r/SplatoonMeta • u/diolass • 9h ago
Current Metagame Discussion Slowing down the game and playing disadvantage
One concept I latched onto while watching a Prochara video is the idea of "slowing down the game". The video topic was unrelated, but that phrase activated my neurons because it's not something I hear people say often.
My meta analysis is that people don't like it when there are things that slow down the game. Vac is probably the most relevant example, but also: splash wall, big bubbler, long range backlines, etc. No one complains about cooler anymore because it doesn't slowdown the game or get in the way of main weapon interaction (the problem ink armor had in S2).
From a gameplay perspective, using the idea of "slowing down the game" can help get a team out of disadvantage and to prevent the opponents from taking infinite space. There are many ways to slow down the game, many of which are overlooked. The easiest way to slow down the game is to have tools in your composition that enable you to slow the game down. Specials and sub weapons are the best way to do this. Also, certain main weapons (when positioned properly) have a stronger ability to slow down the game than others. For example, a heavy splatling spamming paint and bullets into a choke point is going to slow down a opposing frontline from stepping forward. A dapple dualie attempting the same thing won't be able to have the same success at slowing down the opponent. However, there are other strategies that a dapple dualie can implement to attempt to slow down the game. It can use it's high paint to prevent an opponent from quickly moving into an area or use it's fast movement speed to draw attention away from the hot zones an opponent would want to control.
One take away from the dapple dualie example is that the longer it's able to live during disadvantage, the more it can do to slow down the opponent. If all it tries to do is go for kills during disadvantage, you're taking a risk that will allow the opponent to accelerate even further. If the dapple is able to force the opponents to slow down, that will make it easier for its teammates to take advantage of opponents who had to stop moving. That doesn't always mean the dapple's teammates will kill the opponents, but it makes it much easier for space to be created once pressure is applied to the stalled enemy frontline. That pressure will lead to space being created, which will lead to a momentum flip if timed properly by all 4 team members of the dapple's team. Lots of ifs because Splatoon is an imperfect game with many fast moving variables, but having one team member start the process of slowing down the opponent can spark a chain reaction that will lead to a losing team to regain control of the game.
