Competitive:Custom Range Blaster

Unofficial

Splatoon
The Custom Range Blaster is widely regarded by the competitive community as one of the best weapons in the first Splatoon. In a game where the meta revolves around aggression, this weapon certainly has the capabilities of doing so with its high splatting power, bomb combos, and Kraken special weapon.

Use
The Custom Range Blaster is a pure slayer weapon: Splat Bombs are a versatile sub weapon that synergize well with the Custom Range Blaster: Kraken is a powerful special weapon that can easily turn the tide of battle:
 * Its direct hit range of 145 DU easily exceeds that of short-ranged weapons, such as the Splattershot and barely exceeds that of a few medium-ranged ones, such as the L-3 Nozzlenose.
 * Factoring in its near and far damage radii of 10 DU and 35 DU gives it splash damage ranges of 155 DU and 180 DU, both which are comparable to the ranges of other medium-ranged weapons, such as the H-3 Nozzlenose, enabling the Custom Range Blaster to zone out certain opponents.
 * Its shots travel slower than those of rapid-firing weapons. This means that a Custom Range Blaster user has to lead their shots in order to be accurate.
 * The Custom Range Blaster becomes less accurate (by 10 degrees) immediately after becoming airborne, whether from a jump or a drop. However, unlike in Splatoon 2, the user can afford to jump as the outer reticle will immediately begin to shrink to normal size upon jumping, and will once again be fully accurate after a full second.
 * The Custom 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
 * 50-80 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, avoid hitting solid surfaces to maximize damage.
 * The Custom 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, always go for direct hits.
 * Besides its long lag after each shot, the Custom 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 Custom 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.
 * While not as mobile as other slayer weapons, the Custom Range Blaster can still be effective at flanking, and its high damage makes it devastating at sharking.
 * The Custom 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 Custom Range Blaster user.
 * Pushing into a Splat Zone or any other important area of the stage, such as the opponents' street or platform.
 * Flushing out opposing anchors from perches, hindering their ability to control space with their range.
 * Poking at and zoning out opponents during the neutral phase, stalling an opponent's push, or providing space to escape.
 * Damaging or destroying an opponent's Splash Wall, or the Rainmaker shield, while detonating on contact. The same happens when thrown against an Inkstrike.
 * Any opponents caught within the Splat Bomb's explosion will get damaged or splatted.
 * The Custom Range Blaster can combo splash damage from the Splat Bomb (which is 13% bigger in this game) with an indirect shot from the main weapon to confirm a splat, which is made easier by using Damage Up.
 * The Kraken will grant the user instant invincibility for five seconds when activated, making it a useful panic option when you are cornered or otherwise about to get splatted - or even hit by a Disruptor, which in most cases means you are about to get splatted anyway. Kraken will keep you alive in these situations and allow you to either escape or counterattack.
 * Jumping into opponents will splat them in one hit. However, some weapons are difficult to engage head-on as their quick fire rate will push you back.
 * Keep in mind that Krakens can not go over grates - on some maps, attempting to go over a grate while in Kraken form will lead to you splatting yourself by falling off the map.
 * It is possible to use Kraken while riding the Tower in Tower Control to squeeze out a few more points. However, you may get knocked off if the opponent shoots from the right angle.
 * When Kraken expires, you cannot move for a brief period of time - around 0.75 seconds. Either escape to a safe area before the special ends, or find a way to quickly finish off nearby opponents.
 * Super Jumping to a teammate in trouble and activating Kraken can be a funny way to assist them or otherwise get a revenge splat. This is particularly effective when you have Stealth Jump equipped.

Countermeasures

 * Defense Up reduces splash damage from Splat Bombs and blast radius damage from Custom Range Blaster, which can save the user from the weapon's bomb combo. However, this depends on the amount of Damage Up the Custom Range Blaster user is wearing.
 * To engage an opposing Custom Range Blaster user with a shorter range weapon, try to catch it off guard through either careful flanking or sharking, better positioning, or wise use of bombs. However, watch out for its Kraken.
 * Even weapons with ranges comparable to that of the Custom 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.
 * Whenever possible, exploit the Custom 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 Custom 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 an opposing Custom Range Blaster user from long distance with impunity. However, once the Custom Range Blaster user gets close enough, their one-shot-splat can spell the end for their slower firing opponent.
 * A competent Custom 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, or an Echolocator will temporarily prevent an opponent from sharking and makes them an easier target for long-ranged teammates to pick off.
 * When pursued by a Custom 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 a Kraken ready and when it is used:
 * Sometimes it may be preferable to force out a Kraken from a Custom Range Blaster user early, so that when you fight them they do not have a Kraken at their disposal to quickly reverse the situation.
 * Some weapons with a high fire rate can attempt to "tame" the Kraken by repeatedly attacking it when it rushes at you, keeping it at bay.
 * Standing on a grate will protect you from a Kraken, but make sure to stay far enough away that the Kraken cannot simply jump at you to splat you if there is solid ground underneath the grate.

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. Unless a Custom Range Blaster user is on an extended splatting streak, they can expect to get splatted often. When equipped, Comeback grants 12 ability points of six different stackable abilities for twenty seconds after respawning from getting splatted by an opponent: Aside from Run Speed Up (unless on certain stages like Hammerhead Bridge), all of these abilities benefit a Custom Range Blaster, making it more ink efficient, move faster (as well as boosting the speed of the Kraken), and pairs well with the weapon's light special depletion to obtain Kraken faster on respawn.

Damage Up will improve the consistency of the Custom Range Blaster's Splat Bomb combos.

Quick Respawn will always shorten respawn time after getting splatted in this game, encouraging a Custom Range Blaster user to remain aggressive even after getting splatted and is in general useful for brute forcing your way back into the stage.
 * One main, or 10 ability points, reduces the respawn time from 8.5 seconds to 7.29 seconds.
 * Two mains, or 20 ability points, drops this further to 6.29 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 hides this marker completely at the cost of a slower Super Jump both in startup and the jump itself. This pairs well with Quick Respawn.

Splatoon 2
The Custom Range Blaster in Splatoon 2 is not used as much compared to the first game due to it being severely outclassed by other weapons, and is even considered by competitive players to be one of the worst weapons in the game - quite a downfall from its appearance in the first Splatoon. It loses the chance for bomb combos and aggressiveness now has a more supportive loadout, making it less popular among other weapons. It is usually bested by its Grim variant, which has a more aggressive kit.

Use
Compared to its Splatoon incarnation, the Custom Range Blaster functions similarly but with added drawbacks: While the Curling Bomb is not as versatile as other bombs, it still has a variety of uses: The Bubble Blower can launch up to three bubbles, which have a number of applications if used wisely:
 * The weapon's accuracy in midair takes 25 frames until it begins to reset to normal grounded accuracy, and takes 70 frames to do so. This means that the weapon takes a little over 1.5 seconds to regain perfect accuracy, so jumping in a fight is generally something to avoid. This severely hampers the weapon's already poor mobility.
 * The maximum splash damage from indirect shots is reduced from 80 to 70.
 * The weapon is less ink efficient, going from 10 shots per tank to 9, and also takes longer to recover ink after a shot.
 * When it travels along any inkable non-vertical surface, it leaves a trail of ink behind, providing a quick avenue to either attack or escape. This trait enables the Custom Range Blaster to be more mobile than its other variants.
 * Keep opponents guessing by sending Curling Bombs towards the opponent without swimming in its trail. Either Ninja Squid or swimming slowly can help avoid detection while swimming in the ink trail.
 * It further assists the main weapon in turfing from a safe distance.
 * * The longer a Curling Bomb is "cooked", the larger its radii of both lethal and splash damage. While "cooking" a Curling Bomb enables it to be more effective at holding off pursuers or flushing out sharks, the time needed to charge it makes this tactic situational at best.
 * Particularly in narrow or closed areas, a Curling Bomb ricocheting off of walls can be a useful distraction to force an opponent to move in a certain direction.
 * While not as reliable as Splat Bombs, Curling Bombs still have the possibility to instapop bubbles.
 * A Bubble Blower user is vulnerable at close range. Create some distance from your opponents before activating Bubble Blower.
 * While the main weapon cannot be used, sub weapons can still be used, allowing one to instapop their bubbles (see below).
 * Since Version, each successive bubble is larger than the previous one.
 * Special Power Up not only increases the initial size of each bubble blown but also increases the size of their blast radius upon bursting.
 * Upon being blown, a bubble will either inflate and eventually burst when hit with your team's weapons or deflate and diffuse when hit with your opponents' weapons:
 * Bombs – either your team's or your opponents' – can respectively inflate or deflate your bubbles quickly. Any bombs that come in contact with bubbles will also instantly detonate, splatting their respective user's opponents. Thus, be aware of your teammates' and opponents' positions whenever using Bubble Blower.
 * Object Shredder increases damage dealt to bubbles – both friendly and opposing – by 30%, hastening either the growing or defusing of bubbles.
 * Blowing bubbles can protect their user and any teammates from incoming opposing fire whether during a push or while stalling an opposing push.
 * The Custom Range Blaster is one of a few weapons to have both Bubble Blower and throwable bombs in its kit, enabling its user to instapop their bubbles – with both Object Shredder and enough ability points of Special Power Up – to push into a contested area:
 * Throw a Curling Bomb toward the opponent or contested area. Because of the movement of a Curling Bomb, it is best to "cook" the bomb before launching bubbles, or look up with the camera to toss a Curling Bomb into the air.
 * Activate Bubble Blower and launch a bubble or two toward the Curling Bomb, which will detonate and enlarge the bubble(s).
 * Remembering that activating any special instantly reloads the ink tank, throw a second Curling Bomb towards the bubble(s) to pop it/them.
 * Launch any remaining bubbles to push the opponent further back.
 * Note that the instapop is typically only useful when near opponents, which is a place where a Range Blaster does not want to be due to its vulnerability at close range. In addition, the Custom Range Blaster requires gear to address its flaws with the main weapon, namely accuracy and ink efficiency, as well as having investment for bubbles. This, combined with the awkwardness of attempting instapop with a Curling Bomb, makes this technique generally not worth it on the Custom Range Blaster.

Synergy
Because blasters are generally poor at turfing, their users will have to rely on their teammates to maintain map control. Not having enough turfing ability – usually from having too many blasters and chargers – presents its own set of problems: While the Custom Range Blaster's Curling Bombs are invaluable for mobility and confirming splats, 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: To address these first two issues, a Grim Range Blaster user is best accompanied with a teammate whose weapon has both efficient turfing and lethal bombs, such as the Splattershot Jr. or the N-ZAP '85. This ensures that the Grim Range Blaster user will have lethal bomb support and turf to retreat to whenever necessary.
 * A team whose composition lacks enough turfing ability can be rendered immobile if the other team dominates map control.
 * A lack of turfing also makes it difficult to alter the course of a game, even after wiping out the other team.
 * Their one-hit-splat offers its user's team chances of instantly gaining a numbers advantage, from which a game-winning push can arise.
 * Curling Bombs can splat opponents in one hit but the predictability of the Curling Bomb makes it easy to be avoided compared to other bombs.
 * 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

 * To engage an opposing Custom Range Blaster user with a shorter range weapon, try to catch it off guard through either careful flanking or sharking, better positioning, or wise use of bombs.
 * Even weapons with ranges comparable to that of the Custom 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 Curling bombs - which aren't always accessible - to survive. Both variants of the Dualie Squelchers can easily rush into the Custom Range Blaster's blindspot but may struggle when fighting it outside of it.
 * The Splat Brella and Kensa Undercover Brella and their variants cannot sufficiently protect their users from the splash damage of the Custom Range Blaster, but can occasionally predict where a Custom 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 Custom 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 Custom 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 an opposing Custom Range Blaster user from long distance with impunity. However, once the Custom Range Blaster user gets close enough, their one-shot-splat can spell the end for their slower firing opponent.
 * A competent Custom 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 Custom Range Blaster, using almost any sub weapon (except for Squid Beakons) can either delay their pursuit or deter them from chasing.

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 Custom Range Blaster is a powerful mid-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.

The Grim Range Blaster uses a large portion of the ink tank per shot. Ink Saver (Main) not only allows it to fire more shots per ink tank.
 * Six ability points, or two subs, of Ink Saver (Main) are enough to increase the number of shots fired with a full ink tank from barely over nine to just under ten.
 * Thirteen ability points, or one main and one sub, increases the number of shots fired with a full ink tank to barely under eleven.

Main Power Up increases accuracy while in the air. The Custom Range Blaster can greatly benefit from increased accuracy to allow shots to deal splash damage to opponents more often.

An ability exclusive to shoes, Object Shredder provides a Custom Range Blaster user three specific benefits:
 * It increases their damage dealt to bubbles – both friendly and opposing – by 30%, allowing for quicker growing and popping of bubbles.
 * It triples the amount of damage inflicted onto armored opponents.
 * It enables them to pop the Rainmaker shield more quickly with either their main weapon or Curling Bombs, allowing their team to start or restart a push more quickly while gaining a large amount of turf control in the immediate area.

Special Power Up increases bubbles' size upon launching as well as their blast radius. The former trait enables bubbles to withstand more damage from the opponents before defusing, providing their user and their teammates a longer duration of protection.
 * 19 ability points – one main and three subs – increases the bubbles' size by 18.78% and their explosion hitboxes by 39.71%.