Are Brushes that bad?

[Blobface]

I've been reading some posts here and it seems that almost everyone thinks Brushes are horrible for ranked, and I find it really odd. I'm rank A steadily going up and I've used literally nothing but Inkbrush (Splat zones) and Octobrush (Rainmaker and Tower Control) the whole time.

I really enjoy playing Brushes and I have a very mindgame-y playstyle that revolves around being able to ink a large amount of ground very quickly, and I can't think of any other weapon that does that as well as the Inkbrush/Octobrush.

Thoughts?

 

[SlimyQuagsire]

Yes. They are that bad. The Octobrush isn't too bad, but the Inkbrush is awful.

 

[[EJ]_Locke]

Yes. They are that bad. The Octobrush isn't too bad, but the Inkbrush is awful.

No, octobrush is amazing.

 

[SlimyQuagsire]

It's above average.

 

[Ryuji]

Inkbrushes are much more useful in Turf Wars. In Ranked they're pitifully worthless.

 

[LMG]

It depends on how you use them. If you're trying to win straight up gunfights with shooters or chargers, or duels with rollers (or just trying to splat anything with 10 limbs in general), you're going to have a bad time. If you're using them form harassment, then they're pretty decent. Earlier I had one Inkbrush keeping my team at bay by constantly throwing ink down the ramps of Moray Towers, to the point where I had to stay back and constantly create a path for my team to push up, effectively removing me from the offense while he could still defend the push (although that was Turf Wars, but in Tower Control or Rainmaker it can have a similar effect)

 

[Kaliafornia]

The biggest thing is about inkbrushes especially is that they are easily out ranged, so there is no reason to get within inkbrushes' range enough to die. Octobrush isn't bad in ranked but you cannot carry with it and you success is hinged on your team opening up opportunities for you.

 

[Blue24]

I hate Octobrushes in TC and Rainmaker

 

[ILikeKirbys]

Well, maybe. Depends on which you're referring to, and for what mode.

Keep in mind, the following is all just my opinion, and could be completely incorrect. Also keep in mind, the following is pretty long, so there's a TLDR at the bottom of the post if you don't feel like reading all of it.

For Turf War, all are fine, though for different reasons. Vanilla Inkbrush has unparallelled speed while brushing and Sprinkler/Inkstrike to snag large areas quickly, though you want to avoid combat outside of ambushing and faces competition from the N-Zap '89 due to having the same loadout (the '89 lacks speed while attacking, but has better range, allowing it to function in combat). Inkbrush Nouveau isn't as good for inking turf, but its Ink Mines can hold areas or surprise nearby attackers and Bubbler is good for passing to teammates; it's a support weapon, but not terrible. The Octobrush trades speed for a bit more range and respectable power, though it still moves fairly quickly, can use Squid Beakons to get fallen teammates (or yourself) back into the fight faster, and it has Kraken for when you're cornered, though it still shouldn't be winning in direct combat against anything above Splattershot range without Kraken.

For Splat Zones, the Vanilla Inkbrush's turf-covering and ambushing capabilities can be very annoying, but in non-ambush combat it's useless, so it has to stick to inking, which it's good at, but it can't really help in combat without serious stealth skills; it's certainly usable, but difficult. The Inkbrush Nouveau has to play pure defense unless it has a Bubbler, dropping Ink Mines in a Zone and ambushing foes as they come for them, and passing Bubbler to teammates when it gets popped (or popping when it's attacked), and it has no way to harass at range due to its loadout (Vanilla at least has Sprinkler/Inkstrike to try to take Zones from a distance); it's usable, but I wouldn't pick it over the original. The Octobrush is serviceable in combat, though you should still stick to ambushes mostly due to your still-shortish range, but it excels at supporting your team with well-placed Beakons, inking up Zones quickly with its larger swings, and annoying enemies with the Kraken; definitely usable, though the Krak-On Splat Roller is good competition for it (trading speed for power and a bit more range), though both are alright in my opinion.

For Tower Control, the Vanilla Inkbrush is out of its element; it can throw Sprinklers on the tower to ink areas passively as it moves and drop Inkstrikes on an enemy-controlled Tower to free it up for your teammates to retake it, but your lack of range means you'll struggle to hit anything on the tower without Inkstriking it or climbing on, which can be risky; it has its strengths, but I wouldn't recommend it. The Inkbrush Nouveau is better on the Tower, with Ink Mines to keep its top covered in your ink and splat inkvaders trying to get on and Bubbler to keep yourself alive on the Tower (thus pushing it forward a bit more), but your lack of range means you're a sitting duck to Chargers and Blasters looking to shoot the Tower (though Bubbler can alleviate this briefly); it's a decent pick, at least in my opinion. The Octobrush has decent power and some range, letting it attempt to fight back against close-up attackers to the Tower, and its Squid Beakons can give teammates flanking opportunities along the Tower's route or get them on the Tower without leaving an easy super-jump-ring to aim Chargers at, and the Kraken is great for staying alive on the Tower and discouraging potential boarders; it's usable, and I like using it.

For Rainmaker, the Vanilla Inkbrush's speed lets it reach the Rainmaker faster than the other team, and it can shatter the Rainmaker's shield easily by planting a Sprinkler just outside of it; when it's overlapped by the shield, it doesn't get destroyed and keeps shooting into it, letting you passively help break the shield, and Inkstrikes let you shield-break from a long distance or impede the Rainmaker's progress while the enemy has it, and though it once again struggles in direct combat, it might be passable for attacking the Rainmaker carrier, since they cannot shoot their one-shot mega-inknado very quickly; it's certainly an alright pick, in my opinion. The Inkbrush Nouveau suffers in this mode, as its only real strength here is Bubbler-passing and attacking the Rainmakef carrier, or carrying the Rainmaker itself; otherwise, its speed doesn't matter since it can't pop the shield quickly and Ink Mines will be detonated by Rainmaker inknados long before they would be in the blast radius, making them mildly annoying at best; I wouldn't recommend it, but I'm sure it's usable. The Octobrush shouldn't go for the Rainmaker at the start of the match; instead, it should go around placing Beakons for its teammates, inking a path for them to use when they get the Rainmaker and charging Kraken for if the other team gets the Rainmaker (or to ink a path for your team's Rainmaker while simultaneously assaulting the enemy team, making them retreat or get splatted), and you can always double back if the enemy team gets the Rainmaker, and you can perform pretty well in attacking the Rainmaker carrier and anyone guarding them, though you still shouldn't go for open combat if you don't have to; it's in more of a support role, but he Octobrush can pull its weight here.

TLDR: Inkbrush works best in Turf War, but is okay for Splat Zones and Rainmaker. Inkbrush Nouveau is serviceable in Tower Control and Splat Zones, but I can't see a reason to pick it elsewhere. Octobrush is pretty good in all modes, but faces competition from the Krak-On Splat Roller in terms of its role on a team (support, but with some firepower). At least, that's what I think.

So, is any of that correct? I only use the Octobrush seriously, pull out the Inkbrush on occasion, and loathe the Inkbrush Nouveau, so I'm not entirely sure if I'm right about that.

No, octobrush is amazing.

Ah, why exactly? I mean, I like it too and I think it's pretty good, but I wouldn't call it amazing.

 

[Zoot]

Inkbrush techniques require you to set your sights on an enemy target, then ninja your way (by swimming or rolling) over to them to take them out. In ranked, that means taking your eye off the objective for far too long, so unless you're really clever about it you'll be putting your team at a disadvantage. It's also not great at taking out groups of players, and people do tend to bunch up together in ranked battles.

If you can make it work, don't let anyone stop you. Tell us your secrets!

 

[Noise Tank]

inkbrush is useless for anything about A rank. Octobrush is pretty good, but you're better off with a roller still.

gr8 wall of text

ty for using paragraphs

 

[Xeiros]

The Octobrush Nouveau is easily going to be the best Brush for ranked once it comes out. Its Splat Bomb and Inkzooka combo make it comparable to the vanilla Carbon Roller as both are weapons that emphasize constant motion with offensive pressure.

One of this weapon’s primary flaws is its limited range. There are numerous scenarios where it has no real means of directly confronting the enemy and is forced to flank to see any positive results. Splat Bombs provide this weapon with a much needed mid-range threat. They can be tossed up into high points to flush bad guys out or used to force enemies into going where you want them to. They can also be quickly rolled across the ground as a means of direct offensive pressure thanks to their shorter timer. If someone is pursuing you during an attempted retreat, just drop a bomb and keep going; this will either cut them off or actually kill them. It opens up a plethora of combat options for it.

Just like with the Carbon Roller and Luna Blaster before it, the Inkzooka is without a doubt the best special weapon it could ask for. What better way to help close range weapons than to give them the best long range special weapon in the game. Thanks to it those weapons can safely challenge what would have otherwise been nigh untouchable directly.

As for the Octobrush's ink consumption, the quickest way to drain your tank by far is to paint/roll with it. The only times you should ever be painting is if you need to get from point A to either point X or anywhere but point A (you're retreating) as quickly as possible and there's either no ink or more likely enemy ink between your and your destination. In any other scenario, your primary movement should consist of a combination of splashing with swimming. You should only be painting in short bursts.

 

[Marshall]

The Brushes aren't all that horrible for Ranked Battles. It all comes down to your play style and strategy. You can't just go against shooters head to head and expect to win, you gotta be strategic. I personally find the brushes useful for quick swift kills for supporting the team.

 

[Karonax]

Enormous wall of text

You should break up your posts by thoughts into smaller bits, it was really hard to read that without losing what line I was reading.

 

[aceofscarabs]

The basic Brush seems to work fine in Splat zones. Inkstrike + Sprinkler means you can help secure/battle for control of the Zone and/or force enemy snipers to reposition while moving to flank and backstab enemies.

Noveau Brush is cool for Tower Control. Bubbler makes for sick clutch tower pushes, and Inkmine means either area denial, harassment, or even booby-trapped towers. In splatzones the Ink Mines are hilarious for boobytrapping enemies bee-lining to the Zone.

 

[[EJ]_Locke]

Well, maybe. Depends on which you're referring to, and for what mode.

Keep in mind, the following is all just my opinion, and could be completely incorrect. Also keep in mind, the following is pretty long, so there's a TLDR at the bottom of the post if you don't feel like reading all of it.

For Turf War, all are fine, though for different reasons. Vanilla Inkbrush has unparallelled speed while brushing and Sprinkler/Inkstrike to snag large areas quickly, though you want to avoid combat outside of ambushing and faces competition from the N-Zap '89 due to having the same loadout (the '89 lacks speed while attacking, but has better range, allowing it to function in combat). Inkbrush Nouveau isn't as good for inking turf, but its Ink Mines can hold areas or surprise nearby attackers and Bubbler is good for passing to teammates; it's a support weapon, but not terrible. The Octobrush trades speed for a bit more range and respectable power, though it still moves fairly quickly, can use Squid Beakons to get fallen teammates (or yourself) back into the fight faster, and it has Kraken for when you're cornered, though it still shouldn't be winning in direct combat against anything above Splattershot range without Kraken.

For Splat Zones, the Vanilla Inkbrush's turf-covering and ambushing capabilities can be very annoying, but in non-ambush combat it's useless, so it has to stick to inking, which it's good at, but it can't really help in combat without serious stealth skills; it's certainly usable, but difficult. The Inkbrush Nouveau has to play pure defense unless it has a Bubbler, dropping Ink Mines in a Zone and ambushing foes as they come for them, and passing Bubbler to teammates when it gets popped (or popping when it's attacked), and it has no way to harass at range due to its loadout (Vanilla at least has Sprinkler/Inkstrike to try to take Zones from a distance); it's usable, but I wouldn't pick it over the original. The Octobrush is serviceable in combat, though you should still stick to ambushes mostly due to your still-shortish range, but it excels at supporting your team with well-placed Beakons, inking up Zones quickly with its larger swings, and annoying enemies with the Kraken; definitely usable, though the Krak-On Splat Roller is good competition for it (trading speed for power and a bit more range), though both are alright in my opinion.

For Tower Control, the Vanilla Inkbrush is out of its element; it can throw Sprinklers on the tower to ink areas passively as it moves and drop Inkstrikes on an enemy-controlled Tower to free it up for your teammates to retake it, but your lack of range means you'll struggle to hit anything on the tower without Inkstriking it or climbing on, which can be risky; it has its strengths, but I wouldn't recommend it. The Inkbrush Nouveau is better on the Tower, with Ink Mines to keep its top covered in your ink and splat inkvaders trying to get on and Bubbler to keep yourself alive on the Tower (thus pushing it forward a bit more), but your lack of range means you're a sitting duck to Chargers and Blasters looking to shoot the Tower (though Bubbler can alleviate this briefly); it's a decent pick, at least in my opinion. The Octobrush has decent power and some range, letting it attempt to fight back against close-up attackers to the Tower, and its Squid Beakons can give teammates flanking opportunities along the Tower's route or get them on the Tower without leaving an easy super-jump-ring to aim Chargers at, and the Kraken is great for staying alive on the Tower and discouraging potential boarders; it's usable, and I like using it.

For Rainmaker, the Vanilla Inkbrush's speed lets it reach the Rainmaker faster than the other team, and it can shatter the Rainmaker's shield easily by planting a Sprinkler just outside of it; when it's overlapped by the shield, it doesn't get destroyed and keeps shooting into it, letting you passively help break the shield, and Inkstrikes let you shield-break from a long distance or impede the Rainmaker's progress while the enemy has it, and though it once again struggles in direct combat, it might be passable for attacking the Rainmaker carrier, since they cannot shoot their one-shot mega-inknado very quickly; it's certainly an alright pick, in my opinion. The Inkbrush Nouveau suffers in this mode, as its only real strength here is Bubbler-passing and attacking the Rainmakef carrier, or carrying the Rainmaker itself; otherwise, its speed doesn't matter since it can't pop the shield quickly and Ink Mines will be detonated by Rainmaker inknados long before they would be in the blast radius, making them mildly annoying at best; I wouldn't recommend it, but I'm sure it's usable. The Octobrush shouldn't go for the Rainmaker at the start of the match; instead, it should go around placing Beakons for its teammates, inking a path for them to use when they get the Rainmaker and charging Kraken for if the other team gets the Rainmaker (or to ink a path for your team's Rainmaker while simultaneously assaulting the enemy team, making them retreat or get splatted), and you can always double back if the enemy team gets the Rainmaker, and you can perform pretty well in attacking the Rainmaker carrier and anyone guarding them, though you still shouldn't go for open combat if you don't have to; it's in more of a support role, but he Octobrush can pull its weight here.

TLDR: Inkbrush works best in Turf War, but is okay for Splat Zones and Rainmaker. Inkbrush Nouveau is serviceable in Tower Control and Splat Zones, but I can't see a reason to pick it elsewhere. Octobrush is pretty good in all modes, but faces competition from the Krak-On Splat Roller in terms of its role on a team (support, but with some firepower). At least, that's what I think.

So, is any of that correct? I only use the Octobrush seriously, pull out the Inkbrush on occasion, and loathe the Inkbrush Nouveau, so I'm not entirely sure if I'm right about that.


Ah, why exactly? I mean, I like it too and I think it's pretty good, but I wouldn't call it amazing.

It is called an exaggeration. I am in the same boat as you.

 

[ILikeKirbys]

The Octobrush Nouveau is easily going to be the best Brush for ranked once it comes out. Its Splat Bomb and Inkzooka combo make it comparable to the vanilla Carbon Roller as both are weapons that emphasize constant motion with offensive pressure.

One of this weapon’s primary flaws is its limited range. There are numerous scenarios where it has no real means of directly confronting the enemy and is forced to flank to see any positive results. Splat Bombs provide this weapon with a much needed mid-range threat. They can be tossed up into high points to flush bad guys out or used to force enemies into going where you want them to. They can also be quickly rolled across the ground as a means of direct offensive pressure thanks to their shorter timer. If someone is pursuing you during an attempted retreat, just drop a bomb and keep going; this will either cut them off or actually kill them. It opens up a plethora of combat options for it.

Just like with the Carbon Roller and Luna Blaster before it, the Inkzooka is without a doubt the best special weapon it could ask for. What better way to help close range weapons than to give them the best long range special weapon in the game. Thanks to it those weapons can safely challenge what would have otherwise been nigh untouchable directly.

As for the Octobrush's ink consumption, the quickest way to drain your tank by far is to paint/roll with it. The only times you should ever be painting is if you need to get from point A to either point X or anywhere but point A (you're retreating) as quickly as possible and there's either no ink or more likely enemy ink between your and your destination. In any other scenario, your primary movement should consist of a combination of splashing with swimming. You should only painting in short bursts.

Wait, OctoNouveau gets Inkzooka?! Seriously? That's awesome! I thought it had Splat Bomb Rush, and that would've been neat too, but Inkzooka is pretty great as well.

But I still think it's got competition from the original Octobrush for best brush in Ranked. Both do different things, with the original being more supporty with the fastest speed to get to good Squid Beakon-drop spots (among Beakon-having weapons, anyway) while having Kraken for offense in bursts or running away while invincible (or just sitting on the Tower), while the Nouveau looks like it'll be better for attacking since it has Splat Bombs and Inkzooka. Both will be good, for sure, but I think which is better will come down to what your team needs, more than anything.
But I could be wrong. It's not even out yet, so I can't be sure.

You're right about Splat Bombs and Inkzooka making the OctoNouveau better at attacking, though. I've felt the length of my range being just short too many times, it's quite annoying, so I can't wait for the Nouveau just so I won't have to worry about being outranged as often anymore.

Though I could argue that Echolocator would also be helpful for close-range weapons, since it lets them know where enemies are for easier flanks and ambushes, or maybe Kraken since it's invincible and pretty quick, or perhaps Splat or Suction Bomb Rush with a Bomb Range Up or maybe two to cover large areas and scare off potential attackers, but Inkzooka is definitely among the best for those kinds of weapons.

And nice tip regarding movement, that hadn't occurred to me. Definitely going to keep it in mind when I go Octobrushing in the future. Thanks, mate.

You should break up your posts by thoughts into smaller bits, it was really hard to read that without losing what line I was reading.

Sorry about that.

It is called an exaggeration. I am in the same boat as you.

Ah, I see. Sorry, I never catch on to those.

 

[Boolerex]

I know someone in mah team that play exclusively inkbrush (and octobrush) ; they work but it really take alots of effort to use those correctly as I saw.

 

[Blobface]

I'm definitely looking forward to Octobrush Nouveau, less because it'll be better overall but more because Squid beacons, while effective, are pretty boring to use.

 

[Citrus]

Yes they are that bad. Octo Nouvea is OK, but only because it has a good kit ( /)