Overall, Brimstone's abilities are suited for a more mid-range playstyle. His abilities don't require him to be close to get the most out of them (unless you're trying to tag a very specific area with the Incendiary), and since they generally take a couple of seconds to set up accurately, it's best if you're out of harm's way when activating them. Brimstone specializes in dictating the terms of the fight, and in the right hands, can create a truly uneven situation that your team is going to greatly benefit f

Each match features players of relatively equal skill on both sides and being able to tell a team that there is a flank or a push happening can make the difference between winning and losing. If serious about climbing in rank, communication is key, and there is no way around t

If the beta was already swarmed with hackers and aimbots, what guarantee is there that the formal launch won't suffer the same problem? It's simply not fun to play VALORANT - or any online game for that matter - when a lot of the matches are played with cheaters who have no concept of morality or true tal

Phoenix's Blazewall is decent for blocking vision, but mainly a great way to heal up quickly. His fireball is capable of self-healing too, not to mention blocking and damaging foes. Lastly, Run It Back gives Phoenix a free chance to push into any room, instantly reviving him if taken down during its duration; His ultimate ability is unique and Cs:Go Awp endlessly use

Some players have noticed that walking and shooting don't affect a player's aim. This is so unrealistic since in real life, literally any movement can alter the aim of the weapon and its accuracy. As of now, skill seems optional since running at someone while your gun is on full auto somehow works better than methodically lining up a heads

With this aggressive playstyle, it can be pretty easy to confuse the enemy, as well. Omen can be almost anywhere, and a good Omen is going to keep the enemy looking over their shoulders for the majority of the ma

Riot Games has made it clear that when it comes to ranking up or down, winning and losing games is the number one factor to consider. Individual performance will also matter, but far less. This means that teamwork is key, and as mentioned above, learning how the map works, along with the buying economy from round to round. In low ranks, those Cowboy superstars who think they can charge in and dominate the competition might find success among Iron and Bronze, but likely will not advance in rank too far since the individual is not what matters, but the team outc

Twitch Streamer TenZ was the fist North American player to earn the Valorant rank in competitive mode, which is a massive accomplishment. Finding the best players and watching them can be invaluable to see how they handle early rounds, the buying economy, and how they treat the map. There is so much to learn in this game, and these players are the ones most firmly invested into reaching the top, so be sure to find the best and watch them master their ga

It's not an overstatement to say that T1 and Nerd Sreet Gamers' tournament was incredibly fun to watch. From Hiko's insane 1v4 clutch to EliGE popping off at every possible moment, VALORANT proved that it can live up to the hype as an esp

The event also saw some teams lose their matches due to the mismanagement of their economy. Even for pro players who have been spending the last month or so playing the game non-stop, VALORANT is hard. It's a game that's easy to grasp and hard to master. As the game matures, we as a community will increase our understanding of it, and the meta will change with

It is important to see what each player has in terms of resources so that everyone can go in on a full buy. It is equally important to remember that you carry forward weapons when surviving a round. If an opponent drops a weapon, it is (almost) always a good idea to pick it up before the round ends, since death causes the default layout of only a basic pistol to be equip

The Incendiary can get into areas that you may not even be able to see too, since it can bounce around corners. This is another ability that's really going to reward map knowledge; once you've got a really good understanding of the map, the angles, and the areas that enemies are likely to be in, you can get a lot of use out of the Incendiary Launcher without even having to put yourself in harm's

Cypher is the number one defensive character. His Trapwire and Spycam abilities are perfect ways for your team to allocate more resources towards other defensive points. Trapwires work completely passively. When an enemy is caught, they are revealed, dazed, and tethered. Even if destroyed, it will disappear on the mini-map, still alerting the entire t

One of the lesser-used abilities at Brimstone's disposal (for good reason) is his Stim Beacon. Tossing this out will grant you and any allies in the radius RapidFire either while standing in the effect, or for four seconds after leaving the area. This RapidFire can doesn't honestly make a huge difference and isn't going to do much for your team, but if you're pushing with a few teammates into the same area, you may as well give everybody the bo