The Brella niche

[Jayy]

What is it? Cuz I can’t figure it out.

This game is by nature fast paced. The stages seem to be designed to funnel the teams into eachother one way or another, whether by narrow stages or intended routes through wider stages. And yet more often it seems like you get punished for grouping up with your team.

Every weapon in this game seems designed for offense. Even the paint-heavy weapons or long ranged “support” weapons.

So where does the brella fit in? They feel clunky. And if they’re designed to fill a certain role it seems like other weapons fill it better.

It only makes sense for a game like this with offenseive weapons and abilities to necessitate Defensive abilities and weapons, but to me, even they feel like offense.

I’d much more often hesitate heading down a corridor with a charger laser aiming down it than a brella user at the end. Generally the shield doesn’t even seem useful. And until maybe very high ranks or comp what other player is going to stick behind you just cuz you can shield them a few seconds? Woulda smarter player even consider sticking with you?

I guess it just feels like with the whole “sequel” thing they needed a new weapon type and this was it, but the game doesn’t feel to me to need it and feels like a big waste.

Thoughts?

 

[Gameboy224]

I mean, just as a combative tool. The Splat Brella is already plenty powerful, being a pretty good 2 hit kill weapon. 1 hit with a good shot if the enemy already has 10 points of damage.

The shield is a bonus defensive tool during confrontations. Or a defensive tool for playing on the defense, like say protecting the person with a Rainmaker or blocking oncoming fire while standing on the tower in Tower Control.

The Undercover Brella is basically a weapon designed specifically for 1v1 situations. It is fragile because its supposed to only last long enough to keep you alive and splat the person firing at you.

This game isn't always about being fast and offensive, it just as often is about being either tactical or defensive.

 

[Elecmaw]

Brellas are not tank roles akin to what you see in class-based MOBAs. They're more about protecting the user rather then anything else. If you think they are offensive weapons, that's because they are. If any game has a character/weapon/item that can take a lot of punishment, you don't play defensively, you exploit that defensive feature to extend further than you normally could. It can go into the fray along with the N-Zaps and Splattershots.

Splat Brella and even the Tenta have their niches to fill. Splat Brella can block a lot of punishment, it can even block itself from specials like Splashdown/Baller inside their lethal range. There's a lot to this weapon that you won't notice in your first few games of playing.
Tenta Brella's shield is too slow to protect in quick threats, but the shield can take so much punishment it's ridiculous. Launch it and you can start off a push no matter how many specials the other team are packing. But the weapon itself kinda bad and the set is somehow even worse, but it does have a very strong shield to set itself apart from other weapons.
Undercover really needs a buff, it's shield is wafer-thin, it's dps is really poor and just like Tenta its set is awful. It could become a useful dueling weapon but not in it's current state.

A few patches back the regular Splat Brella was even top-tier before it got nerfed. Which is a real shame, because it was an interesting weapon to play with at the time.

 

[Ansible]

The Splat Brella nerfs were a mere lovetap. ...except blaster and charger damage being effective and super effective, respectively...

But then I'm not "top tier" or in the competitive scene, yet I've been heavily using it since it first debuted with slow as molasses speed and while wearing respawn punisher.

As a result my own technique leans towards something like sword-and-shield. That means launching my brella is the last thing I want to do; instead I eat hits to land a "shield bash" for extra damage, pressure, and knockback repositioning.

I also learned to hang around teammates or at least keep an eye on them. If anyone is making a good push, retreating, or engaged you try to help out by blocking, distracting, added pressure, or added damage.

But that's a personal niche I've found with the Splat Brella on my own. Tenta and Undercover meanwhile are works in progress. The latter is severely hampered by problems I've mentioned elsewhere, attack spread and shield damage. The former I'm having trouble finding my rhythm with.

 

[The Salamander King]

What is it? Cuz I can’t figure it out.

This game is by nature fast paced. The stages seem to be designed to funnel the teams into eachother one way or another, whether by narrow stages or intended routes through wider stages. And yet more often it seems like you get punished for grouping up with your team.

Every weapon in this game seems designed for offense. Even the paint-heavy weapons or long ranged “support” weapons.

So where does the brella fit in? They feel clunky. And if they’re designed to fill a certain role it seems like other weapons fill it better.

It only makes sense for a game like this with offenseive weapons and abilities to necessitate Defensive abilities and weapons, but to me, even they feel like offense.

I’d much more often hesitate heading down a corridor with a charger laser aiming down it than a brella user at the end. Generally the shield doesn’t even seem useful. And until maybe very high ranks or comp what other player is going to stick behind you just cuz you can shield them a few seconds? Woulda smarter player even consider sticking with you?

I guess it just feels like with the whole “sequel” thing they needed a new weapon type and this was it, but the game doesn’t feel to me to need it and feels like a big waste.

Thoughts?

After forcefully revoking myself the pleasure of leaving a sarcastic comment, I've decided to address what you've said here.

"Every weapon in this game seems designed for offense. Even the paint-heavy weapons or long ranged “support” weapons."
No. This is just straight up incorrect. Weapons like Chargers, Splatlings, and Squelchers require you to stay back and play very defensively. I think your confusion stems from your lack of knowledge on how the weapon roles work, so I will try my best to explain.

Offense: Weapons that mainly push objective and get kills.
Defense: Weapons that usually stay back and make sure the enemy cannot push objective.
Support: Weapons that focus on map control and assisting with teammates.

Basically, You're mistaking defense for support.

"It only makes sense for a game like this with offensive weapons and abilities to necessitate Defensive abilities and weapons, but to me, even they feel like offense."
Well, that's either because you don't know how the team roles work, or you're playing those weapons incorrectly.

"So where does the brella fit in? They feel clunky. And if they’re designed to fill a certain role it seems like other weapons fill it better."
The Brella is one of the best Support weapons in the game, and most definitely the best painter right now with it's Sprinkler and Inkstorm. No other weapon fills Brella's aggressive support role in a team. Not even Nzap 85, which is generally considered the best support weapon, can't play the same role as well as Brella.

"Generally the shield doesn’t even seem useful."
Boi that shield is borderline broken at points.

Ok rant over.

 

[thundasi]

Brellas hold it down. Great brella players are ANNOYING. Hero brella is slightly more than mid range 2 shot, sprinklers to deal with rain storms and a canopy that eats 200 damage before you can get at them. Sure you could go fight them but if they stay on the edges of melee, its more work than its worth. So they nip at you, distract you then pull back. Thats my game plan everytime. Tenta brellas(TB) with current Buffs to both Beakon and Bubbles has viability.

 

[Jayy]

Salamander King. If the brella is the best support weapon in the game how come I never see them being used? Do you see them in games more often than not?

If so, that could be a difference at the level you and I are playing at. But in my turf war/A rank in each mode experience- I do not see them.

 

[zzmorg82]

I agree with TSK; the Brella has a good support kit. It mostly comes down your ability to use it correctly. Now I do agree with you to an extent in saying that most weapons in the game can be used offensively, but using defensive/support weapons offensively depends on maximizing their strengths properly.

 

[The Salamander King]

Salamander King. If the brella is the best support weapon in the game how come I never see them being used? Do you see them in games more often than not?

If so, that could be a difference at the level you and I are playing at. But in my turf war/A rank in each mode experience- I do not see them.

The reason you usually don't see them being used is, like you said, is most likely because of the difference in level between you and I. I can't go more than 2 games in S+ Zones without seeing at least one.

Another thing that I've noticed is the difference of weapon choice between normal ranked and competitive games. In casual ranked, the Sploosh-O-Matic is a monster that works quite well. In tournaments and scrims, you hardly EVER see Splooshes. Why is this? Well, in Solo queue you have no communication with your teammates, so weapons that kill fast and can carry themselves in a fight will always do well. In competitive, you have to work off your team synergy. Sploosh will get called out and countered by anything with more range, which is just about every weapon, making the thing near useless in a tournament.