Providing forward support in Rainmaker (6-1, Tri-slosher)

Not so slick a start to diving down Moray Towers, but at least I don't fall off the edge. Not that I did that in the last game, nopers. Rather than foolishly head straight in to buckets of ink being thrown at the Rainmaker, I head around inking turf and charging my Bubbler.

I start to head up and behind the yellow team, but the Rainmaker has been grabbed and is close, so I turn my attention back behind me. I splat the Rainmaker, then head back a bit, to avoid yellow inky pressure that doesn't seem to come.

As I review the footage, it seems the yellow team decide to ink ahead. Not a bad idea, and as the Rainmaker shield bursts I do the same, although why I don't pause to slosh the Splatterscope from above, I don't know. At least my squidmates have the Rainmaker under control, so I feel okay with claiming some turf. I only get half-way up a wall before being stopped, sadly.

All my good work has been covered up. Well, not for long! I think I see an inkling in the ink, but it's just the weapon sinking after a splatting. I move up to make it up the wall, but the Splatterscope casually walks past in the background. I can splat him! Not as easily as I'd like, but I do.

Onwards and upwards, and using the pathways to block ink whilst sloshing over the top works well for me. Now I can reach even greater heights, inking all the way to the podium. Call me optimistic. Very optimistic, as I turn back to see mostly yellow turf, and the Rainmaker unhealthily far in our territory.

I drop back down and drop near the Splatterscope again. Again I use my Bubbler to get the splat, which works but it would be nice if I could get a surprise splat as more of a surprise. Back to covering up turf. I soon have the Splatterscope on my back, and from this range I have to hide. I'm the more patient, it seems.

My squidmates are working the Rainmaker well. Getting it back from the yellow team and making good pushes. I'm hoping that my forward inking is helping in its way. I finally make my way up the wall, and head all the way up to the podium again, where the Splatterscope waits for me. My Bubbler is ready.

My Bubbler is very handy for dealing with Bombs too, and plinking one out of existence lets me keep purple ink around me. I do a bit of a dance with another inkling, as my squidmates take the lead, and turn back in time to throw out a 'Nice!' as I watch my team dunk the Rainmaker. Good job, everyone.

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Providing forward support in Rainmaker (6-1, Tri-slosher)
Tags: console, moray towers, rainmaker, splatoon, tri-slosher, wii u

Poor start becomes a clear run in Rainmaker (0-2, Tri-slosher)

Tri-sloshing on Moray Towers can often work well for me. Not so much at the start of this battle. My opening gambit goes poorly when a well-thrown Suction Bomb explodes on contact with the Rainmaker's shield, taking me with it.

My return doesn't go much better. Trying to take a slightly less obvious route simply runs in to a blue inkling trying to do the same, but in the opposite direction. My height advantage doesn't really work, and I am splatted again.

So far, I have spent just about no time doing anything useful. It's a poor start, that's for sure. I decide to spend a little time inking some turf, to make moving easier and building up my Bubbler a bit. Thankfully, I just about cover the gap when falling instead of jumping, so I don't embarrass myself.

I get to the base of the Towers and the Rainmaker is still there. I think about skirmishing up the blue side a bit, but a squidmate is there. I go forwards, but another squidmate has that covered too. I circle back, and a squidmate is taking care of business behind me. Excellent, I'll grab the Rainmaker!

The wall looks like a good route. It may be blue, but the Rainmaker can turn it green easily. A pause to avoid a Suction Bomb, and a bit of ink to cover that explosion, and I'm up the wall. An advance squidmate has inked a bit of a path, and is in the process of using an Inkzooka to clear the blue team out of the way.

A blast from the Rainmaker makes a big path for me, and the great support continues. A well-placed Suction Bomb happens to splat a blue inkling who drops down from above, and he inks the podium for me. It's a really simple squid forwards for a brilliant dunking! Woomy!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Poor start becomes a clear run in Rainmaker (0-2, Tri-slosher)
Tags: console, moray towers, rainmaker, splatoon, tri-slosher, wii u

Splatting around the resort in Rainmaker (15-9, Tri-slosher)

That E-litre 3K on the yellow poses a credible threat across most of Mahi-Mahi Resort. I head around the watery side route to see if I can sneak behind him. Not playing Turf War, I don't come this way often when the water level is high, so it's a bit more hazardous, and I am aware that some players are good at noting ink on their map, and I could be picked off before getting close. Not this time.

I pause briefly to splat an inkling unaware of me, and turn to aim for the E-litre 3K now directly above me. Surely he's seen what I've done just under his feet, and I'll feel a Burst Bomb soon enough. But, no, he's focussed forwards, and I splat him too.

Now for the Rainmaker, whose shield is burst by the third of my triple-splat yellow inklings. And after a triple splat it seems like a good time to grab the Rainmaker and get an early lead. All looks good, but there was a fourth inkling I wasn't aware of.

The yellow team recover the Rainmaker and my sloshing can't quite stop the carrier. They choose a really good route too, stealing the lead and opening a significant gap within seconds. That's pretty good! Not for us, though. I want to cause a bit more mayhem, so go back for the E-litre 3K. It's something, but I'm not around long enough to feel good about the splat.

I wonder what I could have done had the Rainmaker not pushed off a ledge. It doesn't matter, particularly as my squid-sense tingles and I get an early threat out of the way. The E-litre 3K enacts some vengeance before I get much further, though.

Rather than focus on the Rainmaker, I forge ahead to distract or splat the inklings who are focussing on the Rainmaker. I get a couple to look at me, which hopefully helps as my squidmates retake the lead, even if I am sent back to the base without a splat. We're back in the lead!

The battle's not over, and we have some defending to do. I drop behind the Rainmaker nicely, and stay on the high turf for the sloshing advantage, but soon remember why I shouldn't try to jump across the water. That's okay, because we're keeping the Rainmaker at bay.

I get another go with the Rainmaker, and biddle around a bit. Maybe I don't get far, but I run down the clock a bit. It gives the yellow team one last chance, but our defence is up to the task, and we finish the game victorious.

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Splatting around the resort in Rainmaker (15-9, Tri-slosher)
Tags: console, mahi-mahi resort, rainmaker, splatoon, tri-slosher, wii u

Fighting back in Rainmaker (12-10, Tri-slosher)

I swap back to the Tri-slosher in an active move to win some battles. I make it to the centre without problem, get a decent sloshing splat, and accidentally avoid a Tri-slosher's attention. The Rainmaker is lost by the teal team, so I think I can afford to continue forwards and sneak around the back.

There's no one in the usual elevated positions, which is somewhat unusual, so I look for inklings below me to slosh ink down on as my team takes the lead. But now an inkling is up here, the Tri-slosher looking for vengeance. She kinda gets it too.

Going up the middle puts in the way of an Inkstrike I can't quite get out of, and the middle route soon becomes the wrong colour ink. A path to the podium is pretty much made for the Rainmaker, and we feel the pressure to stop it being carried there. A Disruptor finds an inkling, and my ink finds the same inkling, but misses the Rainmaker.

Thankfully, my squidmates prevent the knockout defeat, but the team team have presented us with a real challenge to take the victory. Get back to the middle looks simple at first, but gets progressively more difficult, and although I sensibly avoid the Bubblered Tri-slosher, I don't do well at keeping out of another Inkstrike.

Trying to squid ahead, I go down the side route, a little cautious in case of hiding inklings, and get to the centre in time to slosh ink over the ledge and clear a path ahead. The Bubbler is a bit of an overreaction, but it lets me feel safe as I jump in to teal ink. I help keep one inkling from getting too far ahead, but one sneaks past, and we lose the Rainmaker. At least we are in teal territory again.

Now it's time for continued super-jumping in to the action, hoping that at least one of us can stay unsplatted for long enough to keep the Rainmaker close to the podium. Of course, being that close to the podium lets the other team apply near-constant pressure, so this isn't going to be easy.

It isn't easy, and it all gets a bit frantic, but continued pressure and some great tenacity lets us sneak the lead by a point! Nice! The battle's not over, though, and this isn't the time to get silly. Instead of facing the teal team alone, I back off slightly to provide a better spot for squidmates to super-jump to me before heading back in.

With only seconds to go, we stop the Rainmaker from going too far and recover it for ourselves. It looks like the knockout victory could be ours! A squidmate decides that discretion is the better part of valour, however, and sensible retreats a little as the final seconds tick down, keeping hold of the Rainmaker until the end. Woomy!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Fighting back in Rainmaker (12-10, Tri-slosher)
Tags: arowana mall, console, rainmaker, splatoon, tri-slosher, wii u

Desperately holding off the knockout victory in Rainmaker (8-7, Splatterscope)

Dropping out of S Rank to A+, and a losing streak pushing me to the lower ranks, at least gives me the opportunity to pick up the Splatterscope again without thinking I'll be a bit useless. I'm okay with a charger, but not great. Kinda A+ Rank in quality. Let's see what I can do.

This isn't a bad battle for me to gauge how rusty I've got. Another Splatterscope on our team, and one on the other. We're standing across from one another too. Okay, I shoot the partition, but it's an addition to Rainmaker and I didn't fully realise it was there. Still, the patch of ink I release lets me hide in comfort from the Killer Wail.

I try not to be concerned with the other charger to the point of forgetting the objective, and as the Rainmaker comes my way I have a Splat Bomb Rush charged. I probably shouldn't have dropped off that ledge, though. Still, I help to burst the Rainmaker shield, splatting one inkling in the process, and catch the Splatterscope as a Rainmaker blast partially obscures us for a moment.

I push forwards, with a new Splat Bomb Rush, to create some inked turf to support our own Rainmaker carrier, and get another decent splat on the Splatterscope. He's probably at about my level of skill, given his lack of movement or hiding of his laser. I suspect I will get splatted back at some point.

A decent bit of defence at the far ledge works well for me, until a Carbon Roller does what it's good at, and the blue team push forwards effectively, almost covering our base in blue ink. I don't complete my Splat Bomb Rush, but maybe it does just enough to save us from a knockout victory. At least, for now. We are still in trouble.

Some more furious defence follows, and another Splat Bomb Rush saves me a couple of times and the team from the knockout defeat. Only the splatting of all four blue inklings helps us gain some ground. We move forwards as a team, and I help clear the Splatterscope out of the way and ink a path, but the Rainmaker isn't as close to me as I hope.

The next blue push isn't quite as strong, but neither is our return. We grab the Rainmaker with a few seconds left, and I ink a hopeful forwards path, but the blue team have this battle wrapped up.

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Desperately holding off the knockout victory in Rainmaker (8-7, Splatterscope)
Tags: console, mahi-mahi resort, rainmaker, splatoon, splatterscope, wii u

Brutal splatting for Tower Control (19-5, Carbon Roller Deco)

Phew, a Squiffer, Carbon Roller, and Rapid Blaster on the other team. I'm just happy that they don't also have the E-litre 3K, or I may have just hidden somewhere in Kelp Dome. But off we go!

I spy the Squiffer and wonder if I can do anything about her. A few Seekers ink some turf, and allow me to hide in one trail, and, yes! I can splat the Squiffer. Thank you very much! I don't quite aim well enough for the Roller, and our E-litre bags the super-jumper, so it's onwards for me.

Going around the side to cover some green ink, I try to get more ink flowing. The Tower returns and I go up to investigate, my timing accidentally impeccable for missing a Seeker, its Roller owner, and to get a splat on the Rapid Blaster for my troubles. Nice!

I'm still unsure about Killer Wails, it seems. I'll get the hang of them. At least we are controlling enough turf as a team to allow me quite free movement around the control areas, and that lets me support the team with surprise splats, as I feel comfortable moving around and otherwise keeping concealed.

I think it's a good idea to cover more green ink, and create a new path, but although it may be a good idea my timing is off. As I come to the centre, we lose the lead, even if I get the Roller off my squidmates' backs. A lucky splat follows, and a panicky Squiffer after that. A squidmate has the fourth splat, so although it's only a triple for me, we have control back.

Specials clear the way forwards, and then a bit of circumspect Tower riding from all of us, trying to stay unsplatted, clearing the path, and pushing the Tower. A bit of a climb lets me take some pressure off from above, and get a second splat for no effort, and drop back down to help push the Tower further past the re-taken lead. Also nice!

There is a flurry of action! I squid under a Splash Wall with more accidentally good timing, and wreak some small havoc whilst close to the goal, heading back to the Tower when it's just me left. Not for long, though. But we have a great lead! Hopefully we've got this battle in the bag,

I work out not to walk in to a Killer Wail this time, and splat the Squiffer who set it. That'll teach them. I'm in a good position to approach the other green inklings from behind too, splatting the Rapid Blaster, Berry Splattershot, and the lurking Carbon Roller. I think that was a quad!

One last ride of the Tower, a bit of a play with the Squiffer, and holy cow I got a lot of splats. That was quite the battle!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Brutal splatting for Tower Control (19-5, Carbon Roller Deco)
Tags: carbon roller deco, console, kelp dome, splatoon, tower control, wii u

3 vs 4 splatting in Tower Control (19-7, Carbon Roller Deco)

Oop, the screen judders as we are shown Kelp Dome. That's not a good sign. Who has lost an inkling? We have. Oh well, we can just do what we can, even though odds are we're about to get stomped. At least we all squid away with purpose.

I start a little speculatively, knowing we're outnumbered, and it almost works in my favour. The Carbon Roller needs inked turf to work in, and I am inking that turf. It's just a little unlucky that my delayed advance happens as a Gal starts to cover over my ink. So it goes.

My squidmates are on the Tower! They even take a slight lead. But it doesn't last. That's okay! We're not expecting to win, just compete. I go searching for the Splatterscope, but he's elsewhere now, and I am running from purple ink.

The Seeker doesn't seek far, but that's okay too, because rolling ahead doesn't give me away to the hiding inkling, and I get a fun splat. It looks like battle over, really, but we keep going, and we keep pushing the purple team back, only by small amounts, but enough.

A Seeker splat over the ridge is nice, followed by splatting the blaster, and moving up to splat whoever was on the Tower. I am discouraged from riding the Tower by the Splatterscope, but that lets me target a super-jumper, before then squidding down the charger. This is going rather well.

My Seekers are working quite well. So well that they nearly distract me from a purple Seeker coming my way! Well dodged. I give riding the Tower a chance, but not for long at all, as a purple threat heads my way. And I seem to be in to a groove, as I am dodging here and there, hiding in our ink, and trying to spot the squidding purple inklings. Sure, I don't always survive, but I'm using the Carbon Roller quite well.

Another purple push, and I go over the block to short-cut behind the Tower. That works well too, getting me a triple-splat, not quite finding the Splatterscope for the full quad. There's some good purple dodging after that, and I find myself mired in purple ink.

But I come back, and get myself the quad I missed the last time! That's some fine splatting. My final Seeker Rush goes poorly, as I throw most of them in to a fence, but I drop down to get a couple more splats, one mutual, and end up celebrating our tenacity standing on our base.

I'm quite surprised at the number of splats I get in the battle! Maybe the other team were being bolder than normal, but the other stats don't suggest so. Maybe I'm getting my Carbon Roller groove back.

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on 3 vs 4 splatting in Tower Control (19-7, Carbon Roller Deco)
Tags: carbon roller deco, console, kelp dome, splatoon, tower control, wii u

No yes no yes! Tower Control (10-8, Carbon Roller Deco)

I honestly didn't expect to get such an easy splat from going up on the grating at the start of the battle, but it doesn't surprise me that the inkling was looking down. And as I've cleared the way, I should probably hop on the Tower. Why don't I?

Instead, I provide more support, splatting an inkling and inking some turf. That should help, but not as much as actually moving the Tower. A squidmate sees to that, but doesn't get far. Maybe that's why I didn't hop on to start with. And if I could only cling on to the wall a bit better, maybe I would be caught.

I spend perhaps a little too long inking over quite a lot teal turf, but once I'm over that ramp I'm pretty much committed to being there, and I don't want to roll too far in to the open whilst still surrounded by the other team's ink. The Tower will just have to wait.

Of course, once the Tower starts resetting, the teal inklings will be looking more my way. I manage to survive their attention for a bit, and escape thanks to a bit of help from my Seeker Rush. Now we push the Tower forwards, hopefully helped a little by my earlier inking.

We make good progress and take back the lead, but a well-timed Point Locator reveals my position and makes it simple to splat me back to base. We've got a great lead, though. Surely we can defend this. If my Kraken-dodging skills are anything to go by, yes we can.

I don't quite dodge the Inkzooka as well I did the Kraken, but my Seeker seeks on without me, getting inky vengeance from beyond the splat. My Roller flicking lets me down a little afterwards, although I still haven't quite got the hang of the Tower's column getting in the way. And although I redeem myself with a double-splat to clear the Tower, the Carbon Roller behind me keeps the teal team going.

And going. She pops her Inkzooka out and clears the path ahead, and the lead that looked good enough to defend is lost, and by a small margin. This isn't the best time to see the ten-second countdown. But we get the Tower back, giving us the smallest spark of hope. Can we ride from next to our goal, all the way to the other side of the map without pause?

With the teal team obliterated, getting the Tower back to half-way is straightforwards. Some good teamwork gets us back to where we once were, and some focussed ink straight ahead cuts through the teal inklings to finish the task. That wasn't so difficult. Woomy!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on No yes no yes! Tower Control (10-8, Carbon Roller Deco)
Tags: carbon roller deco, console, kelp dome, splatoon, tower control, wii u

Splats for nothing in Tower Control (13-6, Carbon Roller Deco)

Exquisite squidding again at the start of this battle. Turf needs to be inked, apparently. I'll work it out eventually. I may work out what's going on around the Tower too, but not that soon, because it gets a bit hectic. Bombs everwhere! Squids here, inklings there! I can't believe I survive so long, or that I am finally splatted when I get on a safe-looking Tower.

Going around the long way probably works better for the Tri-slosher, but it remains a viable route for surprising inklings that are looking the other way. To be fair, my squidmates do most of the heavy lifting, but I take one inkling off their tentacles, and prevent a super-jumper from being a pain in the behind.

As we control the Tower, I go the long way around the back, fully expecting to be stopped or at least spotted, but neither happens. It looks like I have a clear shot at an inkling or two on top of a pillar as well. But the lack of ink for a clean jump and the Rapid Blaster being nicely aware of her surroundings, it goes a bit pear shaped for me. Quite how the Carbon Roller splatted me, though, I don't know.

A second push from us, where I am a bit ineffectual, but we get another go, where slightly redeem myself, starting with a decent Seeker/Roller splat. But from there it's all downhill, at least in terms of Tower Control. I get splats here and there, admittedly not quite knowing what I'm doing half the time, but the Tower is being inexorably pushed towards our goal.

It is super-satisfying to watch a Seeker seek its target from behind, I have to say. It would be more satisfying getting a splat if I didn't turn around to see the Tower reach its goal, though. Still, you can't win them all.

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Splats for nothing in Tower Control (13-6, Carbon Roller Deco)
Tags: carbon roller deco, console, splatoon, tower control, urchin underpass, wii u

Seeking the knockout in Splat Zones (8-3, Carbon Roller Deco)

Phew, what a losing streak! From mid-S Rank down to half-way A+. But that's okay, really. I thought I was doing well by staying in S Rank this time, but it doesn't really matter that I've dropped down again. I can still have some fun.

Maybe I am back in A+ because I still rush headlong in to opponent ink, particularly at the start when every opponent is going to be there. I keep my spirits buoyed by being amused that the Roller didn't splat me back, but the Tri-slosher above. I should watch out for him.

Or maybe it's because of my lack of coordination, as I can't ink below me or throw a Seeker and just give up on both for a second. Still, at least I'm not the only one in this Rank, as the other Roller and I look to be about the same skill.

My squidmates are on it, though. They grab a point lead whilst I am lagging behind, but also taking care of a potential ambusher. Nice! I look for other ambushers. There's not one behind that block. Good. There is one with a Suction Bomb Rush, who I splat, and am almost saved from a Suction Bomb by the water level rising. I don't quite get away from the Kraken, however.

With the water level changed, I can go around the back, getting a Seeker splat as I go. But that puts me on their splat-cam, which makes my manoeuvre less of a surprise. So it goes! Sure enough, I have to squid away, but at least I get away.

I go back, and look for opportunity. But miss it completely! Sure, I get the splat on the Tri-slosher splatting a squidmate, but our score is down to 6 and I have a Seeker Rush available. Why am I not inking the Splat Zones, with hoards of Seekers?!

Thankfully, I realise at an opportune moment. I jump down, activating the Seeker Rush, and both ink over the Splat Zones and get a splat, just enough to help us to the knockout victory. I played my part, woomy!

Posted in Gaming | Comments Off on Seeking the knockout in Splat Zones (8-3, Carbon Roller Deco)
Tags: carbon roller deco, console, mahi-mahi resort, splat zones, splatoon, wii u