ILikeKirbys
Inkling Commander
I disagree. (WARNING: LONGPOST AHEAD, TLDR AT BOTTOM)
Seekers can be jumped over, though Seeker Rush sounds interesting it probably will only help on stages that are or contain long horizontal stretches (Walleye and Arowana come to mind, though mostly the former), and the range on the roller itself is tiny so you're reliant on Seekers and Seeker Rushes to deal with most enemies at mid- to long-range, and you're helpless against anyone above you. Also, the Seeker's one-shotting capabilities only matter at range; up close, you can just flick. It's more important on something like the Aerospray MG, which doesn't have much power otherwise (outside of Inkzooka), or the .52 Gal Deco, which could use a good way to ink long paths to travel down to close the distance for easy splats (though it's not necessarily bad at doing this with its main fire, it's just unnecessary when you have Seekers); honestly the Carbon Roller doesn't really need Seekers at all, since it has power and moves pretty quickly while rolling. In fact, the Deco seems like a serious downgrade when compared to the original Carbon, since Burst Bombs can soften up foes to be splatted at the tip of your flick range, quickly cover walls for easy climbing or scout for foes hidden in their own ink (though Seekers can do that last one, but I'd argue not as well as Burst Bombs since they won't turn to chase submerged squids) and Inkzooka gives the Carbon Roller much-needed horizontal and vertical reach (Seekers can provide the former, but not as quickly, and while Seeker Rush fires faster than Inkzooka with less pushback on each shot it can't hit anyone above you, which is a terrible blind spot to have). The Carbon Roller Deco might be good, but I can't see it dominating anything.
For Rainmaker-specific points of why the Carbon Roller Deco will not dominate (according to me, anyway), here are a few:
1) Seekers are good for two things in Rainmaker; dealing big damage to the Rainmaker from a distance, which it is good at (though its ink cost is quite high for this purpose, you might be better off with a long-ranged Shooter/Charger-type weapon, and Burst Bombs can do less damage from a wider variety of locations), and creating long paths for the Rainmaker to travel down, which it is also good at (though Chargers and long-range Shooters can do this as well, and Rollers can make wider ink-roads into nemy territory, though possibly slower). I think that the Carbon Roller can make use of Seekers very well (especially Seeker Rush) for popping the Rainmaker from afar (whereas otherwise it runs the risk of being outdamaged at the shield and splatted when it pops), but it can create paths by just rolling, so Seekers are only useful in the situation when you aren't sure you'll be safe inking it by rolling. Not exactly dominating, that.
2) Seekers are rarely good for combat. Yes, they can one-shot, but you can jump over them if you see or hear them coming, so they probably won't get you any splats. Additionally, they're ground-bound, so you can't reach enemies above you or across a gap with them. It's kind of like shooting a mini-Carbon-Roller that can't jump or flick, goes really far in a straight line, can't be shot to stop it, and explodes if it hits a Splash Wall or regular wall. Which is very useful, but not for a regular-size Carbon Roller. At least, I don't think so.
3) The Carbon Roller isn't great on its own. Yes, it can ink wide paths fairly quickly for your Rainmaker carrier and any bodyguards, but its swings have little forward reach, so you have to close in to score splats. It's not terrible, but it needs a good ranged weapon or two in its loadout to stand a chance in any form of ranged combat.
This is where the Seekers and Seeker Rush let the Deco down. Yes, both are ranged attacks, but horizontal range is only half of the Carbon Roller's problem; nothing in the Deco's loadout gives it vertical reach, the other half of the Carbon Roller's biggest flaw. Without that, any enemy on a ledge above you becomes an unwinnable fight, which is not good in Splatoon where you can easily climb up to higher vantage points. This alone wrecks the Deco's chances more than anything else, in my eyes.
3x) Despite the weaknesses of the Carbon Roller that I just listed, I think the original Carbon Roller is fairly good for Rainmaker, unlike its decorated counterpart. Much like my reason for thinking the Deco's gonna suck a bit, I think the original Carbon Roller is good for Rainmaker entirely because of its loadout. Specifically, the Carbon's loadout gives it Burst Bombs and Inkzooka, which allow the Carbon Roller to attack from mid-to-long-range both horizontally and, far more importantly for this comparison, vertically. Burst Bombs can be thrown upward to go over obstructions or just hit high places, allowing the Carbon Roller to safely contribute to shield-breaking from a decent distance; additionally, you can use a Burst Bomb at close range to soften up or finish off enemies. Inkzooka is a Special, so it's not always available and not to be relied on (so Burst Bombs go from great to invaluable), but when you do have it it's a long-ranged one-shot with good vertical range whose only weakness is having recoil on each shot, firing a bit slowly and having a thin-ish shot (not crippling weaknesses, but should be kept in mind).
(TLDR) So overall, I can't see the Carbon Roller Deco dominating Rainmaker, primarily because it lacks vertical reach but also because the regular Carbon Roller is a better choice.
Though that's all just my opinion. I could be wrong. I'll definitely be trying out the Deco when it drops, so hopefully I'll be surprised then.
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