Competitive:Turfing

Unofficial

Turfing is the act of covering inkable terrain with one's ink. As the main objective in Turf War, it helps newcomers establish the fundamentals of playing battles in the Splatoon series, which will carry over during Ranked Battles.

Uses
Besides being the primary goal in Turf War, turfing has many complementary purposes:
 * It establishes map control, which increases both team control and mobility while decreasing opponents' control and mobility.
 * Turfing certain areas – particularly those out of the opponents' range – provides safe locations in which to refill ink or shark out of the opponents' view.
 * To prevent opponents from sharking, check suspicious puddles of opposing ink, preferably with a thrown sub weapon.
 * While turfing vertical surfaces does not contribute to a team's score in Turf War, it can enable one to quickly climb walls, providing a shortcut to reach certain areas or a place to shark just beneath unsuspecting opponents.
 * Turfing nonvertical surfaces builds up the special gauge, enabling one to farm their special weapon.
 * Conversely, looking at the map can reveal where opponents have placed their ink, providing a possible early warning for a potential flank attempt.
 * It is still possible to flank by simply walking without turfing, especially if traveling on a grate or another un-inkable surface. Do not overlook this fact when playing on certain maps with grate platforms, such as Kelp Dome or New Albacore Hotel.
 * Vertical surfaces that have been turfed also do not show up on the map. Keep this in mind when playing on maps with flank routes that involve inkable walls, such as Starfish Mainstage.

Techniques
As one of the first techniques introduced in the Splatoon series, it is easy to learn but a challenge to fully master.

Active vs. Passive Turfing
Turfing can be performed actively or passively:
 * Active turfing is performed by a player – usually playing support – around areas in which their teammates are present. This enables the player to perform multiple tasks – maintaining map control, providing retreat routes for teammates, and farming their special weapon – simultaneously while being close enough to also provide support fire — often by spamming bombs.
 * Passive turfing is turfing around a team's own spawn point solely for farming specials. Even in Turf War, it is recommended to refrain from turfing the area around one's own spawn point until the opposing team is beginning either a push or a lockout. This will provide a reserve of turfable area from which a team can farm certain special weapons, such as Ink Armor or Sting Ray.

Farming
A player with an automatic- or semiautomatic-firing weapon can improve the efficiency of their turfing by rocking their aim up and down while strafing sideways.

Splat hopping
Splat hopping (a.k.a. bunny hopping, squid hopping, and octo hopping) is performed by repeatedly jumping away in squid/octo form and quickly shooting the ground once before landing in the just-inked turf. This technique is used to quickly escape opposing ink. Burst Bombs can also be used in place of shots in the case of slow-firing weapons, such as the Carbon Roller Deco.

Weapons
Automatic shooters and dualies (such as a Neo Splash-o-matic, an N-ZAP '85, or a Dualie Squelchers) tend to be more ink- and time-efficient at turfing than weapons of other weapon classes. This also means that users of these weapons tend to be more mobile and quicker at farming their special weapons. Some splatlings, particularly the Mini Splatling, can also be proficient at turfing, but the need to charge them can reduce their ink- and time-efficiency. Conversely, a weapon that fires slowly, consumes plenty of ink per shot, or takes a long time to charge a shot (or burst of shots) tends to be less mobile and less capable of farming special weapons. Blaster-type weapons tend to be poor at turfing, meaning that their users will have to rely more on teammates for turfing in order to move about the stage. At least half of the sub weapons available – five out of ten in, eight out of thirteen in – can also place a nonnegligible amount of turf. Obviously, throwable bombs – particularly Splat, Suction, Burst, and Fizzy Bombs – not only extend the safe turfing range of their users but also enable their users a means to poke at or zone out opponents. Some special weapons are also capable of applying turf. However, only a few are reliable at helping seize map control:
 * Longer-ranged weapons – such as the Kensa .52 Gal and the H-3 Nozzlenose D – enable their users to turf from a safer distance than do shorter-ranged ones — such as the Splattershot Jr..
 * While both the Splat Roller and the Carbon Roller can turf thoroughly by rolling, neither weapon can either turf as quickly as an automatic-firing weapon or move quickly while turfing. Their short turfing range is another disadvantage to most automatic-firing weapons. Consequently, users of these weapons rely on their teammates to maintain map control in order to remain effective.
 * Both the Squiffer and the Nautilus' playstyle – based around their ability to store a charge – makes their users dependent on their teammates to maintain map control in order to effectively confront the opponent. While the Nautilus' rapid firing rate and medium-long range make it capable of turfing, its charging time makes it less reliable than other automatic-firing weapons.
 * Burst Bombs' instant detonation and turfing can quickly restrict your opponents' mobility and reduce their sharking opportunites. This makes them particularly effective against opposing users of most rollers, Squiffers, and Nautiluses. Also, any opponents hit by Burst Bombs will be surrounded by your team's ink, further crippling their health and mobility.
 * While less versatile than bombs, a Sprinkler can still be used to maintain turf on key areas. They can also function as a temporary shield.
 * Bomb Rush and Bomb Launcher are both good at turfing territory and pushing back opponents. Both special weapons leave their user vulnerable to attack, so keep your opponents at a safe distance before activating either.
 * While less effective at turfing than Bomb Launcher, Ink Storm enables its user to turf an area with less risk to themselves.
 * Both Inkstrike and Booyah Bomb turf a targeted area in a similar fashion, splatting any opponents caught in the blast. However, an opponent with the right weapon can quickly and safely re-turf over the point of impact of a Booyah Bomb.