Competitive:Dark Tetra Dualies

Unofficial

Splatoon 2
Introduced in Splatoon 2, the Dark Tetra Dualies are a pair of dualies with many unique attributes. These characteristics offer a unique playstyle where a player can switch between skirmisher or slayer roles on the fly, depending on the situation, and be extremely aggressive.

Use
The Dark Tetra Dualies are a traditional skirmisher weapon, played best when distracting, stalling, and harassing the enemy, rather than relying on pure splatting power alone to get picks. However, this weapon still has slaying attributes, allowing it to flex between roles as needed. Unique to the Dark Tetra Dualies is how it rolls: Like many other dualies, there are some important techniques to know not exclusive to this weapon: While not always as reliable as Splat Bombs, Autobombs still provide plenty of utility for the Tetra user: The Splashdown can either turn the tide of a battle or be canceled quite easily.
 * Compared to other slayers, the Tetras have poor fire rate, damage output, and accuracy, severely hampering its ability to get picks.
 * After six shots, this weapon reaches the lowest accuracy, with a 25% chance to shoot towards the outer reticle, which allows bullets to deviate 7.4 degrees on the ground and 12.8 degrees in the air, in addition to having a wider shot spread. Coupled with having to aim with two reticles, this makes the Tetras a very inaccurate weapon.
 * Note that this issue is largely mitigated by dodge rolling and using turret mode, however.
 * The Dark Tetra Dualies are notable for being able to roll four times, allowing it nearly unmatched evasive power.
 * In addition to this, unlike all the other dualies, the Tetras can fire while rolling, although this still uses standing fire accuracy.
 * Similarly to other dualies, shots have a radius of 2.5 units in turret mode, which is the post-roll state where the player crouches and the reticles merge into one. This will be the main method for setting up splats, as this increases the fire rate slightly, increases the bullet size, and increases accuracy.
 * Since the Dark Tetra Dualies can fire while rolling, learning to adjust your aim mid-roll is arguably more important when playing this weapon than other dualies. When rolling to the side, turn your aim to the opposite side to ensure your shots hit your target.
 * Jumping and rolling are mapped to the same button, . There are a few ways to jump with this weapon, like other dualies:
 * Release, then jump. If you want to shoot while jumping, just press once you have started the jump.
 * Release, then jump. Doing so allows you to shoot while jumping, but you will only be able to jump straight up. However, once the jump begins, you can hold a direction on again.
 * Note that jumping will lower your weapon's accuracy while you are in the air. Therefore, in combat, this should only be used sparingly as a mix-up option.
 * Jumping to avoid shots and then immediately performing a dodge roll in midair to go for a splat can be a situational but still useful combat option.
 * Learning the layout of the stage is also important for using dodge rolls effectively, such as to quickly get behind cover or to ensure you don't roll away and get stuck on an obstacle.
 * When attacking an opponent's position, try to throw Autobombs in a direction that distracts the opponent's attention.
 * Autobombs can be used to poke at opponents during the neutral phase.
 * Their tracking ability is a useful feature when checking for sharking opponents, forcing them out of hiding. Since the Dark Tetra Dualies are not dependent on map control to function, you can also opt to chase after the opponent being tracked by the Autobomb. Watch out for any other hiding opponents, however.
 * They can provide space to escape when dropped behind, whether via both swimming and running or via super jumping.
 * Make sure to refill on ink after throwing an Autobomb before committing to a fight. This is doubly important for the dualie class, as rolling will also deplete the ink tank.
 * The Splashdown can create combos of splash damage with the hits from the main weapon.
 * The safest way to execute a Splashdown is by super jumping to a teammate. This provides no dealing damage as the user is not through mid-Splashdown but rather through a super jump.
 * Using Super Jump can be a surprise for opponents that are not aware of the UI that indicates specials ready from the opponent team.
 * Most weapons can cancel the special mid-Splashdown, so it is best to make sure that the opponent you are confronting has a weapon that takes multiple shots for a splat or has low range.
 * The Splashdown can cancel formation of Bubbles making it a quick and fast way of removing them.
 * The Splashdown can be used from higher ledges making it more powerful and extending its radius of splash damage.
 * The worst scenario for a Splashdown is when used as a panic button to get out from a sticky situation, as it can be predicted and aimed for it to be canceled.

Synergy
Since the Dark Tetra Dualies can switch between a skirmisher or a slayer role, a more dedicated slayer weapon, such as a Splattershot or Kensa Splattershot Pro, should be paired with this weapon. The Tetras can distract the enemy while the other slayer goes in for the splat.

While a team might get away with having one or two users of short-ranged weapons, such as the Dark Tetra Dualies, having a team composition with too many short-ranged weapons and no longer-ranged weapons to provide support fire is often disadvantageous for a number of reasons: While Autobombs technically count as a lethal bomb, they are noticeably easier to avoid. Due to this, avoid having too many weapons with Autobomb in a team composition. The other lethal bombs – particularly either Splat or Suction Bombs – provide its user's team many advantages over another team that has no lethal bombs in its composition: The specific weaknesses Splashdown has compared to other special weapons reduces its effectiveness if possessed by more than one player in a team: If you regularly keep track of your teammates' locations with the map (by pressing ), you might find opportune moments to use a Super Jumping Splashdown to secure control of important areas, such as onto the Tower or just underneath the opponents' clam basket.
 * An opponent with a long-ranged weapon can more aggressively position themselves to zone out the entire shorter-ranged team.
 * The opposing slayers can play more aggressively, knowing that there is no long-ranged threat to pick them off from afar.
 * Their one-hit-splat offers its user's team chances of instantly gaining a numbers advantage, from which a game-winning push can arise.
 * Their lethal explosion provides space for its user's team to either push into an area held by the opponent or stall an opponent's push.
 * The turf inked by the resulting explosion contributes to both maintaining map control and building up the special gauge.
 * Without a teammate or Squid Beakon to Super Jump to, Splashdown is relatively static. It cannot push back opponents as effectively as Baller, Bomb Launcher, Booyah Bomb, or even Ink Storm can.
 * An opponent who is skilled at splatting Splashdown attempts could effectively neutralize the special weapon of anyone with Splashdown due to its mostly consistent height, duration, and pattern.

Countermeasures

 * After rolling, the Dark Tetra Dualies have a lot of endlag - 48 frames - which can be easily exploited.
 * The Dark Tetra Dualies will often touch enemy ink while rolling around, accumulating small amounts of damage. This allows weapons that use high amounts of Main Power Up to splat them easier, such as a Kensa Splattershot Pro, Custom Dualie Squelchers, or arguably most important, the Bamboozler 14 Mk I.
 * Weapons with longer range and higher damage output, such as a Nautilus 79 or Splat Charger, also have a winning matchup against the Dark Tetra Dualies. However, be careful of the Dark Tetra Dualies' mobility, as it can evade shots while closing the distance.
 * Splash Walls are particularly effective at locking out the Dark Tetra Dualies, providing a shield to stand behind to fire with impunity, switching sides to fire from when necessary. However, watch out for any Autobombs the Tetras might throw.
 * Weapons with short range, poor accuracy or damage output, or a low fire rate will struggle to fight the Dark Tetra Dualies. Some examples are the Sploosh-o-matic 7, Splattershot Jr., and H-3 Nozzlenose D.
 * If using a shorter ranged weapon against an opposing Tetra user, such as a Splat Roller, rely on flanking or sharking them instead of a direct attack. This is extra important since the Tetras can roll away while still firing at you.
 * A competent Tetra user is likely capable at both flanking and sharking:
 * Keep track of all four members of the opposing team – which ones are present, which ones are splatted, and which ones are back at their spawn point.
 * Check the map periodically for opposing ink forming around flanks to anticipate a flanking attack.
 * To prevent sharking, check suspicious puddles of the opponents' ink, preferably with a thrown sub weapon.
 * Weapons that track opponents, such as Point Sensors, temporarily prevent an opponent from sharking and make them an easier target for long-ranged teammates to pick off.
 * When pursued by an opposing Tetra user, using almost any sub weapon (except for Squid Beakons) can either delay their pursuit or deter them from chasing.
 * Keep an eye on the HUD to know when an opposing Tetra user has Splashdown ready to use, and be ready for activation when fighting them.
 * If you have good aim, you can try to shoot the Splashdown out of the air:
 * Short-ranged weapons – such as the Inkbrush or the Sploosh-o-matic – or slower weapons – such as the Dynamo Roller or the Explosher – will struggle to do so, in which case it is better to simply back off instead.
 * Watch out for any suspicious Super Jump markers. If a Super Jump marker appears in a risky spot, such as on the front lines, it is likely that the opponent is attempting a Super Jumping Splashdown. Instead of camping it with your main weapon, toss a bomb over to the marker instead if you have one.
 * Protective special weapons, such as Ink Armor and Baller, can reduce or mitigate the damage taken from an opponent's Splashdown, but be wary of the large knockback.

Gear Abilities
Ever since its introduction in Version, Bomb Defense Up DX will not only reduce the damage taken from opposing sub and special weapons that are not one-hit-splat but will also reduce the duration of the tracking effects of certain opponent's sub and special weapons, such as Point Sensors and Ink Mines, allowing the user of this ability to evade detection more easily. Because the Dark Tetra Dualies have short range, its user risks damage from both bombs and special weapons and can greatly benefit from reducing the damage taken from them. Just three ability points, or one sub, offer plenty of utility:
 * The splash damage of most bombs is reduced from 30 HP to 28.6 HP. This reduction in damage provides two benefits:
 * It prevents its user from being exposed on their opponents' map by the splash damage of most single bombs.
 * Ink Armor will not break due to splash damage from a single bomb whose splash damage normally inflicts 30 HP of damage.
 * The splash damage of near-misses from either Tenta Missiles or Inkjet, the minimum splash damage of bubbles, and the collision damage from Baller are all reduced from 50 HP to 48.3 HP, enabling one to survive two hits from any of these specific means of special weapon damage.

Main Power Up increases the damage output for the Dark Tetra Dualies.
 * By using 47 ability points, reached with three mains and six subs, the damage output is increased to 33.3. This is enough to splat an opponent in three shots if they touch your ink for even a single frame, with ink on surfaces dealing 0.3 damage per frame.
 * A slightly cheaper investment is using 45 ability points, or three mains and five subs. This increases the damage to 33.2, which splats an opponent in three shots if they touch your ink for two frames - hardly a difference while leaving room for an extra sub ability. Alternatively, two mains and eight subs can be used to fit in Stealth Jump.
 * 12 ability points - four subs, or one main and one sub - will increase the damage to 30, allowing the Dark Tetra Dualies to break Ink Armor in one shot.
 * Players will have to decide between either stacking Main Power Up or Quick Respawn in their builds, as it would be difficult to fit in both abilities in useful amounts. However, it is still fine to use Main Power Up to reach 30 damage and filling the other ability slots with Quick Respawn.
 * Stacking Main Power Up is not as popular as stacking Quick Respawn, as the Dark Tetra Dualies user cannot play as aggressively without the safety net of Quick Respawn.

Quick Respawn shortens respawn time after getting splatted (under specific conditions), encouraging a Dark Tetra Dualies user to remain aggressive even after getting splatted.
 * 26 ability points – two mains and two subs – are enough to reduce the respawn time from 8.5 seconds to 5.8 seconds.
 * This weapon in particular can stack to higher amounts of Quick Respawn if the user wishes due to the weapon's extra-aggressive playstyle when compared to other slayers and how the weapon is rather gear-independent.
 * 48 ability points - two pures - reduces the respawn time from 8.5 seconds to 5 seconds.
 * Although this weapon may be running large amounts of Quick Respawn, it is still important to pick battles wisely, especially if Quick Respawn will not activate upon getting splatted.

Quick Super Jump decreases the "charge" time before a Super Jump. Both aggressive and supportive Slosher users will benefit since Quick Super Jump allows them to both return to the front lines more quickly and escape unfavorable situations more easily to preserve special gauge progress.
 * One sub, or 3 ability points, of Quick Super Jump decreases the "charge" time by 22 frames, or 0.36 seconds.

Super Jumping to a teammate after respawning carries the risk of getting splatted upon landing, due to the appearance of a Super Jump indicator. When equipped, Stealth Jump better covers this indicator from long distance opponents, allowing its user to more safely return to the front lines and maintain pressure on the opponent. This ability pairs especially well with Quick Respawn.

Splatoon 3
The Dark Tetra Dualies are the first unlockable variant of the Tetra Dualies, and are played with a notably high amounts of offense. While the supportive capabilities of this weapon are below average, the weapons unique 4 dodge rolls allow the weapon to take on fights more easily.

Uses
Tetra Dualies are typically used in more passive and slower comps to help make up for the lack of immediate threats. In most scenarios, a tetra player will be playing as a skirmisher, a play-style that aggresses on the enemy team to prevent them from focusing on your team. However, Tetra Dualies are more than capable of playing as a slayer and splatting opponents if its needed to further support a push or shut down the enemies team push.

Tetra Dualies
Tetra Dualies are one of the best main weapons in the game, and can be devastating in fights when used correctly.


 * Tetra Dualies fighting capabilities outside of dodge rools or when not in turret mode (When the player stops moving after a dodge roll to increase accuracy) is rather poor, as the weapons relatively mediocre strafe speed and accuracy make the weapon unreliable when not dodge rolling.


 * Unlike some other Slayer/Skirmisher heavy weapons, Tetra Dualies are not notably quick at getting picks, meaning that approaching an enemy carelessly can often lead to the Tetra player being quickly shut down.


 * Tetra has the unique property of having 4 dodge rolls, providing it with more mobility options during a fight compared to other Slayer/Skirmisher heavy weapons. This allows Tetra to make quick dodges around the opponent before splatting them.
 * Tetra Dualies have a high amount of end-lag after all four dodge rolls, leaving the weapon vulnerable. Because of this, the Tetra player should try to save one or two dodge rolls to either back out of unwinnable scenarios or approach other weakened foe's to finish them off.
 * Tetra players should keep an eye on their ink tank when making an approach. While each Dodge roll only costs 3% of ink tank, running out of ink while agressing almost always leads to the tetra player dying and gives the opponent team a player advantage.
 * Tetra Dualie players should also note that the dodge rolls also paint the ground from the starting position of the roll. This can be helpful in a pinch to fight an opponent while also making safe ground for yourself to back up into.


 * Another unique property of Tetra Dualies dodge rolls is the ability to continue firing while dodge rolling. Because of this, tracking your opponents while dodge rolling is even more crucial compared to other Dualie class weapons.


 * Jumping and rolling are mapped to the same button, . There are a few ways to jump with this weapon, like other dualies:
 * Release, then jump. If you want to shoot while jumping, just press once you have started the jump.
 * Release, then jump. Doing so allows you to shoot while jumping, but you will only be able to jump straight up. However, once the jump begins, you can hold a direction on again.
 * Note that jumping will lower your weapon's accuracy while you are in the air. Therefore, in combat, this should only be used very rarely as a potential mix-up option. Keep in mind that the effectiveness of the mix-up is further diminished when playing against weapons from the Slosher class, due to the fact that many Slosher players will already be aiming upwards.


 * Tetra's also heavily benefit from stage knowledge, as they would be more able to approach from cover or back away into cover with their dodge rolls.

Autobomb
The sub weapon Autobomb, maybe unassuming at first, but its a crucial factor that separates a good tetra player from a great player. The sub tracks opponents within a certain radius of the bomb, where the bomb will chase to opponents within the radius and explode when either close enough or when enough time has passed. If no enemies are within the radius, the bomb will start to explode immediately


 * Autobomb can be thrown from a distance to poke holes in the enemy defense. This will be the primary way that tetra interacts with opponents outside of their range.
 * Keep in mind that throwing the bomb can reveal your location to long-ranged foe's, such as Chargers and Splatlings. this could lead to near unwinnable fights if done carelessly.


 * The autobomb is also effective to check for opponents who may be hiding in the ink. Throw the sub in area's of enemy ink to help prevent foes from ambushing you or your team.


 * Since the auto bomb only costs 55% of your ink tank, Throwing an auto bomb during a fight can help apply more pressure to the opponent and force them to move.
 * This tactic is also helpful in 1v2s, as the autobomb can counter-balance the player disadvantage.

Reefslider
While the special Reefslider is niche as of patch 5.1.0, this special shouldn't be ignored as it does still have the potential to shift the game state and gain an advantage. When the special is used, the special user goes onto an inflatable shark, before charging down on a set path that is visible to all players. The User will then make a massive explosion at either the trails end or slightly after the player presses.


 * Reefslider has a lot of ending lag. Despite being invulnerable for the same duration as being immobile, its still important to quickly move once the special has competed as the opponent will get a lot of time to position themselves advantageously against you.
 * Tetra's Dodge rolls are especially useful for dodging as quickly as possible or for chasing weakened opponents.


 * Reefslider gains full invulnerability during the slide and the wind-down, meaning that the special user cannot be damaged before the Reef explosion.
 * Keep in mind that the special user is still fully vulnerable within the start up frames of the special, which makes using the reef-slider as an escape tool risky when not under cover.
 * The start up frames or the reefslider is dramatically increased while in the air, so the special shouldn't be activated while airborne.


 * Reefslider's paint radius is useful for taking Splat Zones or for last minute turfing in Turf War. In Splat Zones, Reefslider can almost always can contest a zone and occasionally re-capture a zone if they position themselves correctly. In Turf War, using Reefslider in the last few seconds of the match can provide a massive boost towards your teams paint control.


 * An important factor to keep in mind is that using a Reefslider will not always be useful or relevant in team fights. The tetra player should be patient for a good opportunity to pop Reefslider, as using Reefslider at an inopportune time is often more punishing than not using the special at all.