Competitive:Grim Range Blaster

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.

Use
The Grim Range Blaster is a medium ranged slayer's weapon with great splatting potential. However, its slow firing rate and poor turfing means it needs to be treated differently from rapid-firing weapons: The instant explosion and good ink efficiency of Burst Bombs offer plenty of uses, particularly for the relatively immobile Grim Range Blaster: Tenta Missiles can be used to pressure opponents and force them out of position without having to commit too far forward:
 * Its range (118.8 units) is comparable to that of other medium ranged weapons, such as the Splattershot Pro and the Dualie Squelchers (115 units).
 * Its shots travel slower than those of rapid-firing weapons — 10.8 units per frame versus 23 units per frame for the Dualie Squelchers, for example. This means that a Grim Range Blaster user has to lead their shots in order to be accurate.
 * The Grim Range Blaster becomes less accurate (by 8 degrees) immediately after becoming airborne, whether from a jump or a drop.
 * Waiting 25 frames – during the descent of a jump – will allow the outer reticle to shrink back and the accuracy to improve for up to 70 more frames.
 * Main Power Up reduces the shot deviation during a jump by up to 37.5%.
 * The Grim Range Blaster's damage – arguably its greatest asset – widely varies depending on whether a target is hit directly, and if not, how close to the shot's explosion the target is and whether the shot exploded on a solid surface:
 * 125 health points (HP) of damage per direct hit — enough to splat most opponents in one hit
 * 50-70 HP per hit of splash damage if the shot's explosion does not hit a solid surface
 * 25-35 HP per hit of splash damage if the shot's explosion hits a solid surface
 * Thus, when firing up a ledge or around either an obstacle or an opponent's brella shield for splash damage, avoid hitting solid surfaces to maximize damage.
 * The Grim Range Blaster suffers a longer lag time after each shot compared to rapid-firing weapons, making it easily punishable after a miss:
 * The interval between firing and either morphing or using a sub weapon is 30 frames — far longer than the 4 frames of the Splattershot Pro.
 * Its firing rate is 60 frames between shots (1 shot per second) – far slower than the Splattershot Pro's 8 frames between shots (7.5 shots per second)
 * Therefore, unless attacking an opponent up a ledge or around either an obstacle or their brella shield, always go for direct hits.
 * While not as mobile as other slayer's weapons, the Grim Range Blaster can still be effective at flanking, and its high damage makes it devastating at sharking.
 * The Grim Range Blaster operates best in areas and stages that are highly frequented – such as around the Tower – or less open, such as in an alley or beneath a short ledge, where an opponent has less room to avoid shots and outmaneuver the Grim Range Blaster user.
 * Besides its long lag after each shot, the Grim Range Blaster suffers from other drawbacks:
 * Its movement speed while firing (0.4 units per frame) is slow compared to most weapons of comparable range. Combined with the long lag after shots, the Grim Range Blaster is rather immobile and vulnerable to attack after each shot, so shots must be fired judiciously.
 * Its poor ink efficiency and turfing make it prone to getting surrounded by opposing ink if fired recklessly. Avoid overextending into the opponents' territory.
 * Burst Bombs and Swim Speed Up can help address some of the mobility issues, while Ink Resistance Up reduces the loss of running speed in opposing ink.
 * Their quick damage makes them suitable for either leading off attacks or finishing off injured opponents who attempt to flee.
 * Direct hits will inflict 60 health points (HP) of damage, while splash damage will only deliver 25-35 HP.
 * A direct Burst Bomb hit plus the main weapon's splash damage – provided that it did not hit a solid surface – is enough to splat an opponent. The sum of the splash damage from both the main weapon and a Burst Bomb is not guaranteed to reach 100 HP. Therefore, be aware that when you only are able to get a splat when the burst bomb indirect combo doesn´t fail it can be risky to go for.
 * Opponents hit by Burst bombs will be surrounded by your team's ink, further crippling their health and mobility.
 * The quick explosion of ink will instantly turf inkable surfaces, permitting either a fast pursuit of an opponent or a rapid retreat from an unfavorable situation.
 * Ink Saver (Sub) allows the player to throw bombs more often and conserve more ink for the main weapon.
 * 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.
 * After activating the Tenta Missiles, use its tracking phase as a pseudo-Echolocator to determine the opponents' locations and maximize the number of targets.
 * Being lethal upon a direct hit, Tenta Missiles force opponents to move out of position. Launching them just before a push can cause opponents to scatter, giving your team opportunities to pick off any opponents caught fleeing the Missiles.
 * 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

 * Because of its poor turfing, a Grim Range Blaster is best accompanied with a teammate whose weapon is efficient at turfing, such as the Splattershot Jr. or the N-ZAP '85. This ensures that the Grim Range Blaster user will have turf to retreat to whenever necessary. Both of these weapons also provide lethal bombs, which can be thrown in support of a Grim Range Blaster user.
 * Because blasters are generally poor at turfing, having more than two blasters – or two blasters and a charger – will hinder the team's ability to turf, which will reduce its mobility, its ability to either mount an offense or react on defense, and – in Clam Blitz – its ability to collect clams.

Countermeasures

 * To engage a Grim Range Blaster with a shorter range weapon, try to catch it off guard through either careful flanking or sharking, better positioning, or wise use of bombs. Do not forget that the Grim Range Blaster user also has Burst Bombs as their disposal.
 * Even weapons with ranges comparable to that of the Grim Range Blaster should rely on better mobility to get into its blindspot (the area where indirects can't connect) as being inside the blindspot forces the user to either hit a direct or rely on burst bombs - which aren't always accessible - to survive. Both variants of the Dualie Squelchers can easily rush into the Grim Range Blaster's blindspot but may struggle when fighting it outside of it.
 * The Splat Brella and Undercover Brella and their variants cannot sufficiently protect their users from the splash damage of the Grim Range Blaster, but can occasionally predict where a Grim Range Blaster will shoot to move in a way that makes the shot hit the shield instead of going around it and dealing indirect damage.
 * Whenever possible, exploit the Grim Range Blaster's poor ink efficiency and turfing by surrounding it with ink. Sub weapons and teammates can help accomplish this.
 * It is preferable to engage an opposing Grim Range Blaster in a more open area – where there is more room to outmaneuver it and surround it with ink – than in a closed area. If this is not possible, remain farther back on a ledge or further around a corner to avoid splash damage.
 * A long-ranged weapon, such as a charger or most splatlings, can attack a Grim Range Blaster from long distance with impunity. However, once the Grim Range Blaster gets close, it can outdraw its slower firing opponent.
 * A competent Grim Range Blaster 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 Grim Range Blaster, using almost any sub weapon (except for Squid Beakons) can either delay their pursuit or deter them from chasing.
 * 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. Ink Saver (sub) allows more frequent use of Burst Bombs and conserves more ink for the main weapon.

Quick Respawn shortens respawn time after getting splatted (under specific conditions). Like other slayer's weapons, the Grim Range Blaster benefits from abilities that promote aggressive play, such as Quick Respawn.
 * One main, or 10 ability points, reduces the respawn time by 1.21 seconds.
 * Two mains, or 20 ability points, saves 2.21 seconds for respawning.

Swim Speed Up can help close the distance towards an opponent, more quickly respond to an opponents' push, or escape unfavorable situations.

Stealth Jump hides its user's Super Jump landing marker from opponents (and allies) who are not too close to it — about three tile lengths in the middle of Inkblot Art Academy. This encourages its user to Super Jump back to the frontlines more often.