in SM, and the reason it was considered uncompetitive is directly translatable to ORAS as well. The ability exacerbates specific matchups, causes a skill requirement differential, and lacks counterplay, so for these reasons, the council has decided to ban Shadow Tag from ORAS Monotype.
The second is Baton Pass. Baton Pass is currently allowed under an old clause that permits its use with certain limitations that was inherited from other tiers. Due to the nature of Monotype, the possibility of building around Baton Pass is an unfair expectation. The very unique nature of Baton Pass results in a strategy that relies on teambuilder matchup in such a way that is not conducive to a competitive metagame, as its effects are felt even more greatly due to Same Type Clause. In SM Monotype, Baton Pass Clause was removed and the move itself was banned, as the clause was found to be lacking and the restricted move was still considered uncompetitive. As explained in that decision, this was a concern the ORAS tiering council had actually considered when ORAS was the main metagame, but we ultimately chose to fall in line with Smogon's Baton Pass tiering precedents. With SM Monotype banning the move outright, the council has voted to use the same reasoning and bring the tiering decision down from SM to ban Baton Pass from ORAS Monotype.
We would also like to see discussion on Medichamite from the community. While ORAS is much different from SM, the sheer power of Mega Medicham is just as relevant in ORAS as it was in SM. Feel free to comment on Medichamite and your thoughts on whether it should be allowed.
This thread may be used to discuss any of these topics and/or their effect on ORAS Monotype. As always, all discussion must follow Monotype forum rules. Tagging The Immortal to implement these changes.
