Contest: Make the Low Ink Map Pool

[zyf_]

EASY

(joke)
real maplist (hard):

note: this is no longer the final version lol, i replaced rm sturgeon with rm haggle

 

[Funky_Eevee]

EASY
View attachment 8698

(joke)
real maplist (hard):
View attachment 8699

Vouch

 

[TheKAmiKaZESquid]

I run a 3-way tournament called Ink³Fest (3 teams literally playing at the same time.) We do not have a map list instead maps are chosen randomly. What we do have is a set mode for each round. Each team is allowed to veto one stage before each game then the stage is chosen randomly. Once a stage is played it is removed as well. The only caveat is you cannot veto the same stage twice. It may sound a little unorthodox, but it presents an element of randomness and strategy. Besides I don't want my tournament to be conventional it was designed from the start to go against conventions and challenge those daring enough to try it out.

 

[Setu]

Here's mine this could stir up some maplist conversations which I like

 

[zyf_]

View attachment 8700

Here's mine this could stir up some maplist conversations which I like

barnacle and dime clams is a bottom tier map and im tired of people playing it bro that map is literally unplayable it's impossible to score

 

[Setu]

barnacle and dime clams is a bottom tier map and im tired of people playing it bro that map is literally unplayable it's impossible to score

Nah it's not impossible, you just have to contest top left and take control there

 

[zyf_]

Nah it's not impossible, you just have to contest top left and take control there

one does not simply take control of top left

it's so deep in spawn and no one smart is going to let you take the one good area for free -- it's a 1 dimensional map with a single important chokepoint and i feel like the vast majority of scoring on that map involves kraken cheese

 

[WIP Riley]

~ cannot use any map that a top level player has tweeted about in a negative way (if you missed a tweet then you officially suck as a TO, I don't make the rules)

maps.iplabs.ink editor

Splatoon tournament map list generator.

maps.iplabs.ink

You lost me here lol

 

[Pinkie Pie Puffle]

Based on how serious the part of the tweets is, the challenge could be genuinely impossible. I'm sure if you look deep enough, you can find a negative tweet about every usual map mode by top players

 

[Setu]

one does not simply take control of top left

it's so deep in spawn and no one smart is going to let you take the one good area for free -- it's a 1 dimensional map with a single important chokepoint and i feel like the vast majority of scoring on that map involves kraken cheese

I chose my maps with kraken cheese in mind, and barnacle was a good one because it is at the very least *punishing* to go for a kraken cheese strat, and since there weren't anymore maps in clams that makes kraken cheese weaker

 

[WIP Riley]

Making map pools for tourneys in Splatoon 3 really sucks. Yeah sting ray in Splatoon 2 made RM frustrating, but now you got soda on TC. In Splatoon 2, TC Shipyard was a staple in map pools, you would get zero complaints about it except for those weirdos who wanted moray. But in Splatoon 3, TC Shipyard is seen as too snowbally.

To account for this, map pools started shrinking in Splatoon 3. Proving Grounds was one of the first tourneys to go with only 4 maps per mode for a total of 16 (4/16). InkTV took it a step farther with a 3/12 map pool. Low Ink took awhile, but I've managed to get it down to a comfy 5/20 which I think is fair considering it is a 2 day tourney with counter picks. Now you see a lot more tourneys starting to do the same, smaller pools focusing on just the "best" maps. The trick to make sure players don't complain about maps feeling too repetitive is to limit maps from appearing in more than 2 modes. Yes you could use Hagglefish, Museum, Mako, and Academy for 3 or some in all 4 modes, but limiting them to just 2 helps the players feel like things are more diverse despite the smaller map pool.

The problem is TC and RM suck. It's almost impossible to find more than 3 maps in those modes that everyone will agree on. I always joke about how teams constantly counter pick TC Academy, but really there aren't many alternatives if you want to play TC.

So here is a challenge to you, squidboard person. Make a tourney map pool and post it below. Rules are:
~ must include 5 maps for all 4 modes, 5/20
~ cannot repeat any map in more than 2 modes
~ cannot use any map that a top level player has tweeted about in a negative way (if you missed a tweet then you officially suck as a TO, I don't make the rules)

Best map pool will be used in Low Ink for February.

maps.iplabs.ink editor

Splatoon tournament map list generator.

maps.iplabs.ink

Here's my attempt (it's not very good)

 

[plantknowsyourlocation]

mostly very basic list with a few weird ones, the only using 2 of a single map thing threw me off a lot

 

[zyf_]

I chose my maps with kraken cheese in mind, and barnacle was a good one because it is at the very least *punishing* to go for a kraken cheese strat, and since there weren't anymore maps in clams that makes kraken cheese weaker

maybe this is controversial but i'd rather play maps where it's easy enough to score that kraken cheese is just throwing/suboptimal
than play maps where it's so hard to push that even kraken cheese is hard (and then nothing else is even viable)

 

[liligravybread]

Nah it's not impossible, you just have to contest top left and take control there

it's better when there's more ways to get in and also better ways to defend and break back into mid.
getting back map control that youve lost on barnacle slow and painful

 

[Sunflower._.]

Making map pools for tourneys in Splatoon 3 really sucks. Yeah sting ray in Splatoon 2 made RM frustrating, but now you got soda on TC. In Splatoon 2, TC Shipyard was a staple in map pools, you would get zero complaints about it except for those weirdos who wanted moray. But in Splatoon 3, TC Shipyard is seen as too snowbally.

To account for this, map pools started shrinking in Splatoon 3. Proving Grounds was one of the first tourneys to go with only 4 maps per mode for a total of 16 (4/16). InkTV took it a step farther with a 3/12 map pool. Low Ink took awhile, but I've managed to get it down to a comfy 5/20 which I think is fair considering it is a 2 day tourney with counter picks. Now you see a lot more tourneys starting to do the same, smaller pools focusing on just the "best" maps. The trick to make sure players don't complain about maps feeling too repetitive is to limit maps from appearing in more than 2 modes. Yes you could use Hagglefish, Museum, Mako, and Academy for 3 or some in all 4 modes, but limiting them to just 2 helps the players feel like things are more diverse despite the smaller map pool.

The problem is TC and RM suck. It's almost impossible to find more than 3 maps in those modes that everyone will agree on. I always joke about how teams constantly counter pick TC Academy, but really there aren't many alternatives if you want to play TC.

So here is a challenge to you, squidboard person. Make a tourney map pool and post it below. Rules are:
~ must include 5 maps for all 4 modes, 5/20
~ cannot repeat any map in more than 2 modes
~ cannot use any map that a top level player has tweeted about in a negative way (if you missed a tweet then you officially suck as a TO, I don't make the rules)

Best map pool will be used in Low Ink for February.

maps.iplabs.ink editor

Splatoon tournament map list generator.

maps.iplabs.ink

Honest Mentions:
Scorch TC
Eeltail RM
Museum SZ
Museum TC
Inkblot CB
Mako TC
Mako CB
Manta RM
Umami SZ
Umami CB
Humpback CB
Barnacle CB
Shipshape SZ
Romen TC

 

[Sunflower._.]

Nah it's not impossible, you just have to contest top left and take control there

While I do agree with it not being impossible, the basket is so far deep into enemy spawn that you have to wipe the enemy in a wipe + another few picks (because they were coolered in the first wipe), you need to make another significant push to get rid of the opponents holding their spawn without overextending too much from the stacks while so securing picks and the opponents already have their specials by then (Because of Cooler's Special Saver), so it ends up becoming a staring contest most of the times

 

[Pick]

Ok hear me out, it's mincemeat month

 

[.jpg_]

people using my website correctly bringing a tear to my eye

brushstrokes this is a callout post, the ui is fine and you're wrong

 

[antyytna]

Zones: Mako, Mahi, Shipshape, Robo, Haggle

Tower: Mako, Inkblot, Manta, Shipshape, Haggle

Rainmaker: Undertow, Humpback, Museum, Manta, Scorch

Clam: Scorch, Inkblot, Museum, Crableg, Barnacle

If I were to change anything on this list, it's just that by Clams I kinda ran dry on a lot of the more solid maps. I'm also not too sure on the consensus of Robo in non-Zones modes.

 

[Kyber]

Honestly this is my preferred SendouQ map pool lol. Like with other replies I tried using a combination of common preferences and maps that appear often in tournaments.

Regardless of which gets picked I really liked this thread, it made me reflect on maps I saw that I struggle on, like Sturgeon RM and ShipShape CB. It adds a bit of motivation to improve on them to expand my preferences. Looking forward to see which pool gets picked!