How to do a fresh install

Hi all,

I think I know the answer to this but am just making sure. If I do a clean install as opposed to an update using OCLP, is it necessary to swipe the hard drive first, reinstall the last Mac supported OS and THEN create the patcher for the Mac OS I want?

Specifically....I'm on a mid 2012 13-inch MBP running Ventura. 16gb RAM and with an SSD (obvs). I want to upgrade to Sonoma in the hopes it will be a little faster and to that end am thinking about doing a clean install. The only issue I can foresee is importing all my mail accounts that aren't cloud based (which is a TON of mail).