Competitive:Tri-Slosher

Unofficial

Splatoon 2
Compared to the original Slosher, the Tri-Slosher has a quicker, shorter-ranged attack that is thrown in three directions, allowing it to turf more thoroughly. It also has a more aggressive kit than that of both its other variant, the Tri-Slosher Nouveau, and the Slosher, encouraging its user to apply constant pressure onto their opponents.

Use
The traits of the Tri-Slosher make it a quintessential slayer's weapon: The instant explosion and good ink efficiency of Burst Bombs offer a Tri-Slosher user plenty of uses: Ink Armor enables 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.
 * Its high damage (62 health points, or HP, per hit), relatively quick rate of fire for a slosher-class weapon (12-16 frames for the first shot, 24 frames between shots), and Burst Bombs all translate into quick two-shot splats, making it deadly in both flanking and sharking.
 * Its range (120 DU) is just longer than that of both the Splattershot and the N-ZAP '85 (116.99 DU) but shorter than that of the .52 Gal (124.944 DU). This range, combined with its wide shot spread, makes it difficult for users of shorter-ranged weapons – particularly brushes and most rollers – to safely approach an opposing Tri-Slosher user.
 * The Tri-Slosher's lightweight nature and Burst Bombs give it more inherent mobility than many other slayer's weapons, allowing its user to either pursue opponents or escape unfavorable matchups more easily.
 * Both the main weapon's wide shots and its Burst Bombs enable its user to rapidly turf large areas to either gain or maintain map control and quickly either capture or contest Splat Zones.
 * Main Power Up increases the Tri-Slosher's ink coverage by up to 20%.
 * The arc-like trajectory of the Tri-Slosher's shots has a couple unique applications:
 * Shots can be fired up a ledge or incline more easily than a shooter's shots can, making it valuable for both sharking beneath short perches and pushing up slopes or walls.
 * Shots can also be launched over some obstacles, hitting opponents who may hide behind them.
 * While quick at both splatting and turfing, the Tri-Slosher does have a few weaknesses:
 * Like other slosher-class weapons, its rate of fire is slower than that of most shooters. While both the Tri-Slosher and the Splattershot have similar ranges, the Splattershot has a quicker splatting time (35 damage, 3-11 frames for the first shot, 6 frames between shots, totaling 15-23 frames to reach 100 HP damage) than the Tri-Slosher (36-40 frames); even the N-ZAP '85 has a quicker splatting time (28 damage, 3-11 frames for the first shot, 5 frames between shots, totaling 18-26 frames) than the Tri-Slosher.
 * Super Jump camping can also be tricky because of the slower firing rate. To splat a Super Jumping opponent at their landing spot, take advantage of the lack of falloff damage by firing a globule of ink above the marker a little before the opponent lands, then fire right when the opponent lands and, if you timed your first shot correctly, you should be able to splat the opponent..
 * While more mobile than other slosher-class weapons, the Tri-Slosher still has less mobility (0.66 DU/f) than weapons of comparable range, such as the Splattershot (0.72 DU/f) and the N-ZAP '85 (0.84 DU/f). This reduced mobility makes its user an easier target for long-ranged opponents to pick off.
 * The Tri-Slosher consumes ink more quickly than most shooters. Aimlessly flailing it around will rapidly deplete the ink tank, leaving its user very vulnerable. Watch the ink tank and avoid traveling too far in the opponents' turf.
 * Their quick damage makes them suitable for leading off attacks, breaking opponents' Ink Armor, or finishing off injured opponents who attempt to flee. The Tri-Slosher is one of a few weapons that can perform a quick combo with Burst Bombs, shortening its already quick splatting time.
 * They instantly turf inkable surfaces, permitting either a fast pursuit of an opponent or a rapid retreat from an unfavorable situation.
 * Opponents hit by Burst Bombs will be surrounded by your team's ink, further crippling their health and mobility.
 * Direct hits will inflict 60 HP of damage, while splash damage will only deliver 25-35 HP. Always go for direct hits whenever possible.
 * Although less powerful than other bombs, a Burst Bomb can still damage or even destroy an opponent's brella shield, Splash Wall, or Baller or the Rainmaker shield, while detonating on contact.
 * Any opponents caught within the Burst 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 Burst Bombs it comes in contact with, so hold off throwing them until after the special weapon finishes.
 * Using any special weapon also provides a free ink tank refill. Therefore, a Tri-Slosher user can throw Burst Bombs before and after activating Ink Armor.
 * Time the activation of Ink Armor carefully so that you and your teammates receive its protection before engaging the opponent.
 * Try to activate Ink Armor when most or all teammates are active. Slayers (including a Tri-Slosher user), who risk getting splatted more often than anchors, benefit from Ink Armor more.
 * Upon activation, Ink Armor will protect its user and their teammates except for those either carrying the Rainmaker or using either Baller or Booyah Bomb.
 * Also, players protected by Ink Armor lose it upon gaining possession of the Rainmaker.
 * As a slayer, a Tri-Slosher user is not expected to carry the Rainmaker. Instead, they should engage any opposing defenders and turf a path of ink for the Rainmaker carrier to quickly travel along. Therefore, while Ink Armor will not protect the Rainmaker carrier, it will still benefit their teammates, so cast Ink Armor just before engaging the opposing team.

Synergy
While a team might get away with having one or two users of short-ranged weapons, such as the Tri-Slosher, 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: While the Tri-Slosher's Burst Bombs are versatile, they lack certain advantages offered by lethal bombs — particularly either Splat or Suction Bombs, which provide their user's team a couple advantages over another team that has no lethal bombs in its composition: Multiple Ink Armors used by the same team do not stack. Therefore, it would be redundant for a team to have more than two Ink Armor users. While special weapons used in combination are beneficial in general, the combination of Ink Armor with either Inkjet or Ultra Stamp is particularly invaluable for the user of the latter special, improving their survivability:
 * 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.
 * In general, when two Ink Armor-based weapons are on a team, the user of the more aggressive weapon should activate Ink Armor first, freeing them to engage the opponent without potentially losing both a potential Ink Armor and special gauge progress. Therefore, the Tri-Slosher user should generally be the first to activate Ink Armor, while their more supportive teammate should activate their Ink Armor as the first one wears off.
 * Because an Ink Armored player can withstand more damage — especially from an opponent's charger, an armored Inkjet pilot can fly more aggressively.
 * An armored Ultra Stamp user is also more difficult for opponents to splat while swinging the hammer. However, they are easier to spot when submerged in their ink.

Countermeasures

 * Both Bomb Defense Up DX and Ink Resistance Up – already valuable utility abilities – provide various measures of protection against an opposing Tri-Slosher user:
 * Bomb Defense Up DX reduces the amount of damage taken from both direct hits and splash damage by Burst Bombs.
 * Ink Resistance Up not only partially offsets the reduction in mobility but also delays the passive damage taken from opposing ink resulting from being hit by either a Tri-Slosher or a Burst Bomb.
 * Like most roller users, a Tri-Slosher user tends to thrive when they are sharking beneath short ledges. You can take a few proactive measures:
 * Remain farther back on a ledge to avoid any arc damage.
 * Have a means to back up and retreat. Do not attempt to fight back until you have a clear line of sight of the opposing Clash Blaster Neo.
 * Matchups between Tri-Slosher users on opposing teams are determined by each player's skill, positioning, turf control, and the presence of any teammates.
 * Any weapon that has a combination of longer range, better accuracy, or higher damage output without sacrificing too much mobility can counter a Tri-Slosher. For example, both the L-3 Nozzlenose and Dualie Squelchers and their respective variants meet all of these requirements. However, beware of any Burst Bombs the opposing Tri-Slosher wielder might throw.
 * The wielder of a shorter ranged, quicker firing weapon should flank, shark, or outmaneuver (e.g. via dodge rolling) the Tri-Slosher to exploit its slower firing rate.
 * A long-ranged weapon, such as a charger or most splatlings, can attack a Tri-Slosher from long distance with impunity. However, once the Tri-Slosher gets close, the tables are turned, as it can outmaneuver and outdraw its less mobile, slower firing opponent.
 * A competent Tri-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 Tri-Slosher, using almost any sub weapon (except for Squid Beakons) can either delay their pursuit or deter them from chasing.
 * Keep an eye on the HUD to know when the opponent's Tri-Slosher 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 Tri-Slosher (or any other Ink Armor-equipped weapon). For example, a charger user can prioritize said opponent when sniping.
 * Fight fire with fire by having and using Ink Armor to counter the opposing Tri-Slosher user's Armor. Skirmishes between armored teams will depend on when each Ink Armor was activated, the players' skill and positioning, turf control, and the availability of other specials.
 * Ink Armor can negate up to 30 HP of damage, so there are a few main and sub weapons that can remove an opponent's Ink Armor in one hit:
 * For example, Burst Bombs and all variants of the Splattershot, the Splattershot Pro, and the Splat Dualies all inflict at least 30 HP of damage per shot and fire relatively rapidly. All variants of the Splash-o-matic and the Dualie Squelchers can also accomplish this with enough Main Power Up.
 * Object Shredder triples damage inflicted onto armored opponents, allowing weapons that cannot otherwise inflict 30 HP of damage to break an opponent's Ink Armor in one hit. Combining Object Shredder with Ink Storm can nearly neutralize armored pushes by the opponent.
 * The splash damage of most bombs will destroy the Ink Armor of opponents who have no Bomb Defense Up DX equipped.
 * Otherwise, focus fire on armored opponents for longer than usual - preferably while ganging up on one opponent at a time - to compensate for their armor.

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 Tri-Slosher is a powerful 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.

Unless a Tri-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: The former three abilities and Swim Speed Up are particularly useful for the Tri-Slosher, allowing it to consume less ink and maintain pressure on the opponent upon returning from spawn.

A Tri-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 points, 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.

Quick Respawn shortens respawn time after getting splatted (under specific conditions), encouraging the Tri-Slosher 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. Tri-Slosher users who include this ability 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.

When splatted, half of the special gauge progress is lost. For example, a player with 150p of special gauge out of 190p upon getting splatted will lose 75p of the special gauge. Special Saver allows its user to keep more of their special gauge progress whenever they are splatted. This allows a Tri-Slosher user to more quickly build up Ink Armor after respawning.
 * Just three ability points, or one sub, are enough to increase the amount of special gauge progress saved from 50% to 58.93%.

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.

A self-explanatory ability, Swim Speed Up enables an already mobile Tri-Slosher user to more rapidly close the distance towards an opponent, more quickly respond to an opponents' push, or even escape unfavorable situations.
 * 16 ability points – one main and two subs – increase the swim speed from 2.02 to 2.19 units per frame.
 * Swim Speed Up can reduce the swim speed penalty from Ninja Squid. However, it takes at least 28 ability points – either one main and six subs or about two mains and three subs – of Swim Speed Up for a Tri-Slosher user to fully offset the swimming speed penalty of Ninja Squid.
 * Therefore, a Tri-Slosher user with Ninja Squid will have to decide between either having fewer ability points available for other abilites or swimming at less than the base maximum speed. For example, just 13 ability points – one main and one sub – are enough to restore the swim speed of a Tri-Slosher user with Ninja Squid to 1.92 units per frame.

In competitive play
Upon Splatoon 2's release, the Tri-Slosher gained infamy for being the defining slayer weapon. It had a Burst Bomb combo reminiscent of the standard Slosher in the first Splatoon and a cheap special gauge of 180p for Ink Armor, a special that was even stronger than it is currently due to it not having any knockback or damage bleed. Even after a major nerf in Version that increased its special gauge to 210p, the weapon was still a strong pick with some teams running multiple Tri-Sloshers in their compositions. However, version 1.3.0 nerfed the Tri-Slosher's damage output from 62 to 52, and its range, making it less likely to get a two-shot splat from higher elevations. In addition, Ink Armor received nerfs that added bleedthrough damage and knockback when the armor breaks, in addition to a reduced invulnerability time. After these nerfs, the Tri-Slosher largely fell out of the competitive scene until the release of version 2.0.0, which brought the Tri-Slosher a handful of buffs, giving it 62 damage once again, increasing its movement speed while firing, and shrinking its special gauge from 210p to 190p. While the weapon did not rise to the top once again, it did manage to carve a niche on stages such as Blackbelly Skatepark, due to the stage favoring short-ranged weapons and having uneven terrain from which it could attack from safely.

The Tri-Slosher continued getting some quality-of-life buffs, such as becoming a lightweight weapon in and removing the weapon's "deadzones" in, where opponents could be in front of the user and still not take any damage. Finally, in, the weapon received another buff where it would slosh two frames faster than it would before, slightly improving its time to splat an opponent. Throughout this time period, opinions on the weapon became more and more positive, from being perceived as low tier by competitive player Chara in and  due to inconsistent hitboxes and lack of range, to being placed in the top tiers in his  and  tier lists, as the problems with the weapon he previously mentioned were fixed by that time. He even claimed that the vanilla Tri-Slosher had the potential to be the best slosher, as it could handle short-ranged shooters and special spam easily due to its high mobility. However, the weapon does need a team composition built around it and could struggle on stages that favor long range.