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How do I fight the backline weapon (Anchor)?

Octo-crisp

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When fighting against backline weapons, I often struggle to apply pressure. I attempt to throw bombs at them, but more often than not, I end up getting splatted instead. The Hydra is the weapon that I struggle with the most. How to fight the backline weapon?
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Cephalobro

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What I tend to do is first throw a Splat or Suction Bomb to force the backliner into stopping his/her attack in the middle, then I move in to splat him/her before he/she can recover his/her advantageous position.

However, no single tactic is universally the best one as there are many outside factors that come into play, like your current mobility with ink or the stage you're currently in.
 

Vin_MD

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I struggle with this too, and all I can say is wait for the splatling/charger to run out of charge(you can do that yourself with a bomb if it's not an unscoped charger), then immediately rush them down with a frontline weapon.
 

Octo-crisp

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What I tend to do is first throw a Splat or Suction Bomb to force the backliner into stopping his/her attack in the middle, then I move in to splat him/her before he/she can recover his/her advantageous position.

However, no single tactic is universally the best one as there are many outside factors that come into play, like your current mobility with ink or the stage you're currently in.
Does the use of Sub Power Up or Sub Saver help when it comes to fighting against a backline weapon?
 

Cephalobro

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Does the use of Sub Power Up or Sub Saver help when it comes to fighting against a backline weapon?
Definitely Sub Saver, as it reduces the consumption of ink used by your Sub Weapon, thus allowing you to use more of your ink to give you more of an advantage. There have been matches where I have successfully cornered and splatted an E-Litter who was the main reason why my team couldn't advance past the middle. Having ink available is what allowed me to do that.
 

Octo-crisp

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Definitely Sub Saver, as it reduces the consumption of ink used by your Sub Weapon, thus allowing you to use more of your ink to give you more of an advantage. There have been matches where I have successfully cornered and splatted an E-Litter who was the main reason why my team couldn't advance past the middle. Having ink available is what allowed me to do that.
Can burst bombs do the same?
 

Octo-crisp

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Yes, but it works best if you use more than one Burst Bomb so that the backliner will think that staying in that position will get himself/herself splatted.
Thank you! As a new player, I'm struggling to fight against backline weapons. If you have any videos, articles, or other resources on the subject, I would be glad to read or watch them.
 

Snikerop

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I think it's worth clarifying that the answer depends on what weapon you're using. Remember that Hydras are scariest when they have full charge since they go from a 4-shot to a 3-shot with high velocity. The weapon also has a long charge time and overall low mobility, which are their biggest weaknesses. Thus, the most effective way to deal with them is to force them to move out of the way (often sacrificing their charge if you play it correctly) or ambushing them after they've unloaded a full charge. While I do not know what weapon you play, it sounds like you have a faster splat time than they do. Take advantage of that. Be stealthy and kill them when they have to charge up again, punish them if they move too far forward, generally don't give them the opportunity to give them their most threatening option if you can help it. Lots of frontline weapons have special weapons that are good at displacing longer range weapons that you may want to consider.

Also, be sure to watch replays. Both from your own perspective and from the perspective of the weapons you're struggling against. Think hard about if you could have taken a safer route or if your position was obvious from their point of view.
 

Octo-crisp

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I think it's worth clarifying that the answer depends on what weapon you're using. Remember that Hydras are scariest when they have full charge since they go from a 4-shot to a 3-shot with high velocity. The weapon also has a long charge time and overall low mobility, which are their biggest weaknesses. Thus, the most effective way to deal with them is to force them to move out of the way (often sacrificing their charge if you play it correctly) or ambushing them after they've unloaded a full charge. While I do not know what weapon you play, it sounds like you have a faster splat time than they do. Take advantage of that. Be stealthy and kill them when they have to charge up again, punish them if they move too far forward, generally don't give them the opportunity to give them their most threatening option if you can help it. Lots of frontline weapons have special weapons that are good at displacing longer range weapons that you may want to consider.

Also, be sure to watch replays. Both from your own perspective and from the perspective of the weapons you're struggling against. Think hard about if you could have taken a safer route or if your position was obvious from their point of view.
Is blocking the view of the Hydra enough to set up an ambush? For example, if a teammate uses a triple Inkstrike, should I use the explosion as a way to avoid telegraphing the ambush?
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I didn't mention the specific weapon or role I am using because I am indecisive about which weapon to use.
 

Snikerop

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Is blocking the view of the Hydra enough to set up an ambush? For example, if a teammate uses a triple Inkstrike, should I use the explosion as a way to avoid telegraphing the ambush?
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I didn't mention the specific weapon or role I am using because I am indecisive about which weapon to use.
Yes, using temporary cover as a smokescreen is absolutely a way to approach. This form of stealth is incredibly cool to play around and even functional at a top level (see this example from Alliance Rogue vs Starburst, where Volty uses a rainmaker explosion to approach a crab). There are lots of strategies that can work.
 

Octo-crisp

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Snikerop

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Is cool to see the Carbon take advantage. Do you think the Carbon was opportunistic or is it asked by the Rainmaker carrier to shoot?
Sorry for the late reply. It's hard to say. I know that Volty is at least practiced at using ink as a smoke screen (their Neo Splash rushing tri-strike is not a coincidence) but as for that specific example I'm unsure. My guess is that Volty was an opportunist here and this wasn't a callout.
 

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