Competitive:The Reef

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.

Splatoon 2

Template:Infobox/Stage/StrategyEx Introduced in Splatoon 2 at launch and renovated by Version 4.2.0, The Reef has a layout somewhat reminiscent of Urchin Underpass due to its bridge at mid linking both team's sides. However, following a trend with newly introduced maps in Splatoon 2, it has larger, wide-open areas and multiple paths from which to exit the spawn areas, which reduce the effectiveness of spawn camping and provide space for more mobile weapon users to roam about, farm their special weapons, avoid their opponents' attacks, reach key areas through multiple routes, and flank the opposing team.

Splat Zones

An overhead view of The Reef in its Splat Zones configuration with the names of common callouts.

Starting from Version 4.2.0 onwards, two Splat Zones are offset from one another below Bridge, which prevents certain special weapons, such as Booyah Bomb and Ink Storm, from capping both Zones. Beneath Bridge along its supports, each Zone is bordered by a short ledge, which can be a potential sharking location for anyone looking for an easy splat on an opponent who attempts to turf the zone. The multiple paths from either spawn area to the zones offset the long distance between them, requiring the offensive team to watch all possible ways the defense can exit its spawn area in order to maintain a long lockout.

Hot Zones

Bridge is considered the most important area of The Reef to control the Splat Zones, particularly for an anchor or another long-ranged weapon user. While a player on the Bridge cannot turf enough of either Zone to cap or uncap it, they have a wide view of the area around both Zones and the advantage of high ground over the Zones and the areas around both Walls, Trees, and Ramps. With enough range, they can dissuade opponents from approaching the Zones. The best means to challenge an opponent on Bridge is to either snipe from Lamp with a long-ranged weapon (e.g., a long-ranged charger or splatling or an Explosher), push across the Bridge with a tank skirmisher (e.g., the Kensa .52 Gal or a Tenta Brella), or use a displacement special weapon (e.g., Tenta Missiles, Booyah Bomb).

To maintain control of Bridge and Zones for a lockout, an offensive team will have to clear out the defense's Main and Plat. Because Bridge is a bottleneck, concentrated pushes across it will face opposition from multiple directions; the defense's Stairs, Window, and even Sneaky provide them elevated or angled points from which to pincer offensive players attempting to simply force their way across. The defense's Lamp also provides a covered spot from where a long-ranged defender can snipe offensive players attempting to cross Bridge. Therefore, a push across bridge works best when coordinated with another attack, such as up the defense's Wall or around their Sneaky. The flanker can help sweep up the defense's Main and Plat and dislodge or eliminate any opponents hiding behind Lamp, allowing the main push across Bridge to proceed with less fear of being sniped or pincered itself.

Other key areas

A team that has been locked out has a large Spawn area from which to farm its special weapons and – as long as it does not lose control of its Car and Downstairs – a few routes to exit Spawn to contest the Splat Zones: Alley and Perch, Car and Stairs, Window, and Drop. Conversely, if the offensive team can establish control over the defense's Car and Downstairs, it can cut off access to Alley and Perch, greatly limiting the defense's means of farming its special weapons and reaching the Zones. Therefore, securing control of the Zones, Bridge, and the opponents' Car and Downstairs can be considered a win condition.

If the offense is not able to secure the defense's Car and Downstairs, it still has other options to maintain a lockout. A long-ranged weapon user on Perch can uncap their zone to stall their opponents' scoring, so the offensive team might want to station a blaster or slosher user beneath the defense's Alley and Perch area to prevent this. The ramp at Sneaky can provide a player useful cover to start a flank attack, zone out opponents, or begin to Super Jump back to Spawn.

Tower Control

An overhead view of The Reef in its Tower Control configuration with the names of common callouts.