Weapon Select Part 5: Splatanas

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Here's part 5 of a series called Weapon Select where I go through each weapon, class by class, play a game on each one, and talk about that weapon's unique playstyle. I'm hoping this will be helpful to players that have been trying to figure out their preferred weapons and playstyles, as well as for players who want footage of a competitive player using a weapon they play. I can't promise I'll be an expert at every weapon, but I've got enough experience with the game that hopefully most players will be able to learn at least something from it.
This video covers the splatanas, leaving long range shooters, chargers, splatlings, brellas, blasters, brushes, and stringers for future videos. Let me know in the comment section which of those you want to see first!
Resource I use for figuring out builds (what you see in this video isn't especially well tailored to the weapons): sendou.ink/builds
#splatoon3 #splatanas #playstyle
0:00 Introduction
1:14 Splatana Stamper
18:01 Stamper Game
23:57 Splatana Wiper
31:43 Wiper Game

[@littlemouche]

Calling it now, Nintendo's eventually gonna make a dualie splatana and call it the Splatulas

[@MeloniestNeon]

I've wanted a dualie splatana since I saw there were multiple on release. A double-dash that deals less damage but can be used like dualie dashes would be sick

[@brandonlacey199]

Had the same thoughts even thought up some ideas for it

[@yoshistrings]

@@dacomputernerd4096 Splatula is going to be a special in a future DLC

[@-bemyvalentine-]

As a Chilean, this is just way too fucking funny...

[@berzerk130]

nintendo hire this man

[@MudakTheMultiplier]

The best tip I got about these is that they aren't swords, they're guns with bayonets. Don't rush in for the melee, use your range.

[@babywizard9027]

This is the perfect way to describe it, people keep trying to use it like a roller, but in that case just use a roller and it will do the job better.

[@Gayboythenormalboy1686]

Nah I’m gonna keep getting my four kills with twenty deaths/j

[@Neon_Streets]

One thing that you didn’t mention is that the wiper has absolutely insane strafe speed. You can just run around people and chip them down

[@AnekinRed]

13:40 it’s actually better to jump so half of the charge slash goes over the ledge as it paints and deals the same damage while giving you lots of cover. Kinda like ultra stamp air swings this also applies to the crit hitbox as well. (This applies to both splatana’s released so far)

[@celestialspark5697]

These weapons have such a different playstyle and feel, including things like movement and button inputs, from other weapons, that there's a really steep initial learning curve. I had to play Stamper for around 50-100 games before it felt like an actual functional weapon. They're very rewarding and fun, though! One thing I have yet to figure out is the "combo swing" mechanic: there is a very specific time window after you do a horizontal swipe where pushing and holding the ZR button will do a second horizontal swipe, only charging a vertical swipe afterwards, which is generally not desirable. It seems to only do this right after a horizontal slash completes in a very tight window, but it can get you killed pretty easily if you accidentally don't charge a vertical slash enough and use a horizontal, then hit this "combo" timing and use two horizontal slashes in a row, which absolutely kills your mobility as Stamper.

[@Saltience]

playing the wiper turns me into a skirmishing fiend and i cant stop skirmishing

[@CATLOAFMAN]

One thing about the splatanas is they have amazing object damage even when you aren't melee hitting them you can break big bubbler booyah bomb and crab tank REALLY fast

[@connormcnulty6377]

I thought you were talking about the actual bomb instead of the armor, and I thought you meant rushing into the blast. Which is definitely something I would do.

[@celest61]

If I recall correctly I remember seeing a fact that without Object Shredder, Stamper charged slashes can destroy a Big Bubbler in 3 hits if attacking a weakpoint

[@EclipseKirby]

With the Stamper, Ive found the Vertical - Horizontal combo destroys wave breaker without Object Shredder, so it does at least 4x damage to objects. Insane

[@celest61]

@@EclipseKirby From what I’ve experienced, without OS, if you can land the 1-shot of a Stamper (Vertical with both the Melee and the Slash, you’ll hit if you hear a sound from the game and your controller rumbles) can almost instantly destroy a Wave Breaker, only allowing it to get 1 wave out

[@PerfectDarkly]

Object Shredder Stamper instantly destroys Wave Breaker in a single charge beam, and can pop the Rainmaker Shield in 3 charged melees. It's honestly pretty insane. Pair all this with the fact it can dash forward and melee Ink Vac through its suction and it's kind of a Special Killer

[@ObiAlmighty]

Spider Gem! Spider Gem! He knows every stratagem! Chara, DUDE, even Vic! He can take ‘em out real quick! WATCH OUT! Here comes the Spider Gem! Squids and schools He’s the man Take you out like contraband Clams and zones Victory! Watching him learn will teach me WATCH OUT! Here comes the Spider Geeeeem! In the chill of night When zones are getting filled You just knooooow he’s there Zipcasting up that hill WATCH OUT! Here comes the Spider Gem! He’s such a great gem! There is a shiny gem! Here comes the Spider Geeeeem!

[@ursamajo.r]

Gold

[@whiplash6548]

This song is amazing

[@polygawn]

“Even Vic” AWWWW

[@daneleventsixti]

I think this tip might be impractical but charge slash while jumping, even holdig forward you won't be dashing so that might be something to help avoid dashing by accident

[@BIGstonks]

No i think this is a great tip. I was going to comment it myself before i saw that you already said it!

[@slantedhorizon1021]

Just remember not to over do it especially when there's a Jr. on the opposing team since they'll just spam bombs.

[@wavedotwav]

jumping when you attack is overall not recommended, even though its situational. you have much more limited movement and if you notice something like a bomb you wont be able to squid roll away or swim away

[@hydro3739]

I always love how Gem puts himself in the thumbnails for his videos. Keep up the good videos!

[@Sqwivig]

Actually the thumbnail for this video is an old picture of Arin Hanson from Game Grumps 😆

[@muno]

restream chat was my favorite character :(

[@spaceman4390]

When you were out partying, I studied the blade...

[@Eggmancan]

Wiper is my favorite weapon in the game so far. I hope they buff the OHKO hit box, tho. It hurts my soul to be point blank range and to totally whiff a charge lol

[@celestialspark5697]

Yeah, this is a real struggle. It's really not that the hitbox is bad, so much as that the lunge doesn't have a hitbox until the end and can send you past people, and you need to keep your aim on during the swing. I often struggle with adrenaline making my hands unsteady when I'm going for one-shots, so I'll miss off to the side because I'm not properly focused on aiming; it feels like a mindset of "they didn't notice me, so this should just hit" is very dangerous with this weapon, unlike with rollers.

[@babywizard9027]

I think the weapon is fine as it is right now. The OHKO hitbox is small, but it charges very fast. However, it should never be your main way of attack. Use the insane strafe speed of the horizontal slashes to run around and poke opponents at a distance, and annoy them with Torpedos, only use the charged slash if you find an opening or if you sneak up on someone. Since it's very risky. What i would change about it is to make Ultra Stamp invincible from the front. It's the worst feeling in the world to get killed from the front while you're in rush mode. It should protect you, but the armor is so inconsistent and almost never works properly. Your best bet is to just throw the Stamp immediately, which is a big lame, since it's like a Trizooka but only one shot.

[@celestialspark5697]

@@babywizard9027 Honestly, invincible stamp from the front would feel really terrible to play against; a lot of the time, it's your only counterplay to it even if you see it coming from a mile away, because of drops on the maps. When I'm using stamp, I treat rush mode as a desperation attempt, and mostly use swim > jump-stamp or using jump-stamp to get people over ledges since it swings pretty high and far, then throw it if someone's well in front of me. If anything, I'd like them to remove the end lag on rush so you can jump-stamp out of it.

[@babywizard9027]

@@celestialspark5697 I don't think it would, since it's so slow, you can easily squid roll to the side and avoid the rush mode, or just maneuver around it, it's also very exploitable in a 2v1. The only thing invincibility from the front would do is allow it to feel consistent, instead of just dying more than half the time to some Charger and thinking "where's my armor?"

[@TGCPhilip]

Wiper benefits heavily from LDE because of how viable it makes Torpedo combos. I find that Charged Slashes are your best options because it's a fast way to get 60 damage. Horizontal Slashes are a fine option for panicking or chip damage. That's all I know so far

[@celestialspark5697]

The horizontal slashes on Wiper also work really well for kiting because you have ridiculous strafe speed and shut down movement forward in a wide area. Pretty hard to actually get a kill unless someone really commits with a shorter range weapon, though.

[@CreationsFlare]

In my experience, LDE on Wiper is good but not necessary. Torp isn't too expensive on the Ink Tank, so it more matters for what you want to do after you throw your torp. I think it depends your playstyle and how much you want to play around your Torp placement. And in that sense, both a QR Speed build and a LDE Ninja build are viable.

[@Super_EpicGuy]

11:15 If you look closely, when fully charging the aim is actually in the middle of the six bars, which is why the normal reticle disappears. You can see the charge slash is shot at a slightly upwards angle

[@MidX4]

Stamper is very fun

[@zekedms]

Oh, it's me! Seeing yourself on a squid school replay is a top tier way to learn what you got right and wrong :D GG, fun round :)

[@widebhb950]

In my opinion, the wiper is also good in horizontal swings, they are far easier to aim than a fire weapon so you'll kill alot of players, my suggestion is to use charged slashes but also horizontal, mix them both and not just rely on one of them

[@SuspiciousTemmie]

I can't wait to see how you play the brushes, I'm an Inkbrush main and would be really interested in seeing how you would play them.

[@BIGstonks]

Maybe its my own bias but I think i disagree with the idea that the Wiper can't follow up on its damage well. Something I do is I use my Torpedo *_A LOT._* It gives me (and my allies) location information and if the opponent doesnt break it, it both paints a large area and possibly does chip damage if they are still in the area. If they do break it, it forces their attention onto it for a bit at least. If you are in a position where you can actually follow up on where the torpedo explodes, you can often follow up with a charge slash or two regular slashes for a kill. Considering how it has a fair amount of range with charge slashes and great strafe speed with the regular slashes, i believe its not as impractical as you think. The end goal is definitely to be a little gnat, putting out as many torpedos as it can, but it can follow up on it just as well as its teammates can. Then again I dont play it competitively so my perspective may not apply to the way you are thinking about it.

[@NotSnak]

I could totally see a wiper kit with fizzy bomb and something like crab tank bubbler or even trizooka working well

[@shawverno.1130]

I got this idea for a splatana/brush hybrid that it totally unnecessary but it’s cool so idc. I call it: THE FANBRUSH SLASHER! It rolls a bit faster than octo, has a similar size paint trail, and has a slower swing speed. The slashes are wide horizontal splatana slashes that deal lots more damage than a normal splatana to make up for the swing speed. Jumping with a normal slash makes it go vertical. They don’t travel very far but it’s fine bc that’s not the main point of this weapon. To give an idea of how this works the weapon looks like a fanbrush attached to the hilt of a splatana but the brush segment is on a metal L shaped bit. When you preform a charge slash, the fanbrush flicks down to the side of the weapon to make it an AXE!! The charge slash is the real draw of this weapon because the little dash forwards goes much farther than splatanas and the slash is diagonal with a massive arc around the player. There isn’t a projectile for this slash, but it has a bigger kill hitbox and an extra sour spot that go decently far in front of you. This slash inks your feet and it not very good as painting walls but jump attacks do that fine. This weapon is probably pretty weak in practice but I love the idea of a fanbrush that becomes an axe and can work as a real melee option :)

[@naturalgas1180]

Stamper is fun but I can never win with it. Thanks for the tips.

[@adamp.8571]

That’s because Stamper is a “selfish” weapon because it’s main contributor is slaying. The weapon doesn’t paint all that well and zipcaster doesn’t help with that at all. Stamper also takes awhile to learn because it has many different ways to approach enemies on top of being a brand new weapon and special. It took me nearly a week of just using Stamper alone just to feel confident with it. I had a ton of Ls along the way and went in massive debt. However, I’m coming out of the learning curve and Stamper is worth the trouble. It’s a mid range that also has a deadly melee attack, combine that with burst and it’s a beastly slayer.

[@jayonix]

i feel like the meta way to play wiper is topedo spam and combos with charge slash. lots of sub saver is important imo

[@babywizard9027]

Don't forget the horizontal slashes, 30 damage might not seem like much, but they are pretty fast attacks and you have the highest strafe speed in the entire game while using them. It's perfect for kiting close range opponents or poking people while maintaining your range.

[@halfrohp]

I'm starting to get into Splatlings, so a lesson on those might help me a lot

[@fable7122]

I’ve been using the stamper on and off and have come up with a bit of tech that I wish he covered. It would take a bit of getting used to but to prevent dashing all together, when you go to do a charged slash, jump and release zr. It prevents it but does take some readjustment of your aim for attacking somebody. But it’s something to think about

[@eaa1338]

Btw the charged melee hitbox of the stamper shreds through crab tank/booyah bomb armor and it also destroys wave breaker in 2 hits.

[@Octi_]

One thing I reccomend is flicking after the lunge helps freduce the lag magically. and you can cancel lungeif you dont want to approach too quickly by jumping

[@ClayAdams]

You know what I’d love to see from you is a video about sprinkler, beacon and ink mine placement spots for all the maps on the various modes

[@theweirdbugnerd3224]

My current main is the splatana wiper, I absolutely love everything about it. Maybe it's just my ADHD, but something about being able to switch from my typical hiding, then jumping in when I see teammates fighting opponents and using the stamper to help facilitate a lot of splats is just perfect for me

[@JGHFunRun]

13:07 the other thing to watch for is dualies, which can easily dodge your slashes if they have enough ink

[@azza5332]

Had to drop this weapon due to the incredibly steep learning curve, but I can see where I was going wrong with it. So respect to anyone who can play this well because this weapon rewards high skill.

[@brentus668]

I actually liked playing Wiper also I can't wait to see the alt kits for the new weapons

[@mp-cx9rd]

It would be really stupid but I'd love for the splatanas to be able to roll like the dualies after a swing or while charging

[@Tom-vx7qh]

I really want a new Splatana that has a really fast swing speed, very short range, and a charge slash that takes a relatively long time to charge, but the forward dash sends you incredibly far. Basically I want it to play like Jetstream Sam in the Metal Gear Rising DLC

[@notmarshy9603]

Splatana Squisher (based on a pool noodle) auto bomb trizooka Swing speed of Wiper (with smaller ink distance akin to tri slosher) Little longer charge than stamper charged slash lunges you forward with an ink barriers-ish wall in front of you (vulnerable behind) at the distance of charged wiper swing. Can only be angled straight/ downwards. Charged dash has slight endlag with ink covering where you land if dash is still active. (You bend the pool noodle to launch yourself forwards once you let go) tap deals 20 melee 33 ranged 60 charged above average ink consumption

[@jod2015]

It would be amazing if they added a rolling feature to any future splatanas just like the dualies…I’d feel like a Jedi at that point 😂

[@Escape__Reality]

I love your videos

[@thederpysqueege]

I think splatbombs would be great on a splatana, sad thing is it would make the Weapon really gear dependent since the bombs are expensive. I personally love the control you have over splat bomb detonation tho

[@carlos41519]

I like stamper but when i get the hang of it during a rotation, the next one comes and i start all over again. My favorite zipcaster weapon is luna though.

[@an-ei]

Zipcaster is terrible at lower levels because if you don't know what you're doing, it's basically a suicide button, like a reverse Splashdown.

[@VibeDPyro]

My favorite random splatoon hobbie is to equip the samurai armor and go ham in turf with melee, the best part was that once me and a team of melee users won against the foul modern guns of that horseshoe crab

[@joshuagabrielcatindig7607]

Perhaps finish the shooters class next with the long rangers?

[@Flibbertigibbet502]

The face he made when he got the 25 dmg instead of the 35. 🤣

[@sophiegrey9576]

All the splatanas? All... all two of them?

[@chopsticks9826]

Unfortunately only a week later the splatana wiper buffs change how it plays somewhat significantly

[@DESMal]

splatling tip video will be fun for me,, so I can see how wrong I've been playing my main for the past 7 years

[@AnthanKrufix]

I think it would be cool if there was a Splatana with a long range dash which splats people as you go through them instead of at the end.

[@shaba22]

I think you're describing zipcaster lol

[@apersonwhomayormaynotexist9868]

That's just a roller but broken

[@sanicboi9187]

The hitbox and endlag on that would have to be atrocious for that to be balanced

[@h.ad3s]

hey, idea for a quick video maybe, what do you suggest we do before the season ends? like, sheldon liscense grinding, which weapons might go away, etc.? i'm scared that i'll lose stuff with the new season!!

[@VibeDPyro]

I doubt weapons will disappear or be removed, they’ll probably be overshadowed by the new weapons though

[@h.ad3s]

@@VibeDPyro in popularity or in balance?

[@tofunmidaramola7978]

Is there any top level player that main hydra?

[@psy-fi64]

Imagine a Grizzco Splatana 🥶

[@apersonwhomayormaynotexist9868]

I mean the stamper in salmon run already does 100 damage per horizontal attack

[@vx10526]

Uhhh

[@psy-fi64]

@@vx10526 lmao I commented this before it came out

[@teeje8205]

ah yes, the weapon type me, a brush main,is most likely to branch out to

[@dunnoatp1638]

I hope that Splatana gets a Fizzy Bomb/Reefslider next if I'm being honest

[@CazDad]

Idk man I get a ton of kills with wiper due to the movement and it’s an amazing respawn weapon

[@arjunbaweja7755]

ok I'm sorry but your splatana wiper gameplay lacks horizontal slashes. Wiper LOVES those so much, USE THEM

[@QuickQwack]

21:50 Is it not possible to throw clams in the basket when you're using zipcaster?

[@liam_iam]

no it would be kinda op

[@onychophorum]

as a wiper main since launch who really doesnt want to switch to stamper: i am suffering all the time

[@boowho817]

A big-*ss Sword, with dummy range. Splatsamune, make it happen Splatoon.

[@ibbandflow]

the thumbnail 😭

[@irtehmrepic]

Nothin personnel, kid

[@shannonney3028]

Something not touched on during the zipcaster section was the Tristinger. (Not going to blame you. I imagine its not seeing much play in your games and the pro scene yet.) Don't zipcast to a Tristinger if they've seen you. Zipcaster moves in just as predictable a way as reefslider, tho the vulnerability is lessened. The tristinger will just one shot you or kite you if they know what they are doing.

[@babywizard9027]

Honestly, just don't Zipcast directly onto anyone, use the unrivaled mobility to attack from an angle that's uncomfortable for them. Such as from behind or above.

[@emii-olii3596]

It's just not the same without the restream chat

[@theshadowking3198]

Golly 40 minutes welp let’s hunker down

[@king_fresh27]

lol it looks like ben shapiro in the thumbnail 😂

[@SquidSchool]

There are many on the internet who claim that it is actually him

[@Lo-Fi-_-Gaming]

Splatanas are underwhelming at first. That's seriously my first feedback but when I spent hours using it, hell it's a good slayer weapon. It's definitely best with swim speed + good aiming and then I prefer using the melee 1 hit KO instead of range. It's fun.

[@uristgames2470]

While you were squid partying, I studied the blade.

[@TocnaelStarcraft]

giv splatling

[@user-ht3nw5zd6k]

Don't just charge slash strafe while attacking normally. It's supposed to be a slayer weapon played like tetras and needs to get kills quickly and reliably Edit: this is coming from a wiper main

[@Neon-Leon]

Restream Chat Appreciation Comment

[@anonnigiri9301]

2:44 skipping to whats relevent to me

[@cirlu_bd]

you should disable the autofocus and have your settings set at the distance you usually stand from your camera, blurry gem is funny but still blurry, I don't like it :/

[@Timbit901]

Honestly wiper really benefits from stamp in my opinion. As somebody who has used wiper a lot but only in solo, I can't say my experiences will communicate well with competetive, but the ability to instantly have significantly easier fights against short range shooters rushing you is really useful, plus especially in solo stamp can just mow people down in a teamfight. Stamp also makes a much bigger distraction than the wiper, which allows it to give space for its allies. also the ability to throw the stamp and have a budget trizooka is a thing that makes it good. Stamp can yet also be used as a budget ink vac to protect the rainmaker and teammates to push into an area or to eat bombs, plus it can be used for dps against common specials like big bubbler and crab. Plus its fun. This comment is really long...

[@23h9ubsn31dd]

sord

[@rabbitdadthings]

Mall ninja Ben Shapiro though. Hahaha!

[@JohnsonArchived]

1

[@Kitana___]

2

[@Sqwivig]

Hahahaha that picture of Arin Hanson never gets old 🤣 😂 He's such a memelord I love him He's also the guy from that meme "I can be your angle or yuor devil" lmao Hard to belive he's been doing Game Grumps for over 10 years! Even harder to belive he's been a prominent figure on the internet for over 15 years! I followed him back during the Newgrounds golden years!

[@dizzyhungry]

is that ben shapiro in the thumbnail

[@WretchedRedoran]

Shen Bapiro

[@WretchedRedoran]

Beng Pabiro

[@SquidSchool]

So I am told, yes

[@blazera]

Man clam blitz is weird. Yall scored a power clam and several small clams, and got zero score for any of it.

[@celestialspark5697]

It's the same penalty system as Splat Zones, except it triggers when the enemy basket closes rather than when the enemy team scores. You have to re-earn 50% of the points you earned during your last scoring streak as a penalty.

[@blazera]

@@celestialspark5697 thats wild you can score more clams than the enemy and still lose

[@apersonwhomayormaynotexist9868]

@@blazera same with zones, it's about being smart, not just blindly pressing buttons

[@blazera]

@@apersonwhomayormaynotexist9868 just so we're clear, we're talking about scoring full power clams as blindly pressing buttons that should be penalized.

[@celestialspark5697]

@@blazera It encourages making a big push and scoring a bunch of points as a team, both because this does a better job of pushing your actual score down (which counts in the event of the match ending by time), and because you need significantly fewer points total to win the game if your last scoring drive is a big one. (Interestingly, getting a KO is not made easier by any scoring drive other than the game-winning one being large, though.)

[@AfroSpook]

Ben Shapiro thumbnail lol

[@user-bl8cd2xd4g]

you really don't know how to play splatanas squid "school" lmao

[@viscrelia]

This is literally a video from season 1

[@user-bl8cd2xd4g]

@@viscrelia still he is not very good