Competitive:Splat Roller

Unofficial

Gear abilities
Gear abilities provide different effects in battle that benefit the player with their equipped weapon. This is a guide to gear abilities in relation to the weapon. Strategy, synergy, viability, and purpose may be written here.

Use
The Splat Roller is a slayer's weapon. However, unlike conventional slayer's weapons, such as the Splattershot or the Tri-Slosher, its shorter range and slower rate of attack forces its user has to be more cunning and less aggressive: While the Curling Bomb is not as versatile as other bombs, it still has a variety of uses: The Splashdown can either turn the tide of a battle or be canceled quite easily.
 * The horizontal swing is most effective when used at close range:
 * Its lethal range – the maximum distance at which 100 health points, or HP, of damage is inflicted – is 80 units, which is shorter than the effective range of both the Splattershot and the N-ZAP '85 (88 units). From 50 units up until 115 units — equal to the effective range of both the Splattershot Pro and Dualie Squelchers, its damage decreases from 150 HP to 35 HP. Thus, the mastery of both getting into position and judging distances from opponents are required to skillfully wield the Splat Roller.
 * Ink flung from angle greater than 30 degrees to either the left or right will lose damage starting from 28 units – shorter than the effective range of a Sploosh-o-matic (40 units) and reach its minimum value at 100 units — far shorter than that of the Splattershot Pro. Therefore, aiming is another important skill when using the Splat Roller.
 * Its damage will suffer dropoff to as little as 17.5 HP if the flung ink falls below the Splat Roller wielder. Thus, targets who are below a Splat Roller user will take less damage than those either above or on the same level.
 * The vertical swing is long reaching, but not as quick as that of the Carbon Roller:
 * From 60 units up until 140 units — longer than the effective range of a Nautilus 47 (133 units), its damage decreases from its base damage of 150 HP to 40 HP.
 * Like that of the horizontal swing, its damage will suffer dropoff to as little as 20 HP if the flung ink falls below the Splat Roller user. Because the Splat Roller wielder needs to jump to execute the vertical swing, dropoff tends to affect the vertical swing more often than it affects the horizontal swing.
 * Because of its overall short range and specific style of attacks, the most ideal position of a Splat Roller wielder is often just below the opponents' perch, where the Splat Roller user can shark around, splat opponents who either drop down or get too close to the ledge, and poke at opponents atop the perch.
 * When it travels along any inkable non-vertical surface, it leaves a trail of ink behind, providing a quick avenue to either attack or escape. This trait enables the original, or Vanilla, Splat Roller to be more mobile than its other variants.
 * Keep opponents guessing by sending Curling Bombs towards the opponent without swimming in its trail. Either Ninja Squid or swimming slowly can help avoid detection while swimming in the ink trail.
 * It further assists the main weapon in turfing from a safe distance.
 * When charged, or "cooked" long enough, it can be used to lay insidious bomb traps to hold off pursuers or flush out sharks.
 * Particularly in narrow or closed areas, a Curling Bomb ricocheting off of walls can be a useful distraction to force an opponent to move in a certain direction.
 * 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

 * The lack of range of the Splat Roller prevents its wielder from effectively engaging opponents head-on. Therefore, the other three members of their team will each have to use weapons with enough range to contest and preoccupy opponents so that the Splat Roller user can catch them by surprise.
 * While Ink Armor can support almost any teammate, it will make players affected by it more visible within their ink. If a teammate has a build that includes Ink Armor, pay attention to the HUD to know when to expect an Ink Armor. Then, when the teammate activates it, play more aggressively than stealthily. Once the Ink Armor has ether worn off or been broken, revert to sharking tactics.

Countermeasures

 * Any weapon with an effective range longer than the lethal range of the Splat Roller can counter an opposing Splat Roller wielder who attempts to challenge opponents head-on. However, most Splat Roller users worth their salt will rely more on flanking and sharking, so anyone facing a team with an opposing Splat Roller wielder must take a few proactive measures to avoid getting flanked or sharked:
 * 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 makes them an easier target for long-ranged teammates to pick off.
 * Try to confront an opposing Splat Roller user in a more open area, not only to have more space to avoid the lethal range of the Splat Roller but also to reduce the risk of getting splatted by any ricocheting Curling Bombs.
 * Keep an eye on the HUD to know when an opposing Splat Roller user has Splashdown ready to avoid getting caught by surprise, especially from a Splashdown after a super jump:
 * If an opposing Splat Roller user activates a Splashdown in an unsafe position, it can be canceled quite easily from fast firing weapons and chargers.
 * The opposing Splat Roller user might go for risky plays if they know they have the Splashdown ready as a safety net. It is possible to bait them to take control of an open space and surprise them with a teammate to force a mid-Splashdown situation and cancel it.

Gear abilities
Gear abilities provide different effects in battle that benefit the player with their equipped weapon. This is a guide to gear abilities in relation to the weapon. Strategy, synergy, viability, and purpose may be written here. As a short-ranged slayer's weapon, the Splat Roller requires its user to be in close quarters with the opponent, who might be inclined to use bombs for zoning out the Splat Roller user. Ever since its introduction in Version 4.3.0, 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.
 * 3 ability points - one sub - has a lot of utility. This includes, but is not limited to:
 * Ink Armor will not break due to splash damage from bombs and other explosives that do 30 damage.
 * Two near-misses from Inkjet, two bumps from a Baller, and splash damage from two bubbles from Bubble Blower will not splat the user.
 * Getting hit by splash damage from a bomb will not make the user visible on the map.

Any good user of a short-ranged weapon like the Splat Roller is expected to come in contact with the opponent's ink on various surfaces, which can both be damaging and reduce mobility. Ink Resistance Up not only partially offsets the reduction in mobility but also delays the damage taken from contact with opposing ink.

Main Power Up increases damage for the Splat Roller, improving consistency when it comes to splatting.

As a short-ranged weapon that excels at flanking, the Splat Roller greatly benefits if it is able to swim faster. Swim Speed Up enables its user to more quickly close the distance towards an opponent, more quickly respond to an opponents' push, or even escape unfavorable situations.
 * Swim Speed Up can reduce the swim speed penalty from Ninja Squid. However, it takes at least 20 ability points – two mains – of Swim Speed Up to fully offset the swimming speed penalty of Ninja Squid.
 * Therefore, a Splat Roller user with Ninja Squid will have to decide between either having fewer ability points available for other abilites or swimming at less than the base maximum speed. For example, just 10 ability points – one main – are enough to restore the swim speed of a Splat Roller user with Ninja Squid to 1.83 units per frame.

Ninja Squid reduces detection by opponents while swimming on non-vertical surfaces. It allows its user to swim at full speed undetected at the cost of about 20% of the maximum swimming speed as of Version 3.0.0. Because a Splat Roller user has difficulty attacking most opponents head-on, Ninja Squid can make it easier for its user to shark and more safely approach opponents.
 * As of Version 3.0.0, Ninja Squid reduces the maximum swim speed of the Splat Roller from 1.92 units per frame to 1.73 units per frame.

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.

Quick Respawn shortens respawn time after getting splatted (under specific conditions), encouraging a Splat Roller 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.

Reduces ink consumption for Curling Bombs, which are the Splat Roller's main approach tool.

Not recommended. Due to the Splat Roller's sharking playstyle, it will spend a sizable amount of time swimming in ink - which refills the ink tank. Ink Saver (Sub) should be invested into instead.

Not recommended, as Splashdown is already 170p and not worth investing into.