Competitive:Splattershot Jr.

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 Splattershot Jr. is a rapid firing weapon that provides turfing and – with its sub and special weapons – support but lacks accuracy and range with its main weapon. Since Version, it now has a larger ink tank with 10% more capacity, further improving its already excellent ink efficiency.

Use

 * The Splattershot Jr. has a wide shot spread, enabling it to turf large areas in a short amount of time, which provides two benefits:
 * Turfing allows the team to either gain or maintain map control. This also allows the Splattershot Jr. to quickly capture zones in Splat Zones.
 * It also builds up Ink Armor very quickly, allowing the user's team to mount a push at a moment's notice. If there are no other urgent tasks, just keep turfing so Ink Armor is ready whenever needed.
 * The main tradeoff of the wide shot spread is the resulting poor accuracy, which, along with the short range, makes the Splattershot Jr. a poor main weapon for directly engaging most opponents.
 * It is still capable of quickly splatting opponents, provided that its user can catch an opponent by surprise and within its short range. However, playing too aggressively risks depriving the user's team both map control and Ink Armor, so be judicious about when to either flank or shark.
 * Otherwise, if a certain matchup is disadvantageous, disengage by dropping a Splat Bomb behind whenever possible and Super Jumping back to the Spawn point if necessary.
 * The most reliable way a Splattershot Jr. player can engage an opponent is through constant and coordinated use of Splat Bombs:
 * When attacking an opponent's position, try to throw Splat Bombs behind the opponent. This more effectively cuts off the opponent's potential escape routes.
 * Splat Bombs are great at poking at and zoning out opponents during the neutral phase, stalling an opponent's push, or providing cover while fleeing.
 * Carefully lobbing a Splat Bomb at an anchor positioned on their snipe will hinder their ability to control space with their range.
 * The larger ink tank unique to the Splattershot Jr. allows the player to throw bombs more often.
 * Using any special weapon also provides a free ink tank refill. Therefore, it is possible to throw a bomb or two before and after using the Ink Armor.
 * When beginning a push, especially after activating Ink Armor, throw a Splat Bomb towards the opposing team to provide space to push in.
 * The Splattershot Jr. is a great complement to a slayer, particularly one whose weapon has trouble turfing, such as a Splattershot Pro or a blaster.
 * Turfing while following a teammate builds up Ink Armor and provides friendly turf to which a teammate can retreat whenever needed.
 * Cooperate with the teammate using primarily Splat Bombs when engaging an opponent: attack from different angles, or force the opponent to come within range of the teammate's weapon.
 * Ink Armor allows its user's team to either initiate a push, to recapture a Splat Zone for example, or maintain one, such as while locking out the opponent.
 * Time the activation of Ink Armor carefully; it takes up to two seconds to activate Ink Armor, which lasts for at least six seconds.
 * Try to activate Ink Armor when most or all teammates are active. Slayers, who risk getting splatted more often, benefit from Ink Armor more than anchors do.

Countermeasures

 * Because the Splattershot Jr. is generally a poor main weapon for splatting, almost any weapon with longer range, better accuracy, or higher damage can defeat it in a one-on-one with relative ease. However, watch out for the Splattershot Jr.'s Splat Bombs.
 * When using another support weapon while engaged in a one-on-one against a Splattershot Jr., a prolonged battle tends to favor the latter due to its larger ink tank. In general, pursue the opposing Splattershot Jr. user while evading any of their Splat Bombs and try to splat them rather than attempt to out-turf them.
 * A Splattershot Jr. will most likely assist a teammate armed with a more formidable weapon; that opponent is usually the higher priority. Trying to engage against both is usually a poor idea, so either find a teammate to assist or try to lure the Splattershot Jr.'s teammate to stray too far from them to receive assistance.
 * Keep an eye on the HUD to know when the opponent's Splattershot Jr. has Ink Armor ready to use, and both watch and listen for when it is activated.
 * The best way to prevent the opponent from using armor is to splat the opponent with the Splattershot Jr. (or any other Ink Armor-equipped weapon). A charger user can prioritize said opponent when sniping, or a slayer can attempt to pick off a lone Splattershot Jr.
 * Focus fire on armored opponents for longer than usual - preferably with everyone ganging up on one opponent at a time - to compensate for their armor.
 * Object Shredder triples damage inflicted onto armored opponents. Combining this with Ink Storm can nearly neutralize armored pushes by the opponent.

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. Ink Saver (Sub) allows more frequent use of Splat Bombs and saves ink for the main weapon after each Splat Bomb used. Because a Splattershot Jr. wielder depends on their sub weapon more than most other weapon users do on both offense and defense, having the ability to more frequently use Splat Bombs is invaluable.
 * 23 ability points – two mains and one sub – enable a Splattershot Jr. user to throw two consecutive Splat Bombs with a full ink tank, thanks to the larger ink tank.
 * Combining enough ability points of Ink Saver (Sub) with the free ink tank refill from using the Ink Armor can create a pseudo-Splat-Bomb Launcher; a player can throw two Splat Bombs, activate Ink Armor, then throw two more Bombs.

Main Power Up increases ink coverage by up to 20.2%, allowing for more efficient turfing and faster special gauge buildup for more frequent use of Ink Armor.

Quick Super Jump decreases both the "charge" time before and the travel time of a Super Jump. A Splattershot Jr. player will be outmatched by most opponents, and Quick Super Jump can help them escape unfavorable situations more quickly, which avoids getting splatted, maintains a presence on the stage, and preserves precious special gauge progress.
 * One sub, or 3 ability points, of Quick Super Jump decreases the "charge" time by 0.383 seconds.

Special Charge Up accelerates building up the special gauge for Ink Armor. As arguably the fastest weapon at farming Ink Armor, constantly having Ink Armor available for teammates ensures more successful pushes and counter-pushes.
 * 16 ability points – one main and two subs – are enough to reduce the special gauge requirement to below 160p.