Competitive:Undercover Sorella Brella

Unofficial

Use
The Undercover Sorella Brella, with its low DPS and time to splat, decent turfing ability, and shield for survivability, make it a skirmisher and support weapon. The most reliable way a Undercover Sorella Brella player can engage an opponent is through constant and coordinated use of Splat Bombs: The Baller is a versatile special weapon with a variety of uses:
 * The Undercover Sorella Brella turfs very well, allowing it to maintain map control, capture Splat Zones, and quickly build up the special gauge.
 * While its shots produce a narrower ink trail than does the Splat Brella (4 pellets versus 6), the Undercover Sorella Brella is more ink efficient and can keep its shield up while firing.
 * Its effective range (80 units) exceeds that of the Splattershot Jr. (66 units) and the Splash-o-matic (78.4 units) but is shorter than that of both the Splattershot and N-ZAP '85 (88 units). This provides the Undercover Sorella Brella more distance than the Splattershot Jr. to either turf territory or engage an opponent more safely.
 * Being lightweight, the Undercover Sorella Brella has good mobility while firing (0.72 units per frame), comparable to the Splattershot Jr., the Splash-o-matic, the Splattershot, and the Dualie Squelchers.
 * What sets the Undercover Sorella Brella apart from many other weapons is its shield, which can provide its user good temporary protection whenever strafing is not an option, such as in a narrow passage or on the Tower:
 * Its shield takes 200 health points (HP) of damage to destroy and has different incoming damage multipliers for each weapon type. Most notably, an Undercover Sorella Brella shield takes…
 * …only 70% of damage from automatic and semiautomatic firing weapons, such as shooters, dualies, and splatlings.
 * …150% of damage from swung (but not rolled) rollers and brushes.
 * …200% of damage from sloshers and the explosion of all bombs.
 * …300% of damage from all chargers.
 * Therefore, a Undercover Sorella Brella has good matchups against any shooter, dualie, or splatling that lack bombs, as long as its user can get within range.
 * If an Undercover Sorella Brella's shield is either damaged or destroyed, it can be restored by either splatting or assisting in splatting an opponent or, if the shield is destroyed, by waiting 270 frames, or 4.5 seconds.
 * Main Power Up can reduce the regeneration time to as low as 150 frames, or 2.5 seconds.
 * The Undercover Sorella Brella fires four pellets per shot, each delivering 12 HP of damage. However, the maximum damage per shot is capped at 40 HP.
 * This means that the Undercover Sorella Brella can still splat most opponents in three shots if its user consistently hits their opponent with at least three pellets.
 * The Undercover Sorella Brella, with all of its various and unique advantages, still has its shortcomings:
 * Its limited damage and slightly slow firing rate (8-15 frames for the first shot, 16 frames in between shots) prevent it from splatting opponents as quickly as other weapons.
 * The Undercover Sorella Brella is outranged by many other weapons, most notably the Splattershot Pro, the Slosher, and the Dualie Squelchers.
 * Its shield is weaker than that of the Splat Brella and is easily destroyed by a single lethal bomb. Even a couple of Burst Bombs can quickly destroy a Undercover Sorella Brella shield.
 * Opponents' bombs will instantly detonate upon contact with the Undercover Sorella Brella's shield, splatting any teammates who happen to be in front of it. Therefore, do not raise the shield whenever a teammate is in front.
 * Blasters are arguably the worst matchup for a Undercover Sorella Brella, since a Blaster user who maintains their maximum range and fires around a Undercover Sorella Brella user's shield will damage them with the splash damage.
 * The Splat Bomb's one-second detonation timer begins as soon as it contacts any surface. Therefore, rolling the Splat Bomb like a bowling ball will produce the quickest explosion for instant area denial.
 * The damage an exploding Splat Bomb inflicts onto a target depends on the distance between them:
 * Targets within 40 DU – a little under one distance line away in the Shooting Range – will receive 180 damage — more than enough to splat most opponents.
 * Targets between 40 DU and 70 DU – just shy of 1.5 distance lines away – will receive 30 damage, which is sometimes enough to splat weakened opponents.
 * 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 opposing anchor positioned on their snipe will hinder their ability to control space with their range.
 * 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.
 * An opponent's Splashdown, Booyah Bomb, or Ultra Stamp will defuse any Splat Bombs it touches, so hold off using them until after their special weapon finishes.
 * 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. The Undercover Sorella Brella's lightweight nature also increases the Baller's movement speed.
 * After the Baller's explosion, nearby opponents not splatted are often damaged enough for a couple of hits from the Inkbrush Nouveau to splat them.
 * 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.
 * If the Undercover Sorella Brella's shield is destroyed or about to be, the Baller if used properly, can be used in a pinch to survive and stall a battle until the shield is recovered or to escape.

Synergy
The Undercover Sorella Brella is great at turfing and building up Baller but relatively weak in splatting opponents. Therefore, it makes a great complement to – and is well complemented by – a slayer, particularly one whose weapon has trouble turfing, such as a Splattershot Pro or a blaster.
 * Turfing while following a teammate builds up Baller 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 and divert the opponent's attention to provide your teammate an opening to attack.
 * If your teammate gets splatted and the opponent(s) is/are still present, then consider retreating instead of risking getting splatted and losing Baller progress.

Countermeasures

 * When facing an opponent wielding a Undercover Sorella Brella, their shield can be tricky to deal with. However, there are various ways to work around it:
 * Most bombs will not only destroy the Undercover Sorella Brella's shield in one hit but will also instantly detonate, splatting any other opponents in front of them.
 * Blasters are arguably the best counter against a Undercover Sorella Brella. Maintain your maximum range and fire around the opponent's shield to damage them with the splash damage.
 * 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. Because the Undercover Sorella Brella is a short-ranged weapon, its user can greatly benefit from reducing the damage taken from their opponents' bombs. 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.

Any player, including a Undercover Sorella Brella user who avoids direct confrontations, 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 one sub, or three ability points…
 * …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.

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: Like other support weapons whose builds include bombs, the Undercover Sorella Brella can greatly benefit from the reduced ink consumption per Splat Bomb used, allowing its user to spam Splat 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.

Special Charge Up accelerates building up the special gauge for Baller, which can be useful for pushing, stopping pushes, or to get out of an unfavorable situation.
 * 10 ability points – one main – effectively reduce the special gauge requirement to below 170p.

Swim Speed Up increases swim speed. Because a Undercover Sorella Brella user has a hard time splatting, Swim Speed Up can help escape the situation or to push in.