Should I bother with S+ Ranked Battles?

[CM2]

It did take me eight months to get there after I got my S Rank and I'm nervous it would take a long time again to get it back if I de-rank. So what should I do?

 

[TheReflexWonder]

A high rank doesn't mean much if you can't defend it over time. The main point of it is to put you in lobbies where people are of similar skill. The only person who cares about your rank is yourself, so what's the point of hanging onto something you never take advantage of?

 

[Hero of Lime]

After I got to S+, I tried to rise through the ranks to get to S+ 99, and found myself being unable to break into the S+ 60 range. Right now, I'm S+ 45. I want to get back into it again, but right now, I'm practicing in my S rank Alt account. I got to S+ several months ago, and I know for a fact my skill level fell in that time, mainly due to playing less of the game.

You could keep your S+ as a nice trophy, and just play Squads for risk free high play ranked battles. Or you can try to go for the gold with S+ 99! Either one is fine. I've decided to just focus on keeping my S+ rank, as opposed to maxing it out at 99. It's more fun, and less stressful that way.

 

[Xehias]

I took ages to get to S+ for the first time and I've ranked down to S several times after that. I generally don't have much trouble ranking back up though. When I reached S+ for the first time, I felt like something in my playstyle had "clicked" and it was smooth sailing from there. Maybe that'll be your case too?

 

[Nero86]

What I'm doing right now is recording my results from rotation (modes+maps), my lose streaks were more related to lack of experience/advantage in certain cenario and my own mistakes during the matches. Knowing my mind's limits is also important, losing 5 in a row sucks and makes me jump into dangerous situations with no necessity.

I'm S for a long time, my maximum was 80~90, and I feel I have a lot to learn. But I also feel I wouldn't stop playing Splatoon even if I did reach S+99, it's too fun to "Finish it".

 

[Cuttleshock]

I had something of an issue when I first reached S - it'd mostly been earned through dumb Bubbler runs in TC with the Tri and Junior, and I subsequently decided that I'd never win anything but TC if I didn't improve significantly in skill. So I stuck to that mode... and got virtually no victories before reaching S 2 (back when A and S were together so point changes other than 5 were possible). I promptly stopped playing Ranked for a good week or more before giving in and going for the final inevitable loss (I mean, I did try, but I didn't expect anything to come of it).

On coming down, I didn't stop falling, for whatever reason. I subsequently got all the way down to A- before putting the brakes on and getting myself back in gear. And when I returned to A+ after this, I was considerably better than I had been when I first reached that rank. I didn't manage to reach S again for some time, but when I did, I held onto it for a lot longer, and in all modes. A few more times, I switched between A+ and S, until I managed to cement myself in the higher rank, where I continue to strive now.

So what I'm getting at is that... yes, there's a good chance you'll lose S+, but if you do, if anything, it'll just improve your play in numerous ways and you shouldn't have too much trouble getting back (if you've already been high S for ages, it's not like you'll lose as many ranks as I did). Playing in S+ lobbies is surely the best way to learn to play like an S+.

 

[SurrealSquid]

I first reached S+ around October last year, and oh man, it was a rough experience. The skill difference between S and S+ players was very noticeable, and I found myself dropping back to S around a week later. My mood was bad, and I fell down to almost S20 until I found errors in my playstyle and changed it accordingly. I managed to get back to S+ around 4 times, dropping out of it again and again. I first got sad and disappointed by myself because I dropped to S so many times, but eventually, I grew used to it and only focused on making my playing better and (most of all) have fun. After some time, I reached S+ and managed to keep it until now, where I somewhat manage to keep myself in S+40-S+60 range.
Sure, barely anyone manages to keep their S+ rank once they first reach it (even ThatSrb2DUDE, in case you know him, dropped out of S+ once and nearly did again some time ago), so just try to not get frustrated and focus on having fun. Remember: it´s just a game and nobody is going to judge you based on your rank (except for idiots who you should ignore). If you´re on a losing streak, calm down, take a break, switch to a different weapon or just play some turf war (I actually find it very relaxing). Find faults in your playstyle, and try to not make the same mistakes over and over. And practice, practice again and then practice some more.
If you follow all of these steps, you should be able to keep yourself in S+. And if you drop out of it, that´s just fine. Just work hard to reach it again in case you really want it!
And that is how I got somewhat gud at Splatoon. In case this doesn´t work for you, feel free to insult me and call me an idiot for giving stupid advice.
Ok, thanks for reading! Good luck and have a nice day! :D

 

[CM2]

I first reached S+ around October last year, and oh man, it was a rough experience. The skill difference between S and S+ players was very noticeable, and I found myself dropping back to S around a week later. My mood was bad, and I fell down to almost S20 until I found errors in my playstyle and changed it accordingly. I managed to get back to S+ around 4 times, dropping out of it again and again. I first got sad and disappointed by myself because I dropped to S so many times, but eventually, I grew used to it and only focused on making my playing better and (most of all) have fun. After some time, I reached S+ and managed to keep it until now, where I somewhat manage to keep myself in S+40-S+60 range.
Sure, barely anyone manages to keep their S+ rank once they first reach it (even ThatSrb2DUDE, in case you know him, dropped out of S+ once and nearly did again some time ago), so just try to not get frustrated and focus on having fun. Remember: it´s just a game and nobody is going to judge you based on your rank (except for idiots who you should ignore). If you´re on a losing streak, calm down, take a break, switch to a different weapon or just play some turf war (I actually find it very relaxing). Find faults in your playstyle, and try to not make the same mistakes over and over. And practice, practice again and then practice some more.
If you follow all of these steps, you should be able to keep yourself in S+. And if you drop out of it, that´s just fine. Just work hard to reach it again in case you really want it!
And that is how I got somewhat gud at Splatoon. In case this doesn´t work for you, feel free to insult me and call me an idiot for giving stupid advice.
Ok, thanks for reading! Good luck and have a nice day! :D

No I think you're right. I do admittedly get worked up over some stupid nonsense like how the enemy team has a charger while we don't and I blame that loss solely on that. I knew even before I got to S+ that my skill level is not quite ready yet to take on the big boys. I knew that if I want to play with other S+ players I need to contribute one way or another because you're not always going to get carried all the time there. I think the problem with me is that I am letting stress get the best of me and therefore I am not really having fun with this game because it seems like at times the rank I'm currently at is the only thing I care about and nothing else. I'm letting this game get to me and thus I play worse. I've actually gotten better at not getting frustrated over time and start focusing on the match I'm playing right now instead of complaining.

So yes it's true that S+ is not easy to maintain for me right now and I need to adapt or else I can't keep it. Thanks for the advice. That was one of best posts I read on Squidboards actually. XD

 

[SurrealSquid]

No I think you're right. I do admittedly get worked up over some stupid nonsense like how the enemy team has a charger while we don't and I blame that loss solely on that. I knew even before I got to S+ that my skill level is not quite ready yet to take on the big boys. I knew that if I want to play with other S+ players I need to contribute one way or another because you're not always going to get carried all the time there. I think the problem with me is that I am letting stress get the best of me and therefore I am not really having fun with this game because it seems like at times the rank I'm currently at is the only thing I care about and nothing else. I'm letting this game get to me and thus I play worse. I've actually gotten better at not getting frustrated over time and start focusing on the match I'm playing right now instead of complaining.

So yes it's true that S+ is not easy to maintain for me right now and I need to adapt or else I can't keep it. Thanks for the advice. That was one of best posts I read on Squidboards actually. XD

No problem! I´m glad I could help! :D