Competitive:.96 Gal Deco

Unofficial

Use
The unique traits of the .96 Gal Deco and its build make it an effective slayer and skirmisher. When placed properly, a Splash Wall can provide great utility, even in stages and areas that are more open: Kraken is a powerful special weapon that can easily turn the tide of battle:
 * The relatively long range and high damage per shot allow the .96 Gal Deco to more directly engage opponents than the Splattershot Jr. can.
 * It overpowers and slightly outranges the Splattershot Pro and its variants, making it a decent counter.
 * Damage Up further increases the damage output.
 * It is very ink inefficient, consuming 2.5% of the ink tank per shot. Watch the ink tank, and generally remain nearby friendly ink to refill whenever necessary.
 * The large degree of randomness of the .96 Gal Deco's shot trajectory renders it less accurate than other weapons. It becomes even less accurate (by 14 degrees) immediately after jumping.
 * It is recommended to remain grounded whenever possible while firing this weapon. A more careful aim is also required compared with most other weapons.
 * Waiting 25 frames – during the descent of a jump – will allow the outer reticle to shrink back and the accuracy to improve for up to 70 more frames.
 * Because of its egg-shaped projectile hitbox, shots may be more likely to land if the player aims at the opponent's lower half.
 * Its slow firing rate and slow mobility while firing (0.4 units per frame) leave it vulnerable to mobile, accurate weapons, so keep an eye out for both flankers and sharks.
 * The primary drawback of the .96 Gal Deco compared to many other support weapons is the absence of bombs.
 * Splash Wall provides strong protection against opposing fire, allowing its user to safely control space while turfing.
 * Any bombs thrown by an opponent that hit a Splash Wall will instantly explode, potentially splatting the Splash Wall's user or their teammates.
 * Refrain from rushing through the wall until it is certain that the opponent has no bombs available in the area.
 * Do not throw a Splash Wall behind a teammate, as a thrown opponent's bomb can instantly splat them.
 * Defensively, it can hinder the opponents' push, blocking both their movement and their fire.
 * Offensively, a Splash Wall can restrain the opponents' movement, allowing its user and their teammates to push forward or gain map control.
 * Throwing a Splash Wall behind an opponent can prevent them from fleeing.
 * The Kraken will grant the user instant invincibility for five seconds when activated, making it a useful panic option when you are cornered or otherwise about to get splatted - or even hit by a Disruptor, which in most cases means you are about to get splatted anyway. Kraken will keep you alive in these situations and allow you to either escape or counterattack.
 * Jumping into opponents will splat them in one hit. However, some weapons are difficult to engage head-on as their quick fire rate will push you back.
 * Keep in mind that Krakens can not go over grates - on some maps, attempting to go over a grate while in Kraken form will lead to you splatting yourself by falling off the map.
 * It is possible to use Kraken while riding the Tower in Tower Control to squeeze out a few more points. However, you may get knocked off if the opponent shoots from the right angle.
 * When Kraken expires, you cannot move for a brief period of time - around 0.75 seconds. Either escape to a safe area before the special ends, or find a way to quickly finish off nearby opponents.
 * Super Jumping to a teammate in trouble and activating Kraken can be a funny way to assist them or otherwise get a revenge splat. This is particularly effective when you have Stealth Jump equipped.

Synergy
While a powerful special that can favor its user, Kraken may not benefit a team as much if multiple teammates have Kraken for a few reasons:
 * Kraken cannot inflict damage on longer ranged opponents, such as a Killer Wail or Inkstrike can.
 * Kraken are inefficient at turfing due leaving only a thin trail of ink, meaning the user will have a harder time taking back turf.

Countermeasures

 * Be mindful of both when the opponent has a Kraken ready and when it is used:
 * Sometimes it may be preferable to force out a Kraken from a .96 Gal Deco user early, so that when you fight them they do not have a Kraken at their disposal to quickly reverse the situation.
 * Some weapons with a high fire rate can attempt to "tame" the Kraken by repeatedly attacking it when it rushes at you, keeping it at bay.
 * Standing on a grate will protect you from a Kraken, but make sure to stay far enough away that the Kraken cannot simply jump at you to splat you if there is solid ground underneath the grate.

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. With the Version 2.7.0 update, the .96 Gal can be reduced to a 3-hit kill with just one Defense Up main ability or 3 Defense Up sub-abilities. Since the .96 Gal fires slowly for a shooter, a single extra hit needed makes a significant difference, so at least a small amount of Damage Up is strongly recommended.

The .96 Gal is an extremely ink-hungry weapon, so mitigating this is a good idea, with Ink Recovery Up allowing for long term and frequent map presence.

Ink Resistance Up allows more maneuverability and speed while walking or swimming through it, and is effective in escaping tough situations, particularly when out of ink to reduce damage taken and increase the probability of survival.

Use
Compared to its first appearance in, the .96 Gal Deco overall has increased performance. Splash Wall also receives changes going from Splatoon to. The Splashdown can either turn the tide of a battle or be canceled quite easily.
 * The weapon in general has much better accuracy.
 * The turfing capabilities, while nerfed at the start of the game's lifespan, have been improved to be better than in Splatoon.
 * It once again does 62 damage instead of 52, making its two shot more consistent. The minimum damage this weapon can do was increased from 31 to 35, meaning it will always be at least a three-shot splat.
 * Mobility is slightly improved, as the .96 Gal Deco now allows its user to enter squid/octopus form and use sub weapons faster by two frames, or a thirtieth of a second.
 * Its one downside is the weapon's slightly reduced range, going from 177.396 DU to 170.04 DU. However, this is a negligible difference as it still has a range advantage over other mid-ranged weapons like the Splattershot Pro (160.396 DU). In fact, this range advantage is slightly increased in this game due to the Splattershot Pro receiving a harsher range nerf than the .96 Gal Deco.
 * Splash Wall can no longer splat a player near instantly if it activates on top of someone, only doing 30 damage every half second instead of 50 damage per frame.
 * A new Splash Wall can be thrown even if your old Splash Wall still exists on the stage. The old Splash Wall will disappear.
 * There are significantly less white ink frames after throwing a Splash Wall. Ink recovery will begin after roughly 1 second, instead of 2.67 seconds.
 * Showering is no longer possible due to the thinner hitbox.
 * A Splash Wall can nullify a Brella shield — even a Tenta Brella shield.
 * If an opposing Brella user launches their shield, dropping a Splash Wall in front of it will cause both to negate one another, potentially denying a Rainmaker or Power Clam push.
 * At maximum, it takes 36-41% of the ink tank to launch a Brella shield and 60% to drop a Splash Wall. However, the Splash Wall can be deployed far more quickly, allowing its owner more time to reload ink or reposition themselves to a more favorable location.
 * In, the Tower will destroy any Splash Wall it collides into, meaning that it can no longer be used to stall the movement of the Tower itself.
 * However, a Splash Wall can still be used to stall opponents pushing ahead of the Tower and limit the opponents' movement around the Tower path.
 * Conversely, a Splash Wall may be placed onto the Tower to protect its user or their teammate while riding it. (Once again, watch out for the opponents' bombs.)
 * Splashdown can combo well with the main weapon due to the special's large splash damage radius combined with the main weapon's long range. Any opponent that takes damage from a Splashdown (55-70 damage) can be splatted in one shot from the main weapon (62 damage).
 * Be careful when using this special, as competent opponents can shoot you out the air before you attack. In general, avoid "panicking" the Splashdown, or using it in response to being shot at by surprise.
 * The safest way to execute a Splashdown is by super jumping to a teammate.
 * 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.
 * Splashdown can be used to counter certain specials, such as Bubble Blower, Baller, Booyah Bomb, or any Bomb Launcher. When these specials come close to the Splashdown's explosion, they are typically instantly destroyed.
 * Booyah Bomb armor will either be completely shattered or heavily damaged from a Splashdown; either way, it only takes a few more attacks from the main weapon to splat the opponent.
 * Using Splashdown on the objective in Ranked Modes can either delay an enemy push or give your team control:
 * Due to the large explosion from the Splashdown, it can be used to cap a Splat Zone, or at least neutralize it. Coordinate with your teammates, particularly their own specials, to ensure the zone gets capped.
 * Splashdowning on the Tower in Tower Control can secure possession of it, especially at a checkpoint. However, take care not to use this when the Tower is over water or out of bounds; the Tower can move away and send you plummeting into the water or off the map.
 * The Rainmaker shield is instantly popped by a Splashdown.

Synergy
The .96 Gal is good at turfing and has high damage. However, its slow firing rate makes it vulnerable up close, and its lack of bombs reduces its ability to zone out opponents during the neutral phase. Therefore, it makes a good complement to – and is well complemented by – a more rapid firing weapon with a bomb (preferably a lethal bomb), such as the Tentatek Splattershot or the Neo Splash-o-matic. The .96 Gal Deco's lack of lethal bombs – particularly either Splat or Suction Bombs – generally necessitates its user's teammates to equip weapons that include them. Lethal bombs provide their user's team a couple 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.
 * Turfing while following a teammate provides friendly turf to which a teammate can retreat whenever needed.
 * An opponent who has taken splash damage from a teammate's bomb will usually only take one shot from the .96 Gal to finish off, particularly if the .96 Gal user has enough Main Power Up equipped.
 * 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.
 * 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

 * Any variant of the Splat Brella or Tenta Brella is a very unfavorable matchup for the .96 Gal due to its slow firing rate and its lack of bombs. A Splat Brella user would have to get within range through strafing before opening the shield. These weapons can try to advance after launching a shield, but do not launch a shield if the opponent has a Splash Wall up.
 * To engage a .96 Gal with a shorter range weapon, try to catch it off guard through either careful flanking or sharking, better positioning, or wise use of bombs. The .96 Gal has no bombs to force an opponent back, so its opponent can pursue it more aggressively.
 * Any long-ranged weapon, such as a charger or most splatlings, can fire upon a .96 Gal from long distance with impunity. However, should the .96 Gal ever get within range, the long-ranged weapon would have to retreat to avoid getting splatted.
 * Keep an eye on the HUD to know when an opposing .96 Gal Deco user has Splashdown ready to avoid getting caught by surprise, especially from a Splashdown after a super jump:
 * If an opposing .96 Gal Deco user activates a Splashdown in an unsafe position, it can be canceled quite easily from fast firing weapons and chargers.
 * The opposing .96 Gal Deco 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. 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. Being a slayer weapon, 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.

A .96 Gal Deco user can expect to come in contact with the opponent's ink on various surfaces, which can both be damaging and reduce mobility - especially since this weapon has poor turfing ability. Ink Resistance Up not only partially offsets the reduction in mobility but also delays the damage taken from contact with opposing ink.
 * Just three ability points, or one sub,…
 * …delays the damage taken from opposing ink by 10 frames.
 * …reduces the damage taken from 0.3 HP/f (health points per frame) to 0.2 HP/f.
 * …lowers the limit on the amount of damage opposing ink on surfaces can inflict from 40 HP to 38 HP.
 * …increases the normal running speed in opposing ink from 0.24 DU/f to 0.33 DU/f.
 * …increases the jumping height in opposing ink from 0.8 to 0.854.
 * Six ability points, or two subs,…
 * …delays the damage taken from opposing ink by 15 frames.
 * …reduces the damage taken to 0.2 HP/f.
 * …lowers the damage limit of opposing ink to 36.2 HP.
 * …increases the normal running speed in opposing ink to 0.39 DU/f.
 * …increases the jumping height in opposing ink to 0.888.

The .96 Gal is one of many weapons whose damage is increased by Main Power Up, maxing out to 77.5 points of damage at the full 57 ability points.
 * As of Version, 19 ability points - either one main and three subs or about two mains - are enough to exceed 70 points of damage, leaving a target with at most 30 hit points, which is a one-hit splat for most other weapons, including the splash damage of most bombs.

Ink Saver (Main) decreases ink used per shot. The .96 Gal Deco consumes ink rapidly, meaning the user will be caught often with no ink left in their ink tank. Ink Saver (Main) can help the user save ink and reduce the chance of being caught dry.