Splatoon 2 Your thought process during S+ Rainmaker

[NOICE]

I used to love Rainmaker. It was the first mode that clicked for me as I was learning the game (granted, it's probably only b/c in the lower ranks I realized you can go around the bubble and splat 2-4 enemies who are focused solely on popping the shield :D). I got as far as S+2 and had a great time on the way there. However, something has changed over the last ~2 months, and it feels like I'm on a permanent losing streak. I constantly fall back to S, get back to +0, then it's back to winning about 20% of my matches pretty consistently until I inevitably rank back down.

It feels like something always goes wrong on this mode. For example, in a match on Humpback, I was protecting the Rainmaker carrier and splatted the last enemy near the pedestal. All my pal had to do was swim up the thing, but instead, he fell off the ledge right around the 5 count :/ Naturally, the team had time to respawn, turned the game around, and went on to win with a KO. I know it's useless to blame teammates b/c to lose this often means I'm the problem; just giving one of many examples of how things can always go wrong.

So, I'd like to know YOUR thought process when playing Rainmaker, particularly in S+ since that's where I feel nothing is working any more. What changes in play style & attitude have led you to consistent success? How do you decide when to take a certain route, when to hide vs come out guns blazin' when they're about to take the lead, etc? Here are a few things I've tried, but not mastered:

• Focus on kills so we can make a push when they're down to 2 or less. I use the Splattershot Pro and can usually do decently well at keeping my distance and taking out a few enemies. Sadly, it often leads to a wild goose chase where I finally splat somebody who's being a huge nuisance (curse you, stealthy rollers! ;)), only to find that my teammates are either dead or have taken the rainmaker in a different direction anyway.

• Focus on staying alive. This mode feels like the one where my team gets wiped more than any other. If the enemy is making a strong push towards the pedestal (and they almost always are :)), I tend to panic and attack the rainmaker at all costs. I often get the kill, only to find myself splatted immediately after. Now my team is wiped, meanwhile the enemies are already super jumping back in and popping the bubble. When I hang back hiding in an attempt to stay alive, I'm often able to catch at least 1 enemy unaware, but it's too late b/c another enemy has already picked up the rainmaker and now I'm behind them playing catch up.

• Carry the Rainmaker. I used to NEVER do this but have been working on picking it up more. The most difficult decision is always: do I A) move forward with the team at all costs! or B) stand here releasing a lot of shots in hopes of taking out some enemies first? Both options end with a surprise splatting from behind/above eventually. We have all heard the "don't push until 2+ enemies are down", well, usually by the time you're getting close to the pedestal, enemies who WERE down have respawned and are raining ink on you from all directions. A good teammate who is watching out for this situation is hard to come by; usually they're already a little too far ahead to notice what's going on behind them.

 

[Mar$el]

Sounds like you're pretty aggressive with the pro in the first point you made. Personally I'm against chasing people to the ends of the earth for the splat. I'm in the same situation with killing the rainmaker when their whole team is pushing and I hardly ever pick up the rainmaker unless no one else is. I'm better at picking people off with the range blaster or charger but that's just me. When someone on your team as the rainmaker, stay relatively close to protect and lead. When you have the rainmaker don't stray ahead or too far behind. Actually don't ever stray ahead unless you're going for those last couple points for the lead or the KO (debatable on the KO but usually yeah). I say it's okay to blame teammates every so often, especially in the low S+ levels where it's pretty vague how good people actually are. Just be honest with yourself when it's you.

 

[BBGrenorange]

Having turf control is always pretty helpful (not exactly the Pro's strong point but hey).

As a fellow (forge) Splattershot Pro main it does indeed sound like you're being a tad too aggressive. Don't approach unless you have to - let your opponent come to you and track all your shots onto them.

In terms of which route to take, etc. it's quite situational. Typically a spot that none of the enemy team are at, or a spot where your team are pushing the enemy back.

 

[Ryuji]

So, I'd like to know YOUR thought process when playing Rainmaker, particularly in S+ since that's where I feel nothing is working any more. What changes in play style & attitude have led you to consistent success? How do you decide when to take a certain route, when to hide vs come out guns blazin' when they're about to take the lead, etc?

Which route to take is like others have said. It's very situational. Certain factors you have to take into account such as where the enemy is or if theyre dead or not, and if theyre not, can the RM be taken to an area where there is little defense? These are the things I look for. If I see an opportunity, I seize it immediately, even if I have to die for it.

When you come out and reveal yourself before the enemy takes the lead is a very tricky thing. Very dangerous to pop out and reveal yourself since there is not always somewhere safe to hide without the risk of being splatted. This is why I like using Rapid Pro in RM because of the range and Toxic Mist helps bring the RM carrier to a near halt and as well as helps teammates take them out. Ink Storm is a bonus because it can either force a push or push the RM back entirely.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

So, I'd like to know YOUR thought process when playing Rainmaker, particularly in S+ since that's where I feel nothing is working any more. What changes in play style & attitude have led you to consistent success?

Well, a couple things I do every match are as follows:

• First, I paint the easiest rainmaker route for the enemies to take. I play the range blaster and I do this, so a splattershot pro should be able to do this job better. I do this so that I can have map control when the enemies try and push there, so that they're forced to waste time and paint that area, and so that my team can respond quicker. Really, you should try and have someone with a lot of painting power try and do this, but in solo queue, or even league, you might not be able to trust people to do it. So just doing it yourself can help you defend the rainmaker easier (also you get some special for this, so that's a bonus)

• Next, learn when to use your specials effectively. Because using them blindly can throw games. For the splattershot pro, you have inkstorm, which is a pretty good special. It's rather versatile in it's uses, and can be effective at getting map control. However, I believe the best way to use this in rainmaker is to use it as a defensive tool. As a lot of rainmaker paths are straight forward, and can be easily covered by inkstorm. Especially since the inkstorm causes chip damage and makes it harder for the enemy to walk forward, it can be very useful in this situation. Just make sure the enemies can't just go around it very quickly. Worst case scenario if you use inkstorm like this, is that you make them waste time by spacing them out with the inkstorm. Which is pretty effective seeing as the enemies only have 60 seconds to hold the rainmaker. Similarly, Inkstorm can be used offensively as well. Just throw it in the path of the rainmaker, and that should help your teammates push the rainmaker.

• Try to learn the rainmaker's mechanics. This is especially important if you want to be a good rainmaker carrier. First of all, let's start with the basics. The rainmaker is a heavy, slow charging weapon that releases an exploding projectile that can be fired rather far away. You cannot use your specials while you have the rainmaker, and you cannot drop the rainmaker unless you: die, knock out the enemy team, or your 60 seconds holding the rainmaker is up. Also, the rainmaker's shield will burst if it's been hit with enough of one team's color. If one team gets enough color on the rainmaker to make the shield huge, the opposing team needs to shoot it to bring it back to normal size, and then into their color to pop it. While holding the rainmaker, your swim speed is drastically reduced, and you can be seen across the map with your shining glow (meaning you are a priority target for everyone to attack). Finally, if your jump off of the map while holding the rainmaker, or leave the rainmaker out in the open for too long, the rainmaker will reset to it's original position in the middle of the stage.

So what can you do with all that knowledge? "It's just basic concepts" you say

Well, if you can apply these concepts and adapt to the situations the game throws at you, you can master this mode.

For example, with the rainmaker's explosion, it is a perfect tool to space out your opponents and keep them away from touching you. (Think of it like a suction bomb, making enemies think twice before they engage you) If someone tries to fight you at point blank, fire the rainmaker at your feet. This will help you fend off people coming up close to you. This explosion is also great for stalling time, with your ability to space people out, you can drain the enemy some time to attack (and make them more anxious to fight).

Another good stalling technique is using the rainmaker's shield. If your team doesn't want to pick up the rainmaker, and you have a healthy lead, shoot the rainmaker shield, but don't pop it. This will make your enemies shoot the shield for an extended amount of time, and buy your team more opportunities to respawn, paint the ground, or get a couple picks on the enemy team.

Try to focus on the position of the rainmaker as well. If the shield is popped, and the rainmaker is on your side, make sure no enemies pick it up. As I've seen a lot of games where the game was lost since the team left the rainmaker unattended and let the enemies steal it really quick. Also, if your team cannot get the rainmaker out easily, suiciding with the rainmaker with you is a good option, as it forces the opponents to bring it back to your side all over again, wasting their precious time.

Basically, just pay attention to map control, and use the rainmaker's qualities to your advantage.
If you can use some of these tips, I assure you, your gameplay & game sense will improve greatly.

 

[NOICE]

Thanks for all the awesome advice everyone! It's been a while but I just wanted to say it really has helped. Turfing and better timing of specials in particular has made a huge difference. I actually have started using the heavy splatling and N-Zap more as they both just do a much better job of turfing in general than the SSP can do. A lot of times it feels like teammates just have no interest in painting (lots of interest in running right in and dying though! ;)), so things just tend to work out better when I do a lot of painting.

When picking up the rainmaker, it's surprising how often I get kills by shooting at common chokepoints. Or shooting at my feet when someone's getting in my face, that works nicely too. Still, there's just some maps I guess I should avoid in solo queue. There's some places where things just always go wrong. Mako Mart comes to mind. Even when we have the numbers advantage, no amount of spamming "This Way!" on the top left side can ever convince my teammates to actually come that way. They'd rather march straight to their deaths by going to the right where the enemy is always waiting for them. Oh well.