Not gonna elaborate too much on the hazard discussion (I do think spikes should go but that's for another day), but I've seen this argument a couple of times and I feel like it misses the point.
Yes, this isn't the worst ever removal we've had in a metagame or anything, between Tusk, Hatt and Ace, and we definetly have ways to deal with them even if they stay up with Boots. This doesn't mean that it should stop Spikes from being looked into or that it can't be broken in this metagame. The removal decrease would be fine if not for the huge uptick of Spikes setters, especially viable ones. Great mons like Ting-Lu, Clod, Chomp, Glimm and Meow get the move while HRott gets a insanely busted version of it. Also, it's weird to not consider the huge increase of power we've had since the last metagame where removal was this dire, between Tera and power creep in general, and how a huge part of enabling those threats is Spikes.
personally I find Tusk to be inadequate hazard removal, and I think that is what honestly makes discussions around hazards annoying rn.
no, tusks is not adequate hazard removal against most hazard stack teams, aka HO. I'm seeing teams with 1-2 Ghost types (usually Gholdengo and Dragapult) because they can both accomplish big jobs on the same team, and even if you predict Defensive Tusks doesn't even OHKO most variants of both Pokemon, (and is the type of Tusk you'd want on most teams that rely on hazard removal)
0 Atk Great Tusk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo: 184-218 (58.4 - 69.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
let alone bulky, which I have seen
0 Atk Great Tusk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 224-264 (58.9 - 69.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 Atk Great Tusk Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Dragapult: 224-264 (70.6 - 83.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Gholdengo is especially a problem for this because it can often run Recover on Trick Scarf sets, and while it cannot immediately do so, if it finds an opportunity you have to restart the cycle of getting an opportunity to click Knock Off or Rapid Spin, getting the turns right, etc. etc.
Personally what makes this so much worse as well is the rise of Tera Ghost Ting-Lu, which is almost impossible for Tusks to get Spin off on, is bulky as shit in general, super viable, and can run Spikes itself.
Ok, you got the kill on the Ghost-Type. Now the HO team has momentum and sends out one of its crazy good Spatkers and you have to switch out. Keep dealing with the hazards, but next time you get Tusk in, you can spin. Got it. Awesome.
(I'm scarcely even going to talk about how the free opportunities for Tusk to freely get in are decreasing btw, as Kingambit is more and more seldom used until endgame, a lot of the current phys attackers don't mind it that much, and the setup Dragon Dancer sweepers don't really care alongside a bajillion new Spatkers dropping into the tier)
So now you are getting into the middle/endgame, and you finally got hazards off the field, hopefully, if that free momentum they obtained did not destroy your core.
either way they just kept hazards on the field for most of the game, and are also free to set them up once more. woo!
"okay so just run 4+ HDB lol!" and now the problem is actually thrown back in your face. tusks. Because this piece of shit is going to run Knock Off, meaning that even if you play against an opposing BO/Balance, now you must mutually suffer anyways, Splendid.
So, let's get the facts straight, There is no actually good hazard removal in the tier. Tusks as a removal is very flawed and exploitable. Hatterene gets worn down with no real recovery, and has a type that on a slow Pokemon is rife with weaknesses. Every HO worth its salt has an anti Corviknight plan, and Tusks if anything makes dealing with hazards harder.
It's no wonder that, frankly, teambuilding for anything but HO is a pain in the fucking ass. Everything in the tier is screaming at you to play with hazards up that mostly hurt you, and not the HO that rocks should, in practice, help to combat.
Run hazard stack HO and profit or run anything else and accept having to deal with them, which I'll also just say: is not fun.
i have zero solution btw, dont ban hazards thats dumb, im just sick of people acting like even Tusks is enough hazard removal for most teams lol