Slingshot is a ranged Phighter who specializes in high mobility and ranged damage. Slingshot has an arsenal of mobility incorporated in his abilities, enabling him to quickly traverse the map and reposition quickly. Quick Feet ensures he's speeding across the map after every ability combo, and Sidestep lets him flit out of harm's way (or into it!). His primary damage source, Sling Shot can be fired for small poke, or charged to chunk huge sections of health from opponents. Furthermore, Slingshot also has tools to burst opponents quickly. Heavy Hurler, a delayed shot that stuns targets and pierces their shields and Scattershot, which fires 3 projectiles that ricochet off walls. Using his Phinisher, Leg Day, Slingshot becomes incredibly nimble and his next 3 shots fire out a piercing laser that travels across the map and through walls.
A Phighter who has an incredible amount of flexibility in playstyle and a wide skill-ceiling. Slingshot is an exceptional choice for players who want a ranged Phighter that is easy to learn, but hard to master and has many available options at their disposal.
Abilities
Type
Passive
Quick Feet
Jump mid-air to double jump, press and hold space after double jumping to hover. After every ability is used, gain Haste.
Max. hover duration: 2 seconds Double jump height: 15 Haste: 20% for 6 seconds Double jump and hover cooldown: 1 second + (hover duration/2) (max. 2 seconds)
Double jump and hover cooldown only starts upon the player making contact with the ground.
Each instance of Haste gained has its own duration.
Exceptional mobility can be used to reposition or avoid damage.
Extremely flexible playstyles, can be played aggressively, passively or defensively.
Low skill floor, easy to pick up due to hitscan projectiles and straight-forward kit.
Cons
Slingshot's damaging abilities slow down or hold him in place for a few moments, making him susceptible to taking significant damage if the player is not careful.
50 shield.
High skill ceiling.
Slingshot is a Phighter who utilizes his mobility to pepper enemies with mid range damage. Slingshot's horizontal and vertical mobility is the best among the ranged Phighters due to its low downtimes and abundance in his kit. This can be used to make fast openings to harass enemies, avoid damage or to quickly reposition. In addition, Slingshot's exceptional mobility allows him to be played in a variety of positions and playstyles based on the player's preference. This versatility allows Slingshot to be slotted into many team compositions and adapt accordingly to their team's needs. Characters such as Katana can struggle to catch up to Slingshot and often fold to them due to Slingshot's haste and mobility.
Slingshot's 150 hitpoints is average for a ranged Phighter. However, Slingshot only has 50 shield, giving little room for error if he gets caught out. The player must be be mindful of their small shield amount as taking too much damage can be costly if the team lacks a healer.
A significant weakness for Slingshot is that all of his damaging abilities suspend him in place or slow him down during use. This can give the enemy an opening to output significant damage against him if the player is caught out of position. Mobile rush down Phighters such as Skateboard or Biograft can outmatch Slingshot's mobility and give him limited opportunities to retaliate if they catch him off guard. Characters such as Hyperlaser can abuse him being suspended to dish out consistent large damage.
In a team, Slingshot has many options in the role he can play for his teammates. While not a comprehensive list, the following are examples of playstyles a Slingshot can play as:
Passive backliner - Outputs damage from a long distance combined with the safety of a team's frontline.
Midrange poker - Plays more aggressive to actively look for picks onto specific Phighters.
Flanker - Slingshot can take up a position from a different angle to draw the enemy's attention away and pressure the backline.
Slingshot does not have to stick to a playstyle throughout a match. The player can choose to make adjustments midgame.
Maps that use narrow hallways and chokepoints such as DODGEBALL! or larger maps such as King of the Hill benefit Slingshot greatly. The former can turn Slingshot's Phinisher into a team-wiping threat and allows his piercing trait to be utilized more. For the latter, Slingshot's mobility allows him to quickly traverse large maps and fully utilize the range of his abilities.
Tap-firing shots is useful for finishing off low health targets, dealing with mobile Phighters or to reset the shield regenation timer on Phighters with innate shield.
It is recommended the player maintains a midrange distance from their opponent to maximize damage, or use fully-charged shots.
Charged shots can be used in quick exchanges where the player wants to avoid exposing themselves for too long, such as against a Hyperlaser.
Keep in mind that the player cannot use their other damaging abilities during the effects of Leg Day. It is recommended to use them before ulting.
To maximize the value of Leg Day, utilize the increased walkspeed bonus to take angles where the beam can hit multiple players at once.
Since other moves can be used during Leg Day, you can use Heavy Hurler to stun enemies and guarantee landing one shot of your Phinisher.
Counterplay against Slingshot
While Slingshot has exceptional poke damage and mobility, he cannot do both at the same time. Melee Phighters with mobility can rush down a Slingshot and give him little room to use his abilities.
Slingshot's damaging abilities slow him down, or force him to stand still for a moment. Take any opportunity to punish a Slingshot who uses their abilities at vulnerable positions.
NEW EFFECT: Double jump now has a 1 second cooldown on use. The cooldown is extended if the user hovers (based on hover duration). The cooldown does not start until the player lands.