Painmaker

[Zero Meddler]

I just got back from a painful 3-game lose streak of Rainmaker. This isn't the first time since its release that I've been on a streak like this. And because of these repeated losses, I've grown to hate it and avoid it like the plague. Thing is, I don't want to do. As of now, I'm not competent on Rainmaker, but I want to be.

The reason I played it to begin with was because on my alt, I went from A+ 44 to S 33, which gave me confidence to hopefully get my main rank up. I ended dropping from S 18 to S 10 on my main.

My playstyle is... I don't know what catagory it falls in but I'll describe it.

I'll generally head straight for the Rainmaker and start putting shots into its shield. I also make an effort to grab it, even if it's to push it a little farther and die in the process (I could say the same for TC). When a teammate dies grab it, I'll usually ink a path for them while also trying to take out enimies along the way. When the enemy has it, (if possible) I'll try to flank them (though that usually results in failure). During my Failmaker run, I noticed that I usually was the only one alive a lot (or one of two, though I was dead at points too soooooo....). As for abilities, I usually go with Swim Speed, Bomb Range, and either Run Speed or Ink Resistance Up. For weapons, I only use the Dual Squelcher (since I'm too scared to use any other weapon in Ranked).

Is it my playstyle, is it inexperience, is it my weapon, are the abilities I'm using inefficient for my playstyle? I don't know where the fault is.

 

[GirlyMii]

Rainmaker is my favorite. With that being said I learned not to rush to pop the rainmaker. My mission is to take out anyone around it not really paying attention bc they are trying to pop it. I go for obvious places they would stand.
I do that for most maps except for camp triggerfish. I also always have my eye on the map. If you look closely and see the opposing team with it you can see which way they intend to go (alternate routes to base). I also watch good players on twitch. They go out to kill but a lot of times stay in squid and jump out and kill when the person doesn't suspect they are there. I always use cold blooded not to be tracked for very long.
I love when people make a pathway but sometimes the person goes so far ahead they miss opposing team mates causing the rainmaker holder to die. If our team has a good lead I make sure to cover try map in our ink and build my specials.
Good luck to you.

 

[Airi]

Rainmaker can be a very hard mode to get the hang of because it is the most confrontational mode. It requires players to pick up a much more aggressive play style and many Splatoon players are not used to being so aggressive. I've always done well during Rainmaker because I'm just straight up aggressive in every mode - including Turf War. :P With practice though, it is possible to switch your mindset into one that works for Rainmaker. The important part is figuring out your role in Rainmaker - although I'll get to that in a bit. :)

The biggest mistake that I see people making in Rainmaker is that they always grab the Rainmaker immediately at the beginning of the start. Do not pop the shield right away and definitely do not grab the Rainmaker. Within the first few seconds of a match, everyone is headed towards the Rainmaker. If you grab it, you will die. You're essentially handing the other team the Rainmaker. Take out the opposing team first before you grab the Rainmaker. Once the field is clear of your opponents, quickly pop the shield and advance it forward. It is always best not to grab the Rainmaker within the first few seconds of the match since everyone will be swarming the Rainmaker.

With Rainmaker, you really need to decide which role you are better suited for. Are you more offensive or defensive? If you're more offensive, I would recommend grabbing the Rainmaker. Remember to make sure that you're keeping an eye on your surroundings and shooting the Rainmaker. This creates a small path forward and can kill enemies heading towards you. You have to learn how to work the Rainmaker - and that includes how to move with it - but once you get it down, you can really be very good with it. Always look for alternate paths. If you know the enemy is gathered down one path, try to take the path where it's clear. I've won many games by quickly dashing down a path that the enemy team didn't have covered. They were all gathered in one area so they weren't prepared to stop the movement.

If you're more defensive, try to avoid grabbing the Rainmaker and allow another teammate to have it. Focus on defending the Rainmaker and make sure there is a clear path for the Rainmaker to advance. Never run too far ahead of the Rainmaker. People enjoy coming up behind the Rainmaker so if you're too far away, you can't defend the Rainmaker against these players. Defending the Rainmaker is fairly straightforward. It's like if you were defending any of your other teammates.

 

[NotAPerso]

A few things to keep in mind: always be aware of the overlay that shows how many inklings are in play so you can react accordingly (if more of you are alive bust the bubble and push, if less then pull back until support arrives), be aware of who has the lead and how big of a lead it is and how much time is remaining (if your buddy dies while pushing and you have a chance to pick up rm only do so if it means gaining a lead, otherwise fall back until you obtain support), sometimes not popping or preventing the pop are better options than popping and grabbing immediately, and finally the rules of overtime are important to know (if winning team is holding rm and dies within ten seconds of the end or losing team is already carrying rm at time end then overtime will begin) so play the final seconds according to if you're winning or losing.

 

[Elecmaw]

Rainmaker is very hard to make a meaningful impact with in solo queue, because one way or another you're far more dependent on your teammates than in SZ/TW. With the RM you have to rely on your team to shield you, while if you don't have it you'd have to rely on the RM to advance with the rest of the team properly. Considering you have no method of communication with your team aside from two commands, this leads into problems.

Anyhow, if you still like to give it a try:
-Kraken is really powerful in this mode. Not sure if you've noticed it but you can very quickly take out enemy RMs and the inktrail Kraken leaves allows your RM to quickly travel closer to the enemy pedestal. I'd reccommend picking a weapon that has it.
-At all costs should you avoid getting wiped(all 4 teammates splatted). It's bad enough if it happens in other modes but here the enemy can easily get a sizeable lead on you or even a KO if this happens.
-If you suicide by going out of bounds with the RM, you'll reset it's position back to the middle. This can actually be helpful in some cases.
-If you're carrying the RM and you're several points away from getting the lead, go forward and grab the lead even if it means you're gonna die. Likewise, if the rest of your team got taken out try to take it as far as possible before you'll inevitably get taken out. While getting a big lead on the enemy is important, what ultimately matters if you got a lead at all on the enemy, doesn't matter if it's just 1 point or 50.

 

[Zero Meddler]

Alright, alright. This is some good advice. I noticed that I wasn't doing some of the things you mentioned like finding a playstyle that works. I tend to play without a focus and usually just do what needs to be done at the time. And after reading GirlyMii and Airi's posts, I also need to work on stick around the one with the RM often. That has contributed to my losses. Same with focusing on popping the RM. I'll try being defensive first since I prefer to support my teammates anyway. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[birdiebee]

One thing I will also add... if you're in a situation where you have the Rainmaker and no one is defending or escorting you, advancing with fully charged Rainmaker blasts isnt always the best. Especially if its a somewhat windy or cluttered path, sometimes smaller consecutive blasts will get you where you need with more stealth and speed.

 

[Bowrock]

I have no problems with rainmaker. it's actually my favourite mode because it's much more "organic" compared to TC and SZ.

 

[Pokemon5700]

I find the N Zap '89 and the Carbon Roller Deco very good in this mode. The N Zap '89's sprinkler is good for opening the shield and the inkstrike is great for forcing the opponents out of where they shouldn't be. The Carbon Roller Deco is a great aggressive weapon, it works VERY well in Port Mackerel. One thing I like to do is, at the begging of the match, sneak to the other side of the Rainmaker's shield and take out the opponents.