Gaming
esports
How to find the perfect VALORANT agent for Red Bull Campus Clutch
Want to play in our brand-new VALORANT tournament, but having trouble finding an agent to main? Fear not: G2 Esports are here to help with this guide.
In team games like Riot Games’ League of Legends, everyone has their role. Some play a more supportive role, while others try to make as many kills as possible to help the team win objectives. The studio’s new tactical shooter, VALORANT, is very similar in that regard: different agents are good at different things.
The most difficult part is finding a playstyle (and an agent) that suits you. So before jumping in your next ranked game (or signing up for our global collegiate tournament Red Bull Campus Clutch with your squad), it’s a good idea to think about how you want to approach the game and at what aspect you excel. It’s a daunting task, but fear not, because we’re here to help. We’ve teamed up with G2 Esports’ brand-new signing, Aleksander ‘zeek’ Zygmunt, to give you all the answers you need to find your perfect agent.
01
Lurkers
The first step in picking a suitable agent is knowing the different in-game roles, as zeek explains: “Lurkers are the players who stand in a zone while their team is attacking somewhere else. The lurker tries to flank the enemy team from unexpected positions.” As a lurker, you need to know everything there is to know about the VALORANT maps and use that to your advantage.
Knowing where your opponents are aiming their shots helps you to flank them and come in from angles that they’re not holding. You also have to be creative: if you’ve just used a route and picked up a few kills in the round before, there’s a big chance that the opponents are now looking down that alley or corridor waiting for you to try again. Mixing it up keeps your opponents on their toes. The agents most suitable for this style of play are Omen and the newly released Yoru. The teleport abilities in their kit help you sneak past opponents and flank them when they least expect it.
02
Entry fraggers
Raze is an ideal entry fragger
© Riot Games
If you love to dive in headfirst to rack up kills for your team, then the entry fragger role is perfect for your style. To play an effective entry fragger, you need to be able to hit important shots. Often, you’re the first person that shoots. Winning a duel means that your team is up a player, but losing means the opposite. Entry fraggers are agents like Phoenix, Raze and Jett. They have the explosive power and the manoeuvrability to win that important one-versus-one duel at the beginning of the round.
There's a pretty big difference between entry fraggers and lurkers, stresses zeek. “Lurkers are the players that stand in one area and will roam around the map to find a kill” – in other words, they play away from the rest of the team. Meanwhile, entry fraggers are often with the rest of the team, pushing for an objective.
However, adds zeek, “there might be a situation when a player can be an entry fragger in the beginning of the round and finish as a lurker. For example, in Ascent you take mid control and put a player in mid. They will act as an entry fragger in the beginning by killing the opponent in mid and then you Attack A and leave them mid, so they will end up as a lurker.”
03
Sentinels and Initiators
Sentinels and Initiators lack the raw firepower that the other two roles have. To make up for that, they're able to support the team in different ways. Sentinels like Sage can heal or resurrect allies and provide extreme utility like blocking off areas of the map with slows and walls. While they might not make the most kills in the game, they're a very important aspect of a successful VALORANT team. Sentinels are also often the shot callers and in-game leaders of the team. They decide which plan the team executes and who does what in stressful situations. Can you keep your head cool? Then a sentinel or initiator agent might be the perfect role for you.
04
Mixing it up
Are you still not entirely sure what to play? Don’t worry, zeek tells us that the best VALORANT players are able to play anything that the team needs, so it’s always good to rotate. He also tells us that it’s fairly easy to pick up another main, “you just need to understand the goals you need to accomplish to make it easier for your team to win the game.”
Knowing what to do and what shoes you have to fill within a team is the most important part of playing in a successful VALORANT team. There isn’t a perfect meta right now, says zeek, “so there's a lot of room for innovation, especially with the release of the new Yoru agent.” In other words, there’s opportunity.
Whether you've decided to play as a lurker or a sentinel, it’s time to put your new-found skills in action by signing up for Red Bull Campus Clutch now.
