Competitive:Kensa Octobrush

Unofficial

Splatoon 2
The Kensa Octobrush is a pure slayer weapon. While slower than the Inkbrush, the Kensa Octobrush deals more damage and has more range than the Inkbrush. Its kit along with the weapon, allows the user to be more aggressive.

Use
The Kensa Octobrush plays similarly to a roller, being stealthy and getting picks. Suction Bombs can be used in a similar fashion to Splat Bombs, with a few differences: If used properly, the Ultra Stamp can tilt the game in the user's team's favor:
 * The greatest asset any variant of the Octobrush has is mobility. Unlike other weapon classes, its mobility is not restricted by either opposing ink or un-inkable surfaces, provided that its user has enough ink in their ink tank.
 * Unless you already know your opponents' locations, it is usually inadvisable to travel deep into opposing turf since an opponent may well be sharking in it.
 * Without any Ink Saver (Main) equipped, the Kensa Octobrush consumes 3.2% of the ink tank on the initial swing and 0.162% per frame (8.1% per second) the brush is rolled. From a full tank, its user can roll for 12.10 seconds – 4.69 seconds after using a Sprinkler – before running out of ink. Keep an eye on the ink tank as you roll the brush to avoid getting caught without ink.
 * The Kensa Octobrush's mobility has a number of applications:
 * Its user can take various flank routes to get behind the opponents, harass them, and possibly splat high-priority targets, such as an opposing charger.
 * Flanking with any mobile weapon – especially the Kensa Octobrush – requires a good knowledge of the map, including good scouting and sharking locations.
 * However, do not take too long to flank the opponents as doing so leaves your teammates in a three-on-four situation or worse.
 * Its speed and middleweight nature enables its user to more quickly respond to opposing pushes, provide support for a beleaguered teammate, or punish an opponent caught out of position.
 * A Kensa Octobrush user can cover ground quickly to help establish map control or collect clams.
 * To avoid detection by the opponent, refrain from collecting a tenth clam until you are either on your side of the map or very close to the opposing goal.
 * While it is tempting to use your speed to quickly score on the opponent, a better long term strategy would be to pass completed Power Clams to a support or anchor – someone who is less likely to directly engage the opponent and risk getting splatted – and help maintain clam control until a bigger scoring opportunity arises.
 * Most of all, mobility allows a Kensa Octobrush user to pick their battles:
 * Flee from matchups or situations that are unfavorable. Most opposing rollers or an opposing Tri-Slosher or Clash Blaster Neo are usually difficult for any Kensa Octobrush to defeat.
 * Ideal targets for a Kensa Octobrush to attack head-on are lone users of any slow-firing weapon that lacks one-shot- or one-burst-splat potential. An opposing user of a Kensa Sloshing Machine, a Kensa Rapid Blaster, or a Custom Explosher fits these descriptions.
 * They can attach to surfaces, which both allows more room for error when aiming and enables the planting of craftier traps, such as underneath a grate.
 * They take two seconds after attaching to a surface to detonate, as opposed to one second for a Splat Bomb, so plant Suction Bombs earlier than usual.
 * They inflict more damage from a direct hit (220 HP) and have a larger overall radius of damage (80 DU).
 * They can be thrown to lead a push into a Splat Zone or any other important area of the stage, such as the opponents' street or platform.
 * They can also flush out opposing anchors from perches and clear other critical areas, such as the Tower.
 * They can also be used to poke at and zone out opponents during the neutral phase, stall an opponent's push, or provide space to escape.
 * A Suction Bomb can damage or destroy an opponent's brella shield, Splash Wall, or Baller or the Rainmaker shield, while detonating on contact.
 * If Ultra Stamp is activated too far from an opponent, especially one with a long-ranged weapon with a straight trajectory (such as a charger or splatling), the opponent can fire in between hammer swings and splat the Ultra Stamp wielder. Either get close enough to an opponent or shark and wait for the opponent to come close before activating the Ultra Stamp, providing little to no time to react.
 * Do not run in a predictable manner while swinging the Ultra Stamp, as an adept opponent can outmaneuver past a Ultra Stamp user and splat them from behind.
 * It is possible to swim in friendly ink while Ultra Stamp is active. This allows an Ultra Stamp wielder to maneuver more easily than while swinging, climb vertical surfaces, cross and drop through grates, and – most importantly – hide more easily before striking.
 * Swinging the Ultra Stamp in midair can splat opponents who are higher than ground level, such as on the edge of a ledge that is just too high to reach by jumping — and even at the apex of a Splashdown!
 * The Ultra Stamp can quickly destroy Brella shields, most sub weapons — including Splash Walls, and Ballers, allowing one to break through opposing defenses and stop opponents' pushes. Just stay away from opposing bombs that are just about to detonate.
 * While the Ultra Stamp can quickly pop the Rainmaker shield, as it expands, the shield can splat an Ultra Stamp user who is too close. Keep a safe distance by constantly jumping back while striking the shield.
 * Do not forget that the Ultra Stamp can be thrown by pressing :
 * When faced against an opponent with a long-ranged weapon (such as a charger or splatling) from long distance, it is usually wiser to throw the Ultra Stamp at the opponent than to either charge or swim towards them. A well-aimed thrown Ultra Stamp can throw off an opponent's aim or displace them from their spot, potentially providing enough time to close the distance.
 * To maximize the use of an Ultra Stamp, throw it towards an opponent at or near the end of its 9 second duration after splatting any nearby opponents. An Ultra Stamp should only be thrown early if no other options are present, such as preventing a faraway opposing Rainmaker carrier from taking the lead.

Synergy
While a team might get away with having one or two users of short-ranged weapons, such as the Kensa Octobrush, 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:
 * 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.

Countermeasures

 * Point Sensors, Autobombs, Torpedoes, and Squid Beakons can reveal the location of a sharking Octobrush.
 * The Kensa Octobrush user cannot function without enough map control. Painting over areas well will severely hamper the Kensa Octobrush's ability to get picks.
 * This weapon does have slower splat time than most traditional slayers, taking at best half a second, or 30 frames, to splat an opponent. For comparison, the Splattershot can splat in half that time, or 15 frames.
 * It can also be outranged by most weapons, as the range from which it deals maximum damage is 30 units, or just under a line in the shooting range.
 * Watch the HUD at the top of the screen to see if the brush has their Ultra Stamp ready before fighting it. The user could potentially pull it out and do a jump attack for a quick surprise splat.
 * If an opponent is using Ultra Stamp too far, a long-ranged, non-slosher weapon (such as a charger or splatling) can fire in between swings to splat them.
 * If an opposing Ultra Stamp is fast approaching, anticipate its movement and attempt to maneuver behind it and splat its user.
 * Remember that an opponent swinging an Ultra Stamp cannot travel up vertical surfaces without an ink trail.
 * Brella shields and Splash Walls are ineffective as they are easily destroyed by the Ultra Stamp.
 * When chasing a Kensa Octobrush, be wary of any Suction Bomb traps the user may have planted around the corner.

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 Kensa Octobrush requires its user to be in close quarters with the opponent, who might be inclined to use bombs for zoning out the Kensa Octobrush 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.

Allows for more frequent use of Suction Bombs. 3 Ability Points (AP), or one sub ability, will provide 10 flicks after a Suction Bomb on a full tank. 9 AP, or three subs, gives 11 flicks, and 12 AP, or four subs, will give 12. Alternatively, one main ability and one sub can be used.

Not recommended. Even by dedicating all your slots to this ability, you will not run as fast as an Inkbrush. Kensa Octobrush does not run often compared to Inkbrush either, unless it is to quickly dash behind an obstacle to briefly take cover from enemy fire.

These abilities enhance the sharking playstyle of the Kensa Octobrush, allowing it to be more efficient at stealth with Ninja Squid, and Swim Speed Up to patch up the swim speed reduction that Ninja Squid inflicts on the user.
 * and

Quick Respawn shortens respawn time after getting splatted (under specific conditions).