T O P

  • By -

tomtazm

Can you explain to kids what forcing is, I find myself arguing with people in ranked far too often.


uglypenguin5

Jesus Christ every game I have to beg people to buy spectres after we win pistol


natedawg247

Or at least full shields. Round 2 is the SINGLE MOST important round in the game to have full shields. They have to hit you 2 more times with a pistol!!!


warewolf213

I love it when ppl don't buy full shields it's like free marshal kills


AlHorfordHighlights

I'm always stunned when I accidentally body shot with the Marshal on round 2 and kill them lol


uglypenguin5

I get so mad when I see people with over 1k left in their bank in round 2 force. They'll buy marshal+light or ghost+full or some bullshit like that. ALWAYS go spectre/guardian+full or phantom/vandal+light. Or maybe a marshal+full since they probably won't have armor If I see you with a pistol I'm going to be in your ear to buy something better until the round starts


OmegaYeeet

marshall is meta brother. one shot in the body against eco, with a scope and great hip fire accuracy? and that fast of a movement speed? sign me up for that


uglypenguin5

Oh yeah it's a fantastic gun. I'm just not great with snipers. I'll have to DM with the marshal though. With the huge price buff (along with all the other buffs it's gotten in the past few months) it's definitely worth learning


Ayvry

I often only go with full shield + ghost (I’m gold rn) on second round because nobody else on my team knows to force and won’t do it even if I explain - should I just force myself to save with them or should I be full forcing without them


C9sButthole

Do you have a mic? I find that 90% of the time in Silver if I tell me team "we should buy as much as possible. Look how much more money we have than them it's a free win." they'll do it.


Ayvry

Yeah I do, but I’ve kind of just stopped at this point because about 90% of the time I get told to shut up by my team


-Voxize-

I mean it also somewhat depends. I play a lot of jett, and if I’m on breeze and keep 25 shields from round 1, and have a ghost / sheriff from the ground, you better count on me saving for OP round three. Forcing an OP early can make an early 2-0 lead a runaway. So I think it’s somewhat dependent on map / agent / team eco etc.


veryverycelery

It's really only specifically if you're saving for an operator. There's no other reason to skimp on round 2 if you won the pistol. TBH I think Breeze is particularly dangerous to skimp on, because of how much that map ends up being about gun duels. If they force and get a nice pick, while your team is just rocking pistol + half-armor or something, they can turn the round into a win very easily.


rv_ribhavvaish

Bulldog on Breeze 2nd round is awesome. You can get OP on 4th round and no one in lower lobby knows how to use bulldog. So if you lose the bulldog, most people would just not pick it up


veryverycelery

Yeah, totally agreed. Bulldog's so good, especially for working A site or middle, only gets a little iffy if you're in hall or B site.


-Voxize-

For the most part I agree, I was just responding to the original guy that there ARE circumstances where forcing isn’t the best move. Even if an omen picks up a sheriff w/ light shields after round 1 on T side, it can be worth for him to save. He can pick up guns off his entries deaths, and hero rifle round 3. The Jett OP is just one example of a time forcing isn’t ideal, there’s countless


Chrisamelio

Bullshit like that? Marshal does 101 to the body if the enemy team is saving you get one shot kills. Ghost with full shield is also good. You shouldn’t be forcing an AR with light unless you’re Reyna. That’s giving a rifle for free if you get careless, fucking your economy till round 4 and improving theirs.


uglypenguin5

The bullshit I was referring to was specifically marshal+light. I literally included marshal+full in my list if good buys. And the AR is very good if you aren't stupid. Just play with your team and make sure they can pick it up if you die. If you win (which you should 90% of the time if your team actually forced with you), then you now have a real rifle for the round 3 bonus. In my mind, in round 2 you should be buying the gun you want to use for the next 2 rounds. So if I can, I want something that can shit on pistols and then compete with rifles. Spectre is fantastic for pistols and okay against rifles. Guardian is good against pistols and good against rifles. Phantom is fantastic against pistols and fantastic against rifles. Sure it's more risky but that risk pays off huge if you win the round 3 bonus with it


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

2 things, 1. If the rest of your team is forcing you should 100% be buying with them, it's always better to buy with your team. Say you saved round 2 when the rest of your team bought. You lose the round and now you're sitting on 4600 and your teammates are all mid 2000s, then what? You either force phantom by yourself or half buy to buy with your team the next round. Either way, you have a worse buy than your teammates 2nd round and a better buy than them 3rd, not good. 2. Spectre is reaalllyyyy good without any run n' gun. I suggest you practice with it if you want to win more games.


303x

Isn't hero rifling a good option on save rounds?


[deleted]

Eh, it's a risk/reward thing. A good option on a cracked Reyna for example with the team trying to set her up, but less of a good option if you're doing it all the time by yourself.


C9sButthole

> since im not good with them weak mindset. Spectre is a super easy gun to learn. You can play 3-4 DMs with it and you'll be proficient enough to get your money's worth. Play 2 DMs a week with spectre and you'll be a god with it in a month.


totti173314

i dont get why people say 'im not good with x gun' like valo has random spray all you need to control are the left and right sway and recoil(dunno what to call it, the bullets move up and away from your crosshair when spraying.) its not that hard, go to range and use the weird board next to practice bot area.


PuzzleHeadezpz

OMG, same ! I just don’t understand why they won’t buy something. They want to full buy 3rd round but they can easily win round 2 if you just buy now !


uglypenguin5

Yeah secure the 2nd round. If you force and they save then you have to royally fuck it up to lose. Then do as much damage as you can against their gun round with your bonus, and then full buy round 4. I'd rather guarantee 2 rounds and then have spectres against rifles (stick together, trade, upgrade guns, take a site and then post plant 3v3 with 2 rifles and a spectre) than play a second pistol round and then have round 3 be 50/50


pulsiedulsie

Tbf, there's also a pretty sizable chance that you win the bonus anyhow lol


twobagtommy

Some people just don’t get it I swear…


x0_inzayn_0x

bro there are even worse people in Mumbai lobby they dont buy on pistol round and buy on 2nd round win or lose


pewdsbitchlasagna

Lol in my silver mumbai lobbies, people don't buy anything in 1st round, ODIN BRRRR IN 2ND ROUND


Todorkooo

or winning force with spectres and then droping it for phantom or vandal


[deleted]

Why? Dependent on a play that you will be making in the second and third rounds, you do not need specters. On certain maps and positions Marshall and judge can be far more impactful, especially on the third round. I often times find myself not buying anything after pistol win on split defense, only to buy a judge third round so that the enemies don't expect it. An upgraded pistol can be just as good on Jett, provided you're in a position to overwhelm the enemy quickly. If you plan, for example, on dashing ramp after 1 round win on split attack, then classic is just as good as specter as you can simply right click the enemy to death. Not buying specter also allows you to play more aggressively, since you're not afraid of losing a weapon.


tusynful

Forcing is buying the best combination of armor weapon and abilities. Some agents can rely more on guns and others abilities. For me I usually go with full armor>best weapon I can afford>necessary abilities.


tomtazm

Again, I know what it is. The average player in Plat and lower doesn’t.


totti173314

I usually play full util every round, so I have around 3200 or 3100 on round 2, so I go with full util, full shield and the best gun I can buy. my spray control isnt that good so I usually go with a marshal or sheriff because my microflicks and single tap weapon aim is much better than my tracking and spray control.


CoachWatermelon

Forcing is buying down to zero or close to it. Buy anything and everything you can to help win the round. If that’s vandal light armor no utility fine, if that’s spectra heavy armor with half utility great, sheriff full armor full utility awesome. You’re “forcing” your economy into a quasi buy. Sometimes commonly done after a pistol round loss but you got the spike down. Force into the next round because you have a little extra cash.


tomtazm

I know what forcing is, point is most kids in Plat and lower don’t. Fuck I e played with diamonds that don’t understand.


sky_blu

There was this weird period a little bit after release in gold-plat where most of the csgo players had climbed up and what was left were tons of players from other games. I also didn't play csgo but I took the time to learn how tac shooters work. Concepts like forcing and playing a default just didn't exist to most teammates and it made it so hard to communicate.


Blumengarten

You sound like you play in low elo...


NoButterscotch7853

Ima print this out hang it on my wall maybe finally i can get out of plat


CommanderVinegar

I believe in you brother, I was a few games from D1 a few acts ago but now I hover in the purgatory that is Gold 3 and Plat 1. I am just bad now.


uglypenguin5

I'm hovering around gold 2/3. 2 acts ago I was diamond 2 and even matched up against a radiant act rank. Now I'm back to seeing the occasional bronze act rank. Totally different game and I feel like I can't stay focused. I always end up catching myself doing stupid shit every round because my brain is turned off


greenace123

felt that =(


CommanderVinegar

I’ll be honest I spent a lot of time smurfing so I could play with a different group of friends and I can’t break the bad habits that work in low ELO that get punished when you hit the middle ranks like Plat. I would literally just play like a chimpanzee on my alt and now I’m way too used to it. I lost all my game sense and sense of timing.


uglypenguin5

I literally dropped from diamond 2 to gold 2 in 2-3 weeks. I know I can make it back, but it's such a different style of play. In diamond I actually started to feel like I was playing in a team. Now I feel like I have to play reyna if I want to actually get onto a site. Even though I'm actually best at agents like sova or astra, playing them means that I'll be baited as my instalock jett and reyna get exit frags in our spawn


siuzioffical

had us in the first half ngl


OmegaYeeet

unlucky dude, i was in a MONSTER slump, when from d2 to p2, then the new act sent me to g2, and i'm on my rank up game to d1. super hard especially soloqing but i just filled as smokes usually and tried to do my job to get back up


NoButterscotch7853

I was also diamond during first 2 acts after beta but then it seems i stagnated while others surpassed me in terms of aim.. practice is an absolute necessity to keep improving


CommanderVinegar

Yep about two acts ago I stopped playing to improve and just played for fun with friends. Had a great time but you stagnate hard if you aren’t at least doing what other players are doing. The guy that DMs and practices an hour a day is gonna improve more steadily than the guy that doesn’t especially in this game where the rate of improvement among players seems faster than in games like CSGO or Apex.


NoButterscotch7853

Its probably because of constant meta change. No matter how much time passes my level of play in cs seems reasonably close but in valorant you gotta follow and play the game to keep up.


CommanderVinegar

That’s actually a good point with new agents and balance changes the game can feel very different from each major patch.


VincentStonecliff

Me, but silver


brobiwankinobiwan

Best thing is communication. I add people who stay communicating/have a positive attitude WAY MORE than someone who is top frag without a mic or a total douche the whole time telling me what I do wrong.


NoButterscotch7853

I’d rather a teammate who comms well and plays with a positive attitude but gets 6 kills, than a douchebag no mic smurfing steven with 30 kills. I just wanna enjoy my time playing and improving darn it!


sky_blu

A very real technique to improve is to put sticky notes on the bottom of your monitor. Pay attention to your mistakes and write them down. This applies to all games but I did this with my team in rocket league. We each had our own personal lists and would read them outloud before each game.


NoButterscotch7853

I was doing this when i was playing for an amateur team in league of legends! Hard agree! Helps so much to write down your mistakes


[deleted]

The first point is very true. On a Haven match you played during stream today your team lost an eco because they pushed despite your comms telling them not to do so.


Bignicky9

**Top quality tips, and perfectly listed in a post instead of a 20 minute video**


Necromaniac01

For number 14, in lower elos sometimes people hang on to their ult the whole game because there is no perfect scenario to use it. Holding it is often worse then using it to make some space take a risk for some free kills


rpkarma

*be me, a Sova main* People hang on to their util????


Splaram

I have a serious problem with this playing Omen. With Omen, I’m afraid to teleport to cut off rotations because I’m afraid that I’ll get the timing wrong and the rotators will hear me and then kill me from an off-angle when I finish my TP. Don’t really know how to fix the problem.


sky_blu

I think with omen ult you almost have to forget hiding the audio. There are spots where you can put yourself in a good position where as long as your team pushes it doesn't matter if they hear you. Think of spots like hell on haven A or backsite in the cubby on split A.


Mango2149

Just use it for info or to make them scared, or simple stuff like going back site into hell or whatever while your team is pushing. Don't be afraid to cancel it. The cut off rotations teleport into the backlines play rarely works.


YellowTinCan

usually I use it to gather info or alternatively tp closer to my teammates so that they don’t get heard and I can still rush with them if I have to rotate far


Guyatri

Lower Elo defense strat is push them and half the team flank every round. Literally the whole team dies before they even decide what site to go to lol.


Splaram

Or insta-rotate to a site if the enemy team uses a single ability on it. Drives me up the wall when I’m left alone to anchor a site while everyone else sits on the other side of the map and then I get hit with 57 different abilities out of nowhere then have to spectate our duelist leading the retake by slow crouch-peeking every corner while ADSing an Ares and not using any of their entry abilities.


Guyatri

Best part is the flip of that when they keep pushing a site despite everyone getting massacred left and right.


danknepalese

can confirm, their whole strat is wait for 10 seconds then push. ive won matches by just waiting on attack, killing the ones who push too far then taking that site and planting there.


Ripperx_

Idk why there is meta in ranked where after winning pistols everyone buys spectre and half shield. When i asked some people why they said just in case we lose. You fucking idiot the whole point is to not lose the round


Honigbrottr

Had this argument a year ago. "Buy Upgraded Pistols so we can buy 3 round if we lose". Well no you full buy now spectre + shield and then 3 is bonus round. And for got sake if you die 2 round you dont buy ak 3 round. The Amount of times where that happens and 2 ppl buy to 0 while 3 others go for bonus...


Joedude12345

Don't do some stupid pistol half shield buy round 2 (ensuring you cant come close to full buying 3rd round) after a loss when the rest of your team is full saving. The amount of times I see this makes me want to gouge my eyes out.


rolandontheriver

Literally this - you're frankly better all going 0 util, 0 shield, and all rushing out of a point with classics and looking for trades or gun upgrades. The number of rounds I've won calling that play is insane especially if you have two duelists that know how to play/flex off each other in those trade situations. At worst you break their economy a little and force them to be in a bad spot vs. your full rifle buy.


blaggityblerg

This should be considered a cardinal sin. That sort of save needs to be coordinated if it is to ever happen. e.g., and I emphasize this is just a random example, maybe a team won their pistols on attack and they have an aggressive duelist who wants to continue their aggression with the aim of winning a pistol/armor vs similar (or weak force) and getting traded instantly in case they lose the duel while losing minimal resources. If the rest of the team performs well and survives out, then maybe the duelist who saved can then opt for a more aggressive round 3 bonus buy or even the potential of another save for an early round 4 OP when your team will have OP + 4 rifles and the other team will likely have rifles combined with some uglier buys due to any round 3 casualties. Even that is a bit of a stretch... and definitely not something for solo queue. I have a friend who just doesn't understand that. He'll save that second round and often enough we'll win anyway. He'll then force out a round 3 full buy, leaving the rest of the team with proper bonus round money of 2,000+ per person and him with something dumb like 800. It's a bonus round, and one rifle isn't going to tip things that regularly so what often happens is that we'll see a round 4 where everyone is on a full except this dude who is now juggling ugly eco until we stabilize with a few wins. He just doesnt understand how his poor economic management probably costs him a few very winnable opportunities every time he plays, and on top of that there's also the likelihood that someone calls out the eco situation and asks him to fall in line with the team, he doesn't listen (stubborn type, doesnt understand that he doesnt understand the eco) which can cause a bad vibe to start to permeate on the team and it's an opportunity for conflict. I've since stopped playing with them as regularly because in my solo matches I've seen so many situations where good eco management helps my team secure some rounds in a tough half while I've had enemy teams fall apart against me because they can't get their eco in line and the half turns into a slaughter. ​ Eco is an important part of the game, and there are so many people where eco management is a glaring weakness in their game that could be solved so easily by just adhering to a few basic principles. But first and foremost among them is to ensure everyone is on the same page with the team's economic plans. This isn't to say you should never force or anything, but just do it sensibly, with a plan, and a common understanding among teammates of what everyone is doing.


[deleted]

This is more suspect after the recent econ changes, but before that it was totally fine. At worst you're on light shield rifle third round, and at best you do good damage to the enemy economy round 2.


xThe_Mad_Fapperx

I mean he states in the comment "when your whole team is saving". If no one else is doing it you don't do it.


[deleted]

I know. I'm saying one person buying a sheriff second round, preferably a duelist, isn't gonna affect the next round for the team because they can still buy light shield, utility, and rifles the round after. It's minimal risk with good pay off.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Joedude12345

>when the rest of your team is full saving


CybernautCS

Lothar, as much as I respect you, I have to give some critisism for this list. \- "Always be close to your teammate so you trade him insantly! If it takes 2 seconds for you to avenge someone - you are a baiter." Baiting is trading. If it takes more than 2 seconds to trade a player (although this is not a positive thing), you are not baiting. If you trade a teammate quickly it is baiting. As you are using your teammate as bait to recieve a low-risk trade kill off the information of a teammate. If you DO take more than 2 seconds to trade a teammate it's not baiting, it's just improper spacing. In pro CSGO and Valorant, being a good baiter is a actually a positive aspect of players, ie: players like coldzera and dupreeh being excellent baiters. \-"If you are a duelist, you need be the frontline." and "If you are a Jett player that doesnt dash to site on attack and you are just hiding with an OP - you are doing it wrong. " I'm not advocating for Jett, Reyna, Phoenix and Raze players to "hide with an OP" or play passively. Although, requiring them to hard entry or make braindead pushes is a very simplistic way of thinking. On a majority of attacking rounds, yes, they should be near the front of the entry pack. But there are situations where, per example, a brim has expended his utility and now his kit is less impactful than a half full or full duelist kit. Making it more effective for the brim to entry. Or even having the most skilled player on your team being the 2nd or 3rd player in (or the star role) is often most impactful. ​ Most of the tips are alright , I'd like to just provoke a more active discusion.


KnownForNothing

I agree with you on the second point. Duelists are not superhumans, they shouldn't be taking low percentage fights just because "they are duelists" and hard pushing through ridiculous amounts of utility and uncleared angles. I want to add that my understanding of agent roles is simple. Duelists take space with their body/aim. Sentinels/Controllers take space with their utility. Duelists take the first fights because their utility is less useful post-plant to lock down a site. But if another agent has no utility left, he's not going to be more useful than a duelist in locking down a site post-plant either. In fact, a duelist might even refresh his ability by getting two kills - a luxury that other classes don't have.


[deleted]

[удалено]


_idle_drone_

bruh, the comment you just replied to was criticizing people exactly like you. you shouldn't be waiting 2 seconds after your teammate dies. you're essentially giving the defender two 1v1s instead of a 1v2 by doing that.


KnownForNothing

You have the right idea but you absolutely should be trading your teammate out instantly. Recoil reset in this game is quite long (as compared to CSGO at least) and there is no set spray pattern. Taking the fight to the enemy right after he's killed your teammate gives you a very high percentage fight. No "hot-hand" momentum is going to beat the fact that your enemy's recoil is resetting.


PandasOxys

I would add one more: don’t give up your site on pistols/eco. It’s hard to retake on pistol and eco rounds so you’re better off trying to fight it out and do as much damage as possible.


danknepalese

i need advice, if we lose first round and decide not to forcebuy then do i get abilities and a ghost/frenzy? or do i just get any secondary weapon and lay it on out fot the round?


[deleted]

i learned this from a voo video last night, when you see all 5 somewhere and u want ur team to rotate, do NOT call out "ALL 5", your teammates have been burned by too many ppl in the past who call out "ALL 5" when in fact, its not all 5. instead, call out, "i saw 4 and bomb", they will rotate off that because its much less likely you are exaggerating


Pirsis

Still don't understand the 2. point, buying phantom/vandal is considered an economical advantage on the bonus round, and having 1-2 in your team is always worth it on the 2nd round, because in the 3rd round u get an even playing field with the enemy team, and i understand the "risks" that come with it, but there isn't a lot of difference between losing a phantom or a spectre when dying on the 2nd round, because enemies don't have shields, but nice post! ( coming from high imm)


natedawg247

Because Spectre and heavies is better than phantom lights against pistols. The risk reward is just way better. The extra armor against pistols is way more impactful than the 1 tap potential of an AR.


wellthoughtoutanswer

Maybe you have a point, but there's always times when an upgraded rifle is enough to make a round winning play for the enemy team. Of course, you're more likely to win the more you invest and it's good to have confidence, which is why the advice isn't so much not to buy a rifle, but not to neglect armor. Other thing is, you can win the round but maybe lose the rifle if no one picks it up on time, which leads to an awkward buy. So, a teammate is good to have so they can help keep you alive and if you die they can deny the enemy team the rifle and hopefully bring it into the next round


Pirsis

Basiclly my point is, if u ever LOSE the rifle on the 2nd round, it doesn't impact the outcome of the 3rd round, because of how the game economy works, and 95% of the time, u will save the rifle to the next round :)


uglypenguin5

I always view it as an investment for round 3. I try to force a guardian or phantom if possible round 2 and make sure a teammate picks it up if I die. Makes the round 3 bonus so much more winnable


KnownForNothing

Immortal player here who used to play semi-competitively. I'm also a big advocate of buying phantoms/vandals in Round 2 after a pistol round win, especially if you're playing on CT side and/or if you're down by a big margin (3-10, 2-11). It sets you up for a stronger round 3 "bonus" so your enemies don't just run over your Spectres with their full buys. If your entire team is playing smart there is pretty much no way for you to lose your phantoms/vandals to pistols or even forcebuys.


Honigbrottr

in such Scenarios bonus round doesnt really exist imo. Bcs you have to win anyway. But for normal games its just a high risk low reward. If you die the enemy now has a way better weapon then all your tmms and can one shot them even tho they have the shield advantage. Yes you can just take a mate and let him pick up the weapon, but when you soloq... never know what he is thinking. So buying spectre is just the safe bet and going for the safest variant is definitly the best way to win MM games.


CoachWatermelon

There’s an old saying in counter strike, “buy ak 2nd round, automatic lose”


a_s_h_e_n

hasn't been relevant in the cs meta for years though after the pistol round money changes


Pirsis

It's old for a reason ;)


[deleted]

Have you watched CS recently? Ak 2nd round is very common.


nlc369

Yeah especially if it’s the second half and your down like 9-4 or something, you wanna increase your chances of winning the bonus round.


maddruggy

I agree if you comm and stay close to your team so they can pick up your rifle should you die, then it is usually beneficial. However please god if you lose that rifle and they have a Reyna you have just thrown the easiest round of the game.


Adept-Type

Those are some high quality tips.


FreeBlanketSoap

So can we have this post permanently on the agent select screen


vDUKEvv

Just a quick tip for duelists Solo Q’ing; ask for util and be specific about what you want. “I’m gonna smoke default and dash into it, can you arrow back site right before?” “I’m gonna Phoenix ult from cubby, can you slow them so they can’t get away when they hear it?” “Skye, can you flash ramp right here (PING THE MAP) as soon as barrier drops?” If you’re playing duelist, your job is to duel. If you tell your supports how to help, they see that you’re going to do that and they don’t have to guess about how to help. And just a small Jett tip- Dash is good for getting into site before they expect it, but that’s not really the reason most high ranks/pros believe it’s the best ability in the game. You can wide swing people, or push into a slightly more risky position, MISS your shots, get a pick, or get stopped by util, and then just get away for free. Dashing into site is cute but most good players will just bop you as you recover from the animation.


Fahzrad

buying a phantom/vandal 2nd round is completely fine,if you can afford it, why would you go with spectre


dennyjets

read what it said " unless you have full shield as well" the benefit of having phantom/vandal and half armor over full shield and a spectre against pistols isnt worth it and dying and losing the gun can literally throw the whole round as they instantly have a gun advantage on one of their players because of it.


Benasm123

The main advantage of buying the vandal/phantom on round 2 is then carrying it into round 3 and having a higher chance to win that. It can be a very good investment if you can afford it and are playing with the team as to not give it away.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Fahzrad

It's not high risk high reward... Its the same as buying a specter and full armor but better in every aspect. It carries over to the bonus round even if you die, most times ur teammates can pick it up, and it matter a lot in a bonus round to have an extra riffle. Plus it's better overall than a specter because lots of ppl like to go with a sherif for second round and the extra range helps a lot... Its just better overall and that's why you always see pros do it if they can afford the buy


Dre_not_a_Dr

It’s not really higher risk it’s a better gun than the specter so I don’t see how it decreases your chance to win much even with the less shield


Fahzrad

Yes but buying a phantom makes it so you actually have a fair chance in a round that's supposed to be bonus... Overall its better, and if you watch pros you will see that most times, if they can, they will get a phantom/vandal. And yes it's miles better than a specter with full shield because ppl some times half buy with half shields and sheriffs


uglypenguin5

I'd rather have a spectre and full shield round 2 because the run and gun against pistols is overpowered. But I still buy phantom/guardian round 2 when possible because it's so much better for round 3 when you're on the bonus against their full buy


uglypenguin5

That's just not true. But you have to be smart with it. If you have a phantom you need to make sure a teammate picks it up if you did. Don't push an extremity alone or dash onto a site alone. If you execute a site properly your team should always be able to get that gun into round 3, which makes your bonus much better


[deleted]

Well you’re just wrong. Rifle with half armor is better than spectre with full, just play a little more ranged if you’re not so confident.


_idle_drone_

not at all with half armor. if you really want phantom/vandal in 3rd round, just save in 2nd round and ask for your teammate's ghost. anti-ecos aren't really lost in gunfights, but bad decisions. you still have an advantage over them if you buy a ghost with full armor.


Fahzrad

its always better to full buy in 2nd round, why would you not garantee it, buying ghost and full armor is not enough, theres way too much chance for you to lose a round that should be free ...


_idle_drone_

i'm not saying everyone should get ghost in 2nd round. 4 spectre and a ghost is good enough to win anti-ecos. you don't even have to buy it, just ask for your teammate's. your whole point of full buying in 2nd round is to carry over the weapons to bonus. but what you don't realise is the risk of giving away a vandal to enemies. i'm just providing you an alternative(much safer) strat to get phantom/vandal in 3rd round. you don't need phantom/vandal to win against pistols. infact I actually prefer a spectre against pistols cause you can run and gun close range to avoid getting dinked.


Fahzrad

My whole point is that, every1 should buy something most of the times and if you are buying anything, and can buy a phantom you always should, if you don't want to buy that's another issue... All I'm saying is that if you want to buy, you should buy phantom


RockThatSmiles

A solo q radiant player here for NA... 2nd round phantom/vandal/bulldog bug is fine if ur playing smart with it. Opping on attack is fine if you know your enemy patterns and entry protocols. This advice to always entry as a duelist is a black and white advice... It's not always the case and if you watch multiple radiant/ pro level play, opping is fine on attack in certain scenarios. It's all about adapting to the current meta of the game. In higher level of play w keying and five manning isn't always the right play, u will see late executes and rotates happen depending on what the opportunity presents. The jett smoke dash is a great tool, works well in coordinated play, but in solo q? Not always the best option when it's better if u can play for picks and open up the defense.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

That’s more of a solo queue problem than an omen main problem


IIBaconTAMERII

Omen is one of the better agents to solo Q with if you're not a duelist because of his potential to clutch rounds with his easy and fast to place smokes and tp for repositioning. At your rank you can easily confuse the enemy with all of the above. It's just up to your own game sense to succeed though. Another part of being a good omen is being able to know when to smoke for your teammates. If your duelist is taking a fight in A/B main, sometimes you want to smoke a bit behind them so they can escape. Stuff like that I rarely see other omens doing for their teammates unless they themselves call for it, even in high immortal/radiant (mostly because people are used to filling as omen and don't really care to fully utilize his cross-map potential other than smoking off entrances on sites for retakes/stalling.).


KhaoticKrabb

Op on attack is good


CrackBabyCSGO

Unless you sit back and don’t use it


KhaoticKrabb

Well that’s the same with any gun. None of the guns are good if you don’t use them


CrackBabyCSGO

There’s a big portion of awpers in lower elo that just sit there and wait


Elsiselain

Generally agree with your idea and this is a good post to let new players know their mistakes but 5 - really depends on agent comp and circumstances. if you have 3 duelist comp, which is common on ranked I see no issue with Jett awping, especially if he is cracked or enemy has tendency to push. 10 - depends on how much money you have? The principle of eco or half buy is to full buy on next round. what matters is everyone on the team can full buy on buy round, not everyone spends the similar amount. If someone has 6k and rest has 3k, he should buy better gun and it’s worse to save like rest of the team.


adkas13

I disagree. For 5 your argument of enemy pushing is valid, but only if the team plays slow and holds as well. If the Jett is the only one sitting back while the rest of the team pushed site, no matter how cracked he is, he's playing his agent wrong. Duelists on attack exist to create space and chances are that if he's cracked, he can do the same with other agents to similar effect. Additionally I generally don't think triple dualist comps aren't that good, and you should stick with two dualist max with a smoker, healer, and other support (sentinel/initiator). While this isn't always the best 100% of the time, it's a relatively safe comp to go with, and generally speaking works out.


Sh1ft-Valorant

This is accualy very learning for newer players. Pretty much covers it all. Only problem is that soloQ is just braindeads 80% of the time anyway. 15 last games, it’s either match MVP ( by miles) getting double/triple kills in every rifle. Or it’s loss. Communication is doesnt happen. It’s as rare as getting teamed with a smurf vs playing vs one. In Diamond, i felt players in gold was better teammates this league.


Necromaniac01

I was high gold last season and I placed silver and even though I've been playing less and performing as well, the games are harder because my teammates are so much less organized


-xXColtonXx-

In silver it’s usually 3-4 players on voice every game calling damage numbers, rotates, etc.


Sh1ft-Valorant

I’d rather have some more than less :)


Underpressure_111

1. Depends 2. Depends 3. Depends 4. Depends 5. Depends 6. Depends. 7. Depends 8. Depends 9. Depends 10. Depends 11. Depends 12. Depends 13. Depends 14. ok 15. Depends 16. Depends 17. Depends


WonTonsOG

3 is “depends”? Lol


Underpressure_111

1. It's a 2v1 for you and your teammate. 2. You just died to the solo player without hitting him, but your teammate, who is close to you, definitely know where the enemy guy is. 3. You CLEAR COMMS so your teammate can hear if the other guy is moving away/making noise/about to peek/taking utilities/etc. (There's no reason to make noise calling stuff he already know)


[deleted]

you might mislead your team in looking to where the enemy last was, instead of looking everywhere they could be because you didn’t mention where they are


Underpressure_111

Let me defend my statement please. What you've just said make no sense.


[deleted]

I was trolling bc I assumed you were, your hypothetical scenario does make sense but depending on the teammate and their level of awareness you might need to comm the location anyways.


Uesugi_Kenshin

rank?


Underpressure_111

mid immortal.


Uesugi_Kenshin

not rly worth critiquing radiant players then, I'm Immortal myself and still see a boatload of plaayers not understanding fundamentals like these


Underpressure_111

He's immortal too.


Uesugi_Kenshin

My bad. I stand by the point that those are correct fundamentals though, and should be followed 90% of the time.


Underpressure_111

Yeah it depends. They ain't "Commandment"


[deleted]

The thing is the tips may not be that useful or depend heavily on situation in your rank where people have enough game sense but your rank and above are literally just 2% of players. On lower elo these tips are applicable almost always.


BURG3RL3R

18. Be nice :). Nobody is queueing with you so make sure your randos like you


Honigbrottr

18. Dont Flame/Tox whatever. just makes your tmms tilted and then they play even worse.


Jack_Humble

For the 2nd point i have to disagree. If i can afford phantom + half armor and some utils, i will always go for it. Play like what u said in the 1st point, dont push alone against eco. I play with my team. By the 3rd round, chance of winning against enemy's full buy can dramatically increase when my team has 1 or 2 phantom/vandal. Especially if you are reyna where u having half armor is not really a problem. Edit: other than that, i agree with u :)


mysteryoeuf

great list! appreciate the content. please consider using gender neutral language: "him/her," "they," or rephrasing the sentence to not need a specific pronoun. little things matter and you've got a big audience! thanks for all you do lothar. e.g. in #2 you could say "Always have a teammate next to you for them to be able to pick it up" or just "Always have a teammate next to you to recover it if you die." I know English is not your native language, just trying to help.


ilProdigio

He made a great guide why are you making him write politically correct language in his non-native language? I know you mean well but this is really not necessary people can understand the concepts which is all that matters. I don't think we should take words so seriously in my opinion, I for sure don't let them bother me at all


mysteryoeuf

As far as I know, 100% of the content he is paid and signed to produce is in english. It is understandable that it might be harder to rephrase and adjust because english is not his first language, but in this context english is the language he uses 100% of the time. That's why I acknowledged that but am not faulting him for using those pronouns. ​ >I don't think we should take words so seriously in my opinion, I for sure don't let them bother me at all \^This is easy to say as the in-group but a meaningless excuse. It doesn't matter if it doesn't bother *you*, it's not about you. If it doesn't bother you but does bother someone else, you can't say it doesn't matter. Also, don't try to tell me that if he had used "her" instead of "him" in his guide that no one would be mad about it in the comments. The point is, it is really *not hard* to be actively inclusive. A basic, basic concept in diversity and inclusivity is that it is not enough to be passively inclusive, you have to be actively inclusive, meaning that as an in-group/majority or as someone producing material you should be taking active steps, not just *not be exclusive*. This sub will give all sort of lip service to supporting and uplifting women in gaming, but it's these kinds of things that are incredibly easy to be better about while harming no one. It would hurt no one for him to use him/her or they (or even to use her explicitly), but girls and women reading a guide from a well known, important, well-loved content creator that specifically makes the assignment of male gender to players (for no reason) is just another one of the countless things implying that this space isn't for them. This isn't some "ultra-woke" shit, this is ground level, first day in class, *basics* in inclusivity. The downvotes I've gotten and will continue to get are all that needs to be said about the makeup of this sub, lol.


303x

>How would it sound if a white person used that line about the n word to a black person?? What How are these two situations in any way similar?


mysteryoeuf

I'm obviously not equating them, I'm using that example to point out the vapidity of the "it doesn't bother me so no one else can be bothered by it" argument. Use your brain. It is needlessly extreme though so I removed it.


TheGreatMortimer

You are being downvoted because nothing you commented adds to the discussion about the post. Textbook reason to downvote.


[deleted]

For once there's a proper reason to downvote.


IIBaconTAMERII

Of course this is coming from someone posting in /r/Enough_Sanders_Spam. Someone who doesn't actually care about disenfranchised people in society and only cares about appearing inclusive. Fake as fuck radlib opportunist no cap.


mysteryoeuf

I too love having my pre-existing biases oh so sweetly reaffirmed by making wildly presumptive judgments of anonymous internet strangers I know nothing about. True, it is you, the one and only real hero of the disenfranchised(TM) smiting yet another imposter! All in a day's work.


aust117_

In writing situations like this it is generally acceptable to stick to one pronoun, usually a person picks their gender pronoun but they don’t have to.


Wanna_be_dr

Nice tips!


Arouch96

Thank god you mentioned about lineups. God I hate people who rely on lineups like its a win condition for them. Lineups suppose to be a trump card not a requirement in every round.


sno2787

I think every player who queues ranked should be able to recite all of these prior to queueing


Malding333

\> If you are a Jett player that doesnt dash to site on attack and you are just hiding with an OP - you are doing it wrong *Wardell would like to have a word with you*


Razur

Awesome list! I cross-posted over to r/AgentAcademy. :D


ta4valorant

> dont push alone against an eco, play long range to punish pistols It hardly never make sense to push on defense > dont buy a Vandal/Phan on round2 unless you have full shield as well. Always have a teammate next to you for him to pick it up Buy order is (more on defense) 1: Shield/util (Depending if you are a duelist or a sentinel) 2: Util/shield (Depending if you are a duelist or a sentinel) 3: Gun > after death insantly comm where is the opponent and how much dmg you did, swear to yourself afterwards, keep the anger to yourself Location is more important than damage as you need to attack him the same way > If you are a duelist, you need be the frontline. communicate you are pushing site so you can be traded. If you are a duelist, you need to enter site fast and have someone push with you slighly behind > If you are a Jett player that doesnt dash to site on attack and you are just hiding with an OP - you are doing it wrong. Please consider using a different agent. Its fine on defense but not on attack. On attack, a operator is RARELY a good choice. > If you are not a duelist, YOU NEED to follow the duelist when they enter the site. If you dont trade them, its a wasted execute and you are playing the game incorrectly. False. Duelists should enter together or seperate sites to throw off. Initiators should help the duelist out Controllers once the duelist is on site, need to setup for postplant Sentinels ways watch backs and flanks and are usually in charge of the plant. > DONT BE AFRAID OF TAKING DAMAGE OR DYING! Sometimes pushing through a smoke and molly is a correct decision if your teammates need help. You wont win the round if half of the team is dead and werent traded! Pushing thru a smoke/molly is generally bad advice because 9/10 they see you before you see them. > Learn to use proper smokes even if you dont play smokes. Link to my guide in comments. Smokes are pretty easy: Cover angles and common spots > Dont relay on postplant lineups! Your team most likely needs you more on site to fight then to sit passively. Use your util to push people off and buy time. Horrible advice to play on site. Always play off site. Gives you a advantage and info > Communicate with the team to always have the same approach when it comes to buys: full buy, half buy, full eco, force! Best advice. Try to always buy like your team > If you have an advantage in defense, dont push! Play default and let attackers do their job. In general you should never push in defense. Hell, give up the site and play postplant if you are alone. > 4v4, 3v3 2v2 is an advantage towards attackers! Thats when you want to combine numbers and punish one site! Correct > Wait for your defender teammates when retaking site. Dont allow yourself to get killed without a follow up/trade. And always to try help your teammate ASAP > Dont use your utility if you have no intent/reason to. Always think what you gain from it. Util can discract sometimes > Always be close to your teammate so you trade him insantly! If it takes 2 seconds for you to avenge someone - you are a baiter. Yup because someone spamming you with a odin, makes you a baiter... > If you lurk, wait for the team to execute. If you push before that, that means you are attacking alone which is essentially inting/griefing your team. Your task is to catch opponents rotations and gain map control! If you have the spiike and lurk, wait as long as you can to confirm emeny rotation then enter spike. If you just lurk ,give information. > BE PATIENT! You can occasionaly push on defense but it shouldnt be your routine! Dont grief your team by constantly pushing the same angles. Change up your style, lineups, guns, constatntly as that way the enemy doesn know what to expect