Competitive: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
The Slosher – along with the Hero Slosher Replica – is the first available weapon in the Slosher class. Its unique mechanics differ greatly from those of a shooter but allow it to more easily hit certain targets that a shooter cannot easily reach, such as an opponent hiding behind an obstacle.

Use
The Slosher has the traits of a powerful slayer's weapon: high damage and medium range. However, its kit allows it to also play a supportive role as well. Suction Bombs have a few key differences from Splat Bombs that affect how they can be used: Otherwise, Suction Bombs can be used in a similar fashion as can Splat Bombs: Tenta Missiles can be used to locate and pressure opponents and force them out of position without having to commit too far forward:
 * Each tap of flings a large globule of ink in an arcing trajectory followed by a thin trail of ink:
 * This trajectory enables a Slosher user to more easily attack opponents who are up on a ledge or up an incline, making a Slosher very effective at sharking beneath the opponents' perch, leading a push up walls or slopes, and taking flanking routes that require a considerable amount of climbing.
 * The arc-like trajectory also travels over obstacles that are not too tall, enabling a Slosher wield to hit opponents hiding behind them.
 * So long as a Slosher user is firing at at target that is not below them, the large globule consistently inflicts 70 HP of damage – just enough to splat most opponents weakened by a bomb's splash damage – while the thin ink trail inflicts 50 HP.
 * Unlike most other weapons, such as shooters, the Slosher only suffers damage falloff if the target is below the Slosher wielder, reducing the damage by as much as 50%. Main Power Up can reduce this damage falloff.
 * Regardless of any damage falloff, the large globule always delivers more damage than the thin trail of ink. Whenever possible, aim the reticle at your opponent to hit them with the large globule.
 * In addition to its high damage, the Slosher also has good range for a slayer's weapon (about 140 DU). Although this weapon has low range when aiming the reticle at the default position, you can always aim higher to maximize your range — enough to outrange most shooters and dualies.
 * The 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 Slosher shot and still splat the Slosher wielder before the latter can fire their second shot.
 * A 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 Slosher's ink consumption (7%) is rather high for a slayer's weapon. Repetitive tapping of – particularly after throwing a Suction Bomb – will quickly deplete the ink tank. Watch the ink tank and avoid traveling too far in the opponents' turf.
 * They can attach to surfaces, which offers two advantages over Splat Bombs:
 * It allows more room for error when aiming, such as when throwing onto the Tower, whereas a Splat Bomb user has to account for any rolling or bounces.
 * The ability to adhere to surfaces either sideways or upside down allows 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, particularly when wielding a longer-ranged weapon – such as an H-3 Nozzlenose D or a Fresh Squiffer – and being rushed down by an opponent.
 * They inflict more damage from a direct hit and have a larger overall radius of damage.
 * Targets within 50 DU – one distance line away in the Shooting Range – will receive 220 damage — more than enough to splat most opponents.
 * Targets between 50 DU and 80 DU – a little over 1.5 distance lines away – will receive 30 damage, which is sometimes enough to splat weakened opponents.
 * Throw a Suction Bomb forward to lead pushes 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.
 * Unless a Suction Bomb is perfectly upright on the stake atop the Tower, an opponent riding the Tower can use this stake to take cover from the blast radius. Therefore, to stall or slow down the Tower's progress, throw a Suction Bomb onto one side of the Tower and fire upon the other side.
 * 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.
 * Any opponents caught within the Suction 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.
 * An opponent's Splashdown or Booyah Bomb will defuse any Suction Bombs it touches, so hold off throwing them until after the special weapon finishes.
 * It is recommended to only activate the Tenta Missiles at a safe distance from opponents, not only because a Tenta Missile user is vulnerable to close-range attacks but also because opponents who are further back are easier to track and home missiles on.
 * Sometimes, it may be more beneficial to target a specific opponent or two instead of all of them, based on their weapons, location, and situation:
 * Opponents wielding heavy, slow firing weapons will have a harder time escaping the missiles.
 * Opponents who are bunched together are more likely to cause their teammates to receive collateral damage than those who are spread apart.
 * Tenta Missiles are also a reliable means of forcing opposing anchors to cede their ground and lose focus while aiming. Sometimes, this is the only reliable means to push back into a zone or another important area of the stage.
 * Tenta Missiles can counter an opponent's Sting Ray or Booyah Bomb if anticipated early enough; an opponent will be forced to either delay or interrupt it to avoid getting splatted by the missiles, throwing off their aim.

Synergy

 * The Slosher is less capable of playing aggressively than its other variants, particularly the Soda Slosher, but it is more versatile, allowing it to play in ether an aggressive or supportive role. While it is not quite as versatile as some other weapons, such as the Kensa Splattershot, the Slosher can still fit in many team compositions.
 * Even though it is capable of playing a supportive role, unless two other slayer weapons are present on the team, it is recommended to have another supportive weapon present to free the Slosher wielder to play more offensively. While not a poor turfing weapon, the Slosher greatly benefits if teamed up with a weapon that is more efficient at turfing, such as a Splattershot Jr. or an N-ZAP '85.
 * While having multiple players on the same team launching Tenta Missiles might seem like an easy and fun means to cause opponents to scramble for cover, having too many players equipped with them – no more than one or two – can reduce the effectiveness of a team composition.
 * Launching Tenta Missiles just before a push can cause opponents to scatter, giving your team opportunities to pick off any opponents caught fleeing the Missiles.
 * Launching Tenta Missiles while a teammate is using a special designed to splat opponents, such as Inkjet or Sting Ray, can limit the opponents' escape options and even prevent them from Super Jumping to safety.

Countermeasures

 * Bomb Defense Up DX reduces the splash damage from both Suction Bombs (from 30 HP to 28.6 HP) and Tenta Missiles (from 50 HP to 48.3 HP), improving its user's survivability against both the sub and special weapons of an opposing Slosher user.
 * Matchups between 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 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 Slosher user with a shorter-ranged weapon, rely more 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 Slosher user from long distance with impunity. However, once the opposing Slosher gets close, the tables are turned, as it can outmaneuver and outdraw its less mobile, slower firing opponent.
 * A competent 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 a Slosher, using almost any sub weapon (except for Squid Beakons) can either delay their pursuit or deter them from chasing.
 * When pursuing an opposing Slosher, be wary of any Suction Bomb traps the opponent may have planted, such as around a corner or under a grate.
 * Be mindful of both when the opponent has Tenta Missiles ready and when the missiles are launched:
 * If an opponent attempts to launch them when nearby you, splat them quickly to reduce or even cancel their deployment.
 * When the opponent deploys their Tenta Missiles, avoid getting close to teammates - even when not targeted, as a targeted player crossing paths with a teammate might cause the other to get injured or splatted.
 * Whenever targeted by opposing Tenta Missles, unless actively engaging an opponent, only move enough to avoid damage and reduce the amount of turfing by the Missiles.

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 Slosher user in a slayer role 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 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 Slosher consumes ink quickly, both Ink Saver (Main) and Ink Saver (Sub) are the most useful for a 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 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 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 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. Both aggressive and supportive 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.