Splatoon 2 Competitive 101 for an Otherwise Newcomer

[Elecmaw]

I'd personally advise you to not use Ninja Squid if you are planning to play support, as it's stealth utility has limited effect if you're fighting from the backlines. And as Dessgeega said, it also slows down your swim speed, which adds up to a lot of slowdown throughout the match. Whenever you're moving to mid after respawning or engaging/fleeing from enemies, you'll feel that slowdown all the time. You can cancel the swim speed debuff out using swim speed up abilities, sure, but those ability slots could've also been used for something else instead.

If you are planning on playing aggressive, Ninja Squid will be more helpful as it allows you to approach enemies relatively unseen and go for the splatting blow.

Tenacity is perfect for longer-ranged weapons like the Jet/Splatling. They are usually the last ones standing once things go south, so you'll be able to make the most use out of it once your team starts dying left and right. One of it's other advantages over special charge up is that it does not require the user to actively keep inking ground to get specials.

I personally believe that it's best to practice all roles in the game to get truly better at the game, or at least know how you should play them. Whenever it's support, splatting or defensive it's good to get into the different mindsets of these playing styles every once in a while.

Best of luck to you!

 

[ChaosChao]

I'd personally advise you to not use Ninja Squid if you are planning to play support, as it's stealth utility has limited effect if you're fighting from the backlines. And as Dessgeega said, it also slows down your swim speed, which adds up to a lot of slowdown throughout the match. Whenever you're moving to mid after respawning or engaging/fleeing from enemies, you'll feel that slowdown all the time. You can cancel the swim speed debuff out using swim speed up abilities, sure, but those ability slots could've also been used for something else instead.

If you are planning on playing aggressive, Ninja Squid will be more helpful as it allows you to approach enemies relatively unseen and go for the splatting blow.

Tenacity is perfect for longer-ranged weapons like the Jet/Splatling. They are usually the last ones standing once things go south, so you'll be able to make the most use out of it once your team starts dying left and right. One of it's other advantages over special charge up is that it does not require the user to actively keep inking ground to get specials.

I personally believe that it's best to practice all roles in the game to get truly better at the game, or at least know how you should play them. Whenever it's support, splatting or defensive it's good to get into the different mindsets of these playing styles every once in a while.

Best of luck to you!

Thanks for the advise! Also thanks for the Jet Squelcher suggestion for Splat Zones, I just made it to A-! :D I've been trying other main abilities too and I've been noticing that given the sorts of weapons I run in Ranked primarily, Ink Recovery Up would be a good one (along with additional subs of that) or Ink Saver (Sub). Is this the right sort of mindset? Just experimenting and figuring out what works best per mode in terms of weapons, playstyle, and ability?

 

[Dessgeega]

If you're using the Jet, YOU NEED INK RECOVERY, haha. I love that weapon but it's tank fires for only ten seconds, combine that with ink saver main because a Jet's primary concern is going to be ammo, ammo, ammo!

 

[ChaosChao]

Oh I do remember something I meant to ask: Is it a good idea to stock up on ability chunks and use them only when you have enough to fill all slots with what you want (which in many cases is a whopping 60 chunks) or just use them as you get availability (i.e. the minimum of 10 chunks). I haven't used a single chunk as of right now since I'm not sure about that.

 

[Dessgeega]

There's a few different approaches to gear! One away to do it as you said, using 60 chunks to instantly make a "pure" piece of gear, which is the term for when the main and sub abilities all match. Alternatively, for a method that's a little more effort you can use drinks or just luck to get a double of the ability you want, then use 30 chunks to fill in the last slot.

Also, there's the method I, personally, like to use where I put the same set of 3 different subs across a whole outfit. Sure, you can't mix and match that, but it looks distinctive compared to pures and only costs 30 chunks per piece of gear (10 for each slot).

Spoiler: Example!

 

[ChaosChao]

I actually got lucky on my Bell Hat and decided to reroll on a whim, got 2 Ink Saver (Sub) and all I had to use is 30 chunks! Yay! ^_^

 

[ChaosChao]

So I'm finding that I have a bit of a "tunnel vision" issue, so to speak, especially in Turf War. What I mean is that it's difficult for me to keep track of everything that's going on around me and then in the heat of battle I'm not sure if it's worth pursuing an opponent or retreating. I've had a lot of times where I've retreated and an opponent just hounds me until I'm dead, so I question if I should keep attacking even if the effort might be futile or flee and hopefully not get pursued and killed.

 

[Elecmaw]

So I'm finding that I have a bit of a "tunnel vision" issue, so to speak, especially in Turf War. What I mean is that it's difficult for me to keep track of everything that's going on around me and then in the heat of battle I'm not sure if it's worth pursuing an opponent or retreating. I've had a lot of times where I've retreated and an opponent just hounds me until I'm dead, so I question if I should keep attacking even if the effort might be futile or flee and hopefully not get pursued and killed.

This is pretty natural, and a good reason to resolve conflicts as soon as possible. If i spend too long fighting someone there's a good chance someone else comes along and finish me off.
If it takes too long and i can't reach the other squid, i either go on the defensive or retreat. You'll be surprised how effective a feigned retreat is, especially if there's a teammate near you who's willing to help out. You'll pull the trick from the first sentence on to someone else!

If your weapon has bombs, you can always try to either tap damage it with burst bombs or flush them out with splat/suction bombs.

 

[ChaosChao]

I have another question: why does it feel like the skill gap spikes when you go up a whole letter in rank? I've been in the B-ranks for so long now but now that I'm in A- in all modes it feels like I'm not ready to deal with it? Why is that?

 

[Berry]

Whenever you rank up, the game tries to pair you with other people who have been doing better or just about the same as you throughout matches. Iirc its based on your last 10 matches but I could be wrong. I'm still trying to figure out what the squid power actually means at the start of the match :x

When you rank up you also have to remember some may have deranked, or have gotten a pretty solid grasp of most situations to move on to the next rank.

Tl:dr You gotta tough it out since this will be happening even in S+

 

[Dessgeega]

Berry gave the polite answer. The cynical answer is that ranked matchmaking makes NO sense mechanically, you can expect raw chaos in your solo matches for the entirety of your time on the game.

 

[Jon914]

I'm still trying to figure out what the squid power actually means at the start of the match :x

I posted extensively about the meaning of power levels in this topic.

Basically, power levels roughly equate to how good the players are in a match. Power level is your "true" rank, and there's crossover between letter ranks where a high power B lobby (1800+) can be just as difficult as a low power S match.

On an alt account I made, the level of play I saw in a 1800 lobby as a B- was starkly different from what my main at 1400 saw.

 

[ChaosChao]

I'm getting my bearings. I'm actually using the Dualie Squelchers in Tower Control now and I feel that's helping me adapt. I can take a support role but also start to become more aggressive.

 

[Dessgeega]

I'm getting my bearings. I'm actually using the Dualie Squelchers in Tower Control now and I feel that's helping me adapt. I can take a support role but also start to become more aggressive.

Sounds like you're doing well, thumbs up! Also consider the Rapid Blaster or Rapid Blaster Pro for Tower Control, you can play goalkeeper for your team and explode riders and foes using cover alike.

 

[ChaosChao]

Sounds like you're doing well, thumbs up! Also consider the Rapid Blaster or Rapid Blaster Pro for Tower Control, you can play goalkeeper for your team and explode riders and foes using cover alike.

See part of me doesn't want to do that out of spite because I've been on the receiving end of too many a Rapid Blaster and it pains me. XD

 

[ChaosChao]

I do have another gear question: I know in Splatoon getting 3 of the same sub ability resulted in each subsequent slot for that ability having diminishing returns (say Defense Up, idk the actual numbers but it was like the first Defense Up was 10%, the second on the same set of gear was 8%, then the third was 4%). Again idk the actual number but I was just illustrating the point. Is that the case in Splatoon 2 as well? If so, wouldn't it be better to have 3 of the same ability across gear (as on say 1 Ink Recovery on all 3 pieces of gear equipped) to get the maximum benefits?

 

[Mar$el]

I do have another gear question: I know in Splatoon getting 3 of the same sub ability resulted in each subsequent slot for that ability having diminishing returns (say Defense Up, idk the actual numbers but it was like the first Defense Up was 10%, the second on the same set of gear was 8%, then the third was 4%). Again idk the actual number but I was just illustrating the point. Is that the case in Splatoon 2 as well? If so, wouldn't it be better to have 3 of the same ability across gear (as on say 1 Ink Recovery on all 3 pieces of gear equipped) to get the maximum benefits?

That's not how it works. It doesn't depend on whether it's on the same piece of gear. I just depends on how many mains'subs you have with the diminishing effects. If you want to see the effects of different combinations of gear check out this website
https://loadout.ink/en-us/#0000000000000000000000000

 

[ChaosChao]

I don't know if I'm comfortable asking others to join them in League Battles. I'm in the As for all Ranked Battle modes but I feel I'm not fully ready to tackle League Battles, plus, I don't know anyone willing to play League Matches with me because, as I've said, most, if not all, of my friends who play the game play it casually, not competitively.

 

[BryantSnyd]

One of the most difficult parts of improving can be taking the first steps on self-reflection. If you have a smart phone, Splatnet is a wonderful tool to use as it can show you wins and losses. (You can learn from watching others too, sometimes inspiration comes from looking at examples.) Also, recording yourself (if you have the ability to do so) and reviewing footage can lead to valuable and worthwhile insight into habits you fall into. Take notes on what you think you can improve on!

Improvement can also come from mentally stimulating games. Skills used in other games can come in handy in Splatoon. Try Tetris if you haven't yet! And if you enjoy sports other than electronic sports, try tennis or baseball. The hand-eye coordination from those sports can help you improve in many different things. I am not trying to say you will become a pro overnight just because you become adequate at tennis or baseball, either.

Metathought (thinking about how you think) can also help you if you are able to stop for a moment after a match and ask yourself questions such as, "How can I improve my thoughts with focus," or, "What are the benefits of thinking the way I am thinking now versus other ways I could think." There is a theory that emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and actions all influence one another. Meditation can focus your mind and help you throw out unnecessary thought so you can have clear and objective thinking.

Basically, improvement begins with this:

Self-reflection

• Self-review (and comparison to others)
  • Review footage of self playing or utilize splatnet
    
  • Take notes after each match of key moments that "turned the tide"
  • Become conscious of what is at hand (don't be a zombie)
  • View examples of the mistakes and successes of others and absorb them into self strategy
• Trying other methods of skill improvement
  • Play sports other than electronic sports that are mentally and physically engaging
  • Hand-eye coordination improvement
  • Improve other skills in reality
• Metathought
  • Ask reflective questions about thought patterns
  • Meditate to improve focus

 

[Jon914]

I don't know if I'm comfortable asking others to join them in League Battles. I'm in the As for all Ranked Battle modes but I feel I'm not fully ready to tackle League Battles, plus, I don't know anyone willing to play League Matches with me because, as I've said, most, if not all, of my friends who play the game play it casually, not competitively.

Don't hold yourself back and wait. Join a casual group (or even SquidBoards discord) and take on some League Battles. In casual play, nobody cares what rank you are. It's practice, and you'll become much better at the game playing out of your comfort zone.

First few games above your level, you'll get steamrolled. That's fine. You learn and adapt.

We lost this game last night at the buzzer, but I wasn't steamrolled, even though everybody else was S+.