I have been stuck in B+ and I want to get to A-.Any tips?

[Capn. Woomy]

I really wanna rank up!

 

[Spiderface]

Can you give some more information, like your main, your playstyle, if you'are aggressive, supportive, sneaky?

 

[Kikaioh]

I'm only a level S player using strictly the Kelp Splatterscope, so you can take this advice with a grain of seasalt. It's just advice, nothing set in stone, and I could be wrong.

• Splatoon is like a realtime action-packed game of chess, there's a lot of overall field strategy to be thinking about as the match progresses. So it's not just about skill with your weapon, but also thinking about your approach to the field relative to your teammates, your enemies, and the progression of the match.
  
• It's a team effort. Your approach to the game doesn't just depend on the weapon and gear you have, but also on your teammates' weapons and the direction they're heading. If you keep yourself aware of the positions of your teammates, and make sure to support them or work alone when the situation calls for it, you have a better chance at victory. If you just keep doing your own thing regardless of what your team is doing, the chance of victory goes down.
• Look at the enemy loadout at the beginning of the match. Keeping in mind what weapons they have can affect how you approach a match, since players with certain weapon types will sometimes approach the maps in a predictable way (chargers for example often go to very particular locations on the map, so keeping that in mind can help prevent you from being surprised).
• Study the maps and think of different approaches that might help you in a match. Then try the approaches out and see what works for you and what doesn't.
• If an approach doesn't work after you try it at least twice in match, try something different. The first time it didn't work could have been a fluke, but the second time might mean that the area you're going to just isn't safe for your loadout and the team/enemy makeup.
  
• If you're dying more than 5 times in a match, you should reevaluate your approach. If you're dying more than 10 times in a match, maybe you're doing something wrong. You should keep studying your K/D ratio after every match and ask why it turned out the way it did, and what you can do to improve it in future matches
  
• Don't stay grouped next to your teammates for any significant amount of time. That opens up the opportunity for opponents to kill you all at once.
  
• Don't get in the way of your teammates. Blocking shots or accidentally pushing team members off of platforms can be prevented if you're mindful of their position/loadout.
• Try not to let the enemy into your side of the map. That usually leads to your team coordination breaking down and a faster loss, especially if the enemy is sneaky about it (like hiding in wait to kill respawners).
  
• Wear gear that has all the slots filled out in ways that are helpful for your playstyle and weapon preference. It probably helps at least a bit.
  
• Lying in the ink isn't just good for refilling, it's also good for surprise attacks on the enemy. But don't stay in the ink too long either.
• Play the objective. It's easy to get distracted trying to splat an opponent or cover turf, but at the end of the day the win comes from winning the objective, so if your mind wanders from it, try to get back on track (especially if you're running out of time).

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, I hope that helps.

 

[Shun_one]

It would help if you provided us with some more information about your weapon of choice and general play-style. Some generic tips I can offer:

This is a team game Take advantage of your teammates' weapons and positions on the map. Have a Charger? Lure enemies to fighting you so they can get sniped. Have a Roller? Ink plenty of turf so said roller can easily sneak around. Have a Gal? You see toss out an ink wall make sure someone doesn't swim around it and take him out. Helping your allies is a good way to secure victories as the moment one enemy goes down you can then out-number the rest of them.

 

[Dessgeega]

LET US INFEST YOUR BRAINMEATS FOR OPTIMAL KNOWLEDGE ENHANCEMENT

 

[Skoodge]

Okay, I have no idea what style you play, or weapon, or anything, but it is important to realize that to win any game, you must balance offense, and defense. Pushing too hard, will kill your team, and make it so you can't win, but holding the other team too much, will let them prepare, and kill you then too. You must balance these, but to even achieve these, you must maintain map control. Map control is the most important thing to have in any game. This is literal, and knowledge based (intel), since you need your ink down to allow any person on your team to do anything, and know where the enemies are, and what they are doing to counter them. Splatoon has deep mind games.

These are the thoughts that you should have in any game, in partial chronological order:

1. What weapons are they using, how do these weapons interact with each other, how do they interact with the weapons on my team? (This is very knowledge intensive, you need a lot of experience before you can actually determine this, but make sure this is something you always think about)

2. What will their gameplan be? Have you played them before, what did they do? If you haven't watch the map on the gamepad, to get a guess at what they will do.

3. You are now in the middle of the map, what weapons do you see? What are they doing? How can you stop them? Just make quick mental notes. For example, it is Underpass, I am playing Zink Mini Splatling, and I go to mid, left, down our hill, and I see a Tentatek near their railing. I note that he is scouting, as he immediately retreats. I try to track him, and it appears he is going right. I cannot stop him, so I take turf where I am, and slowly push towards him, and if I get a bubble, I may push him back/splat him, or save it to take out multiple enemies, to defend.

4. Keep track of player tendencies, what do they do when you push them, what happens when you defend against them? Again keep mental notes, so that you can combat them next time if you get splatted, or splat them. Example: I am a Heavy Splatling Deco, and I notice that when I push a .96 gal Deco, he throws down a wall, and when I start shooting the wall he doesn't stop trying to splat me, then I can retreat for only a moment, then quickly charge up, he may go past his wall, and I can take him out then.

5. Watch what routes the enemies take to get to mid, or where snipers go most often. Many weapons have a bomb, or other throwable that will be beneficial to get them there. This will also allow you to track the enemies more easily, since you can focus on a few more select areas, and notice movement easily.

6. This is really high level, but watch how the enemies coordinate with each other, and how you coordinate with your team. It is important to note these interactions, but this may not be applicable for B-A ranks. This allows me to take map control, since I may notice that often that 3 weapons tend to stick together, and I know one of them is over on the right side of the map, so I can assume that at least one other is there too, but I proceed with caution to the left, and hopefully take map control, and take out a straggler if I am lucky.

There is definitely way more I could write on this, and I may just stream of consciousness these all some time, but if you are staying at this mental level the whole time, you are bound to be leaps ahead of any opponent in B or A rank.

TL;DR: Pay attention to your opponents and yourself, while balancing offense and defense, and maintain map control.
Also this playlist by FLC, is a great watch, even though it is kind of old: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2z1eVuvh1Mt5JqpuOZAqjocUmiHB_eAy

Edit: If you want my qualifications, I have 2 level 50 accounts, and 3 S+ accounts

 

[Archæa]

I feel ya, I was stuck at b+ for the longest time. Solo queuing at that rank is tough. I for one was getting double digit kills almost every match, but still managed to lose many. (Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like your main issue is your teammates, not your skill) Splatoon is a team based game, and for this reason I suggest playing with a friend, rank doesn't really matter as long as you're decent, which it sounds like you are. Hopefully this will help with the problem.

 

[birdiebee]

I feel ya, I was stuck at b+ for the longest time. Solo queuing at that rank is tough. I for one was getting double digit kills almost every match, but still managed to lose many. (Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like your main issue is your teammates, not your skill) Splatoon is a team based game, and for this reason I suggest playing with a friend, rank doesn't really matter as long as you're decent, which it sounds like you are. Hopefully this will help with the problem.

Haha but to be fair we don't know anything about the OP or why they are stuck in B+. There's really nothing to suggest its their team mates' fault... we don't even know what their main is!

Also, I would say rank kinda matters. If for example you are playing at S level you really don't have any excuse for dropping down multiple ranks often. A rare losing streak can happen but, frequently failing to maintain your rank (or push your rank further) is definitely related to the skill of the individual.

Playing with a friend is fun and a great way to improve your game, but I advocate trying to get to S rank on solo queue if you're going for the first time. You'll learn how to survive on your own and not rely on team mates as much. Which may be harder and sound counterintuitive for a team-based game but I think will pay off in the long run. At least, that's what I did and I feel that I am better off for it. idk though you do you

 

[Dessgeega]

Playing with a friend is fun and a great way to improve your game, but I advocate trying to get to S rank on solo queue if you're going for the first time. You'll learn how to survive on your own and not rely on team mates as much. Which may be harder and sound counterintuitive for a team-based game but I think will pay off in the long run.

Hah! Hah, I say! Let people do what they like of course, but recommending getting to S entirely solo can be madness depending on a person's luck. Idlers, people with poor connections, squid partiers, and straight up trolls exist at all ranks, and I will not fault anyone for wanting to guarantee at least one person on their team isn't a dingus.

I'm not bitter about anything, why do you ask? :P

 

[Spiderface]

Hah! Hah, I say! Let people do what they like of course, but recommending getting to S entirely solo can be madness depending on a person's luck. Idlers, people with poor connections, squid partiers, and straight up trolls exist at all ranks, and I will not fault anyone for wanting to guarantee at least one person on their team isn't a dingus.

I'm not bitter about anything, why do you ask? :p

xD

I think all the more reason to go solo. It means once you get to S via solo you're a better player than you otherwise would be.

I was an independent squid, I regret nothing.

Besides it prepared me for the frustration of trying to ascend through S. X_X

 

[Dessgeega]

xD

I think all the more reason to go solo. It means once you get to S via solo you're a better player than you otherwise would be.

I was an independent squid, I regret nothing.

Besides it prepared me for the frustration of trying to ascend through S. X_X

On the other side of the coin, I failed to make any headway past B- because of the shenanigans I mentioned until I started squadding with a friend, at which point we both rocketed up :P Everyone's experience is different!

 

[Cake or Death]

I'm B+ too, and I want to improve at this game and eventually get to S+ rank, however long that's going to take me.

What I've realised within the past day or two is that seeking to rush forward and rank up as quickly as you can might not be the best for you overall. Yes, you get to say to others "yeah, I'm A (or S or S+) rank. I'm really cool at this game" but it does absolutely nothing in the long run to teach you the vital lessons that being in those lower ranks is going to teach you.

I'm taking my time to get to the higher ranks because I know every win and loss in this game is going to make me a better player, even if I have to stay at a lower rank for weeks from now. Practice really does make perfect.

So my advice, as someone who is in the same position as you are, is not to ask how to rank up but instead to try asking what training tools more experienced players use in order to practice and gain skill naturally.

 

[Coco24]

You could try upping your splatting skills! It sounds easy but if you splat all the four enemies, your teammates can do the rest to win. Be the attacker to keep the others in check :)

 

[chubbypickle]

have more than 1 rout per map if your go to keeps failing have another option that your really good at, also helps to have 2 weapons your really good at so you can play the weapon that suits the game style and map that is on rotation. I also use an alt to practice with it takes the edge off of losing rank while experimenting on playstyle.

 

[HypernovaSoul]

As others have said, we could provide the most effective advice if we knew more about your weapon choice(s), gear build, and/or play style, but here are some general tips:

As a preface, I'm a (currently) S-rank Dynamo / Octobrush Nouveau main. Most of the time, my play style is aggro-pressure (Dynamo) + stealth flanker (Octo). My current build is Ninja Squid + Ink Saver main + Attack Up, although this sometimes changes depending on rotation / weapon combos.

1. I've mentioned this elsewhere on the forums, but from my experience if you want to increase the likelihood of steady rank progression and reduce the sting of losing streaks, know when to just STOP. If you've lost 3-4 consecutive matches, chances are it isn't a great time or rotation for you to be playing several matches. Some may disagree, but I've followed this rule for awhile now and have not fallen below A- since I've stuck to it. Learn which rotations are the best fit for your weapon/play style, and try to schedule your longer play sessions for those times.

2. If you haven't already, familiarize yourself with some of the most important roles in Ranked, and try to become skilled at each one: pressure, flanker, escort, inker. Not every weapon will excel at filling every role, however. Rollers and brushes are great for flanks, blasters and Gals excel at pressure, Tentateks / well-rounded shooters are great escorts, Splooshes, rollers and Aeros are solid inkers. Adaptability is important in Ranked though; so while you may not be the best at escorting or pressuring, situations will arise where you may have to.

3. Learn when it's safest to close in/engage and when it's best to stay back/apply pressure. If you approach foolhardily, you'll be taken out and leave your enemy path clear. But if you're too hesitant to advance when given an opportunity, you're susceptible to enemy pushback. You have to be willing to take necessary risks, but assess your risks wisely. Keep in mind, if the enemy team gains a big advantage at the beginning of the match, in some modes (especially Splat Zones) it can be extremely difficult to take back the lead. Be at your very best at the beginning and end of a match, and reach the center objective as quickly as you can. Don't stall, don't meander.

4. Decide, once and for all, what your true mains are. This doesn't mean you should only use 1-2 weapons, but weapons you're uneasy about, practice with them in Turf Wars before taking them into upper tier Ranked.

5. Understand the game's meta. Tiers and OU/UU is debated-over, but this is an absolute fact-based reality from my experience: the higher you get in Ranked, it becomes predominantly about how upper tier players play and which weapons / kits they are likeliest to use. Which, from my experience, is very frequently high-damage, mid-range shooters. You will see a huge amount of Lunas, Gals, Tentateks and E-Liters. Prepare yourself for that, and know how to counter the most common weapons. Some of the most common abilities are Damage Up and Defense Up, which you'll need to consider as well. Familiarize yourself with how upper tier players use callouts, etc.

6. Observe both your teammates and enemies' weapon mixes at the beginning of the match. It can be critical to know BEFORE you approach whether there is an enemy E-Liter or flankers to watch out for. If so, take alternate paths / be cautious of enemy squids near your base accordingly.

Again, maybe you already know some of this, but it's all generalized advice. There's more I could say, but I'll stop there because I think that covers a lot of the core components in terms of making that final push from B+ to A. Good luck!

 

[mercenariez]

S Rank CB here. I was stuck at B+ for quite a while as well. Even when I made it to A-, the matches at A rank were so intense for me that I'd often drop down to B+ and B and would have to climb back up again.

Hmm, well honestly I think at that time I remember there being way too much fluctuation in teammate skill, which made it very frustrating and difficult to get past that B>A barrier. I think, because of this, I took a "1v4" mindset around that time, so that I'd never have to say "my teammate should have done _____!!!" Instead, I'd put all the blame on me, being very critical of myself whenever I died, or choked when I could've defended against the RM/Tower/SZ or whatever. There were many, many matches where I had to wipe out the entire opponent team over and over and over again, AND complete the objective by myself, just to win, while my teammates all went 1-9 or 2-8 or 1-16 (yes this happened once in B+, lol...) or whatever.

 

[Splatfan 222]

Never mind , I'm A- now!

 

[ReeSquidGig]

I really wanna rank up!

I remember when I first got into A- rank, I was so happy, but here's a tip, mostly everyone loves tower control so ither get a weapon with a bomb rush or a killer wail, that's perfect for getting squids off of towers, and for tower control Also you'd wanna learn how to use a charger, that is perfect also to corner and pin point people on the tower, this is another perfect thing that is awesome when going into overtime. and for splat zones, the bomb rush certainly comes in handy,... any bomb rush but the splat bomb-bomb rush, and this is the most helpful tip I can give you.:);)