Rapid Blaster

The Rapid Blaster is a Main Weapon in Splatoon.

Description
The Rapid Blaster is a Shooter that is similar to the Blaster, but is much faster and has an impressive range, the longest out of all Blaster-type weapons. However, this comes at the cost of less Ink coverage, a smaller blast radius, and weaker shots, making it the only Blaster that cannot splat an enemy with one direct hit. It uses a laser effect when fired, and is in a set with the Ink Mine and Bubbler. "Mitigates the weaknesses of the regular Blaster by giving up a little shot power for a better rate of fire."

- In-Game Description

Demonstration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEz2h3aEoMk

Competitive Viability
All Blasters with the word "rapid" suffer from the inability to get one hit kills. Because of this, each are much harder to use efficiently in competitive. The regular Rapid is no exception. However, the regular one is one of the better rapid blasters due to the wonderful special that the Bubbler is, and because of the increased fire rate it's slightly easier to build it up. The weapon see a lot more use if it had a good sub as well, however the Ink Mine does almost nothing for it, and because of this the regular rapid does not see too much use. It is an alright weapon, about as good as the Rapid Blaster Pro Deco, but there are much better blasters to use and there isn't much reason to choose this one over it. A better blaster with a bubbler would be the Custom Blaster.

Tips

 * Avoid fighting up close as you would with other blasters. The Rapid Blaster's strengths are its significantly better fire rate (the highest of all Blaster weapons) and range (second longest to the Rapid Blaster Pro). Attacking from the edge of its range allows for consistent and safe attacks which make use of both its direct damage and burst.
 * Use Ink Mines as a fortification and barrier. The Rapid Blaster's inability to one-shot enemies and weakness at close ranges make it a tempting target for Aerospray, Splash/Sploosh-o-Matic, and N-ZAP users. Well-placed mines can prevent or punish attempts to close the distance.

While users will not usually take much damage at ideal range, Defense Up grants some protection against enemies who come uncomfortably close, or against longer-ranged weapons such as the .52 Gal or Heavy Splatling. A fraction of a second is sometimes all it takes to activate the Bubbler.

Since an indirect hit from the deals variable damage based on the foe's distance from the center, Damage Up can reduce a 4-burst splat to 3 bursts. Damage Up also helps increase indirect damage from an Ink Mine, especially helpful in achieving revenge splats.

,
The benefits greatly from any means of escaping nearby enemies or disadvantageous positions. Quick Super Jump is especially helpful if there is no outlet to move, while Swim Speed allows for continued field presence or quick repositioning. Run Speed is slightly less helpful due to the 's low mobility.

Countering
Rapid Blasters are weakest at close range, where their tight cone of fire and reduced damage often limit their effectiveness. Countering the weapon generally focuses first and foremost on getting into your weapon's ideal range. Run Speed and Swim Speed Up can help to close this distance and avoid the Rapid Blaster's shots, and Defense Up and Bomb Sniffer protect from enemy fire and Ink Mines.