Suicide leads

[wolf]

Suicide leads like Focus Sash Excadrill, Greninja, Azelf, Landorus-T, and Heatran. Do you use them? Is it worth getting entry hazards up at the expense of (probably) being 5-6?

 

[FireSnow]

I definitely think it can be worth it but it depends on the opponent's team, Like if I see a Fini or Zapdos for example, I'd rather wait and try to use it later on after dispatching the team's defogger or rapid spinner rather than set up, die, and then lose the hazards within in a couple turns. When I do use them though, Focus Sash Exca and Froslass are my favorites.

 

[gimmepie]

These days I prefer not to use them. With how common powerful hazard control mon like Fini, Zapdos and Exca are, it makes more sense for your hazard setter(s) to be a sustainable mon that can come in reset hazards over and over.

 

[Sirfetch’d]

Much less effective with team preview obviously but I do think they can have merit. On balanced offense/stall they are rather useless but on hyper offensive playstyles I think they are actually quite good. Getting up a layer or two of Spikes, Stealth Rock, or dual screens can easily set up a sweep for a team that can provide enough offensive pressure.

 

[5qwerty]

Drill is coming back a bit because everyone is running Leftovers Lando instead of Rocky Helmet, which does beat Drill if you're willing to take a Toxic (depends what the drill player wants to do). It will usually end up with both sides having SR on the field.

There was a team running around with double suicide leads in Drill and Gren, so you got rocks, spikes, and tspikes. Gren packed Taunt and Ice Beam, but I think Shadow Sneak could be in the last slot instead of Ice Beam to spin block (but who spins now), so I guess Ice Beam was the better option.

Diancie lead is becoming a thing, if you run Max HP you can take an EQ from Jolly Drill, Lando, Chomp in regular forme and then get up your own rocks, then Endeavor the next turn. It's definitely not a traditional suicide lead (and you are wasting your Mega slot on it), but like lead Heatran and Lando it can catch your opponent off guard.

 

[WingedDragon]

Personally I prefer looks and ones who can take attacks. For me its easier to plan what I want to do with whats in front of me regardless of who I am facing

 

[PlatinumDude]

I understand the appeal of suicide leads, but I don't use them myself because I'm paranoid of the hazards that were set up being eliminated by Rapid Spin or Defog, which is why I stick to bulkier hazard setters like Ferrothorn.

 

[MachoPony]

if you had asked me a few gens ago then yes, azelf with stealth rocks hitting hard and possibly scoring a double KO with a nice fat explosion was great in Gen 4, and in lower tier gen 5 (even higher tier sometimes) it was fun to bring a normally slower rock type with strong attack like gigalith and either set up stealth rocks the explode with a custap berry, or explode with a normal gem immediately.

nowadays though i find it better to have a cohesive team, a "Lead" isn't really needed unless entry hazards or something are a primary focus for your team, and even then they should fit another role like being a pivot or a hard hitter as well as just throwing down some spikes or SR. but certainly a lead that's just there to do something then die isn't going to be as useful anymore in my opinion.