Three chargers on the other team for Tower Control. On the one hand, it should mean we will get control of the tower and be able to get and keep the lead without too much trouble. On the other hand, it will also mean that we are unlikely to be able to get too deep in to opponent territory, as we'll just get picked off.
Or maybe the S-Rank chargers will just be so good that we won't be able to move without getting spotted and splatted. Thank goodness for the indiscriminate sloshing of the bucket, and its Bubbler special.
A couple of failures with the Splatterscope in S-Rank Tower Control and I revert to the Tri-slosher. I'm still trying to be effective so far, but S-Rank battles are mostly making me feel rubbish, ineffective, and out of my depth.
In this battle, I'm still fairly fresh and trying to compete. I rush to get on the tower, do well to avoid a Suction Bomb, and keep trying to push forwards. It's good to see another Tri-slosher use in the battle as well.
If only I remembered I had a Bubbler, and that it was available, when three of us were riding the tower only a few points away from the goal. That would have saved us some time and mucking around.
At least it lets me find out that, without some swim-speed gear, that central gap cannot be jumped.
I admit that I'm playing it safe with the Splattershot Jr. I could use a different weapon, but the Jr lets me be mobile and gives me a Bubbler for emergencies. I'll swap to something else once I'm a bit more comfortable.
This Rainmaker battle gets off to an amazing start. Despite being disrupted, I grab the Rainmaker and, with my squidmates clearing the way, get almost to the podium in the first carry!
Getting our team splatted requires us to regroup, but we keep the pressure on the blue team. Breaking the Rainmaker's shield just as the Kraken turns back to an inkling is good luck, and gives me another, better chance to get to the podium.
Squidding past a really close Splat Bomb gets me the dunk. Woomy!
I made it to S Rank. I'm not quite sure what to expect, except maybe an increase in skill levels of the other inklings. What I get is a huge increase in skill levels. Splatted by a charger through a tiny gap at the start of the map is unexpected.
But I get on with the battle. Running in to a Splat Bomb is kinda what I do normally, as is running with the Rainmaker. And getting splatted with the Rainmaker. But I also catch the Rainmaker carrier with a Splat Bomb, survive a Killer Wail with my Bubbler, and help us get a good lead.
I like to think I make a contribution to the battle, more than simply cannon fodder, but this seems tough. I'm not sure how long I'll last in S Rank.
Chargers versus Rollers and Gals. As we're on Camp Triggerfish, we probably ought to win this battle comfortably, as we should be able to control the crossing point at the middle of the map without too much trouble. It will only be the last minute of the battle when the gates come down that we'll have to watch our backs.
Or maybe a stray red team inkling will get through, and be able to plant and activate his Killer Wail as a particularly incompetent charger can't hit the side of a barn door. Six shots it takes me! Six shots! He was standing still for all of them!
But my prediction (after the fact) comes to pass, and we keep the turf inked blue almost everwhere. So comfortable is the battle at the end that I do a little victory dance. And, yes, my dancing skills are as good as my Splatterscope skills.
And a second battle: Against the odds in Pokemon Splatfest
Oh no! At 47 seconds, the charger off my shoulder disappears in a poof of blue mist. That means we're down to three inklings on the blue team. Well, let's see what we can do.
I don't have my hopes up, as I'm wearing a new hat, for my Bubbler, and it has no sub abilities yet. I was hoping to get it some.
We're pressed hard, which isn't surprising, but I manage to break through the offensive charge and sneak down a side route. So much pink to cover over!
Thankfully, I'm not oppressively hunted, and I can spray my ink all over the place. The problem is that when I turn around it's turned pink again. This is like painting the Seventh Bridge.
I manage to evade some last-minute attention, and turn it around to get a splat, but not before the Inkstrike goes off. Watching the other inkling jump to his doom makes up for that a little, but the map is still pink all over.
Note the pause after the Splatterscope charges. No one jumps in front of me this time, good. I get to my favoured perch and start with a splat! Then completely miss a relatively easy target.
Back to some splats and good self-preservation, and a decent shot from the ground up to the top of the pillar. Yeah, this is a good battle for me. What could go wrong?
Well, it doesn't help that the red team have infiltrated our turf and are inking everywhere. I go back to spread some blue ink around, but that makes me vulnerable. That makes me a little nervous and prone to mistakes. And errors in aiming, although I'm not sure how I miss in circumstances where chargers splat me in other battles. But never mind.
No win for us this time, but good game to the red team for breaking through ou lines and kicking our arses.
And a second battle: Versus the N-ZAPs in Pokemon Splatfest
3 N-ZAP '89s on the other team! What will this do to us? And how long have they remained a team, I wonder.
First splat to me, followed by a second after missing a jumping inkling. My aim still isn't quite that good. But I hit the Sprinkler with ease. That's something, right?
I still love seeing the launch of the Inkstriker. Maybe I should use it myself. But back to inking turf, as this battle is not a foregone conclusion.
I'm not quite sure how I survive on top of that wall with a red team inkling directly beneath me. A squidmate splats him, and then I have to use my charger as a straight shooter to splat another threat. In the end, it all works out, even if the result isn't emphatic. Those N-ZAPs are good at spreading ink.
Low-level inklings abound in this Splatfest battle. Lucas is even 1st level! I make a note and try not to be mean, mostly to him, but in general.
Looks like I catch Lucas in my first Splat Bomb Rush, but I also get my intended target (and another inkling) and didn't know he was there. The second Lucas splat is just unfortunate.
Of course, we can't see red team names, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh, particularly as I determinedly stay back, just beyond the half-way point, and don't doggedly press for more turf or splats.
Then again, maybe it's equally mean to sit at the middle and pick off the couple of inklings that break past the blockade my squidmates have aggressively set up. I dunno. I hope everyone had a reasonable battle.
And a second battle: Damn those brushes in Pokemon Splatfest
Man, those brushes are quick! Up to the centre of Camp Tirggerfish before I can get there, and rushing past me before the Splatterscope can charge. And then I have to with my mediocre aim at a fast-moving target.
Stationary targets are so much easier. I wonder how long Riley was sitting in that ink before my incidental Splat Bomb found him. That was completely unexpected.
Back to the brush. I can even hit him when he's running normally! Then he rushes past a Splat Bomb, turns in to a Kraken, gives chase, and evades a Splat Bomb Rush. Damn him.
I dunno what possesses me to try a completely new weapon during the Splatfest. Maybe it was used against me effectively in an earlier battle. At least I take the Custom Hydra Splatling out to the range before taking it in to Turf War.
I think I can control the Hydra Splatling on the range, but then the targets are stationary and the turf is flat and homgenous. Getting out to a Turf War battle shows it to be quite different, and I think I only do as well as I do because the other team doesn't press as hard as some can.
The range of the Hydra Splatling is impressive indeed, and it's great to be able to stand back and pick off an inkling at the top of the skate ramp in the middle of the park. The charge rate is slow to compensate, and I will have to get used to that if I use the weapon more.
I note that the Hydra Splatling isn't great for inking turf, as my experience is that the ink goes everywhere but the turf, but I get the highest score in my team. I didn't think I should, but never mind.
And a second battle: Keeping safe in Pokemon Splatfest
Back to the Splatterscope. I may be getting the hang of Hammerhead Bridge too, which is good. I hoped I would, given how the last Splatfest helped me understand Mahi-Mahi Resort better.
I play moderately sensibly in this battle. I press forwards when safe, and pull back when under pressure. The occasional Splat Bomb here and there helps maintain my position too.
Of course, the indiscretions of the red team help me along too (mixed with inexperience from the younger inklings, sorry guys), with some easy splats of stationary targets. And I can't ignore the good coverage and support of my squidmates.
I've been abusing the Splatterscope, so let's change weapons. On to the Splattershot Jr, another favourite of mine these days.
The Splattershot Jr naturally requires its own strategies. My normal tactic with shooters is to advance quickly, cross to the opponents' territory, and be a pest. But for the Splattershot Jr I find it better to hang back and ink turf to start with, so that my Bubbler is ready when I first encounter other inklings. This lets us control some good territory early, and should let me survive running in to the other team.
This is a good battle. As we push to ink one side blue, the other side turns red. As we go back and re-ink our turf blue, their turf becomes red again. There is a lot of movement and ink being thrown around, and some good encounters. The Dual Squelcher easily out-distances my Splattershot Jr, but my Bubbler and the occasional Splat Bomb work nicely in my favour. If you are a big fan of video games and specially Pokemon click here to play the best Pokemon quiz and improve your gaming knowledge.
The only weird bit is near the start. I swear it's the ghost of the Octobrush who splats me. It's creepy.
And a second battle: Mixed encounters in Pokemon Splatfest
Some surprising maturity shown at the start of this battle. I ink turf to charge my Bubbler, don't charge headlong in to an encounter with an inkling, but use a Splat Bomb to assist me and then go a different direction instead of giving chase, and then using my Bubbler when appropriate. Let's see if I can keep this up!
Splatting an inkling that turns in to a Kraken is a bit frustrating, but never mind. Squidding away from a Seeker is not the best option. And charging in to the Heavy Splatling seemed like a better idea at the time.
