Rainmaker: let's talk strategy.

[Hinichii.ez.™]

People really love throwing this word around.

Because it revolves around the useage of specails, more than anything else. It takes a certain amount of skill, to kill someome with your weapon. It doesn't take nearly as much skill, to land kills with your specails, especially when you just let the other team take the point lead, and then punish and destroy them with 3 krakens and a zooka/bomb rush in one fell swoop... Once one team gets the point lead, the losing team can start cranking out specails in 4-8 seconds easily.

The mode would be a lot better, if it didn't go bat **** crazy with your specail charge up, and camping became nullified/weakened. Those are two major problems with this mode.

 

[Remillo]

Once your team has a point lead, but you still have the Fish, it seems like unless the rush to the finish is right there, you should probably slow down. When the team is with you, the Rainmaker should hang back while the rest of the team pressures the opponents and the Rainmaker supports them with tornadoes. Once the way is clear, the Rainmaker should move up as far as possible before engaging the enemy again. If you're carrying the Rainmaker and are immediately threatened with a special... Strikes and Wails, you should probably just try to get out of the way as fast as possible. If you're staring down a kraken and you need to run, you need to try to loop around to not fall too far back into your own territory.

It seems like a pretty simple and common-sense strategy, but I've had people in solo-queue doing the most ridiculous things. In Kelp, we're moving the rainmaker forward to the choke into the enemy base and an opponent comes up and uses the Kraken. I dodge out of the way, and the Carrier starts retreating back towards the center. By the time the Kraken finally gets him, he's all the way back towards our own choke. The whole time I was just like... "Seriously?"

Those are just my own observations. Most of my Rainmaker matches have been on Blackbelly (which is pretty dreadful for this mode) and Kelp Dome (where I've actually had a ton of fun for Rainmaker).

 

[Hitzel]

FOR THOSE SAYING CAMPING ISN'T THAT GOOD: Camping on Saltspray Rig at the huge top area does not trigger the Rainmaker's "DON'T RETREAT" mode. Please tell me a way to effectively counter camping at the top with the Rainmaker versus a competent team.

Leave the Rainmaker alive and counter-camp.

Like I said in my previous post, if you don't kill the Rainmaker its timer runs out and the Rainmaker explodes and respawns in the middle. Just camp the middle, make sure someone is watching for super jumps, and have one person paint a path or two to their base (especially if that person has quick super jump and a good painting weapon). One of two things will happen:

1 - The Rainmaker explodes, your team picks it up for free, and you get an easy push towards their base and maybe even a knockout.

2 - They realize that you know what you're doing, so they have to frantically push into YOUR camping setup before the Rainmaker explodes, giving you a big advantage and most likely a large point lead immediately after.

Both of these scenarios will likely result in your team gaining a large point lead, and your opponents will have less time to do something about it because they ran the clock.

If this camping scenario happens when there is less than ~1:05 left on the clock and you don't have time to counter-camp, then yeah it's probably GG because Crane is a stupid hard setup to break in Rainmaker. The solution there is be in the lead or don't let the Rainmaker get to the back of the map in the first place.

 

[Kaliafornia]

Because it revolves around the useage of specails, more than anything else. It takes a certain amount of skill, to kill someome with your weapon. It doesn't take nearly as much skill, to land kills with your specails, especially when you just let the other team take the point lead, and then punish and destroy them with 3 krakens and a zooka/bomb rush in one fell swoop... Once one team gets the point lead, the losing team can start cranking out specails in 4-8 seconds easily.

The mode would be a lot better, if it didn't go bat **** crazy with your specail charge up, and camping became nullified/weakened. Those are two major problems with this mode.

Does the special meter charge up faster in Rainmaker mode, or are you just referring to it is easier to refill a special in rainmaker?

I personally haven't noticed specials more or less than other modes however this mode is similar to turf in the sense of there isn't a set path or section that will be dominated more than the other and the whole map comes into play (Although there are definitely better paths to take then others, it's just not predictable). Spawn camping is still possible though depending on the map (successfully camped in Walleye, Saltspray, Triggerfish and Arowana).


Adding to the general convo:

I do think rainmaker is broken on a lot of maps though as the maps weren't built for it in mind (Blackbelly and Arowana are the biggest offenders). Something also needs to be done about rainmaker camping, especially in Port and Saltspray as in Port, there isn't the blocks there so if you have the rainmaker and are in the lead with 45 secs or less you can just chill in the upper hallways by your base and run out the clock or in Saltspray take it into the big upper area. I mean solution is not get in that position in the first place but it feels cheap (even when you are the one doing it) to have the last minute of the game just not matter because you are just hiding. It will become meta (and already is) just to run out the last 45 secs if you have control instead of actually playing it all to the end like you do in Tower and Splat Zones if no one can knockout. That said rainmaker is my favorite mode so far for other reasons and I wouldn't call it a "casual" mode but it definitely isn't as skill defining as other modes, even Turf.

 

[XenoPixel]

Win. Kappa. I'm honestly still getting used to Rainmaker so I don't have many strategies yet, but I'll be sure to share them once I get better at the mode.

 

[Hitzel]

Something also needs to be done about rainmaker camping, especially in Port and Saltspray as in Port, there isn't the blocks there so if you have the rainmaker and are in the lead with 45 secs or less you can just chill in the upper hallways by your base and run out the clock or in Saltspray take it into the big upper area. I mean solution is not get in that position in the first place but it feels cheap (even when you are the one doing it) to have the last minute of the game just not matter because you are just hiding. It will become meta (and already is) just to run out the last 45 secs if you have control instead of actually playing it all to the end like you do in Tower and Splat Zones if no one can knockout. That said rainmaker is my favorite mode so far for other reasons and I wouldn't call it a "casual" mode but it definitely isn't as skill defining as other modes, even Turf.

I don't see this is a problem, as it's nothing new in the world of shooters. It's no different from (in fact, it's identical to) camping with, for example, the Bomb to run the clock in Halo Assault, but in Splatoon that camping period is actually limited to the last < 60s whereas in other shooters you can camp out a much longer time and have access to all of your gear. In that light, Rainmaker is actually quite tame.

Running the clock towards the end of a game is a normal thing whether it's a videogame or a physical sport, it's up to the other team to do something about it or not get into that position in the first place. It doesn't matter if it feels "cheap" at the moment, as the things we'll be doing in a or two will make everything we're doing now look really weak and useless. It's very possible to camp with the lead in Tower Control, and Splat Zones is literally designed for you to camp with the lead. It's not a very far-fetched thing.

 

[Kaliafornia]

I don't see this is a problem, as it's nothing new in the world of shooters. It's no different from (in fact, it's identical to) camping with, for example, the Bomb to run the clock in Halo Assault, but in Splatoon that camping period is actually limited to the last < 60s whereas in other shooters you can camp out a much longer time. In that light, Rainmaker is actually quite tame.

Running the clock towards the end of a game is a normal thing whether it's a videogame or a physical sport, it's up to the other team to do something about it or not get into that position in the first place. It doesn't matter if it feels "cheap" at the moment, as the things we'll be doing in a or two will make everything we're doing now look really weak and useless.

I'm just speaking in comparison to the other modes in Splatoon though, definitely agree its not as bad as other games. I'm not against running the clock entirely, especially if you have the skill to hold and defend it. A good example would be dying with it, resetting to mid and defending until clock runs out. My complaint is more on maps like Saltspray and Port that you can take it to areas that are not easily accessible and would take at least 15-20 secs to get to never mind actually fight for it. It would be like 2 minutes on the clock in a football game and the opposing team taking the ball and running around the stands with it.

 

[Hitzel]

I'm just speaking in comparison to the other modes in Splatoon though, definitely agree its not as bad as other games. I'm not against running the clock entirely, especially if you have the skill to hold and defend it. A good example would be dying with it, resetting to mid and defending until clock runs out. My complaint is more on maps like Saltspray and Port that you can take it to areas that are not easily accessible and would take at least 15-20 secs to get to never mind actually fight for it. It would be like 2 minutes on the clock in a football game and the opposing team taking the ball and running around the stands with it.

In football wouldn't it be more like kneeling with the ball every play at the very end to run the clock, something that's actually really common?

IMO, if there are maps where teams with an advantage can camp with the Rainmaker for ~45 seconds to guarantee a victory, then on those maps you play around understanding that the end of games work that way. Because it can only work at the very end I don't find it a problem ─ I would find it to be a problem if you could do it all game long.

 

[Kaliafornia]

In football wouldn't it be more like kneeling with the ball every play at the very end to run the clock, something that's actually really common?

It's not the same for a few reasons: 1) The playable area is different and completely accessible if you can get past OL in time and either make the center choke the snap or make QB choke a fumble. Not to mention provoke any false starts or the flags on the play which would amount to penalty yards and the game clock being stopped. Unlike in Splatoon where you have a part of the map that no one ever goes in the game that is not easily accessible. 2) The leading team would only kneel if they were a safe distances away from their end zone lest they get a safety or touchback, which depending on the situation isn't always the case. In Splatoon in Port, the inaccessible area is near your spawn and goal so you would actually want it to be there as there would be less risk instead of more with football.

IMO, if there are maps where teams with an advantage can camp with the Rainmaker for ~45 seconds to guarantee a victory, then on those maps you play around understanding that the end of games work that way. Because it can only work at the very end I don't find it a problem ─ I would find it to be a problem if you could do it all game long.

LOL, I tried to use that same logic for Turf and got destroyed for it. I don't disagree with you, to adapt your play to the fact this will happen in Rainmaker makes sense. I just more or less have a problem when you have to go out of your way to a previous area that was not in play in order to make your comeback it just feels like those areas should be blocked off or made more accessible. If you still want to camp end of game, fine, but at least its fair access to everyone that's why it feels cheap.

 

[Hinichii.ez.™]

Does the special meter charge up faster in Rainmaker mode, or are you just referring to it is easier to refill a special in rainmaker?

I wasn't joking when I said, you can get specails within 4-8 seconds(this does not include tenacity or specail charge ups), once someone has the point lead.

A lot of posters here, have not have run across a team that utilizes this, but I can assure you, it is very real, I've faced it and even used it to win; its beyond stupid. It's like playing brawl/smash4 with smash balls turned on high, except everyone can get their own smash ball, simultaneously.

 

[1o2]

Leave the Rainmaker alive and counter-camp.

Like I said in my previous post, if you don't kill the Rainmaker its timer runs out and the Rainmaker explodes and respawns in the middle. Just camp the middle, make sure someone is watching for super jumps, and have one person paint a path or two to their base (especially if that person has quick super jump and a good painting weapon). One of two things will happen:

1 - The Rainmaker explodes, your team picks it up for free, and you get an easy push towards their base and maybe even a knockout.

2 - They realize that you know what you're doing, so they have to frantically push into YOUR camping setup before the Rainmaker explodes, giving you a big advantage and most likely a large point lead immediately after.

Both of these scenarios will likely result in your team gaining a large point lead, and your opponents will have less time to do something about it because they ran the clock.

If this camping scenario happens when there is less than ~1:05 left on the clock and you don't have time to counter-camp, then yeah it's probably GG because Crane is a stupid hard setup to break in Rainmaker. The solution there is be in the lead or don't let the Rainmaker get to the back of the map in the first place.

You would only use this strategy to stall out the remaining 60 seconds, as there is no point in going up there unless you get the other team to kill you when you have 10 seconds left on the explosion timer. Preventing from someone getting up there is insanely difficult, because chances are if they get the Rainmaker, half your team is dead to begin with.

Still I pose the same question, How does one stop people from camping the last 60 seconds at the top of Saltspray Rig versus a competent team?

 

[viantastic]

I agree with the fact that it isn't about killing using the Rainmaker. It's surviving and transporting using your teams support. I posted a video about this:

As for people camping at the end in Saltspray: It's best to look at it as any other camp, all you can do it try and push in and retrieve the RM.
Also laying down some ink and holding that area early on can help prevent this.

 

[StaffofSmashing]

I agree with the fact that it isn't about killing using the Rainmaker. It's surviving and transporting using your teams support. I posted a video about this:

As for people camping at the end in Saltspray: It's best to look at it as any other camp, all you can do it try and push in and retrieve the RM.
Also laying down some ink and holding that area early on can help prevent this.

Can't cmon be seen by the other team? In the screen it shows up for the other team. Also, using the Rainmaker alone and going off is the worst idea because unless the enemies are oblivious you'll be seen and only make little distance

 

[viantastic]

Can't cmon be seen by the other team? In the screen it shows up for the other team. Also, using the Rainmaker alone and going off is the worst idea because unless the enemies are oblivious you'll be seen and only make little distance

I think you might be right. But at most they see it on the map, and if they do, it's the same as seeing a booya, I believe.

 

[SupaTim]

Going off by yourself can work in some cases. If your team has inked an alternate path and you are the first one to the RM you can sneak to that alternate path and go behind the other team (who is usually rushing to the last place they saw the RM). Not often the best strategy, but I've seen it successful three or four times.

The other team only sees the RM icon on the gamepad if you are within eyeshot or have their ink on you. If you sneak to the alternate path without them seeing you on the TV you can get behind them.

 

[Kaliafornia]

Going off by yourself can work in some cases. If your team has inked an alternate path and you are the first one to the RM you can sneak to that alternate path and go behind the other team (who is usually rushing to the last place they saw the RM). Not often the best strategy, but I've seen it successful three or four times.

The other team only sees the RM icon on the gamepad if you are within eyeshot or have their ink on you. If you sneak to the alternate path without them seeing you on the TV you can get behind them.

I feel like it can work better in a squad scenario but with randoms you need to stick by them to make sure you are there in case they throw. Too many times I have won or lost because the other team or my team were too busy taking another path or inking things preimptively without paying attention to the rainmaker directly.

This isn't much of a issue in other modes but in rainmaker there is an instant 20 seconds jump depending on the path taken and it's not a predictable path like in other modes. I would only go around like you mentioned if the other team was 100% wiped out.

 

[Hitzel]

You would only use this strategy to stall out the remaining 60 seconds, as there is no point in going up there unless you get the other team to kill you when you have 10 seconds left on the explosion timer. Preventing from someone getting up there is insanely difficult, because chances are if they get the Rainmaker, half your team is dead to begin with.

Still I pose the same question, How does one stop people from camping the last 60 seconds at the top of Saltspray Rig versus a competent team?

I was arguing that it isn't viable all-game long, and that it is viable at the end.

Obviously you need a 3-4 down situation in order to get the rainmaker and then bank on overtime. It isn't easy or likely, which is why camping with the objective is really effective and common in gametypes like this.

 

[unforgiven]

A few things I've learned on my own for Rainmaker.

If your team drops the Rainmaker and you have a single teammate still at the Rainmaker area, back off a little bit and let your teammates Super Jump back in the action.

I think the best way to use the Inkzooka is against the Rainmaker bringer.

I think the best way to use the Kraken is on the offensive, in the last 20 points.
The opposite team is going to be very aggressive to defend their base and the invincibility is needed.

 

[Captain Norris]

Here's a strategy. Get ahead, take the rainmaker away to a location far away from where the enemy needs to go. Let yourself drop the rainmaker (aka get splatted). Or at least, if you are in a situation like this, just keep the rainmaker out of the enemy hands. 4 good weapons instead of 3 should do it. It will virtually be 4v4 the whole time.