My gambit to go around the back pays off quite well. We lose the Splat Zones initially, and the green team takes an early but minor lead, but I get behind the opposition and get a triple-splat and help take control of the Splat Zones whilst they are all out of commission.
The lead is ours almost immediately. Our counter ticks down a significant way before the Splat Zones are neutralised, and shortly re-taken by the green team. I'm caught by a good charger shot, and from behind by some neat flanking, but my own flanking splats the three inklings a second time, two of them oblivious to my approach.
It's a bit embarrassing to run out of ink and still slosh for so long, but so it goes. The battle is soon over, with little more pressure coming from the green team. But looking at the results shows why: the Carbon Roller took no part in the battle.
The Roller was in the previous match battling normally. But it can be seen that she simply threw herself out of the arena from start to finish, her first suisplat happening after five seconds and not relenting. They pretty much spoilt the battle for both sides. Ah well.
There are no chargers on the other team in this battle in Walleye Warehouse, but hitting the flank and coming out behind the opposition can still be quite effective. It's not as effective as I hope this time. I squeeze a double-splat out of my Tri-slosher before chasing ink splats me, but I also get splatted in the Splat Zones and help capture them for the opposition. Oops.
My sortie didn't really help, given that when I'm splatted we have less inklings available than the teal team, but my squidmates come back with force and capture the Splat Zones without too big a deficit to catch up. I hit the other flank, and approach the end with caution. A Disruptor helps me get through safely, with a splat, and I can flank the Splat Zones.
I run past one inkling whilst looking for another, but am safe with my Bubbler popped. I am a bit ineffective with at least two inklings cornered by an Inkstrike whilst I have my Bubbler, but I get the splats in good time, and squid back to avoid too much attention.
A scouting of the Splat Zones shows them to be secure, and I push ahead again to catch the teal inklings returning. My sloshing is a little inaccurate as an inkling drops in front of me, but I am glad he got me and not that incessant squidbagger in the corridor. Maybe she doesn't realise our lead continues to grow.
A couple of Disruptors, sloshing some ink, and manoeuvring around keeps a couple of inklings at bay, away from the Splat Zones, and sensibly avoiding the Inkzooka stops me turning in to a teal splotch in our Splat Zones. The Inkzooka is also not enough to neutralise our Splat Zone, and the battle is over before the Special. Woomy!
We burst the Rainmaker's Shield confidently to start the battle, but trying to clear the rest of the area goes a bit pear-shaped. Still, no one grabs the Rainmaker, not even a purple inkling, and it's there for the taking when I return. I make a move, hit the moving platform, and decide to take the side route. In retrospect, that wasn't such a good idea.
The inklings that splatted me have the Rainmaker in a good position, and make the most of it. I'm just glad that I finally find the Rainmaker under my Carbon Roller, and then don't carelessly run in to an active Killer Wail. I use a Seeker Rush to try to negate a Splash Wall and Suction Bomb Rush, and my squidmate also uses it as a diversion. I press ahead, but a little fast, and turning back just has my being out-ranged.
We're not mostly back to where we were, but a slightly quicker respawn lets me get above the oncoming purple team. And they are all coming. Three at first, nicely underneath me, and the fourth a step behind. Even my average reflexes gets this quad-splat comfortably. A Seeker Rush helps burst the Shield and ink some turf, and we have some time to move the Rainmaker.
No one grabs the Rainmaker at first, pushing forwards for territory, but a squidmate does beat me to it as I turn around, and we press ahead. We get on to the moving platform, and I spy an inkling below who I splat nicely. A second inkling feels my Carbon Roller, and we almost get in to a decent position. It looks like the Rainmaker took the side route, though, like I did before. It went a bit better for them, at least.
The Echolocator is very handy, and I squid around the Splash Wall to hit the purple inkling from above, not quite stopping the Killer Wail. There's a bit of inky confusion on my part around the Rainmaker, and I am splatted back to base as the purple inklings get themselves coordinated again. I generally feel I should take an indirect route to the action. It puts me a little behind, but I am effective when I get there.
I try to ensure the way ahead is clear before moving, and when it looks clear I move. Well, it looked clear. With the Rainmaker where it is, a bit of height looks to be a good idea. And it is. I see a couple of inklings looking the other way around the corner, and drop down for the splats, saving my ink until it's too late to be avoided. That was nice, even if I say so myself.
No one wants the Rainmaker again, so I take one for the team, knowing it will get me splatted. And it gets me splatted. So it goes. Missing with my first flick against an Aerospray gets me splatted too. That's my own fault. And with that, a purple inkling looks to hold on to the Rainmaker as the clock ticks down to finish the battle. I get a Seeker Rush splat as consolation.
But the Rainmaker drops down, right in to my path! I get the splat as a puny wash of ink rains over me, and we burst the Rainmaker's Shield to keep the battle going in to extra time. I am cautious not to grab the Rainmaker as purple ink flies over it, but know that time is now precious. I grab it and make a push, going the side route, because what could go wrong? I could end up a bit close to an Ink Mine, I suppose, but what are the odds?
I make a beeline to the other side of the map, luckily dodging a Splat Bomb on my way, to find the Splat Charger on his perch, but he's not there. Never mind, a quick inking of the podium, probably pointless, and I hop over the perch to prevent the purple team advancing the Rainmaker too far. I think I help a little.
I move away from the Rainmaker immediately, spurred on by a charged Bubbler, to make a path towards the podium. I pop my Bubbler under the inevitable pressure, and go chasing an inkling for no real reason. When the Bubbler runs out, at least I sensibly retreat, which lets me catch the Splat Charger, just about. But the Rainmaker has been advanced again. I don't ignore this, and use a Disruptor to slow it down, and my Tri-slosher to inefficiently splat them.
Immediate crisis averted, I go back to inking turf towards the podium. That's a little premature, it seems, as the purple team regain control of the Rainmaker. I do my best and keep moving around, looking to come up behind the purple team. I kinda do, but only once my squidmates have taken control of the situation.
I pootle around a bit, not getting the splat I'm after, but happy that I have gone unsplatted so far. This streak finishes as a squidmate appears beside me with the Rainmaker, and I provide some direct support. Getting splatted doesn't really help much, though. I go back the slow way, inking turf as I go, and run in to a dilemma. A squidmate is super-jumping to where I was, with the Rapid Blaster and Splat Charger looking her way. What do I do?
I try to be disruptive. It doesn't save my squidmate super-jumping in, but I exact revenge, on both of the assaulters. But I have another problem, as does the rest of my team. A purple inkling has made a rather good break towards the podium. I'm glad my squidmates are there to stop her, because I am too far away. I rush back to help where I can, and I arrive to ink a path around the side of the purple team.
We move the Rainmaker a bit, but nowhere near as fast as I move. I splat an inkling and help burst the Rainmaker's Shield, but get splatted whilst Echolocated the moment my Bubbler charges. I'm not being great support. At least I manage to keep the purple team occupied and hold the Rainmaker in the same spot for a bit.
The Rainmaker comes back our way, and I keep tabs on it, slotting in to place to get a timely splat. I have to circle around to avoid the Rapid Blaster, and by the time I get in to a position to engage her he's gone, but I follow through along that route aiming to get behind the purple team. I don't get far before the Rapid Blaster reappears, but I have my Bubbler ready.
I think about moving to the Rainmaker, but decide that the back route may be more beneficial in the long run. Not that we have a long run left in the battle, I suppose. It works better than expected. I come up behind the unsuspecting purple team, sloshing one inkling out of the way, and having that rare moment of being missed by an Inkzooka, before snatching the Rainmaker that they have kindly burst from its shield.
A bit of squiddy parkour, a bit of luck, and I get the Rainmaker nearly on top of the podium. Importantly, I give us the lead, off the great work of my squidmates to get the Rainmaker that close in the first place. Now all we need to do is defend a knockout defeat in the last ten seconds of the battle, and with a bit of foresight and patience, I pop out at just the right time to splat the Rainmaker before the team splats me.
I think that last minute makes up for my earlier failures to track the Rainmaker.
It seems like a straightforward start to the battle, thankfully without the E-litre 3K making an early appearance, but I do wonder what the brush is up to. What I shouldn't do is rush in foolishly, so I wait. When she appears, I strike, getting some solid sloshes in, but apparently she still has time to turn in to a Kraken. At least now I know she was building up her charge.
I go around the side to hit the other Splat Zone on my return. I have a little pause and twitch, as a cat spikes my lap, but am not accosted by inklings because of it. I even dodge through Suction Bombs and get close enough to the E-litre 3K to splat her, splat the Bomber, and destroy a Beakon, as a squidmate rolls up behind me in support. Nice!
We capture their Splat Zones as they capture ours. We manage to neutralise our Splat Zone, and me and the Roller push our minor advantage up to the purple team's base, thanks to a Splash Wall and a Bubbler. I even manage to get back unharmed and with another splat under my belt.
Resting on our laurels isn't a great idea, but not giving away your position doesn't seem terrible sometimes. I may have to reveal myself a little early, but a decent retreat and immediate return lets me splat my pursuer, whilst another inkling is looking the wrong way with a Suction Bomb Rush, and the Splat Zone is ours again.
The next assault by the purple team goes better for them. I can't say why I didn't pop my Bubbler, it would have been a good idea. But both Splat Zones are purple soon after my splatting, and we start to lose quite badly. I come back along our blind side, but one that isn't so blind to the long reach of the E-litre 3K. That's a bit irritating.
Thankfully, I get up to the ledge and have my Bubbler charged, letting me dive forwards with confidence. The Disruptor would have been better had it hit, instead it just depletes my ink tank. I run out just as I find the E-litre 3K again, and I have to refill slightly to finish the splat. A small squidding gets me enough ink to destroy the Beakon, but there are still the Splat Zones to worry about.
My ink doesn't quite extend to recovering our Splat Zone whilst avoiding Suction Bombs, and although the brush is ahead of me another Suction Bomb means I can't move backwards. My splatting is inevitable, and in the middle of the Splat Zone too, making it even more purple. And there is now purple ink everywhere! What have my squidmates been doing?
Well, it looks like the purple team have got themselves in to good positions. Surely there must be more options than continuing to throw yourself down the centre, but perhaps my squidmates tried that too. Either way, we were definitively beaten.
I head to the left and see a blue tell-tale trail of ink heading to the blue team's ramp. I don't make that last slosh, to not give myself away, and get an easy first splat. From there to the Splat Zones, and a few sloshes upwards gets the next splat.
The Splat Zones take a little while longer to be captured, because even though one side looks quite yellow, the other is distinctly blue. My Bubbler is charged, though, which helps wade through the blue ink towards the inklings and come back mostly unscathed. At least until I run in to the returning blue inklings.
I start off the same way as before, and see another inkling flop over the ramp as I get to it. I get a bit lucky with the splat, but it's good to get some luck occasionally, such as heading around the corner in to another easy splat on an inkling's flank. A squidmate splats the other inkling from above, leaving the Splat Zones to ourselves.
I head to the blue side of the Dome, but come back almost immediately as I see an inkling flop over the ramp again. I get a hit on their Seeker path, but lose their position. Maybe they come up from the other side, maybe it's a different inkling, but I don't think they wanted to see me pop my Bubbler.
It's back to the centre of the Splat Zones, and everything seems to be in some kind of order there, particularly with our charger watching over it. But a blue threat comes from behind, and we move to neutralise it. I have to save my sloshes to keep my running speed up, as well as avoiding the Suction Bombs, and get the splat.
One more splat is waiting to happen beneath me, as an inkling super-jumps in, but we just don't have time, I'm afraid. It's a smooth knockout victory. Woomy!
Quickly to the Splat Zone, capture it, and push up. A squidmate makes a nice trail to follow, and I jink early to avoid trouble and make some of my own. The Slosher is a goner, but I muck up splatting the E-litre 3K, which is a bit disappointing. But I stay unsplatted, and move around inking turf and the Splat Zone.
I push back up at an opportune moment, and wait for a good time to strike the inklings ahead of me. When it seems right, I move, splat one inkling, and look for the E-litre 3K, but am thwarted again. Maybe I could have moved sooner. I take the chance to ink our right flank, just in case.
I cover some of the E-litre 3K's ink, and, unlike usual, don't push directly forwards in to their sight, knowing that they are likely peeking around the corner. Instead, I hit the flanks, a move that's delayed by an Echolocator landing on us. I retreat until the Echolocator dissipates, then push up, hoping to get under the E-litre 3K's sight, but standing up at just the wrong moment.
It's not a bad idea to cover the E-litre 3K's ink again, and even better to splat the oncoming inkling to help our own E-litre 3K, but it really is not a good idea to put myself right in the corridor but turned to make it look like I cannot be seen. I can be seen, and targeted, and am lucky to get away intact.
I get lucky approaching the Inkzooka at just the right time, the splat letting me recapture our Splat Zone. The squidmate's Inkstrike gives me some cover to get behind another inkling, who may be splatted by the time I get to her, but a third inkling walks backwards in to my sloshing. Nice!
That Echolocator seems to hit me at just the wrong time, at least from my point-of-view. I make the most of my position, though, thanks to my Bubbler, and splat the E-litre 3K and capture the green Splat Zone, at least for a moment. I head back to the same Splat Zone, and approach with some initial caution. When I pluck up the courage to squid in, it's at the right time, getting under the Inkzooka and capturing the Splat Zone again.
Avoiding the E-litre 3K is almost as good as splatting her, as she stays out of reach of the Splat Zones, and I get two more splats before being splatted myself, helping stretch our lead nicely. We own a lot of turf now, and don't seem keen to give any up. I super-jump back to add my bucket, but I do seem a bit keen to push for the end, and my caution has all but disappeared.
It takes an Echolocater to push me back a bit, and a friendly one to get me back in the splats. Just in time to watch our counter hit zero and the battle end in a knock-out. Woomy!
Zoom, to the Splat Zone! Ink the Splat Zone and push forwards, confidently but cautiously. I think it's going well, until one inkling becomes two, but so it goes. My squidmates have the teal Splat Zone neutralised, which is good, and I am caught between moving up to help and staying back to defend. Staying back works first, and splatting the threat lets me move up.
I approach the teal Splat Zone with appropriate caution, and then with gay abandon when my Bubbler chargers. I am met by a Kraken, but that's okay, until teal reinforcements appear as well. And before I know it, both Splat Zones are the wrong colour. I wonder where it went wrong.
It's worth approaching our Splat Zone from a perch, to slosh down on to it. That seems to work well, as does a Disruptor, and our Splat Zone is neutralised. I look to splat some more inklings, and pop my Bubbler when Surprised by a Blaster, but they disappear pretty quickly and effectively. No problem, I squid my way up to the teal Splat Zone, where the Blaster reappears and I have to take evasive manoeuvres. They nearly work, but rather than facing one inkling, I end up facing three.
I hit our other flank next, as I know how effective it can be to bypass the other team's inklings looking the other way. I catch one straight away, and splat the Roller, albeit at my own expense. Not a bad result, though, and lets my squidmates retake control of the Splat Zone. I come back along the flank and get that damned Beakon out of the way, before heading up to the teal Splat Zone to, well, get splatted, apparently.
I don't quite catch an inkling by enough surprise on my return, and am overwhelmed by ink pretty quickly. I head straight up the middle next, hoping the teal team won't be expecting it, and I not only get to the teal Splat Zone but ink it purple too. Nice! I stick around a bit, thanks to my Bubbler and a squidmate, and keep as much turf purple as I can. I think I do okay, and the brief period my squidmates capture our Splat Zone lets our score tick down a bit more.
I make a brief and successful foray southwards before returning to the teal Splat Zone, and beyond. Even so, I lose control of the Splat Zone, and our own continues being hotly contested. I get a few good splats around the teal Splat Zone as the battle draws to an end, but without control of our own Splat Zone it doesn't help as much as it could. Still, good battle, everyone.
It's a decent start to this battle. We move up smoothly behind a Seeker, capture our Splat Zone, and I hold it as my squidmates aggressively push for the other Splat Zone. They get it too, maybe not for long, but it's a good move.
I get a lucky splat with a Seeker, as a squidmate distracts its target, and am encouraged by all the purple ink to move up myself. A bit of a bump reveals my squiddy self, though, despite my attempts to be a ninja, and a Carbon Roller pounces on me quite efficiently.
A pause for a Kraken helps, and I sit back again and launch Seekers to control the channels. My squidmates are still pushing well, and recapture both Splat Zones again. Nice! I move up to help, and push as far as the purple ink goes.
A bit of patience has the first splat come to me, and moving back gets a decent splat at the edge of the Splat Zone. Some ripples and quick flicking gets a third splat, and everything is looking rosy. Even pushing up close to the base doesn't get me in to too much trouble, my streak ending by a snapped Inkzooka shot as I try to move orthogonal to the shooter.
It's all gone quite smoothly, mostly thanks to my squidmates. I like to think I helped out a bit too. In the end, I don't quite make it to the Splat Zone before our counter hits zero, but that's just fine with me. Woomy!
Lots of rollers! And a little shoal of squids on the way to our Splat Zone. The blue team has made a good push to get there too, and I find myself trading Seekers with another Carbon Roller. I take care she doesn't follow behind a Seeker, and clear up as my squidmates push her backwards.
Time to clear the other channels. Ah, there's the Carbon Roller again. Or it's the other one. Either way, we're trading Seekers again. They are good weapons for Port Mackerel. I have no idea how one found an inkling, but it's a welcome and encouraging splat.
My Seeker Rush charges, just in time to let loose at a Carbon Roller still sending Seekers our way. I let my squidmates follow behind, deciding instead to check the other channels again. It's good that I do, as I hear an Inkstrike, and that probably means our Splat Zone needs attention.
No sooner is the Inkstrike cleared than Seekers come rushing in, which I nimbly dodge, but the Carbon Roller follows behind. At least I get a flick away as she moves in for the splat. We're stuck in an impasse still, but it's early days, and channel control looks to be important right now, so I send Seekers forwards.
One channel is decidedly green, which encourages me to push forwards and try to flank the blue Splat Zone. One Seeker is sent to test the ink, a second as a diversion away from the first. But I'm not here alone, and my squidmates capture the Splat Zone as I approach. Nice!
Now we just have to keep both Splat Zones for a bit. A Splattershot wanders in front of me carelessly, whilst another comes down the channel as I drop a Seeker on top of them. That'll do. A Seeker Rush comes in to the Splat Zone, and I send my own out, hitting nothing but inking turf. One last Seeker catches a returning inkling, though.
I head back to see how our own Splat Zone is doing. Not bad, but coming under pressure. I send Seekers out again, and when a strip of turf remains green for long enough, I Ninja Squid my way up there, and, even though I am out-manoeuvred by a slow-moving charger, bag myself a nice triple-splat. The sudden lack of blue inklings lets me move to the blue Splat Zone and recapture is myself.
The inklings come back, of course. One I splat, but the Carbon Roller is a bit more canny, and I'm happy to return to our Splat Zone for a bit. I see another opportunity to move up, looking to catch the Splatterscope unawares, but run instead in to a Seeker. Oops. I catch another Seeker, doing a grand job of seeking, on my immediate return, and watch as the blue team take control of the Splat Zones.
Heading on to the ledge helps me avoid a Splat Bomb Rush, no matter how much I want to drop down on to the super-jump ring, and some vigorous flicking even splats an unseen inkling below and helps neutralise the Splat Zone. Another Seeker or two help us keep control, and not even succumbing to a Splat Bomb at the end of the battle can dampen my spirit. Good battle, woomy!
