Soda Slosher: reviews, loadouts and critiques

[Sgo-J]

So we have a new Slosher in Sheldon's picks and people seem to have gotten over it's garish colouring and started tearing it up with it. I haven't seen many Tri-Sloshers since the patch which makes me think that Slosher mains consider it equally or more viable than the default Tri.

As far as loadouts go. I've dumped Damage Up and worked in more ink saver sub and ink recovery up along with my usual ink saver main. After hearing people praise swim speed I'm throwing that on as well

 

[Cuttleshock]

I haven't seen many Tri-Sloshers since the patch which makes me think that Slosher mains consider it equally or more viable than the default Tri.

I mean... it depends on stage and mode. The Inkzooka is, for example, totally useless (in my hands, at least) in Alfonsino, because of the confounded spinners; in that situation, I prefer either the Tri due to the room for manoeuvre or another standard Slosher. Burst Bombs are definitely not useless post-nerf and so I think that the vanilla Slosher hasn't lost its place, either; the choice between that and Soda is mostly up to Specials, for me. Meanwhile, the Deco has only been significantly boosted and so is better than ever in TC and RM stages which don't hinder the Kraken (especially as it's a light Special loss weapon).

If it's between a standard Slosher and a Tri, it often depends on how high the ledges are that I want to hit or how likely I am to be attacking from below. What remains one of my favourite things to do in Splatoon is to take out an enemy sniper without either of us seeing each other. The Soda may or may not have more anti-perch power with its Sub compared to the vanilla, but out-sniping a sniper with a surprise Inkzooka definitely outdoes anything other buckets (outside of the SM Neo, of course) can do.

The Soda very much takes the ranged abilities of both SMs and mixes them with a considerably improved close-mid survival rate. It's now harder than ever to justify using SMs, although they've both had buffs as well (vanilla with light Special loss and Neo with both that and increased Point Sensor effectiveness). So... here's hoping an amazing SM (with an amazing name?) comes in Sheldon's Picks 2.

 

[Cyan]

I love the colour scheme of the Soda Slosher, it's so much better than the bog-standard Slosher (Black and Pink is pretty boring imo), and its set is just so good. I ran this last night:

| -
| - *Shiny* Shirt & Tie (No Image)
| - Strapping Reds (No Image)

This is similar to a set I'm using for the Slosher Deco, except I use instead (want to purify those for all ). I'm still figuring out the most optimal set for this weapon, but I think this works out best, since I will eventually have 6 subs of Ink Saver (Main). I was using the Orange Arrows for a bit until I decided on using my Strapping Reds instead, since the Slosher could do with Ink Resistance Up since it isn't the best at inking the ground at your feet. 1 Main of Quick Respawn takes the respawn counter down to 3 I believe (that's what I saw every time I got splatted last night, but QR definitely has inconsistencies from time to time) so I have a reasonable respawn time (I like to run some Quick Respawn, since the normal time is too long for my liking). 6 subs of Ink Saver (Main) definitely helps out with the Slosher's thirst for ink, so I have a few extra sloshes when I need them so I don't try to slosh air after throwing a bomb or being put into a firefight after using a good deal of my ink tank. Swim Speed is a nice addition, since the speed helps you to get close enough to pose a threat to the enemy team. I may use my Squid Hairclip instead once I have my Orange Arrows pure, as it has Triple QR and will throw in extra Swim Speed at the expense of Ink Resistance, but overall, this build worked fairly well for me, so I may stick to this.

From the matches I played with it last night, I love its handling, I can finally be more aggressive with a Slosher, since I can't aim Burst Bombs well enough for Burst Cancelling and the Deco has a more defensive playstyle. The Splat Bombs and Inkzooka give it the range and power to be as aggressive as it could possibly be without being a detriment to the team or the player (provided they aren't overly aggressive). I'm glad it got as good of a set as it did, since even though it has murdered a lot of the Sloshing Machine's viability, the colour scheme of this weapon is too nice, and I was hoping it was great as soon as I first saw it. I will most likely report any additional findings in the coming week, since tonight I'll be catching 30mins of Kelp Dome and Camp Triggerfish Tower, and then about 3hrs of Splat Zones on Urchin Underpass and Mahi Mahi Resort (provided I don't get salty at Zones again, have a very love/hate relationship with the mode lol).

 

[Lonely_Dolphin]

So here's the set I'm currently using!

Spoiler

Though this is the perfect ideal ability spread I'm aiming for, just need to get a pair of pure Ink Saver Sub shoes:

| - Fugu Bell Hat
| - Fugu Tee
| - Strapping Whites

It's a build with heavy slot dedication to a single ability, but since the Soda doesn't need anything specifically it can easily afford it, and it's totally worth it! That's just enough Ink Saver Sub to allow for 2 Splat Bombs to be thrown at once off a full tank, otherwise they can be thrown one after another at a very high frequency. We all know how great Splat Bombs are, so it's obvious that more of them constantly is even better!

Especially worth mentioning is the synergy with Inkzooka, giving me two free bombs alongside it, which can be used to force people out of cover for the Zooka to splat! Ink Recovery and Swim Speed are simply generic good abilitys that I use on every Slosher, but Ink Recovery is especially useful here since the double Splat Bomb leaves me with 0 ink left. Just half a second submerged in ink will be enough to give me that single slosh necessary to finish off the foe should they survive the double bombing!

EDIT: I'm too lazy to type out my overall thoughts again lolz, but if you wanna check em out they're right here!

 

[Cyan]

I've been thinking, if I decide to ditch Ink Resistance Up at some point (honestly depends at the moment, still enjoy my current set), I would like to know what would be better, adding additional Ink Saver (Main) or keeping the same amount of Ink Saver (Main) and throwing in some Ink Saver (Sub). So my question is directed to those such as @Lonely_Dolphin who do use Ink Saver (Sub) and will know what's better. So if I do ditch Ink Resistance, what would be more beneficial in terms of ink efficiency?

| - or
| - Strapping Whites or
| - Strapping Reds

It's a question of 1 main, 6 subs of Ink Saver (Main) [when I finally start scumming the roll] vs 1 main Ink Saver (Sub) and 6 subs of Ink Saver (Main) vs my current shoes. I am enjoying using Ink Resistance atm, so I may not swap at all anyway, since it's nice to not get stuck in a few pixels of enemy ink. However, I am interested to see which of the proposed shoe builds would work best for the Soda Slosher. Ink Resistance is nice for my aforementioned reasons in my other post here, but a bit more Ink Saver (Main) would be nice since the Splat Bombs have a rather big impact on ink usage, and whilst Ink Resistance helps my movement, I'm doubting whether I should keep in favour of throwing in some Ink Saver (Sub) or more Ink Saver (Main).

 

[Lonely_Dolphin]

I've been thinking, if I decide to ditch Ink Resistance Up at some point (honestly depends at the moment, still enjoy my current set), I would like to know what would be better, adding additional Ink Saver (Main) or keeping the same amount of Ink Saver (Main) and throwing in some Ink Saver (Sub). So my question is directed to those such as @Lonely_Dolphin who do use Ink Saver (Sub) and will know what's better. So if I do ditch Ink Resistance, what would be more beneficial in terms of ink efficiency?

| - or
| - Strapping Whites or
| - Strapping Reds

It's a question of 1 main, 6 subs of Ink Saver (Main) [when I finally start scumming the roll] vs 1 main Ink Saver (Sub) and 6 subs of Ink Saver (Main) vs my current shoes. I am enjoying using Ink Resistance atm, so I may not swap at all anyway, since it's nice to not get stuck in a few pixels of enemy ink. However, I am interested to see which of the proposed shoe builds would work best for the Soda Slosher. Ink Resistance is nice for my aforementioned reasons in my other post here, but a bit more Ink Saver (Main) would be nice since the Splat Bombs have a rather big impact on ink usage, and whilst Ink Resistance helps my movement, I'm doubting whether I should keep in favour of throwing in some Ink Saver (Sub) or more Ink Saver (Main).

Imho I don't feel Ink Saver Main is worth it here. With the amount you're suggesting, a whopping half of your ability slots, you get only 2 additional Sloshes after throwing a Bomb. That's a pretty small payout for such a large investment. A single Ink Recovery Up main would do similarly on top of increasing Splat Bomb frequency.

If you enjoy using Ink Resistance then keep on using it!

 

[Cyan]

Imho I don't feel Ink Saver Main is worth it here. With the amount you're suggesting, a whopping half of your ability slots, you get only 2 additional Sloshes after throwing a Bomb. That's a pretty small payout for such a large investment. A single Ink Recovery Up main would do similarly on top of increasing Splat Bomb frequency.

If you enjoy using Ink Resistance then keep on using it!

I've just been checking out Ink Recovery Up on Inkipedia, and from what I've been looking at, I'm settling on the Fugu Bell Hat, to replace the Retro Specs. I could have swapped out the Ink Resistance shoes for the Neon Green Sea Slugs, but those shoes are hideous. I could have kept hold of Quick Respawn by using the Grape Tee, and used the 2-Stripe Mesh to replace my shirt, but I like showing off my shiny Shirt & Tie, and based on Inkipedia's stack table, I'm only saving 1.2s on respawn time. So I decided that Quick Respawn was the disposable ability, so I'm replacing the Quick Respawn main and Ink Saver Main subs in exchange for Ink Recovery main and 3 subs of Ink Saver Sub. My future build should look like this then:

|
|
|

That seems like a good balance of abilities, and looks pretty colourful and fun too :P. Unfortunately I can't work on this build atm, since I'm order scumming a pure Forge Inkling Parka atm, and can't speak to Spyke until I have it in my possession. I appreciate the tip on looking towards Ink Recovery though, I wouldn't have considered it otherwise. I tried playing without Ink Resistance for a bit yesterday, and found it irksome how I was getting stuck in ink too easily. I love one how great one main of Special Saver on Light special loss weapons retains most of the special, as I was constantly getting my special which helps for the aggressive pushes in Ranked.

 

[The_Devious]

How does this weapon compare to the slosher deco? What maps and modes is this version better at handling?

 

[Lonely_Dolphin]

How does this weapon compare to the slosher deco? What maps and modes is this version better at handling?

The main difference is the Soda Slosher having ranged options while the Deco doesn't but instead having more survivability. Both are still great on every map n mode, but I definitely prefer the Soda on Hammerhead especially during rainmaker as the range helps deal with Chargers/Splatlings popular perch spots, and the Inkzooka can be used on the grating whereas Kraken can't. Likewise I prefer the Deco on Flounder Heights as due to the nature of the map it's easy to wind up in unfavourable situations so having a get out of jail free special helps against the unpredictability.

 

[Sgo-J]

How does this weapon compare to the slosher deco? What maps and modes is this version better at handling?

I prefer the Soda in narrower maps and on modes like RM and TC whilst I use the Vanilla on SZ and on wide open maps. I never used the Deco after it's first 2 weeks after release so I can't help you there

 

[Shuri]

I really like the Soda, and it's one of my new mains. I personally don't like Splat Bombs with the Slosher, so I don't pack any Ink Saver(Sub), but I always feel like I run out of ink really quickly, so I always get either Ink Recovery Up or Ink Saver(Main) just so I don't have to reload every other second :p
Damage Up does nothing, because even with three mains of Defense Up, you still get that 2 hit kill.
My equipment spread:
Jungle Hat: Ink Saver(Main)|Quick Respawn, Ink Saver(Main), Ink Saver(Sub)
Mountain Vest: Swim Speed Up|Defense Up, Defense Up, Swim Speed Up
Red Hi-Tops: Ink Resistance Up|Swim Speed Up, Swim Speed Up, Bomb Range Up
The Bomb Range Up, and Ink Saver Sub doesn't do jack, but the rest is good.
You get the idea.

 

[SquidHunterX]

Love the new Slosher build. I actually want to main it in Splatoon 2. Got some good strats in my head. Hope they work out.

 

[Lonely_Dolphin]

Love the new Slosher build. I actually want to main it in Splatoon 2. Got some good strats in my head. Hope they work out.

Hey don't leave fellow Bucketeers hanging, share them strats! :-P