Introduction to competitive Splatoon and sendou.ink

What do I need?

You don't need to be any specific skill level to join the community. There are people of all skill levels in the community. Typically you can expect to play mostly against people in the X Rank even in the lower level tournaments but even that is not a requirement. It can be more fun to improve in a group.

Discord account in practice will be needed as a lot of the communication within teams and tournaments happens there. You can also use a Discord account to log in to sendou.ink.

For voice chat players typically use Discord. In terms of setting it up you can search online for more information but some people might use an audio splitter that allows you to hear both in-game audio and voice chat with the same headphones. Simpler setup might be to use headphones from your phone for example and use speakers for in-game audio.

You should also invest in an ethernet cable. Stable internet makes the game more enjoyable for yourself and people who play against you.

Should I use motion controls?

In short if you are able to, yes. This is somewhat unique to Splatoon but all high and top level players practically without exception use motion controls. Stick controls differ from most other console shooters in the way that there is no aim assist. In practice using them means you are at a disadvantage.

How to select what weapons to play?

If you are just starting out worrying too much about what weapon is popular right now in the meta-game is not necessary. This is something that changes rapidly from patch to patch and typically only starts to matter at the very high level of play. Instead choose a weapon to get good at that you enjoy playing. Then consider complementing it with 1-2 other alternative weapons that are different from it (in kit or range for example). This makes it easier for you to fit the team composition no matter what your teammates are playing.

How to make a good build?

Min-maxing builds can be fun but it's important to realize that how well you do in matches is overwhelmingly decided by your skill rather than the exact build you are using. Only rule you really need to remember is diminishing returns meaning the first sub of any given ability is going to be the most effective and the more you are stacking, the less of an effect you will be seeing. That's why typically mixing at least a handful of different abilities is likely going to be the strongest build. That said instead of reinventing the wheel you can just check what experienced players are using via the Builds listing.

If you are someone who likes to optimize everything down to the last sub then make sure to check out Analyzer and DMG Calc to learn exactly what each ability does.

What maps/modes are played competitively?

This will completely depend on the tournament. Before signing up for a tournament on sendou.ink you will be able to see the maps and modes the tournament is running. For higher level of play and some open tournaments Splat Zones only is popular. Turf War is less popular in competitive than other modes but there are also tournaments that include it. Notably Koshien in Japan which is one of the most prestigious tournaments is only Turf War.

How can I find a team?

Browse the posts on LFG or leave your own!

I don't have a team yet, can I still play?

Team or no team solo practice is crucial for improving. Even the best of the best players have put in a significant amount of hours practicing solo ranked (X Rank). You also sometimes see people use peak X Rank power (XP) as a skill indicator. As a newer player one of your main goals should be reaching X Rank and then improving your rank. One of the pitfalls is despairing over what your teammates are doing in any given match. Do not fall for this, as this is not something you can affect and the best players can turn even the most unwinnable matches around. For divisions Tentatek can be good when starting but you will find most of the competitive players choosing the Takoroka division which is something to keep in mind.

SendouQ is an extension of the in-game solo. It allows you to queue alone or with 1-3 of your friends. There is a built-in solution to form a team on the spot. When signing up solo be prepared for it to take some time. Typically you would want to for example play solo in the background and check back to how the team forming is going between games. Remember to also set your full match profile on the Settings page.

You don't need a team to start playing in tournaments. Check out Calendar and utilize filters to find out tournaments that are either 1vs1 format or are "draft" format. 1vs1 is not the typical competitive format (that would be 4vs4) but it's a good way to get your feet wet. Draft tournaments have the organizer form teams from the solo sign-ups. Even if the tournament does not have solo sign-ups as such you can use the LFG feature to indicate you are looking for a team for the event. The actual process works similarly to SendouQ team forming.

Good way to improve is also to watch and study good players that play the same weapons as you! The Videos feature is one way to discover them.

I have a team, what should we do?

Never too early to participate in some tournaments! On the Calendar you can filter by the "Skill cap" tag to find tournaments specifically catered to newer teams. That said don't be shy to try some open level tournaments as well. It's a good way to avoid building bad habits around strategies that won't work against higher level teams.

Outside of tournaments SendouQ is in fact best experienced with a pre-made team. It can give you that tournament like pressure of a "best of" set while you are practicing a specific map list, maybe for some of your upcoming tournaments.

Scrims are another great option. While map list tracking is supported here it's not really about "win or lose". Instead you are trying to learn in an environment where you are able to replay maps and play an extended period of time against the same opponent. Scrims can be scheduled which gives you a better chance to find a suitable opponent than just relying on finding one on the spot.

What are ranks on sendou.ink? (Leviathan/Diamond/Platinum…)

Play SendouQ and ranked tournaments to participate in sendou.ink competitive seasons. Once you have played at least seven sets, your rank will be calculated and shown. Then you can try to get it higher before season ends! Ranks are always strictly percentile based so for example "Leviathan" is always the top 5% of the players who participated in the season. View all ranks on the Tiers page.

What are "divs"?

Divs or divisions are related to LUTI (Leagues Under The Ink) which is the biggest Splatoon league. It has historically been run about once or twice a year. For historical reasons, people sometimes use them as proxy to player skill. So if someone is saying they are "Div 2" that would mean their skill level is higher than "Div 4". The actual way to get a Div is to participate in LUTI (which you should participate in because it's a very special event, not to get a div) but people also freely estimate them.

What is the "Plus Server" (+1/+2/+3)?

Originally a high and top level player LFG server. There is a voting happening once a season where every existing member votes on everyone in that tier as well as all the suggestions that time around. You can also get membership by achieving a high enough rank in a season. See the exact details on the FAQ page.