[ESSAY] Evaluating according to the game mode

When it comes to weapons sets in Splatoon, there are two kinds of people: those who evaluate sets within the context of the game mode and those who judge them on a tier list. I'm obviously part of the first category, though I accept the second group is more popular, with people discarding certain weapon sets altogether.

The Slosher Deco being an obvious example. Because of Angle Shooter. In a vacuum, it's hard to justify that sub over Splat Bomb, though look at the costs involved: Angle Shooter costs 30% less ink for a weapon that costs 7% per shot with a two shot splat. Now imagine yourself in a game mode where you're expected to throw out a lot of ink...

How do you imagine yourself saving enough ink for a Splat Bomb in Splat Zones, where everyone is moving around tossing ink into the zone like it's nothing? I'm no Slosher main but a basic strategy should be to bounce an Angle Shooter around the zone, then save ink by concentrating on eliminating marked targets. It's basically a tracer bullet, no way anyone could complain about that!

Vanilla Dapples in ranked

I want to talk about the Dapple Dualies because they've come a long way since their inception. The original Dapples had Squid Beakon and an inexpensive 170p Suction Bomb Launcher. That alone made them relevant in Splat Zones... except the Beakon didn't feel right. You're an ultra aggressive hit-and-run fighter whose short range makes direct battle impossible. Where else are you dropping Beakons but the flanks? While you're already busy building as much meter as fast as possible for SBL?

The new Dapples pairs Beakons with Tacticooler: a loadout which does absolutely nothing to help in battle. So maybe the Dapple Dualies never needed anything to help them in combat in the first place. So what would encourage anyone to pick the vanilla set over Nouveau?

Pressure, obviously. In game modes with moving objectives such as Tower Control or Rainmaker. Why bring Torpedoes when everyone is setting up defenses? Both subweapons can be destroyed, but at least forcing opponents to move out of their comfort zones to destroy the Beakons is a plus. The synergy between Beakons and Tacticooler is strong incentive as well.

Not to say Beakons should always be relegated to TC and RM. We haven't seen the alt set of the Tenta Brella yet, although there's a weapon that would use Squid Beakons in Splat Zones to sucker targets into a surprise one shot splat. I know because that was the tactic in Splatoon 2, and the new Tenta Brella is similar enough in function.

A tale of two Bubblers

So what makes a sub or special useful in one game mode and not the other? There are many factors, but the key ones are the positions in which the main weapon plays and the alternatives offered by the other set. Let's compare two Big Bubbler users: the Zink Mini Splatling and the Splattershot Jr.

Of the current weapons with Big Bubbler, Mini Splatling is one of the few that clears its space and forms a Bubbler free of invasion. It also has no pressure options against anything which outranges it. Your Bubbler is only as strong as the max distance you can deploy it; relegating it to TC and RM. Luckily the vanilla set has great ranged painting options for SZ, and good all-round utility for CB.

Splat Jr is full support, and sadly greatly diminished since Splatoon 2. As much as I loved the S2 Splat Jr in Rainmaker, the fact you now must occupy the position in which you wish to establish the Big Bubbler changes things considerably. But it's an inexpensive special that occupies vital space, so it's use in Splat Zones is valued.

Torpedo is similarly different. For the Dapples Nouveau, they are harassment tools in open maps. A Dapples is always on the attack: if they are checked, they seek escape and Torpedo to spark a reaction. For the Custom Splat Jr, they're an enemy reveal tool: useful in Tower Control to add paint near the tower or to add damage over the Rainmaker barrier (an option the Dapples has no need for).

Mastering the weapon's full potential

With only 10 alternate sets released so far, there's no immediate need to wait for your favorite set to appear so as to master all four ranked mode. But at the end of the day, you should ask yourself if you're playing a weapon or a loadout. Above all else, I want to kill the idea that Splatoon developers are trying to build that one superior set, or are trying to hamstring good weapons with bad loadouts.

If you agree with my philosophy, my blog is at https://splatoon3intro.blogspot.com/2022/11/intro-to-splatoon-3-weapon-kit-strategy.html Any advice to increase blog visibility across the net would be appreciated.