Splatoon 2 Weapons that aren't meta that probably could be

[The Salamander King]

Lemme know what you think.
And feel free to laugh at my high-pitched nasally voice.

 

[AllToonedUp]

A very informative video, however I have a few criticisms.

Spoiler: Bamboozler

I can't see Bamboozler being part of the meta (Or at least the Vanilla version) because of its high learning curve and it's very vulnerable up-close which isn't good in the current aggressive meta so far.

Spoiler: Splat Brella

Splat Brella keeps getting more nerfs and counters as time goes on, and it's very gear dependent and has a high learning curve as well.

Unless if it gets buffed again (which is highly unlikely) I don't think it will be above "a solid pick, but requires a lot of effort" and issue is that generally, easier weapons are flat-out better than weapons that require work.

Spoiler: Dapple Dualies?

Both Dapples are equally good imo because Nouveau can play support and deny people from approaching or leaving with Toxic Mist in Rainmaker and Clam Blitz. However, even then, if you read their dodge rolls and if you use a weapon that can outrange them, they're toast.

Another thing to note is that ever since the Splash Wall buff, they can literally get walled out by certain weapons in a narrow area.

Spoiler: .52 Deco?

The main reason why .52 Deco isn't part of the meta (or at least in my opinion) because it has issues against weapons that are more mobile than it (Splattershot, Splat Brella, Dualies, etc.) and it has a sub-par fire-rate which means you're more likely to miss a target if you fail to kill them in time.

I agree with everything else that's been said though.

 

[The Salamander King]

A very informative video, however I have a few criticisms.

Spoiler: Bamboozler

I can't see Bamboozler being part of the meta (Or at least the Vanilla version) because of its high learning curve and it's very vulnerable up-close which isn't good in the current aggressive meta so far.

Spoiler: Splat Brella

Splat Brella keeps getting more nerfs and counters as time goes on, and it's very gear dependent and has a high learning curve as well.

Unless if it gets buffed again (which is highly unlikely) I don't think it will be above "a solid pick, but requires a lot of effort" and issue is that generally, easier weapons are flat-out better than weapons that require work.

Spoiler: Dapple Dualies?

Both Dapples are equally good imo because Nouveau can play support and deny people from approaching or leaving with Toxic Mist in Rainmaker and Clam Blitz. However, even then, if you read their dodge rolls and if you use a weapon that can outrange them, they're toast.

Another thing to note is that ever since the Splash Wall buff, they can literally get walled out by certain weapons in a narrow area.

Spoiler: .52 Deco?

The main reason why .52 Deco isn't part of the meta (or at least in my opinion) because it has issues against weapons that are more mobile than it (Splattershot, Splat Brella, Dualies, etc.) and it has a sub-par fire-rate which means you're more likely to miss a target if you fail to kill them in time.

I agree with everything else that's been said though.

This game is starting to favour backliners more now. Not more than short ranged slayers, but they are getting more popular as time goes on. I think Bamboo would work because it has a good mix of short and long range qualities. High mobility, good painting, efficient killing, 100% accuracy and long range. Bamboo also wins most fights against Heavy, the most popular backliner right now, because of its lack of falloff.

Dapples are kind of stupid if you're good at rolling. After rolling, you can get close enough to most popular weapons to get a 13 frame kill. As for the Splash Wall, that applies to every weapon.

I think 52 deco isn't in the meta because the stingray doesn't really fit with the weapon. You have to be really far back to use stingray, and a frontline slayer like 52 won't be there very often.

 

[MotorGamer]

I think the Bamboozler is ne of the strongest weapons in the game right now, it just also comes with 5e price of the highest learning curve out there. I have heard some competitive players say this before, and I agree that it is definitely an underused weapon. Rarely do you ever see this thing in just casual play, and I barely see it because in tournaments (I do t go to tournaments but when looking at teas I don’t see it).
Nintendo is kind of in a weird position with this thing. People don’t want to use it because of its learning curve, so Nintendo wants to buff it, but buffing it won’t really do anything, the learning curve is still there with the fact that you are a closed range charger. If they buff it to much then it will be way to OP, and if they nerf it even less people will use it. It might see more use when MK II comes out because it is theinly weapon to have Burst Bomb Launcher.

 

[Lonely_Dolphin]

I thought Mini Splatling, .52, Clash, and Dapples already were meta, I think I've seen them all used in tournaments. I definitely agree with Gloogas having high potential, and the Bamboozler might get it's time to shine once the alt kit releases, sames with Carbon Roller n Hydra Splatling.

 

[AllToonedUp]

This game is starting to favour backliners more now. Not more than short ranged slayers, but they are getting more popular as time goes on. I think Bamboo would work because it has a good mix of short and long range qualities. High mobility, good painting, efficient killing, 100% accuracy and long range. Bamboo also wins most fights against Heavy, the most popular backliner right now, because of its lack of falloff.

Dapples are kind of stupid if you're good at rolling. After rolling, you can get close enough to most popular weapons to get a 13 frame kill. As for the Splash Wall, that applies to every weapon.

I think 52 deco isn't in the meta because the stingray doesn't really fit with the weapon. You have to be really far back to use stingray, and a frontline slayer like 52 won't be there very often.

Oh right, those are very good points. Wouldn't Forge pro be also considered since it's pretty easy to use, has a good kit, and can push with bubbles?

 

[The Salamander King]

I thought Mini Splatling, .52, Clash, and Dapples already were meta, I think I've seen them all used in tournaments. I definitely agree with Gloogas having high potential, and the Bamboozler might get it's time to shine once the alt kit releases, sames with Carbon Roller n Hydra Splatling.

They see occasional tournament use, but to be meta they must be used in most comps and by most teams. The current meta is Blaster Heavy and Slosher Deco.

I hope the leak is right and the Carbon does get Burst Bombs again. It's bloody useless without them.

 

[Lonely_Dolphin]

They see occasional tournament use, but to be meta they must be used in most comps and by most teams. The current meta is Blaster Heavy and Slosher Deco.

I hope the leak is right and the Carbon does get Burst Bombs again. It's bloody useless without them.

3 different weapons isn't all that's used in competitive Splatoon, thus the other weapons that are used are still meta, just lower on the tier list.

 

[MotorGamer]

They see occasional tournament use, but to be meta they must be used in most comps and by most teams. The current meta is Blaster Heavy and Slosher Deco.

I hope the leak is right and the Carbon does get Burst Bombs again. It's bloody useless without them.

I mean the Mini was temporarily in the meta. In 1.3 or 1.4 I forget which. And the Mini hasn’t gone through too many changes. So I think it has been in the background meta, which is a term I like to use when a weapon doesn’t change in the patches, but other weapons out shining it. If more weapons get nerfed weapons in the background meta might get more use.

 

[Sifu]

"Meta" refers to the metagame, which is the analysis of what techniques/weapons are viable, and how they relate to eachother. Even if a certain weapon isn't in the most popular comp, or even in most comps, but is present in comps that counter popular comps, or is a viable consideration, then that weapon is still a part of the meta

 

[The Salamander King]

"Meta" refers to the metagame, which is the analysis of what techniques/weapons are viable, and how they relate to eachother. Even if a certain weapon isn't in the most popular comp, or even in most comps, but is present in comps that counter popular comps, or is a viable consideration, then that weapon is still a part of the meta

3 different weapons isn't all that's used in competitive Splatoon, thus the other weapons that are used are still meta, just lower on the tier list.

This is an excerpt from one of FLC's (one of the most notable and imo, intelligent members of the community) blogs. This also seems to be the way most, if not all, competitive players define meta:

"The metagame (meta for short) describes how people think about the game they’re playing. Playing the game entails aiming, shooting, moving, painting, and so on. The metagame, meanwhile, tells you that while you’re doing all of the above, you’ll generally be using or playing against, say, the Tentatek, Custom Blaster, and so on.

In short, the metagame tells you how other people are going about playing the game. “Tentatek is meta” means “A lot of people use Tentatek.”

This is why “Splattershot Pro is not meta” isn’t suddenly wrong because Olive used it when they were winning G7; one person using it does not constitute the meta shifting.

It could be the turning point; maybe at Inkstorm, every team will be running a Pro all of a sudden. But they aren’t right now, and that’s what counts."

So no. By Splatoon standards, if a weapon is not in at least 70% or so of comps, it isn't usually considered meta. By your definition, you could consider Splattershot Jr. meta, even though very few teams run it because Nzap is better. There is a difference between "meta" and "viable". What you call "meta" most people would consider "viable". Jr. is viable but not meta.

 

[Lonely_Dolphin]

I disagree with any definition that paints the game as 3 different weapons only, and a player would be foolish to believe only 3 weapons are played, but eh I digress. In that case then no, I don't see any of those weapons becoming meta by your definition as they're not as easy to use while still being very powerful. Even if the meta gets significantly nerfed, Splattershot/N-Zap would sooner take their place.

 

[The Salamander King]

I disagree with any definition that paints the game as 3 different weapons only, and a player would be foolish to believe only 3 weapons are played, but eh I digress. In that case then no, I don't see any of those weapons becoming meta by your definition as they're not as easy to use while still being very powerful. Even if the meta gets significantly nerfed, Splattershot/N-Zap would sooner take their place.

Well yeah. There are weapons like the aforementioned Splattershot and Nzap are popular in comps, but no longer meta. It's obvious that Blaster, Slosher Deco, and Heavy aren't the only 3 weapons on a comp because there are 4 people per team.
Some of the weapons are actually extremely easy, such as Clash. Mini and Brella aren't that difficult either.

 

[Aromaiden]

Maybe using the word 'viable' or the phrase "competitively viable" would be a better fit? If we're going by that definition of meta it'll be difficult to suggest many possible meta choices.

t's obvious that Blaster, Slosher Deco, and Heavy aren't the only 3 weapons on a comp because there are 4 people per team.

Perhaps I'm being nitpicky, but this part is kind of funny to me. No offense intended to you at all.

It wasn't uncommon during the earlier stages of Splat2n for teams to run multiples of the same weapon at the beginning. With the likes of Tri-Slosher and N-Zap for example.

 

[The Salamander King]

Maybe using the word 'viable' or the phrase "competitively viable" would be a better fit? If we're going by that definition of meta it'll be difficult to suggest many possible meta choices.


Perhaps I'm being nitpicky, but this part is kind of funny to me. No offense intended to you at all.

It wasn't uncommon during the earlier stages of Splat2n for teams to run multiples of the same weapon at the beginning. With the likes of Tri-Slosher and N-Zap for example.

I'm glad you caught that, as it was supposed to come off as somewhat sarcastic.

Yeah, triple Tri is still somewhat viable, unfortunately. Luckily, the current meta doesn't seem to favour the 3 big metas (Blaster, Slosher Deco, and Heavy) be put on a team together, so some teams will replace Blaster with Ttek, Slosher Deco with L-3, Heavy with CJS, and the like.

 

[MotorGamer]

I think that the Bamboozler and Flingza both have a lot of potential, yet the Flignzas are statistically the least used weapon.

 

[Aromaiden]

Flingza seems to be a good weapon at this point. The amount of buffs to it and the recent buff to Wall makes it seem decent overall. Wouldn't be surprised if it picks up in popularity in the future.

 

[MotorGamer]

Flingza seems to be a good weapon at this point. The amount of buffs to it and the recent buff to Wall makes it seem decent overall. Wouldn't be surprised if it picks up in popularity in the future.

I am honestly surprised it isn’t the most popular roller. It has the horizontal flick time of a carbon, yet the power of a Splat Roller, both with the horizontal flick damage and roll damage. The weird thing about this is the vertical flick. Originally I thought this thing had everything going for it except for the vertical flick, which pulled this thin down like a 1 ton anchor keeping a 100 pound boat from moving. The thing that makes the vertical so weird is that the damage it does really stars diminishing fast the further away your opponent is.
But recently, I watched a video by ThatSrb2Dude and realized something, this weapon isn’t meant to played at range when vertical flicking, this vertical flick has amazing close range potential, because it can still one hit at close range.
And here is where it gets really good, 5this thing has a slow start up time on its vertical, which sounds bad at first, but trust me, it really is only a good thing. You can aim this thing because of its slow vertical. Somebody getting close? With a Splat Roller hitting them is hard with a vertical, and also doesn’t do to much damage. Carbon? Even harder to aim and does even less damage. The Flingza? Extremely easy to aim, and can one shot at close range.
And you might be saying to yourself right now, wait, the Dynamo is even slower, so shouldn’t that be even easier to aim? Well yes and no. Yes it might be easier to aim, but it takes so long so by the time you get finished with it you will already be splatted. I mean literally Nintendo could probably make 10 more Splatoon games in 5e time it takes for the Dynmo to Vertical. And if you miss, if you get the chance even further screwed yourself.
I also forgot to mention that the Vertical flick has more range than the Carbon and Splat Roller, and also covers more because it splits in three directions
So I can’t stress this enough, the Flingza is the best!

 

[The Salamander King]

I am honestly surprised it isn’t the most popular roller. It has the horizontal flick time of a carbon, yet the power of a Splat Roller, both with the horizontal flick damage and roll damage. The weird thing about this is the vertical flick. Originally I thought this thing had everything going for it except for the vertical flick, which pulled this thin down like a 1 ton anchor keeping a 100 pound boat from moving. The thing that makes the vertical so weird is that the damage it does really stars diminishing fast the further away your opponent is.
But recently, I watched a video by ThatSrb2Dude and realized something, this weapon isn’t meant to played at range when vertical flicking, this vertical flick has amazing close range potential, because it can still one hit at close range.
And here is where it gets really good, 5this thing has a slow start up time on its vertical, which sounds bad at first, but trust me, it really is only a good thing. You can aim this thing because of its slow vertical. Somebody getting close? With a Splat Roller hitting them is hard with a vertical, and also doesn’t do to much damage. Carbon? Even harder to aim and does even less damage. The Flingza? Extremely easy to aim, and can one shot at close range.
And you might be saying to yourself right now, wait, the Dynamo is even slower, so shouldn’t that be even easier to aim? Well yes and no. Yes it might be easier to aim, but it takes so long so by the time you get finished with it you will already be splatted. I mean literally Nintendo could probably make 10 more Splatoon games in 5e time it takes for the Dynmo to Vertical. And if you miss, if you get the chance even further screwed yourself.
I also forgot to mention that the Vertical flick has more range than the Carbon and Splat Roller, and also covers more because it splits in three directions
So I can’t stress this enough, the Flingza is the best!

Flinga's horizontal is way slower than Carbon's.
But other than that, yeah. I think the good painting and kit carry Flingza. The Foil is hot garbage because it's just a worse Slosher. The vanilla has a nice bomb rush kit and gets it fast too. I don't think Flingza is good enough to be in, or even near the meta, but one more decent buff in any stat might push it up into that range.

 

[MotorGamer]

Flinga's horizontal is way slower than Carbon's.
But other than that, yeah. I think the good painting and kit carry Flingza. The Foil is hot garbage because it's just a worse Slosher. The vanilla has a nice bomb rush kit and gets it fast too. I don't think Flingza is good enough to be in, or even near the meta, but one more decent buff in any stat might push it up into that range.

Not that much slower really...I wasn’t saying that the stats were the same...just similiar