Competitive:Curling Bomb

Unofficial!

This article discusses content that is not part of the official Splatoon series canon but is part of the community or competitive gaming space.

For information about the Curling Bomb, see Curling Bomb.

Splatoon 2

Splatoon 2

Curling Bomb

Abbreviations
Sub
Special
Base damage	20 (contact) 30 (splash) 180 (direct hit)
Base duration
Ink consumption	70%
Special points
Special depletion
Role
Strengths	Improves mobility, safe turfing from a distance
Weaknesses	Cannot be lobbed, small explosion radius without "cooking", less lethality or versatility than Splat Bomb and Suction Bomb

Introduced in Splatoon 2, the Curling Bomb is a unique bomb that adopts the sliding and ink trail forming behaviors of the Seeker from the original Splatoon, increasing its user's mobility. Typically paired with short-ranged slayer weapons, it can also be found on some longer-ranged weapons as well. However, the need to "cook" it to detonate more quickly and the inability to lob it reduce its versatility, precluding it from being reliable for either zoning or area denial.

Use

Curling Bombs function vastly different from typical bombs, but still offer some utility.

• Rather than being hurled through the air, they are thrown by sliding them along the ground, similar to the stones used in the namesake sport:
  • When they travel along any inkable non-vertical surface, they leave a trail of ink behind, providing a quick avenue to either attack or escape. This trait greatly increases the mobility of short-ranged, poor turfing weapons, such as the Clash Blaster Neo and the Splat Roller, allowing their users to quickly reach the front lines and more effectively flank their opponents.
    • This can be used with any weapon and reach the Tower or the Rainmaker quickly.
    • Players equipped with Ninja Squid can follow their Curling Bomb trails without being detected to sneak up on opponents. Swimming slowly can also help avoid detection within the trail.
    • Note that continuously following Curling Bomb trails – even when using Ninja Squid – can get predictable. Keep opponents guessing by sending a Curling Bomb towards them without following its trail, which can also create a distraction to occupy the opponents' valuable time.
  • Curling Bombs will ricochet off of any vertical surfaces and obstacles they collide with before travelling their maximum distance, at which point they will detonate.
  • On some stages, they can be thrown over certain walls and ledges by standing very close it then throwing it over at maximum jump height.
• Holding down will charge, or "cook", the Curling Bomb. The speed at which it travels – and its maximum distance before detonating – depends on how long is held before releasing — also note the circle timer displayed atop the Curling Bomb:

Time held (s)	Fraction of timer remaining	Distance traveled (DU)
0.0	1	350
0.25	⅞	200
0.5	¾	150
0.75	⅝	100
1.0	½	50

• 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.
• As an added bonus, a Curling Bomb also further assists the main weapon in turfing from a safe distance.
• A Curling Bomb can damage or destroy an opponent's brella shield, Splash Wall, or Baller or the Rainmaker shield, while detonating on contact.
  • Any opponents caught within the Curling Bomb's explosion will get damaged or splatted. However, due to the small blast radius, this is more difficult to pull off than with a more conventional bomb.
  • It will also inflate or pop a teammate's bubbles but deflate or diffuse an opponent's bubbles, while still detonating on contact. Again, due to Curling Bombs only sliding on the ground, this is also not practical enough to exploit.
• An opponent's Splashdown, Booyah Bomb, or Ultra Stamp will defuse any Curling Bombs it touches, so hold off throwing them until after the special weapon finishes.

Synergy

While Curling Bombs technically count as a lethal bomb, they function much differently from a traditional Splat or Suction Bomb. Due to this, it is still important to have conventional lethal bombs in a team composition. Splat or Suction Bombs provide its user's team many advantages over another team that has no lethal bombs in its composition:

• 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 turf inked by the resulting explosion contributes to both maintaining map control and building up the special gauge.

The Curling Bomb's ability to carve ink trails and increase its user's mobility also extends to their teammates:

• If one player is wielding a weapon that does not provide much mobility, such as a blaster or a heavyweight weapon, then offer to provide them an ink trail through which to travel. Just make sure that the trail formed does not lead straight to the waiting opponents.
• Curling Bombs tend to work best on stages that have long non-vertical surfaces, such as Walleye Warehouse and Port Mackerel.

Countermeasures

• While the lethal and contact damage of the Curling Bomb can only be avoided by dodging, its splash damage of 30 HP can be reduced by equipping Bomb Defense Up DX. Just three ability points, or one sub, offer good utility against Curling Bombs:
  • A player who has taken at least 30 HP of damage from the opponent (thus, has no more than 70 HP) will be visible on the opponents' map. Bomb Defense Up DX prevents its user from being exposed by the splash damage of a single Curling Bomb.
  • Ink Armor will not break due to splash damage from a single bomb whose splash damage normally inflicts 30 HP of damage. With Ink Armor still intact, its wearer will only suffer a maximum of 80 HP of damage from a single hit, allowing them to withstand a single powerful attack, such as that from a Splat Charger.
  • While the explosion of uncharged Curling Bombs are easy enough to dodge, this ability can still help against cooked Curling Bombs, as well as any other explosives the opposing team might have.
• Many users of short-ranged weapons that have Curling Bombs included in their kits will equip Ninja Squid among their abilities. Checking the opponents' main abilities on the map with at the start of any battle can reduce the opponents' element of surprise.
• If an opponent's Curling Bomb travels nearby, immediately turf the trail it leaves behind to both cut off lanes of attack and flush out any opponents.
• When confronting a short-ranged opponent armed with Curling Bombs, generally avoid fighting them in closed or narrow areas to reduce the chances of getting damaged or splatted by a ricocheting Curling Bomb.
• Be aware of your opponents' locations before using a brella shield, Splash Wall, Baller, or Bubble Blower, as an opponent's Curling Bombs will detonate upon impact with any of these, potentially splatting you or your teammates if caught within their lethal radius.
• Certain special weapons, such as Splashdown and Booyah Bomb, can negate any of the opponents' Curling Bombs.