About the Splat Roller
Excellent at laying down Ink
Close-Range Weapon
Limited Range
Has a Projectile attack
Does not excel at Inking walls
Overview
This weapon does best in game modes like Turf War, where the objective is to cover as much of the level in ink as possible. The Splat Roller ultimately succeeds in this, due to its wide ink trail and great mobility. While the Splat Roller is great for laying down ink for your allies, this weapon should be played like a “run and gun” (In this case, run and roll… Or just roll, better yet). The reason for this is mostly due to its poor range. When faced with a Splattershot or Charger-type weapon, the Roller is ultimately beaten in range. In 1v1, 2v1, and even 3v1 situations, a Roller’s best course of action is to retreat in the pathway that they've been creating. Sure, the Roller has excellent power; but what does that matter if your mobility and movement options are cut off due to enemy inking?
From what I’ve seen, the Roller does best when with a partner; preferably, a Splattershot- type weapon. Rollers can lay down the path for their allies, while the Splattershot could combat enemies coming from the front. In situations like this, the Roller can either retreat, or try and go for the Splatter while the enemies are distracted by your teammate.
Speaking of Splatting opponents, be aware that the Roller is equipped with a ranged attack; a close to mid-range spray of ink. This attack has a horrid rate of fire, and seems to take ~2 shots to kill. While your best attack is just rolling into opponents, it’s important to watch your opponent’s movement, and use your projectile to pressure them. Always retreat and ask for assistance when necessary.
The default loadout of the Splat Roller has a Suction Bomb as your Sub, and the Killer Wail as your Special. Both of these weapons make up for the Roller’s poor range, and can all be utilized efficiently and effectively to dominate the other team. For example: Suction Bombs can be strategically placed to trap opponents, or to bait opponents out of cover and into range of your attack. The Killer Wail can be used to clear a cluster of enemies, or as a way to pressure the other team into retreating, giving you time to either recharge, retreat, or ink over the territory.
Rollers tend to stay on the ground level of most maps. This is mainly due to the Roller’s poor ability to ink walls. Besides; even if a Roller has a partner to ink the wall for them, there’s no point in inking a small area designed for a Charger weapon, then coming back down. Rollers are most effective when they are on the move, inking forgotten hallways during the last minute of a Turf War, or getting a surprise Splatter on an enemy during Splat Zones, before capping the point.
Team Comp
Right now, it’s tough to say what the most effective composition would be for competitive play. However, I theorize that a team would be put at an incredible disadvantage if every single person played as a Roller. At first glance, it would appear that you and your team are covering tons of ground extremely quickly. While this is true, your team is outranged by the other three weapon types: Splattershot, Charger, and Blaster. I'd imagine a successful team would be a Roller, Splattershot, Charger, and Brush. The Brush could act as the scout for the team, laying down a sprinkler early to build up the special meter. Chargers lay down the ink trail for teammates, while also giving support from a distance. Rollers can team with Splattershots to cover ground and return fire if forced to retreat.
Keeping pressure on the opponents is crucial for teams to succeed in any game mode; Splat Zones, Turf War, etc. Though we'll see how the meta develops, I'm excited to see some high level Roller gameplay in the future!
Excellent at laying down Ink
Close-Range Weapon
Limited Range
Has a Projectile attack
Does not excel at Inking walls
Overview
This weapon does best in game modes like Turf War, where the objective is to cover as much of the level in ink as possible. The Splat Roller ultimately succeeds in this, due to its wide ink trail and great mobility. While the Splat Roller is great for laying down ink for your allies, this weapon should be played like a “run and gun” (In this case, run and roll… Or just roll, better yet). The reason for this is mostly due to its poor range. When faced with a Splattershot or Charger-type weapon, the Roller is ultimately beaten in range. In 1v1, 2v1, and even 3v1 situations, a Roller’s best course of action is to retreat in the pathway that they've been creating. Sure, the Roller has excellent power; but what does that matter if your mobility and movement options are cut off due to enemy inking?
From what I’ve seen, the Roller does best when with a partner; preferably, a Splattershot- type weapon. Rollers can lay down the path for their allies, while the Splattershot could combat enemies coming from the front. In situations like this, the Roller can either retreat, or try and go for the Splatter while the enemies are distracted by your teammate.
Speaking of Splatting opponents, be aware that the Roller is equipped with a ranged attack; a close to mid-range spray of ink. This attack has a horrid rate of fire, and seems to take ~2 shots to kill. While your best attack is just rolling into opponents, it’s important to watch your opponent’s movement, and use your projectile to pressure them. Always retreat and ask for assistance when necessary.
The default loadout of the Splat Roller has a Suction Bomb as your Sub, and the Killer Wail as your Special. Both of these weapons make up for the Roller’s poor range, and can all be utilized efficiently and effectively to dominate the other team. For example: Suction Bombs can be strategically placed to trap opponents, or to bait opponents out of cover and into range of your attack. The Killer Wail can be used to clear a cluster of enemies, or as a way to pressure the other team into retreating, giving you time to either recharge, retreat, or ink over the territory.
Rollers tend to stay on the ground level of most maps. This is mainly due to the Roller’s poor ability to ink walls. Besides; even if a Roller has a partner to ink the wall for them, there’s no point in inking a small area designed for a Charger weapon, then coming back down. Rollers are most effective when they are on the move, inking forgotten hallways during the last minute of a Turf War, or getting a surprise Splatter on an enemy during Splat Zones, before capping the point.
Team Comp
Right now, it’s tough to say what the most effective composition would be for competitive play. However, I theorize that a team would be put at an incredible disadvantage if every single person played as a Roller. At first glance, it would appear that you and your team are covering tons of ground extremely quickly. While this is true, your team is outranged by the other three weapon types: Splattershot, Charger, and Blaster. I'd imagine a successful team would be a Roller, Splattershot, Charger, and Brush. The Brush could act as the scout for the team, laying down a sprinkler early to build up the special meter. Chargers lay down the ink trail for teammates, while also giving support from a distance. Rollers can team with Splattershots to cover ground and return fire if forced to retreat.
Keeping pressure on the opponents is crucial for teams to succeed in any game mode; Splat Zones, Turf War, etc. Though we'll see how the meta develops, I'm excited to see some high level Roller gameplay in the future!
