Competitive:.52 Gal

Unofficial

Splatoon 2
The .52 Gal shoots powerful shots capable of splatting an opponent quickly in two hits. In addition to that, it also has decent turfing ability, making it a well-rounded weapon. However, unlike its more popular Kensa variant, it lacks a useful sub weapon and its special is much less reliable at aiding its survivability.

Use
The kit and high rate of damage of the .52 Gal make it slayer: However, the .52 Gal has a few notable drawbacks: While unable to inflict any damage onto opponents, the Point Sensor can aid its user and their teammates if used wisely: The Baller is a versatile special weapon with a variety of uses:
 * The 52 HP of damage per shot guarantees a two-shot splat its range of maximum damage. Outside this range, falloff reduces the damage to a minimum of 30 HP, which increases the number of shots to splat an opponent to three or four.
 * Its range of 124.944 DU is slightly longer than that of a Splattershot or an N-ZAP (both 116.99 DU). Both the high damage and higher than average range make it difficult for shorter-ranged opponents to approach its user.
 * Its turfing is also efficient — even at further away since Version 5.4.0, allowing its user to farm Baller and help their team maintain map control.
 * While the .52 Gal has a comparable shot deviation (6-12 degrees) to that of a Splattershot (6-12 degrees), its chance to shoot towards the outer reticle while on the ground – initially 2% (1% for the Splattershot) – increases more rapidly with each consecutive shot (+3% per shot, 25% maximum) than that of a Splattershot (+1% per shot, 25% maximum).
 * Since Version, releasing the trigger for 25 frames, or just under half a second, will restore its precision. Therefore, it is often recommended to fire this weapon in short bursts and then reposition yourself by swimming before firing again.
 * Its slower firing rate leaves it vulnerable at close range to more rapid-firing, medium-damage weapons, such as a Splattershot or a Splash-o-matic — especially if the opponent lands the first shot. Always be wary of opponents either flanking or sharking.
 * It is less mobile while firing (0.60 DU/f) than are other weapons of comparable range, such as the Tri-Slosher (0.66 DU/f), the Splattershot and the Splash-o-matic (both 0.72 DU/f), and the N-ZAP (0.84 DU/f).
 * It is outranged by a number of other weapons, notably the Splattershot Pro, the H-3 Nozzlenose, most sloshers, and the Dualie Squelchers. Give yourself enough time and space to mitigate the range advantage of opponents wielding these weapons.
 * It temporarily makes an opponent an easier target for more mobile teammates to pursue.
 * It can check around corners for flanking opponents and scan behind obstacles or within suspicious puddles of the opponents' ink for any sharking opponents.
 * If you are about to get splatted, or if you fall into any unwinnable situation, tagging the opponent with a Point Sensor will track your would-be splatter, providing your teammates the opportunity for a revenge splat.
 * It enables its user to take control of a certain area of the stage, such as a Splat Zone or underneath the opponents' Clam basket.
 * It can force the opponents to clear an area, whether leading a Tower or Rainmaker push or stopping one.
 * It provides its user an extra layer of protection, such as when fleeing an unsafe situation or while riding the Tower at a checkpoint. In the latter case, be wary of getting knocked off of the Tower by the opponents' weapons.
 * After the Baller's explosion, nearby opponents not splatted are often damaged enough to be splatted in a single hit from the .52 Gal.
 * The hitbox of the Baller comes out before it protects the user. The .52 Gal can combo damage from its shots (52 damage) and activate Baller to bump into the opponent (50 damage) for a quick splat in close quarters.
 * The Baller can be used to survive a Splashdown, although the Baller is instantly destroyed.
 * One of the most effective means of scoring in Clam Blitz, especially on stages that are medium to large, involves the Baller providing a safe Super Jump landing point for teammates carrying Power Clams:
 * To conceal one's position, the Baller player should not carry a Power Clam, as doing so would mark one with a Mode Icon Ranked Battle 2.png Ranked Battle symbol on the screen. If one obtains a Power Clam, they should pass it to a teammate, preferably the Anchor, who will remain relatively safe until a Super Jump opportunity presents itself.
 * Once the Baller player has built up their special gauge and at least one teammate has a Power Clam, the Baller player activates it in a spot that is nearby the enemy Clam Basket but relatively safe from attack, then rolls underneath the basket, and detonates the Baller, spreading ink around the basket, all while signalling their teammates with, indicating that they are within throwing range of the enemy Clam Basket.
 * Any of the Baller's teammates who has a Power Clam will Super Jump to the Baller's position, landing within a throw's reach of the enemy Clam Basket, and toss their clams (Power Clams first) into the basket.
 * Ink Armor and Stealth Jump will improve the survivability of teammates who super jump toward the enemy basket. Activating the Splashdown just before landing can also clear out the landing point of enemies and claim a large area of turf, but note that doing so will force its user to drop all clams in possession.

Synergy
While a team might get away with having one or two users of short-ranged weapons, such as the .52 Gal, 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: The .52 Gal's lack of lethal bombs – particularly either Splat or Suction Bombs – generally necessitates its user's teammates to equip weapons that include them. Lethal bombs provide their user's team a couple advantages over another team that has no lethal bombs in its composition:
 * 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.
 * Their one-hit-splat offers its user's team chances of instantly gaining a numbers advantage, from which a game-winning push can arise.
 * Their lethal explosion provides space for its user's team to either push into an area held by the opponent or stall an opponent's push.

Countermeasures

 * Do not get caught alone against an opposing .52 Gal user, particularly if you are wielding a blaster or a short- to medium-ranged slosher with no bombs, as the latter can punish players who overextend.
 * A user of a shorter-ranged weapon should rely on flanking or sharking to safely approach an opposing .52 Gal user, land the first shot, and exploit either their lower firing rate and slower mobility.
 * If you have a long-ranged weapon, such as a charger or a Jet Squelcher, and you have a chance to pick off an opposing .52 Gal user from long distance.
 * When tagged with an opponent's Point Sensor, either briefly keep a distance from opponents to avoid getting splatted or lure the opponents away from the objective or an important area of the stage, allowing teammates to reclaim turf, push the objective, or ambush opponents.
 * When attacked by an opponent's Baller, if possible, concentrate fire on the Baller – especially with bombs – to quickly destroy it and prevent its explosion.
 * If an opponent riding the Tower activates Baller, attack it at a proper angle – away from the Tower's stake – to knock it off of the Tower.
 * Splashdown can destroy a Baller if executed before the Baller initiates its explosion. The Baller's user will remain unsplatted, so prepare a follow-up attack.

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. 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, provide 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.

A .52 Gal user will inevitably come in contact with the opponent's ink on various surfaces — mostly resulting from opposing bombs and Tenta Missiles, 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:

While powerful, the .52 Gal has a high shot spread compared to other short-ranged shooters, reducing its ability to splat opponents consistently. Main Power Up reduces the shot spread by up to 20% while on the ground and by up to 50% when jumping, increasing the main weapon's precision.
 * 6 ability points, or two subs, reduces shot spread on the ground by 7.53% and shot spread in the air by 18.83%.
 * 13 ability points, or one main and one sub, reduces shot spread on the ground by 11.41% and shot spread in the air by 28.54%.

Quick Super Jump decreases both the "charge" time before and the travel time of a Super Jump, allowing a .52 Gal user to escape unfavorable situations more easily to preserve precious special gauge progress, or more quickly return to the front lines after being splatted.
 * 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 a .52 Gal user to more safely return to the front lines and more quickly maintain turfing pressure on and zone out the opponent.

A self-explanatory ability, Swim Speed Up specifically benefits a .52 Gal user by allowing them to more quickly retreat from an advancing opponent whenever necessary.
 * 6 ability points, or two subs, increase the swim speed from 1.92 to 2.01 units per frame, nearly matching the unaltered swim speed of lightweight weapon users.
 * 16 ability points, or one main and two subs, further increase the swim speed to 2.14 units per frame.