Mini Splattling: Thoughts and Analysis

[HappyBear801]

An all-new weapon has just been released, the Mini Splattling! This fast-playing entry in the Splattling class has a very quick charge time, high mobility, and rapid fire rate in comparison to the normal Heavy Splattling. However, the time of its ink fire is reduced, the range is shorter, and it kills in 4 shots instead of 3.

Sub Weapon: Suction Bombs

Special Weapon: Inkzooka

So, now, give your thoughts and analysis on the Mini Splattling.

NOTE: This is not taking over WaifuRaccoonBL's threads, but merely stepping in as he appears to be quite busy as of late.

 

[PK21]

I LOVE IT!!! I wanted to use this Splatling once I saw the leaked images since the regular splatling felt... meh. But I love this weapon!

Also a few errors, both splatlings kill in 4 hits (5 if the opponent has 3 defense ups) and you said the Hydra Splatling in the last paragraph. :p

 

[The Claw]

Mini splatling seems better than it's heavy counterpart. It basically has an increase in range and power with it's sub and special, so I'll probably highly recommend having special charge up if you don't already do.

Also I think it still kills if it's half charged

 

[aceofscarabs]

Mini Splatling is basically a Tentatek combined with a Squiffer in some ways.

Having goofed around with this weapon for a bit, I can say that Walk Speed Up really makes a difference when strafe-walking and firing at the same time.

Charging is at the same kind of speeds as the Squiffer and Bamboozler, it's absurdly fast. You can basically start charging and sidestep out of cover/concealment with a full charge almost immediately.

Range is noticably shorter than the standard Heavy Splatling (Splasha), but it feels more manuverable and has less speed penalties during usage. Circle-strafing will basically allow you to ruin many Shooter users's days.

Having the same Special and Sub as the Tentatek means a similar Ink Saver/Sub Booster "grenadier" skill build will work just as well. You could also go with a Special-oriented skill build with Special Charge Up/Special Duration Up. An aggressive "mobile mini-sentry" build with BOTH Walk and Swim Speed Up supported with some Ink Saver Main or Attack Up is also pretty viable.

 

[Tyrfing]

TLDR; at the end.

Mini splatling seems better than it's heavy counterpart. It basically has an increase in range and power with it's sub and special, so I'll probably highly recommend having special charge up if you don't already do.

I strongly disagree, you are underestemating the Heavy Splatling and it is not that easy comparing these two. You are right about the Special Charge though.
The Heavy Splatling fulfils an absolutely different role, so you can't just say the Mini is better. But if you still want to compare them like that: In most cases the Heavy should kill the Mini due to the range. A single bomb and a limited Special will not completely make up for the loss of range. Also: The Heavy Splatling is a more defensive weapon and should make use of its Splash Wall, whereas the Mini Splatling is way, way, way more aggressive. And do not forget: A skilled H. Splatling user is able to close combat with his H. Splatling, too.




But to the topic itself: While I myself love the Mini SPlatling, I do think that there are only few reasons to really use it.
1. You're a Splatling main, therefore switching between Heavy Splatling and Mini SPlatling is a bit easier than between Heavy Splatling and Tentatek.
2. You're bad at using the Heavy Splatling but want to get into Splatlings -> The Mini Splatling is a lot easier to pick up.
3. You just want to use it becase you just want to have fun - and this is absolutely fine.

Now let's come to the issues I see:
First of all it does not fulfil the role of a Heavy Splatling. Now while this is in general not that big of an issue, I'll come to this later.

Its stats are way too close to the Tentatek. It has almost the same time to kill, it has only slightly better range but it is less mobile and it has to charge up which the Tentatek does not have to. Yes I am aware the charge is really short, but that doesn't change the fact, that the Tentatek does not have to charge at all.

Last point: It's loadout is the Tentatek's.
Now let's look at the real problem: It is basically overshadowed by the slightly more efficient Tentatek. They will most likely fulfil similar roles due to the Mini's aggressive nature and the really short range. Therefore, for most people, generally everyone who is used to Shooters, the Tentatek will most likely be the superior choice. Now the problem is, you can't use it like a Heavy Splatling. The Heavy favours a more defensive playstyle with its long range - someting the Mini can't.
Therefore why use the Mini when the Tentatek exists? It's as easy as I mentioned above: Easier switch for Splatling mains, you want to learn SPlatlings overall or you just want to have fun.


I will say it once again, I LOVE the Mini Splatling, it's great to see how different it is from my beloved Heavy SPlatling, and I am definitely going to use it myself, as it's a bit easier to switch between to weapons of the same kind. But I think for most people, the Tentatek would be the better choice.
This will however change as soon as the Zink version gets released. For now I am convinced that the Zink version of the Mini Splatling is going to be the REAL Mini SPlatling gun.



Edit: I might, of course, be wrong since it has not been 24 hours since its release, but right now, this is how I view it.
By the way, there is a typo in the thread's title. It should be SplaTling with one t.
Edit2: Also Aceofscarabs listed some nice points in his/her post.

TLDR; It's a Tentatek for those who main Splatlings, its a lot of fun, it looks great, the Zink version is going to be awesome. But don't overestimate it because you want it to be "the best weapon". It still plays different than a Tentatek, though.

 

[aceofscarabs]

Video footage of a Japanese player trying out the Mini Splatling. Bonus: Information on the Japanese Splatfest.

 

[Heart of Ice]

I'm thankful that I didn't wake up to a thread like "*insert weapon that hasn't been out for 24 hours* OP?"

TLDR; at the end.


I strongly disagree, you are underestemating the Heavy Splatling and it is not that easy comparing these two. You are right about the Special Charge though.
The Heavy Splatling fulfils an absolutely different role, so you can't just say the Mini is better. But if you still want to compare them like that: In most cases the Heavy should kill the Mini due to the range. A single bomb and a limited Special will not completely make up for the loss of range. Also: The Heavy Splatling is a more defensive weapon and should make use of its Splash Wall, whereas the Mini Splatling is way, way, way more aggressive. And do not forget: A skilled H. Splatling user is able to close combat with his H. Splatling, too.




But to the topic itself: While I myself love the Mini SPlatling, I do think that there are only few reasons to really use it.
1. You're a Splatling main, therefore switching between Heavy Splatling and Mini SPlatling is a bit easier than between Heavy Splatling and Tentatek.
2. You're bad at using the Heavy Splatling but want to get into Splatlings -> The Mini Splatling is a lot easier to pick up.
3. You just want to use it becase you just want to have fun - and this is absolutely fine.

Now let's come to the issues I see:
First of all it does not fulfil the role of a Heavy Splatling. Now while this is in general not that big of an issue, I'll come to this later.

Its stats are way too close to the Tentatek. It has almost the same time to kill, it has only slightly better range but it is less mobile and it has to charge up which the Tentatek does not have to. Yes I am aware the charge is really short, but that doesn't change the fact, that the Tentatek does not have to charge at all.

Last point: It's loadout is the Tentatek's.
Now let's look at the real problem: It is basically overshadowed by the slightly more efficient Tentatek. They will most likely fulfil similar roles due to the Mini's aggressive nature and the really short range. Therefore, for most people, generally everyone who is used to Shooters, the Tentatek will most likely be the superior choice. Now the problem is, you can't use it like a Heavy Splatling. The Heavy favours a more defensive playstyle with its long range - someting the Mini can't.
Therefore why use the Mini when the Tentatek exists? It's as easy as I mentioned above: Easier switch for Splatling mains, you want to learn SPlatlings overall or you just want to have fun.


I will say it once again, I LOVE the Mini Splatling, it's great to see how different it is from my beloved Heavy SPlatling, and I am definitely going to use it myself, as it's a bit easier to switch between to weapons of the same kind. But I think for most people, the Tentatek would be the better choice.
This will however change as soon as the Zink version gets released. For now I am convinced that the Zink version of the Mini Splatling is going to be the REAL Mini SPlatling gun.



Edit: I might, of course, be wrong since it has not been 24 hours since its release, but right now, this is how I view it.
By the way, there is a typo in the thread's title. It should be SplaTling with one t.
Edit2: Also Aceofscarabs listed some nice points in his/her post.

TLDR; It's a Tentatek for those who main Splatlings, its a lot of fun, it looks great, the Zink version is going to be awesome. But don't overestimate it because you want it to be "the best weapon". It still plays different than a Tentatek, though.

Honestly, I think the mini splatling is actually BETTER than the tentatek. It covers waaaaaay more ground and considering how many shots it can crank out after a really short charge, means that even if your aim is crap you could still easily pick up a kill.

 

[HappyBear801]

I LOVE IT!!! I wanted to use this Splatling once I saw the leaked images since the regular splatling felt... meh. But I love this weapon!

Also a few errors, both splatlings kill in 4 hits (5 if the opponent has 3 defense ups) and you said the Hydra Splatling in the last paragraph. :p

Fixed it. I guess I'm too much on the anticipation train for pretty much every upcoming weapon (seriously, where is my Seeker Rush already?).

Anyway, as for my thoughts on the weapon: it's pretty fun, like the normal Heavy Splattling, but not for me. I had a hard time getting kills with it, and although I got them, it felt wierd for me, since I'm so used to my secondary (RBD) and getting kills by backing up, while this one encourages rushing forward. Ah, well that's just a bit if a nit pick. I did get kills, and just like the Heavy Splattling, it felt ever so satisfying to get them. Inking turf also felt very efficient and rewarding with this weapon, as did inking up walls and climbing to new areas to take more territory. The sub and special are ones that I am used to (though not in that combination, since I don't use the Tentatek Splattershot at all), so I had no problems there. Overall, I like this weapon, it's just better for those suited to Splattlings with an agressive playstyle.

 

[Lonely_Dolphin]

Good stuffs

Heh I came to a similar conclusion in the original thread. To elaborate a bit more, movement is the most important thing in this game, especially for these types of weapons, thus with the only real difference between the Tentatek and Mini Splatling being the latter's less mobility that automatically makes it outclassed. The Mini Splatling is just slower at flanking, escapes, ambushes, bum rushes, squid strafeing, and so ons what with that delay before it can shoot.

I completely agree that Zink Mini Splatling is where it's gonna be at. The main weapon itself is still basically a Splattershot, but now it has a new and unique loadout that give it different advantages and strategies from the Tentatek making it worth using. It's sub n special circumvent it's slower movement by giving enemys worse mobility with Disruptors, and the Bubbler makes all movement options safe since you can just shield if you weren't fast enough.

 

[ZainreFang]

This weapon is Inkbrush/Rapid Blaster tier.

It can do well in certain situations but there's really no point of it when you have the regular Splatling.

 

[curry time]

This weapon is Inkbrush/Rapid Blaster tier.

It can do well in certain situations but there's really no point of it when you have the regular Splatling.

You mean Tentatek. It fills a much different niche than the regular Splatling.

It's basically a Tentatek with a faster time-to-kill and slightly better range, but with the rather significant downside of having to spool up for every kill. That alone makes the weapon much less flexible and reliable than the Tentatek. Placing it on Inkbrush/Rapid Blaster tier is a bit unfair since it actually kills things.

Still, it's really fun.

EDIT: Actually, I'm not so sure on that time-to-kill, since the Mini requires an extra shot to kill.

 

[Floati]

This weapon is Inkbrush/Rapid Blaster tier.

It can do well in certain situations but there's really no point of it when you have the regular Splatling.

Inkbrush fills a niche unoccupied by anything else (It's very effective at what it does as well)- that's not the consensus so far with the mini-splatling... I enjoy the weapon though.

 

[Elecmaw]

I like this weapon over the Tentatek, i don't think it's any better at the moment but to me it's way more fun to use! Suction + Zooka are always really good on weapons no matter what.

And even if there's a weapon that does it's job better overall doesn't mean it should immediately belong in bottom tier. It's still very useable so far.

 

[Smoothshake317]

This weapon and tentatek comparison:

Tentatek: Has instant shooting with unlimited time to shoot and higher raw power per shot
Rounded up a 29% raw power increase
Mini: Has a much faster fire rate and a higher effective range
50% faster fire rate (according to frame data) and a 16% effective range increase (I estimated the range to be about 2.9 lines effective)

TTK: Assuming that all of the shots from both weapons hit and that the mini splatling is at full charge when t=0, the ttk is actually the same for both weapons taking 12 frames for both of them.

 

[HappyBear801]

This weapon and tentatek comparison:

Tentatek: Has instant shooting with unlimited time to shoot and higher raw power per shot
Rounded up a 29% raw power increase
Mini: Has a much faster fire rate and a higher effective range
50% faster fire rate (according to frame data) and a 16% effective range increase (I estimated the range to be about 2.9 lines effective)

TTK: Assuming that all of the shots from both weapons hit and that the mini splatling is at full charge when t=0, the ttk is actually the same for both weapons taking 12 frames for both of them.

Mini Splattling also has slightly better accuracy.

 

[ZainreFang]

You mean Tentatek. It fills a much different niche than the regular Splatling.

It's basically a Tentatek with a faster time-to-kill and slightly better range, but with the rather significant downside of having to spool up for every kill. That alone makes the weapon much less flexible and reliable than the Tentatek. Placing it on Inkbrush/Rapid Blaster tier is a bit unfair since it actually kills things.

Still, it's really fun.

EDIT: Actually, I'm not so sure on that time-to-kill, since the Mini requires an extra shot to kill.

Inkbrush fills a niche unoccupied by anything else (It's very effective at what it does as well)- that's not the consensus so far with the mini-splatling... I enjoy the weapon though.

The problem is you have to walk up to a pretty close range and then charge the weapon so that can make it a little difficult to manage. It's kind of like the Squiffer except that you don't instakill and your shots get blocked more easily.

 

[LMG]

Mini Splattling also has slightly better accuracy.

Actually, the Splatlings' accuracy might wobble less to the sides, but shots can also go higher or lower than the place you're aiming at, so I'd say it's debatable

 

[Heart of Ice]

People that rely on Tentatek's inkzooka should take a look into this weapon. Due to the fact it covers turf much more efficiently, inkzooka can be whipped out much more often. Seriously, I can get the zooka 4-5 times (and possibly even more if you're on a big map like Kelp Dome) in a ranked battle.

EDIT: Please note I was using Tenacity, but no special charge ups. But I do the same thing with the tentatek so..... yeah.

EDIT 2: Bahahahaha, this thing is hilarious. I went 19-1 in B rank with this thing. I died once losing the inkzooka, but I reclaimed it in about 10 seconds without special saver. It also 1v1s much more consistently.

I have a strong hunch that this is MUCH better than the Tentatek. Don't sleep on this weapon guys, it'll make you eat those words.

 

[Cuddlefish]

So how long do we think the wait for the Zink will be?

Not to sound impatient, but yeah, I agree with everyone else that the different sub and special loadout will make it the superior version, so much so that I think the only use this version of the Mini will get is the wait till the Zink comes out. That's a point I wonder if I should be contested on, you've heard my opinion, but do you think this version of the Mini Splatling will still be viable once the Zink is an option?

 

[HappyBear801]

So how long do we think the wait for the Zink will be?

Not to sound impatient, but yeah, I agree with everyone else that the different sub and special loadout will make it the superior version, so much so that I think the only use this version of the Mini will get is the wait till the Zink comes out. That's a point I wonder if I should be contested on, you've heard my opinion, but do you think this version of the Mini Splatling will still be viable once the Zink is an option?

Oh yes. The Zink won't be able to do much on some stages, particulary the ones that favor ranged combat to close-quarters combat (such as Saltspray Rig, Camp Triggerfish, and Moray Towers).The Zink will be more effective in stages like Kelp Dome, Blackbelly Skatepark, and Port Mackerel, which favor shutting opponents down to get kills in close combat situations. In fact, for people that have a lot of trouble in Port Mackerel on Splat Zones, the ZMSt could be the weapon to help them out there.

As for the wait, it might be a while. We still have a ton of weapons to get. We still need more Slosher weapons, including the name and appearence of the slower, powerful entry in that weapon class, not to mention the H-3 Nozzlenoses and Rapid Blaster Pros. We might not get it until after next Splatfest, come to think of it.