Splatoon 2 The Best Player Theory

[CreeperFishStix]

This is a theory that has been floating around in my head for quite some time now. Most of it is common sense, but some is quite unique and unheard of in the competitive scene. Listen with an open mind to the thoughts of a man who has developed this theory since 2016.

When I say the "best player", I am talking about a player who is unanimously agreed as "the best" across the Splatoon community. Whether that be in Japan, Australia, or Mexico, just to name a few.

Now, let's get down to the attributes of this "best player".

First off, this player must be able to use each individual weapon to the best of their ability on any map and mode. For example, they should be able to use the Custom Jet Squelcher just as good as they can with a vanilla Splattershot (vanilla meaning original). Kind of hard to believe, I know, but there are ways to accomplish this. The Custom Jet has more range than the Splattershot, but sacrifices kill time, painting power, and movement speed while firing. The best player would be able to counter these weaknesses by using abilities to help it paint better (Ink Saver Main and Ink Recovery Up) and move faster (Run Speed Up and Swim Speed Up), as well as exploiting every possible advantage they have over their opponent. Whether that be range, positioning, sub combos, or something completely different. Regardless of the advantages, this player will be able to use them to their very limits. And regardless of the weapon, this player will always be able to use their weapon better than their opponent's.

Second, this player must be able to predict the movements of their opponents and adapt to the situation as quickly as possible. For example, let's suppose this player is in S+ solo que, and their teammates got wiped out, leaving only him on the field. They would find a good position, whether that be in one spot or constantly moving around, and start picking off players until their teammates respawn and reach the location of the objective. If they can manage to do the first point in this thread flawlessly, they will have no issue completing this task.

Third, they must be able to carry their team, no matter what the circumstances are (and if I'm not mistaken, FLC said something similar to this at one point). Let's say this best player is fighting a 1-on-4 using a Tenta Brella going against a vanilla Splattershot, Custom Jet Squelcher, Rapid Blaster Pro, and Splat Brella. The best player has a multitude of options, but only one will bring them victory: take out the offence as it tries to push, and let the defence try to protect, but over-extend and get taken out. Granted, it wouldn't be easy for a "normal" player, but for this best player, it will be a walk in the park, because they have more skill than the four people they are fighting against combined, no matter who they are.

I believe that covers the bulk of my theory. If you feel I missed something, let me know! I'm always open for more input.

 

[crinacle]

For me it seems really clear-cut, just the following few skills:

• Mechanical ability
  • Twitch reaction: time between recognising threat and taking action (escaping, fighting etc.)
  • Accuracy: self-explanatory, placing crosshair as close to centre-target as possible (essential in chargers, blasters)
  • Command strings: ability to string different actions and movements together, mainly via muscle memory (bunny hopping, sub-strafing/cancelling etc.)
• Awareness
  • Spacing: ability to know and judge distances, used to determine max range, blaster explosion point, 1-hit kill ranges of rollers etc.
  • Map: knowing where enemies and teammates are. Lessens risk of being flanked and opens up opportunities to flank
  • Enemy movement: anticipating where the enemy will be rather than where they were, essential against high swimspeed opponents
• Knowledge
  • Weapon: knowing weapon damage values, maximum range, sub-abilities etc. which is an essential component in spacing awareness as well
  • Map: knowing flanking routes, exploiting chokepoints and corners, using walls as cover etc.
  • Playstyle: knowing what to do against an aggressive lineup, defensive lineup, disruptive lineup etc. (the difference between undercommiting and overextending lies here)

None of which are exclusive to Splatoon. Definitely some unique stuff here and there (using ink patterns to determine enemy movement for instance) but all of them can be applied to other shooters and even MOBAs as well.

 

[The Salamander King]

Your theory is possibly the most improbable thing I've ever heard.

1st. Your theory basically is: "You have to be perfect in every possible way in every circumstance", which is frankly not possible. Human error exists. Not even a godly player like Power or DUDE can get a push going when their team has been wiped. It's just not possible unless the players have a drastic skill difference. And no, no player of any level can properly fight 4 decent enemy players and win. FLC actually said something more along the lines of "all the players in S+ have hard carried themselves there".

2nd. In the words of Sendou (and I believe I am paraphrasing a little here) "If you main every weapon, you are effectively maining none of them." That means that 2 players, 1 that mains everything and player 2 mains specifically Splash-O-Matic. When directly fighting, the player who has dumped more of their time and effort learning Splash (2) will win because of how specific his training was.

 

[Mar$el]

I mean yeah if someone could pull all that off they'd be the best player but it's just not gonna happen. This would describe the perfect player. The best player doesn't have to be the perfect player. And because so many people main so many different arrays of weapons it's pretty subjective to determine who's the best unless you match people up with the same weapon and gear and play every map on every mode but then that just determines who's the best person for that weapon. Splatoon isn't about individual strength solely rather about team coordination and team strength (which requires individual strength but individual strength doesn't determine a team's strength). I mean technically you're correct but in reality it's very very very unlikely. If this person did exist then they could play competitively on any team and win any tournament. I think crinacle provided a very good list of things that will make you better if you can do them. Because most players can do these things to a certain extent you're not gonna have a situation when a tenta brella is gonna wipe out 4 S+ players on his own.

 

[BBGrenorange]

I think basically everything has already been said, but I'll throw in my 2 cents as well.

You are indeed describing a perfect player here, but none of the people playing the game currently are perfect, and I'd be willing to bet quite a large sum of money that this will be the case for quite some time (i.e. until genetic modification becomes a social norm).

In terms of who the best player is currently, I'd have to say DUDE. He can use a variety of weapons to a very high standard, he's capable of carrying in solo que if he needs to, and he has the mechanical skills needed (impressive reflexes), as well as an extensive knowledge of the in-game stats.

 

[RoronoaTREY15]

Dude is the best player. Few people can use chargers well. He is really good with charger, and is probably the best person with long ranged shooters.
He obviously has spent tons of hours playing, so his knowledge, experience, and familiarity with the game against top competiton are all extremely high.

He definitely has flaws and isn’t unbeatable (like everyone), but he could join any position on your team, and play the role and weapon you asked of him well.

 

[The Salamander King]

DUDE is not the best player. He may be the most popular outside of Japan and use the most amount of weapons, but he's definitely not the best.

 

[Mar$el]

DUDE is not the best player. He may be the most popular outside of Japan and use the most amount of weapons, but he's definitely not the best.

The only reason Olive is so popular is because of youtube popularity with Sendou and Dude, and then on top of that people begin to see what other people on the team have posted where they see tournament gameplay from Sendou or Sorin or Erza's perspective which makes people root for them. The only time I watch someone's perspective of the game and hope they lose is Rockenberg's 1v1's. It's hard to root against the person you're watching and listening to.

 

[RoronoaTREY15]

DUDE is not the best player. He may be the most popular outside of Japan and use the most amount of weapons, but he's definitely not the best.[/
It’s a theoretical award tho. Using this guy’s criteria, he would be the best based off of weapons. Lol

 

[Padre]

DUDE is an YouTube star, not the best player.
Most saturation doesnt mean most skill.
But he is at least million times better than me. :)

 

[RelicRaider]

Whilst this isn’t the main purpose of the thread, I’d argue it’s just as effective to choose gear that makes a weapons strengths even stronger rather than pick up its weaknesses. The weapons are balanced in such a way that they all have strengths and weaknesses, and arguably covering your strengths, say giving a lot of run speed to a sploosh user would be a good idea because it strengthens one of the weapon’s main strong points even further, and if you come across another sploosh user, chances are on an even playing field you will win because you’ve buffed a stat that was already strong. Of course it’s not always that simple, as certain gear affects (almost) all weapons the same way, such as swim speed up, and yeah covering weaknesses can give you a nice all rounder, but I find it’s more effective to focus on strengthening your advantages and focus on never showing the enemy your weaknesses.

 

[Dark Sage Walker]

@CreeperFishStix What you are describing is nothing short of a machine. A cybernetic organism, if you will. Living tissue over a metal endoskeleton. I will go so far as to say that what you are thinking is definitely an ideal, but nothing that any one player can do at all times. Aside from that, every player is going to focus on some things differently than others and will never be able to win out in every situation. That's just a ludicrous hyperbole of one person's ability to take in and react to incoming data points. I think it would be a good idea to scale back some of those thoughts and be more realistic of what to expect from one person.

 

[(X)]

This is a theory that has been floating around in my head for quite some time now. Most of it is common sense, but some is quite unique and unheard of in the competitive scene. Listen with an open mind to the thoughts of a man who has developed this theory since 2016.

When I say the "best player", I am talking about a player who is unanimously agreed as "the best" across the Splatoon community. Whether that be in Japan, Australia, or Mexico, just to name a few.

Now, let's get down to the attributes of this "best player".

First off, this player must be able to use each individual weapon to the best of their ability on any map and mode. For example, they should be able to use the Custom Jet Squelcher just as good as they can with a vanilla Splattershot (vanilla meaning original). Kind of hard to believe, I know, but there are ways to accomplish this. The Custom Jet has more range than the Splattershot, but sacrifices kill time, painting power, and movement speed while firing. The best player would be able to counter these weaknesses by using abilities to help it paint better (Ink Saver Main and Ink Recovery Up) and move faster (Run Speed Up and Swim Speed Up), as well as exploiting every possible advantage they have over their opponent. Whether that be range, positioning, sub combos, or something completely different. Regardless of the advantages, this player will be able to use them to their very limits. And regardless of the weapon, this player will always be able to use their weapon better than their opponent's.

Second, this player must be able to predict the movements of their opponents and adapt to the situation as quickly as possible. For example, let's suppose this player is in S+ solo que, and their teammates got wiped out, leaving only him on the field. They would find a good position, whether that be in one spot or constantly moving around, and start picking off players until their teammates respawn and reach the location of the objective. If they can manage to do the first point in this thread flawlessly, they will have no issue completing this task.

Third, they must be able to carry their team, no matter what the circumstances are (and if I'm not mistaken, FLC said something similar to this at one point). Let's say this best player is fighting a 1-on-4 using a Tenta Brella going against a vanilla Splattershot, Custom Jet Squelcher, Rapid Blaster Pro, and Splat Brella. The best player has a multitude of options, but only one will bring them victory: take out the offence as it tries to push, and let the defence try to protect, but over-extend and get taken out. Granted, it wouldn't be easy for a "normal" player, but for this best player, it will be a walk in the park, because they have more skill than the four people they are fighting against combined, no matter who they are.

I believe that covers the bulk of my theory. If you feel I missed something, let me know! I'm always open for more input.

I’m trying to be the greatest ever. This helps towards that goal

 

[The Salamander King]

I’m trying to be the greatest ever. This helps towards that goal

Good luck with that, since it's not even humanly possible.

 

[(X)]

It

Good luck with that, since it's not even humanly possible.

It’s very possible. Very few, probably one player would be able to be that. It’s what I want to be. If I have to be that to be the greatest so be it. There’s no way in hell im aiming for anything less. I want to be the indisputable best at this game. I want to matter to the players in this community. Getting 3,000+ in turf war 10 Times got me praise but not a lot from the elites. Now I’m going for 50+ splats in a single game. Both records of course achieved and will be achieved without any special setups. Just random battles in ranked mode the way I did in turf war

 

[Mar$el]

It


It’s very possible. Very few, probably one player would be able to be that. It’s what I want to be. If I have to be that to be the greatest so be it. There’s no way in hell im aiming for anything less. I want to be the indisputable best at this game. I want to matter to the players in this community. Getting 3,000+ in turf war 10 Times got me praise but not a lot from the elites. Now I’m going for 50+ splats in a single game. Both records of course achieved and will be achieved without any special setups. Just random battles in ranked mode the way I did in turf war

I mean good luck but if the top players say getting 50 splats in a game matters then no one will call you the indisputable best at the game. No one will ever achieve this. People have their own opinions as to who they think is the best and it seems to be widely agreed on these boards that getting 50 splats in a game does not qualify anyone as the indisputable best.

 

[(X)]

I mean good luck but if the top players say getting 50 splats in a game matters then no one will call you the indisputable best at the game. No one will ever achieve this. People have their own opinions as to who they think is the best and it seems to be widely agreed on these boards that getting 50 splats in a game does not qualify anyone as the indisputable best.

Which is why I said I’d be everything the guy posted on top of that. Whether it makes anyone the best or not, it’s certainly the single greatest achievement an individual can ever accomplish. I’d love to hear anything an individual can do that would be greater than that accomplishment.

 

[Dessgeega]

This entire thread is based on insanity and no good will come from it.

As for you, X, talk is cheap. Get your vaunted 50 kills, go 50-0 on the splatnet app, get S+ 50 in every mode, achieve 99 freshness, do SOMETHING that is actually notable and people might listen to you. As it stands all you have is photos of your "3,000 points" (which is actually 2,000 and not really that impressive) and what amounts to bragging. To use the old phrase, put up or shut up.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Like @Dessgeega said, this thread is insanity. There's no way a tenta brella will kill all 4 of those opponents in a fair 1v4.

Like @Dark Sage Walker said, you're not looking for a human. You're looking for a TAS bot or something. With frame perfect inputs and excellent decision making. However, that wouldn't work in splatoon for a couple of reasons.

Splatoon has a lot of variables since it's a 4v4 game, not a 1v1 game. Meaning that there are unfair fights like a 2v1 to take into account. Even 2v1, a god like player will lose since the opponents will more than likely eliminate the player since they combined fire.

Splatoon is also a team based game. I can't stress this enough. Splatoon is not about who did the most work at the end of the match. It's about which team won and why. As long as Judd says you won, you're being successful in splatoon. Judd doesn't say you win if you got 20 splats in a game , or you died the least. Judd only rewards the team that played the objective the best, even if none of them got a single splat.

As for getting 50 splats, it's impossible. Don't try it. How do I know it's not possible, I'm a huge slayer player, and the most I'll ever get is about 30 kills and that's if I have to carry so hard it hurts my wrists afterwards.

Whether it makes anyone the best or not, it’s certainly the single greatest achievement an individual can ever accomplish. I’d love to hear anything an individual can do that would be greater than that accomplishment.

How about getting 51 kills, or 52 kills? Not like it matters since 50 kills is impossible either way. A good achievement would be consistently winning games. You know, the thing the game rewards you extra money and experience for.

Getting a ton of splats at one time, doesn't further you as a player. Winning consistently shows that you are advancing as a player. Not getting a whole bunch of kills one time.
Just because getting a whole bunch of kills translates into you facing weak opponents that you didn't improve from.

 

[Dark Sage Walker]

Like @Dessgeega said, this thread is insanity. There's no way a tenta brella will kill all 4 of those opponents in a fair 1v4.

Like @Dark Sage Walker said, you're not looking for a human. You're looking for a TAS bot or something. With frame perfect inputs and excellent decision making. However, that wouldn't work in splatoon for a couple of reasons.

Splatoon has a lot of variables since it's a 4v4 game, not a 1v1 game. Meaning that there are unfair fights like a 2v1 to take into account. Even 2v1, a god like player will lose since the opponents will more than likely eliminate the player since they combined fire.

Splatoon is also a team based game. I can't stress this enough. Splatoon is not about who did the most work at the end of the match. It's about which team won and why. As long as Judd says you won, you're being successful in splatoon. Judd doesn't say you win if you got 20 splats in a game , or you died the least. Judd only rewards the team that played the objective the best, even if none of them got a single splat.

As for getting 50 splats, it's impossible. Don't try it. How do I know it's not possible, I'm a huge slayer player, and the most I'll ever get is about 30 kills and that's if I have to carry so hard it hurts my wrists afterwards.


How about getting 51 kills, or 52 kills? Not like it matters since 50 kills is impossible either way. A good achievement would be consistently winning games. You know, the thing the game rewards you extra money and experience for.

Getting a ton of splats at one time, doesn't further you as a player. Winning consistently shows that you are advancing as a player. Not getting a whole bunch of kills one time.
Just because getting a whole bunch of kills translates into you facing weak opponents that you didn't improve from.

I can't stress this enough. This is a team based game. Team based game. It's not up to one person to do all the work. Not that bullying lower level players necessarily counts as working hard. Even the person on the bottom of the team contributed something. They may not have gotten the most kills, but maybe they did do something during the course of the match that you didn't pay attention to. Such as clearing a choke point that allowed the team to carry forward to win the game. Maybe that player super jumped in with a Power Clam to set things up for victory.

What I am getting at is that it isn't as important to get a huge amount of turf covered or to score a nearly immeasurable amount of kills as it is to be a team player. Playing the objective, helping your teammates, and good communication. These things win games. Not just one player who wants to dominate the entire field. You want to be the best player out there? Drop these completely over-inflated goals and start working more towards the human element of the game and its nature. You can start bringing this absurd topic up again once you start regularly winning 1 vs 4 matches.