Inkbrush: Yay or Nay?

[Glottis]

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet, as i haven't read all the posts. But i think that once we can set up custom matches and run tournaments with actual team communication, this weapon will start to truly shine.

Because of its speed, it can get to pivotal parts of the maps, like the center on most maps or the top on Saltspray, quicker than everybody else. While that is pretty pointless on its own, since it can't defend it by itself with its poor attack power, it does open up for you teammates to inkjump there.
We often forget that this can be done whenever we want to, not just after dying to get back into the fray. So say they start covering the base, you get to the middle. Once you are there, two of them inkjump in, leaving one to finish the home area. You now have a clear advantage over your opponents,having gotten to the middle point way ahead of them.
In Saltspray i feel this will be especially huge.

Maybe i'm overestimating its importance, but i feel like this could be big, almost to the point of being a staple in many if not most teams.

 

[Alus]

Dude, you can dodge bullets with this! I don't think you're overestimating at all. In the hands of a player who likes to think when they play this can be great. And you're right, with a coordinating team it could be devastating.

But I don't think it will always be in every team.

 

[Geno9999]

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet, as i haven't read all the posts. But i think that once we can set up custom matches and run tournaments with actual team communication, this weapon will start to truly shine.

Because of its speed, it can get to pivotal parts of the maps, like the center on most maps or the top on Saltspray, quicker than everybody else. While that is pretty pointless on its own, since it can't defend it by itself with its poor attack power, it does open up for you teammates to inkjump there.
We often forget that this can be done whenever we want to, not just after dying to get back into the fray. So say they start covering the base, you get to the middle. Once you are there, two of them inkjump in, leaving one to finish the home area. You now have a clear advantage over your opponents,having gotten to the middle point way ahead of them.
In Saltspray i feel this will be especially huge.

Maybe i'm overestimating its importance, but i feel like this could be big, almost to the point of being a staple in many if not most teams.

No, I think you got it. I for one always run straight towards Top in Saltspray. A great way to cover that area with very little effort is putting the Sprinkler subweapon on the Crane/Platform, and then get on top of one of the piles of crates and just jump and swing your brush. Guaranteed Inkstrike within the first 30 seconds of the game.

 

[ndayadn]

That's really too much. If you're playing against a poor team, possibly, but not only does each map have different amounts of turf to ink, but 1000 is hard to get to if you have pushed your enemy into their base. I have gotten raw 1000s before, but I'd say 800-900 is a more realistic goal.

P.S. Thanks for the advice. I'll try it out next time I do Splat Zones.

I really try not to brag, since it's a pretty lame thing to do. And I don't consider my self amazing or anything. But 1000 is my honest belief at what you should be scoring with the weapon every time, regardless of map. Even pushed against spawn you can do it since they are not ever going to be truly stuck there the entire game.

Again, I don't want to brag...but the only times I don't hit that are when I consistently get splatted when I have my inkstrike close to charged. That in itself really neuters a major source of points, and not even from the inkstrike, since the full tank after the special is invaluable. Even then, on my absolute worst game I score 800.

Also want to add that points don't always mean everything. It's just an indicator of how much you cover.

 

[Makkool]

This weapon is great at sneaking around enemies and swiftly killing them from behind. Also due to its quick splash speed it is pretty effective at spreading ink.

 

[seanvanpelt2]

I love using the Ink Brush. I normally get top in my team every single time with it! The only time that I don't is when someone has the Aerospray RG, but even then I only lose to them by less than 50 points. Look for "Sean" in game. That's me. =)

 

[meleesplatter]

If there is one thing that I love about the inkbrush, it's that, when combined with ink resistance (I just don't see how this weapon can live without it),
if you want to go somewhere, you can with almost complete disregard of how much enemy ink they've laid down.

Enemy: "I've got you now, inkbrush!"

Inkbrush: "lol nope" *dashes away through enemy ink*

'Course it doesn't always work out that way but you know what I mean.

 

[kunoichi squid]

I must be in the minority again, but I personally like it. I actually just bought it last night and decided to battle with it twice. Each time I won and got either first or second on my team. It is a great weapon when used "correctly" by just hurrying up and tapping the R trigger and inking as much ground as possible. Then you can charge up your special and let loose the missile on unsuspecting opponents. I had a blast! Then again I'm probably just in the minority and that's fine.

 

[Khatsworth]

Definitely a yay! I love the inkbrush.

It doesn't hit hard, but I can usually make up for it with with a good ambush and attack speed (gotta click fast!). In hindsight I guess that's also a downside, because I can't just hold it down and win like with the *cough*Aerospray*cough*, but when my index hurts I just focus more on defence. I love the speed tho', I can sneak behind enemy lines, or GTFO of bad situations.

EDIT:
Also, I'll chime in that this weapon really shines when coordinating over voicechat. It's obviously a moot point when we're on opposite teams, but when we're together, my GF can usually tell me where she wants to get on a map, and I'll draw her a brushpath to it. This is great since she mains a .96 Gal for long range covering and splatting, I can get her to vantage points crazy fast, and then just do my thing being a huge distraction while she picks 'em off my back.

 

[X° 5ully]

So I've been playing this weapon for a while and comparatively this is is the worst weapon in the game but not useless.
Everything this weapon does another can do better except for its incredible movement speed and "juking" ability but I'll explain that later.

I LOVED this idea as a weapon as soon as it was presented. It's crazy fast roller like movement, the insane swings. This was gonna be the melee master weapon. Then I got it. The speed was everything I wanted. But then I tried attacking... Tried to roll over one of the training balloons; nothing. I thought maybe it glitches and I missed, nope, painfully weak. Just don't try to hit anyone with this move unless they're like dying.
Anyway then I tried swinging. Then my heart kinda sank. 5 hits? 5 hits nintendo? You have this in the Roller category which can all kill in 1 swing. And you said 5 swings when NOTHING else kills in 5 hits (accept maybe RG and MG) I was extremely let down. Anyway I was gonna make this thing work. I admit going into turf war for the first time I lost a majority of my matches. But after a while I was getting 6+ kills and placing top on my teams.
IMO the Ink Brush is the cowards roller. And because of that, you have to play like a sneaky coward.
You should be avoiding a fight if you can like everyone said. Throw that sprinkler, invade privately behind enemy lines. Fight from the back. Hide when you are threatened, and slap the crap out of them when they're back is turned. Then you gotta move fast, throw down another sprinkler.
Now they're are aggro brushes out there, but all I've seen have been bottom and focus on getting kills which is BA but not optimal.
I've kinda mixed both, to have my own style.

Now besides being able to get behind enemy lines quickly, other weapons have better survivability, can defend itself without sneaking around and cover more ink.

But hey; it looks cool and you look awesome taking everyone out from behind. And if you mix up your movement you can actually run around your target once or twice before striking. And IMO ink brushes destroy snipers, I splat everyone I see. Zigzag up to them if they see you to throw off they're aim and they're dead squid (squiffers pose a problem because the quick load time that's still a OHKO)
Anyway just be smart, don't run into the fray, avoid and control.

(Nintendo please give me Dynamo InkBrush with something that OHKOs)

 

[meleesplatter]

(Nintendo please give me Dynamo InkBrush with something that OHKOs)

That's just a Roller.

However an Inkbrush with more combat-oriented equipment would be nice.

 

[Hink]

I tried this weapon, then gave up on it and picked it back up again totally not because of Alpharad.

What made me love the brush more than any other weapon currently in the game is the ability to play mindgames, partially due to using the weapon everybody underestimates.
I love putting down sprinklers in line of sight of an enemy, pretending to run away and then ninja-squidding back up to the sprinkler to assassinate the poor squid as he attempts to remove the device. It takes a bit of practice and some knowledge about good locations for this, where the enemy has to move around specific corners to get a clear shot on the sprinkler, and it doesn't always work because some people are just more paranoid than others. But when it works, it's incredibly satisfying! The brush also made me learn to use ink strikes strategically to push enemies out of superior positioning (thought that's probably an incredibly selfish use for that special) and to appreciate the ink resistance upgrade.

The brush might be objectively inferior to several weapons in the game, it might require you to flee from every head-on encounter and force you to get creative with approaches and careful about committing and I'll probably stay clear of ranked games with this one. But it's so much fun! I just wish there was a different special on it. I'm still not a huge fan of the ink strike - I'd prefer the locator for maximum assquidination potential. The problem is that even if they make a variation of its kit, it won't have the sprinkler, which is absolutely essential for my playstyle to work. ._.

 

[meleesplatter]

I tried this weapon, then gave up on it and picked it back up again totally not because of Alpharad.

What made me love the brush more than any other weapon currently in the game is the ability to play mindgames, partially due to using the weapon everybody underestimates.
I love putting down sprinklers in line of sight of an enemy, pretending to run away and then ninja-squidding back up to the sprinkler to assassinate the poor squid as he attempts to remove the device. It takes a bit of practice and some knowledge about good locations for this, where the enemy has to move around specific corners to get a clear shot on the sprinkler, and it doesn't always work because some people are just more paranoid than others. But when it works, it's incredibly satisfying! The brush also made me learn to use ink strikes strategically to push enemies out of superior positioning (thought that's probably an incredibly selfish use for that special) and to appreciate the ink resistance upgrade.

The brush might be objectively inferior to several weapons in the game, it might require you to flee from every head-on encounter and force you to get creative with approaches and careful about committing and I'll probably stay clear of ranked games with this one. But it's so much fun! I just wish there was a different special on it. I'm still not a huge fan of the ink strike - I'd prefer the locator for maximum assquidination potential. The problem is that even if they make a variation of its kit, it won't have the sprinkler, which is absolutely essential for my playstyle to work. ._.

I find the number one goal using this weapon is to infiltrate the enemy spawn. This may seem counterproductive in splat zones, but it can
have a pretty profound effect on the minds of enemies on defence (if they notice you, that is). If they chase you, they either lose precious time
getting back to the zones or give up their strong defensive positions to deal with you, and if they ignore you they risk you sneaking up from behind.

With that said I don't think the inkstrike fits very well with the brush since it forces you to stop and find a safe place when you're most likely moving
in enemy territory. If you're pushing the weapon's strengths to the maximum it's hard to find a good moment to plot and fire it. Sprinkler is okay since
like you said it can be a good distraction and can passively help your team ink an area but I wish I had a less ink-hungry sub so that I don't have
to stop when I use it. Echolocator could definitely be good for plotting your movements around enemies on top of the quick ink refill letting you run
that much farther when you need to, but the special I think could be REALLY helpful is bubbler. Due to the brush's limited range it wouldn't be too effective on it's
own but your speed could let you pass it to your teammates with great efficiency to help them make a push or hold an objective, which is something I find
is a bit lacking with this weapon; it encourages lone wolf plays that may not be helpful to your team in the long run.

 

[Zoot]

But it's so much fun!

Absolutely! I mucked around with it some more today, and I realised it has a huge strength in being the only weapon that lets you beat up multiple enemies at once. In most situations, being outnumbered two or three to one would spell certain death, but not if you go nuts with the Inkbrush swipe, trapping them in your ink whike smacking them all in the face. I'm not confident enough to take this weapon into Ranked Battle, but for Turf War it's a blast.

 

[TimpaniGamer]

I've just started using it today, and I LOVE IT!!!!! I'm able to get at least 1000 points on any turf war even if my team loses! I basically just swing forward a bunch, squid forward in that, and rinse and repeat, and I get far fast and charge up the Inkstrike very quickly. Holding the brush down isn't great for painting, but it has gotten me out of many bad situations. The main thing to watch out for is combat. You usually need to sneak up on opponents, and have a quick trigger finger to deal enough damage in time. I tend to win encounters with it, though, so... I don't know... I just love this weapon!

 

[NLALEX]

It's unique in that it really has to be used as a stealth weapon and having Ninja Squid is almost a necessity. If you can get behind or even to the side of your opponent, leap out and start attacking them you've got yourself a winner. The joy of the spread as well is that you can take out two or more simultaneously if they're close together.

 

[lltacx]

I did not like it at the beginning and my points were alway low in the beginning, but after using it for a while i began to love it! Most of the time i'm on the top of my team leading with 1000-1300 points.

Now i'm not good at explaining, but what i do is Charge straight ahead to the most important point, splatter ink whenever a ramp shows up. Now what i did was make a path for my team who follow me to the most important part of the battle. Once everyones there (or i die) i'm splattering Ink everywhere on the map on the beginning. This and the use of the Sprinkler and the ink strike makes it a really good weapon. Also you can play stealth like and because you're fast you can run away from everyone and come back later to kill them.

Did i mention i love the sprinkler?

 

[Cereal]

Depends on the person using it and whether or not they know how to utilize it. Spamming ZR, and jumping does the trick. Create an ink trail to the center of the map so your team can get there first and take over, then push back the opposing team. You gotta ambush the enemy and use sprinklers to distract theme Make sure to pop in and out of ink so its difficult for them to kill you. I rarely score below 1000p when using ink brush so it's definitely a yay for me. Perfect weapon for sneaky people I guess. It also has great inking speed so my specials charge up quickly. Inkstrikes for everyone!


In addition, its always fun when snipers try to kill you but you're just zooming by with the brush making a path for your team. Truly a great feeling.​

 

[Zoot]

Here's a Japanese guy scoring 1919p, then 2074p with the Inkbrush. Amazing.

I find it interesting that he's always either squidding or flicking ink, and only ever uses the brush to paint the ground when escaping enemy ink. I feel like I've learned something.

 

[Azure J]

Here's a Japanese guy scoring 1919p, then 2074p with the Inkbrush. Amazing.

I find it interesting that he's always either squidding or flicking ink, and only ever uses the brush to paint the ground when escaping enemy ink. I feel like I've learned something.

This is actually how I always saw the Inkbrush being played at its highest level (and also how I play). This is not to say that brush mode doesn't have a place though. There are times where you just have to be the first person to a primary area (Saltspray Rig is the best example; Ink mode to main area in the north, chuck sprinkler on top of or under the moving platform on the crane, wait for one or two teammates to SJ to you, then SJ to base and begin covering the southern areas) or Leeroy Jenkins and ping like a mad man to get your squad to realize that you're breaking through the middle in an attempt to give up on a highly contested area to sneak in and get a win from covering non-conflict zones and the freedom the Inkbrush gives you to play this kind of game is one of its best assets. It really feels like it's a weapon for folks who can coordinate and have great awareness of the match and win conditions for the match.

That said, it's solo combat ability is nothing to scoff at either. There have been Splat Zone battles I've been involved in where I had to hold the fort for absurdly long times while the rest of my team regrouped for the offensive and I successfully defended myself and the zone through the use of Sprinkler misdirection (other players will always without fail target Sprinklers first before attempting to sniff you out) and area coverage (seriously, you can't underrate a good Sprinkler placement in situations where you don't have much ink to travel in; the Sprinkler is like a 5th player constantly making you room to at least regroup in) along with general Ninja Squiddery or good movement. On the offense, it has a wonderful coverage area and as long as you aren't doing stupid things like thinking you can walk forward into a firefight, you can really raise hell. I've been pretty vocal here and on NeoGAF regarding its strengths and I believe in it a lot (hence my continued use of it as a main weapon). I wish if I had some good footage of myself to share with you all here.

Edit: I do still want to see an Inkbrush variant with more outright killing power and something dumb like Suction Bomb/Suction Bomb rush. lol