Competitive:Jet Squelcher

Unofficial

Splatoon 2
The Jet Squelcher returns from the original, fulfilling a similar role as before: a long-ranged, turfing special weapon farmer. While it lacks both the one-hit-splat and range of a charger and the raw firepower of a splatling, it does not require any charging time, making it more mobile than most anchor's weapons, enabling its user to more readily move up with their teammates.

Use
The long range, turfing, and special weapon output enable the Jet Squelcher to serve as both as an anchor and a support: The Jet Squelcher has two primary weaknesses: While Toxic Mist cannot damage opponents, it can cripple their ability to advance, attack, or flee: Tenta Missiles can be used to locate and pressure opponents and force them out of position without having to commit too far forward:
 * Its range of 212.64 DU – while shorter than that of many chargers (e.g., 240.37 DU for the Splat Charger) and the long range mode of the Ballpoint Splatling (225.04-237.094 DU) – is comparable to that of the Heavy Splatling (178.05-218.37 DU), allowing its user to zone out most opponents, provide support fire, and turf from a relatively safe distance.
 * The Jet Squelcher fires at a much higher rate than an Explosher and, unlike a charger or splatling, does not need to charge, making it more mobile and less vulnerable in close-quarters combat.
 * Its good turfing allows its user to help their team maintain map control and quickly farm Tenta Missiles.
 * Its middling fire rate (8 frames between shots) is equal to that of the Splattershot Pro). Avoid close-quarters combat against opposing users of rapid-firing, short-ranged weapons, be wary of any opponents who attempt to flank or shark.
 * Its ink efficiency (1.6%) is worse than that of the .52 Gal (1.3%). Always keep an eye on your ink tank.
 * Throwing Toxic Mist in front of the opponents' positions can either slow their offensive rush or prevent them from quickly reacting on defense. However, beware of any opponents' bombs thrown into or through the Mist.
 * Opponents wielding heavyweight weapons – including the Explosher, the Tenta Camo Brella, and especially the Rainmaker – are extremely vulnerable to attack if caught in Toxic Mist. Note that the Rainmaker does not depend on its wielder's ink tank and can still fire shots while within a Toxic Mist.
 * As of Version onwards, Toxic Mist can also slow opponents using a Baller, preventing them from taking over space for their teammates.
 * Ink-guzzling weapons – such as chargers, splatlings, sloshers, and most blasters – are most affected by its ink tank-draining effects.
 * Starting from Version, opposing dualie users will have to spend 3.5 times the usual amount of ink to perform a dodge roll, reducing their ability to strafe, rush forward, or zone out targets.
 * Throwing Toxic Mist onto areas frequented by opponents, such as their snipe or the Tower, can dissuade them from remaining there.
 * Dropping a Toxic Mist behind while fleeing an unfavorable situation can buy precious time to escape.
 * 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.
 * Sometimes, it may be more beneficial to target a specific opponent or two instead of all of them, based on their weapons, location, and situation:
 * Opponents wielding heavy, slow firing weapons will have a harder time escaping the missiles.
 * Opponents who are bunched together are more likely to cause their teammates to receive collateral damage than those who are spread apart.
 * Tenta Missiles are also a reliable means of forcing opposing anchors to cede their ground and lose focus while aiming. Sometimes, this is the only reliable means to push back into a zone or another important area of the stage.
 * 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
The Jet Squelcher's long range and good turfing allow it to provide support fire and help maintain maintain map control. Therefore, it is generally redundant to have more than one long-ranged weapon on a team for a few reasons: The Jet Squelcher's lack of lethal bombs can also be a liability to a team composition. Lethal bombs – particularly either Splat or Suction Bombs – provide their user's team a couple advantages over another team that has no lethal bombs in its composition: With its strengths and weaknesses, a Jet Squelcher user would benefit from having one teammate using a mobile weapon to lead pushes and another with lethal bombs in their kit: While having multiple players on the same team launching Tenta Missiles might seem like a fun and easy means to cause opponents to scramble for cover, having too many players equipped with them – no more than one or two – can reduce the effectiveness of a team composition: Coordinating with your teammates can greatly increase the Tenta Missiles' effect during a battle:
 * A team with too many long-ranged weapons will have fewer mobile weapons that can more quickly capture turf and wrest control of the objective, hindering its ability to begin an effective push into the opponents' territory. Such a team will also have difficulty breaking out of an opponent's spawn camp.
 * Longer-ranged weapons, including the Jet Squelcher, are generally less effective at close range, so a team with too many long-ranged weapons is more prone to getting flanked and sharked by the opponent than usual.
 * 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.
 * The Jet Squelcher's long range and good turfing can provide chip damage and friendly turf for slayers with poor turfing weapons such as blasters, sloshers, and Dualie Squelchers.
 * Teammates using weapons that depend on map control to be effective – most rollers, Squiffers, and Nautiluses – would also benefit from a friendly Jet Squelcher user's consistent turfing output.
 * Other special weapons, such as Inkjet or Sting Ray, are intended for splatting opponents and more capable at this than are Tenta Missiles.
 * Tenta Missles cannot reliably turf highly contested areas of the stage as well as certain other special weapons, such as Bomb Launcher or Ink Storm.
 * Launching Tenta Missiles just before a push can cause opponents to scatter, giving your team opportunities to pick off any opponents caught fleeing the Missiles.
 * Firing Tenta Missiles on defense can help stall an opponent's push, but make sure that your teammates are nearby the front lines to follow the Missiles up.
 * Launching Tenta Missiles while a teammate is using a special designed to splat opponents, such as Sting Ray or Inkjet, can limit the opponents' escape options and even prevent them from Super Jumping to safety.

Countermeasures
An opposing Jet Squelcher user provides range and constant Tenta Missles to pressure your team's ability to maintain map control. Splatting them – or at least forcing them to retreat – will relieve this pressure and enable your team to reclaim territory.
 * While less vulnerable than a charger, splatling, or Explosher at short range, the Jet Squelcher is still at a disadvantage against a rapid-firing weapon in close-quarters combat, such as any variants of the Splattershot or the Splash-o-matic.
 * Matchups between the Jet Squelcher and other anchor's weapons are generally situational, due to the former's better mobility and slight advantage in close-quarters combat. Zoning out the opposing Jet Squelcher is usually recommended.
 * All variants of the Splat Charger and E-liter 4K – with or without scope – both outrange and overpower the Jet Squelcher.
 * Both variants each of the Hydra Splatling and the Ballpoint Splatling's second stage both outrange, outfire, and out-turf the Jet Squelcher.
 * All variants of the Heavy Splatling share the same range (168 units) with the Jet Squelcher and both outfire and out-turf it but are outmaneuvered by it.
 * If an opposing Jet Squelcher user uses Toxic Mist to restrict your team's movement, consider throwing bombs either into or beyond the Mist to prevent them from travelling through it.
 * 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. 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. Since the Jet Squelcher is prone to being attacked by bombs and Tenta Missiles due to it being an anchor, having this ability is great for improving its survivability. 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.

A Jet Squelcher user will inevitably come in contact with the opponent's ink on various surfaces — mostly resulting from opposing bombs and Tenta Missiles, 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:

Main Power Up increases the range of the Jet Squelcher slightly by up to 8.5% and accuracy by up to 30%. Main Power Up can be used to allow more consistent splats and to gain a slight advantage of range against chargers and splatlings.

An ability exclusive to shoes, Object Shredder provides a Jet Squelcher user three specific benefits: The Jet Squelcher benefits most from the second buff, allowing it to consistently break Ink Armor in one hit - particularly with Tenta Missiles, as opponents wearing one sub of Bomb Defense Up DX will not have Ink Armor broken by Tenta Missile splash damage otherwise.
 * 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, allowing a Jet Squelcher to break an opponent's Ink Armor in one hit.
 * It enables them to pop the Rainmaker shield more quickly with either their main weapon or Tenta Missiles, allowing their team to start or restart a push more quickly while gaining a large amount of turf control in the immediate area.

Quick Super Jump decreases both the "charge" time before and the travel time of a Super Jump, allowing its user to escape more quickly. A Jet Squelcher is more capable of fighting for itself than other backlines, but sometimes it is best to jump out to preserve special gauge progress.
 * Six ability points, or two subs, of Quick Super Jump decreases the "charge" time by 30 frames, or 0.5 seconds.

Accelerates building up the special gauge for Tenta Missiles. As one of its main advantages being able to spam Tenta Missiles, constantly having Tenta Missiles available can help for pushes and pressuring opponents.

Not recommended. Ink Saver (Main) has poor stacking with the Jet Squelcher.

In competitive play
For most of the game's lifespan, the Jet Squelcher saw little to no competitive presence. This was due to it being seen as largely inferior to its Custom variant, which was considered to have a better kit. At the time, Tenta Missiles were often considered one of the worst specials in the game, and after its numerous buffs, other Tenta Missile weapons became popular instead throughout the 4.0 to early 5.0 patches, such as the Mini Splatling, Kensa Splattershot, and Bamboozler 14 Mk I. The weapon remained on the low end of many tier lists from competitive players such as Sendou, Sorin, and Chara throughout all of these different versions.

The latter end of the 5.0 patches, starting with the end of patch, saw a change in the Jet Squelcher's perception as the weapon won in the Japanese Splat Zones tournament, Area Cup, as well as the Splatoon Amateur Circuit, a low-level tournament, in January 2021. In Chara's 5.3.0 tier list, he noted the weapon's long-distance pressure, walling capabilities, and ability to spam Tenta Missiles, placing it in the high tiers. However, he also mentioned that the weapon was held back by its sub weapon.

As the Kensa .52 Gal rose to the top of the game's meta by, so did the need for Tenta Missiles to dislodge it and break through its defenses, and the Jet Squelcher was one of the best weapons for spamming them due to nerfs to other options like the Dualie Squelchers and Bamboozler, as well as its range allowing it to paint for them while not taking away the paint of its teammates. Chara noted in his 5.5.0 tier list how the weapon can easily pressure other backlines due to its Tenta Missile output, as well as turf more than them.