What are the pros and cons of the different hazard leads in the current meta? I wanna build more HO teams, but not sure if I should be using glimmora/deo-s/samurott etc. I liked sash+Leaf Storm meow earlier in the metagame, is that still good?
Glimmora: This can get up toxic spikes as well as other hazards, which can sometimes be devastating to teams that do not have many boots users/don't have poison types. It can also hit quite hard with its moves. Sadly, it is weak to many common mons, such as tusk the premier rapid spinner and dies very quickly. This is best for HO (hyper offense) teams.
Deoxys-Speed: Is the fastest thing in the metagame, so is guarenteed to get up one layer of hazards no matter what. It also can threaten tusk for super effective damage with psycho boost and has a lot of utility options such as taunt, screens and t-wave. However, it is quite frail and also dies very quickly. This is best for HO teams, but can work on bulkier teams.
Hamurott: Is able to ignore Hatterene's magic bounce which can sometimes be the biggest issue with hazard leads. Is also able to deal big damage with this and razor shell, which can deal big damage to tusk. Has a lot of options to choose from such as encore, sacred sword, flip turn and priority. Is even bulky if invested. It is weak to a lot of common priority moves though, and is slower than Deo-S, while not getting up something like toxic spikes which the slower Glimmora can. This is best for HO teams, but also can work on bulkier teams.
Realised I said they are all best for HO teams, lmao. Ultimately, your decision for lead is up to preference, they all fill different roles but do have shortcomings.
Sash+Leaf Storm Meow is not really too good, if you want to use it as a lead, then it is outclassed by every other lead here, as while spike is good, most can do something more than just damage, which while good, isn't the point of a hazard lead most of the time. You can definetely use it still, it won't be horrible, but other hazard leads are better. If you are talking about it as a non-lead, normal meow is better, as it has a much higher damage output.
