Competitive:Octo Shot Replica

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. Cold Blooded is an ability that shortens the duration of position-tracking to 50% of normal tracking time. As a stealthy, mobile weapon, Cold Blooded is immensely useful for the Octoshot Replica, enhancing its sneakiness, facilitating ambushes, preventing enemy ambushes, enabling more mobility, and preventing chargers to quickly splat players.

Comeback allows players to get back faster into the battle and constantly have a boosted range of abilities at hand, also making up and acting as substitution for ability slots used for Quick Respawn. Quick Respawn allows you to get back faster into the battle after getting splatted and prevents lockouts or quick knockouts.
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As a short range weapon, players will generally find themselves in enemy ink in engagements. The Ink Resistance Up ability allows players to continue to be mobile and to survive more fights without taking as much damage from enemy ink.

The Swim Speed Up ability allows players to swim faster, which makes harder target to kill and much more mobility when moving in squid form. The Run Speed Up ability allows players to run faster, which makes harder target to kill and much more mobility when firing.
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Use
The Octo Shot Replica is a slayer's weapon, designed to splat an opponent in as few as three hits with its rapid firing, good accuracy, and short to medium range. The Splat Bomb is a versatile sub weapon with a variety of purposes suited for any slayer: If piloted properly, the Inkjet can pressure opponents – particularly anchors – more directly than most other slayer's special weapons, such as Tenta Missiles:
 * Offensively, its good mobility allows its user to apply pressure onto the opponent – whether head-on or through timely flanking – eliminating key defenders during a push. Swim Speed Up can further help either close the distance towards an opponent or flee from an unfavorable matchup.
 * Defensively, its rapid rate of fire makes it great at both sharking to pick off unaware opponents and turfing to maintain map control. Its good overall ink efficiency also allows its user to more readily use Splat Bombs to keep opponents at bay.
 * The Octo Shot Replica is faster and more efficient at turfing than most other slayer's weapons, allowing its user to maintain map control more easily.
 * Pushing into a Splat Zone or any other important area of the stage, such as the opponents' street or platform.
 * Flushing out opposing anchors from perches, hindering their ability to control space with their range.
 * Poking at and zoning out opponents during the neutral phase, stalling an opponent's push, or providing space to escape.
 * Damaging or destroying an opponent's brella shield, Splash Wall, or Baller or the Rainmaker shield, while detonating on contact.
 * The Splat Bomb will also inflate or pop a teammate's bubbles but deflate or diffuse an opponent's bubbles.
 * Any opponents caught within the Splat Bomb's explosion will get damaged or splatted.
 * An opponent's Splashdown or Booyah Bomb will defuse any Splat Bombs it comes in contact with, so hold off throwing them until after the special weapon finishes.
 * Upon activation, its launching point is marked for all players – teammates and opponents – to see and, as of Version 3.2.0, also indicates when its user will return via super jump, allowing an opponent to camp or shark there. Therefore, it is advised to launch the Inkjet from a less visible and better protected area.
 * Drop Roller allows its user to better dodge either a potential Inkjet punish or a simple super jump punish, providing a safer landing.
 * Specials are also free ink reloads, allowing the Octo Shot Replica user to drop a Splat Bomb upon landing after the special ends.
 * Its movement speed is determined by both the Octo Shot Replica's strafing speed and the number of Run Speed Up ability points equipped.
 * It is also possible to morph into squid/octopus form and swim (in friendly ink) while the special is active. This provides some key benefits:
 * Morphing will halt the jets to enable the pilot to descend, making them a less predictable target.
 * Swimming is faster than flying, enabling an Inkjet pilot to activate the special at a farther distance from opponents and more quickly pursue them.
 * Its altitude depends on the elevation of the surface it is hovering above, enabling it to either fly very high over an elevated structure, such as the glass roof in Shellendorf Institute, or hover high enough to challenge an opponent on a perch.
 * However, the Inkjet cannot achieve thrust off of grates or mesh, causing its pilot to merely walk on them. Avoid hovering over them to maintain altitude.
 * Pressing the button will provide a temporary extra thrust. Mastery of both boosting and descending (see above) is necessary for Inkjet pilots to become less predictable for long-ranged opponents to track and pick off.
 * Its mobility enables it to reach areas that are otherwise not easily accessible — or even inaccessible, such as over the glass enclosures in Kelp Dome.
 * The Inkjet's cannon fires long-ranged, Rainmaker-like bursts of ink that splat opponents in one direct hit or two to four indirect hits:
 * Lead the Inkjet's shots to compensate for their slightly slower travel speed, especially when positioned farther from an intended target.
 * Its splash damage can splat opponents positioned behind obstacles, varying from 30 to 50 damage; the closer the shot to the opponent, the more damaging.
 * If an Inkjet falls out of bounds, such as into the water, its pilot will land back onto the location of launch — or the most previous point of solid ground. Therefore, the Inkjet can save a player from an out-of-bounds splat in a pinch. You can also use this to your advantage. When being pressured by the enemy team, going in to water can save you from being splatted.

Synergy
The Octo Shot Replica's versatility allows it to fit in almost any team composition. However, its Inkjet greatly benefits from a teammate's Ink Armor:
 * Because an Ink Armored player can withstand more damage — especially from an opponent's charger, an armored Inkjet pilot can fly more aggressively.
 * Sometimes, it can pay to wait a little longer for a teammate to build up and activate Ink Armor before activating Inkjet. However, do not hesitate to use your special weapon whenever it is needed during a battle, such as when making a push, protecting a lead, or distracting an opposing anchor.

Countermeasures

 * Matchups between Octo Shot Replicas on opposing teams are determined by each player's skill, positioning, turf control, and the presence of any teammates.
 * Any weapon that has a combination of longer range, better accuracy, or higher damage output without sacrificing too much mobility can counter an Octo Shot Replica. For example, both the Splattershot Pro and L-3 Nozzlenose and their respective variants meet all of these requirements.
 * If using a shorter ranged weapon against an opposing Octo Shot Replica user (88 units), rely on flanking or sharking them instead of a direct attack.
 * A long-ranged weapon, such as a charger or most splatlings, can not only attack an Octo Shot Replica from long distance with impunity but also punish a predictable Inkjet. However, once the Octo Shot Replica gets close, it can outmaneuver and outdraw its less mobile, slower firing opponent.
 * A competent Octo Shot Replica 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 Octo Shot Replica, using almost any sub weapon (except for Squid Beakons) can either delay their pursuit or deter them from chasing.
 * When pursuing an Octo Shot Replica, be wary of any Splat Bombs they might plant while retreating, such as around a corner or after climbing a ledge.
 * Dogfights between opposing Inkjets are generally decided by each pilot's skill, positioning, and any teammates present.
 * To punish an opposing Inkjet after it lands, eliminate its pilot's teammates while avoiding both its shots and exhaust before punishing the landing, preferably with a well-placed, well-timed bomb followed by shots from the main weapon. Make sure the opposing pilot does not have Drop Roll however.

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. Unless an Octo Shot Replica 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: Ink Saver (Sub) and Swim Speed Up are the most useful for the Octo Shot Replica user, allowing them to throw Splat Bombs more often and more quickly pursue and pressure the opponent upon returning from spawn.

Main Power Up increases accuracy while either on the ground or in mid-air.

Quick Respawn shortens respawn time after getting splatted (under specific conditions), encouraging an Octo Shot Replica 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.

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.