Competitive:Soda Slosher

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.

Splatoon 2
Introduced in Sheldon's Picks added in Version, the Soda Slosher is the third and final available variant of the Slosher. It has a more aggressive kit than the Vanilla variant, and the inclusion of a lethal bomb provides more versatility than the Deco variant.

Use
The Soda Slosher has the traits and kit of a powerful slayer's weapon: high damage, medium range, and a special weapon capable of applying pressure onto the opponent. The Splat Bomb is a powerful, versatile sub weapon with a variety of purposes suited for any slayer: Like most of its variants, the Burst-Bomb Launcher is designed to either help push into a highly contested area or help repel the opponent's push:
 * Its high damage per hit (70 HP), medium range (140 DU), and quick-detonating Splat Bombs allow for quick two-shot splats, making it a lethal weapon, whether attacking opponents head-on or flanking.
 * Remember to hit your opponent with the large globule (instead of the thin ink trail) flung from the Soda Slosher to maximize damage whenever possible.
 * You can always aim the reticle higher than the default position to maximize your range — enough to outrange most shooters and dualies.
 * The arcing trajectory of its shot enables its user to more easily attack opponents who are up on a ledge or up an incline, making them very effective at sharking beneath the opponents' perch, leading a push up walls or slopes, and hitting opponents attempting to hide behind certain obstacles.
 * The Soda Slosher suffers from a few notable drawbacks compared to shooters and dualies: slow firing rate, low mobility, and low ink efficiency.
 * Its slow firing rate (12-16 frames before first shot, 30 frames between shots) allows a fully healthy opponent using a rapid firing shooter to potentially absorb one Soda Slosher shot and still splat the Soda Slosher wielder before the latter can fire their second shot.
 * Super Jump camping can also be difficult because of the slow firing rate. To splat a Super Jumping opponent at their landing spot, take advantage of the lack of falloff damage by firing a globule of ink above the marker a little before the opponent lands, then fire right when the opponent lands and, if you timed your first shot correctly, you should be able to splat the opponent..
 * A Soda Slosher wielder is slowed down during (0.4 DU/f while firing) and after firing a shot (16 frames until either using a sub weapon or morphing into squid/octopus form) more than most shooter users are, making it a sitting target for opponents to exploit.
 * The Soda Slosher's ink consumption (7%) is rather high for a slayer's weapon. Repeatedly firing it – particularly after throwing a Splat Bomb – will quickly deplete the ink tank. Watch the ink tank and avoid traveling too far in the opponents' turf.
 * It pairs very well with the main weapon in combos due to its short detonation time. Opponents who have no Bomb Defense Up DX equipped and are hit by a Splat Bomb's splash damage (30 HP) can potentially be splatted with one hit by the main weapon (70 HP).
 * It can also be used for poking at and zoning out opponents during the neutral phase, stalling an opponent's push, or denying opponents safe access to important areas of the stage, such as the Tower, that might not be easy to fire at with the main weapon.
 * Carefully lobbing a Splat Bomb at an opposing anchor positioned on their snipe will hinder their ability to control space with their range.
 * If a shorter-ranged opponent gets too close, either dropping a Splat Bomb at your feet or rolling it like a bowling ball can provide time and space to escape.
 * A Splat Bomb can damage or destroy an opponent's brella shield, Splash Wall, or Baller or the Rainmaker shield, while detonating on contact.
 * Any opponents caught within the Splat Bomb's explosion will get damaged or splatted.
 * It will also inflate or pop a teammate's bubbles but deflate or diffuse an opponent's bubbles, while still detonating on contact.
 * Using any Bomb Launcher too close to an opponent will leave its user vulnerable to attack, so activate it outside the range of the opponent.
 * Remember that each bomb can be charged by holding before releasing to launch it further, enabling the Bomb Launcher user to remain at a safer distance at the cost of launching fewer bombs in the duration of the special.
 * Do not forget that the main weapon may still be used during the duration of the special. Not only is this a useful self-defense tactic in case an opponent gets close, it is also a very effective means for creating combos, particularly to make up for the lower damage inflicted by Burst Bombs compared to other bombs.
 * Because Burst Bombs have less damage and turfing ability than most other bombs, a Burst-Bomb Launcher does not create space or push into contested turf through sheer damage or turfing but through the pressure created by its higher fire rate, especially when paired with the main weapon.
 * An opponent's Splashdown or Booyah Bomb will defuse any of your Splat or Burst Bombs it comes in contact with, so hold off on activating Burst-Bomb Launcher until after the opponent's special weapon finishes.

Synergy
The Soda Slosher is a hard-hitting slayer's weapon that can fit many team compositions and work in any game mode. However, while it can also turf relatively quickly, it is not ink-efficient and is outranged by some slayer's and support weapons. Its slow firing rate can also leave it vulnerable in between shots. Therefore, any team composition with a Soda Slosher should include a good mix of weapons that can cover for the latter's weaknesses: The Burst-Bomb Launcher can help a Soda Slosher user in contesting territory, such as Splat Zones. However, it is not as reliable at turfing territory compared to other Bomb Launcher variants. Moreover, a Soda Slosher user who attempts to pursue certain opponents with Burst-Bomb Launcher risks getting splatted. Therefore, it is advised for the Soda Slosher user's teammates to have other special weapons available to complement Burst-Bomb Launcher, as having too many users of any Bomb Launcher variant (no more than two) in a team composition will limit a team's arsenal of weapons: Coordinating with your teammates can greatly increase the Bomb Launcher's effect during a battle:
 * A Soda Slosher user would benefit fighting alongside a teammate wielding a rapid-firing, ink-efficient weapon, such as a Kensa Splattershot or an N-ZAP '85.
 * To watch their back against longer-ranged opponents, a Soda Slosher user should have a teammate skilled with a longer-ranged weapon, whether a traditional charger or a more mobile one, such as a Nautilus 79.
 * Other than the launched bombs, a Bomb Launcher user has no means of protection and is particularly vulnerable to long-ranged fire.
 * Other special weapons intended for splatting opponents, such as Inkjet or Sting Ray, can do this with less risk of getting splatted.
 * Ink Armor can increase the survivability of a Soda Slosher user, freeing them to push the opponents further back with Burst-Bomb Launcher. If a teammate has a weapon that can farm Ink Armor, it might pay off to wait until they activate it.
 * Remaining behind a teammate with an active protective special weapon, such as Baller, can also give a Burst-Bomb Launcher user room to operate.
 * Pushing forward with Burst-Bomb Launcher while a teammate is using a special designed to splat opponents, such as Sting Ray or Inkjet, can limit the opponents' escape options and even prevent them from Super Jumping to safety.

Countermeasures

 * Bomb Defense Up DX reduces the direct damage from Burst Bombs fired by the Burst-Bomb Launcher (from 60.0 HP to 57.7 HP) and the splash damage from both Splat Bombs (from 30.0 HP to 28.6 HP) and Burst Bombs (from 25.0-35.0 HP to 24.0-33.6 HP), improving survivability against both the sub and special weapons of an opposing Soda Slosher user.
 * Matchups between Soda Sloshers on opposing teams are determined by each player's skill, positioning, turf control, and the presence of any teammates.
 * A few slayer's and support weapons outrange the Soda Slosher without sacrificing too much mobility, making them good counters. For example, variants of the Splattershot Pro, the H-3 Nozzlenose, and the Dualie Squelchers all have better range and firing rate than the Slosher.
 * To attack an opposing Soda Slosher user with a shorter-ranged weapon, rely on flanking or sharking to get close to them, then if possible, exploit their slow fire rate.
 * A long-ranged weapon, such as a charger or most splatlings, can attack an opposing Soda Slosher user from long distance with impunity. However, once the opposing Soda Slosher user gets close, the tables are turned, as it can outmaneuver and outdraw its less mobile, slower firing opponent.
 * A competent Soda Slosher 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 makes them an easier target for long-ranged teammates to pick off.
 * When pursued by an opposing Soda Slosher user, using almost any sub weapon (except for Squid Beakons) can either delay or deter their pursuit.
 * When pursuing an opposing Soda Slosher user, watch out for any Splat Bombs they might drop while fleeing.
 * Keep an eye on the HUD to check when an opposing Soda Slosher user has their Burst-Bomb Launcher ready to avoid getting caught in their combo.
 * Long-ranged weapons, such as chargers can pick off opposing Bomb Launcher users who recklessly come within range.
 * Certain special weapons, such as Splashdown and Booyah Bomb, can negate the opponents' bombs if timed properly.
 * A counter Bomb Launcher can nullify the effects of the opponent's Bomb Launcher, preventing its user's team from either capping a zone or continuing a push.

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. A Soda Slosher user generally gets close enough to the opponent and their bombs. 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. 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.

Unless a Soda Slosher wielder is on an extended splatting streak, they can expect to get splatted often. When equipped, Comeback grants 10 ability points of six different stackable abilities for twenty seconds after respawning from getting splatted by an opponent: Because the Soda Slosher consumes ink quickly, both Ink Saver (Main) and Ink Saver (Sub) are the most useful for a Soda Slosher user, allowing them to pursue and pressure the opponent upon returning from spawn with less worry about their ink efficiency.

Any good slayer like a Soda Slosher user 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.
 * 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 point, 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.

Last-Ditch Effort is a Headgear-exclusive ability that, under specific conditions, grants its user 1 to 24 ability points each of the following abilities: These abilities only begin to take effect under either of the following conditions: The Soda Slosher can greatly benefit from both the overall reduced ink consumption and quicker ink recovery, allowing its user to more freely use either the main weapon or Suction Bombs during either a crucial defensive stand or a late attempt to reclaim the lead.
 * There are at most 30 seconds remaining on the game clock, or Overtime has begun in a Ranked Battle, at which the maximum 24 ability points will be granted for each of the above abilities.
 * In a Ranked Battle, the opposing team's countdown has at most 50 points remaining. The effects of Last-Ditch Effort increase as the opposing team's countdown decreases from 50 to 30 points remaining, starting with 1 ability point for each ability and maxing out to 24 ability points.

Quick Respawn shortens respawn time after getting splatted (under specific conditions), encouraging a Soda Slosher user to remain aggressive even after getting splatted.
 * 16 ability points – one main and two subs – are enough to reduce the respawn time from 8.5 seconds to 6.67 seconds.
 * 26 ability points – two mains and two subs – are enough to reduce the respawn time from 8.5 seconds to 5.8 seconds.

Quick Super Jump decreases both the "charge" time before and the travel time of a Super Jump. Soda 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.