honestly been waiting/wanting for a thread like this for a while now, glad someone made it :)
adore the game, its the perfect mix of what i liked about both ow and csgo and put in 1 game. like literally it removed what i didnt like from ow, which is chaotic gameplay that's easy/straightforward/doesn't consistently reward better players, and what i didn't like from csgo which is mainly the lack of "creative" gameplay (for lack of a better word), cuz it lacked the unique agents/abilities that valorant has.
for the esports side, i'm hella excited for the matches going on right now. 100 thieves finally found their "identity" and were quick to switch roles when things weren't going well for them (unlike TSM zzz) and i'm super happy ethan integrated so well into the team, he's already contributing a huge amount and he's only been playing the game for a couple months i believe.
So newish player here, does anyone have any tips for better game sense/ranking up? At the moment, I feel like my aim is actually good, but I have problems knowing where to peek and when, how to hold angles correctly, etc, especially when you're stuck with a bad teammate or team. What can I do better that wouldn't come with time and a ton of practice, which I've been putting in? I mostly play UR, but meaning to really try and climb on comp since I've been chilling at like Bronze 3 for a bit too long now. Omen main btw (best character no doubt)
i'm sure a lot of these you've heard before but i'm still gonna mention them just to make sure: crosshair placement and aim warm-ups everyday before playing go a HUGE way. you can also use aim trainers (i hear a lot of good stuff about kovaaks and personally tried aim lab and it's sick), but they're not "necessary" unless you have the time & dedication to put into them. I personally don't so I don't use them but probably will in the future once uni becomes less stressful.
before I go into anything too deep, remember that communication is CRUCIAL. if ur defending and u hear steps or utility B main, immediately tell ur team so that you don't get rushed. if you only hear one set of utility (for example, u only see phoenix alone, and not reyna/killjoy/omen with him, or only hear 1 set of steps) then also make sure to communicate that, cuz it can be an attempt at a fake so that the other team pre-emptively rotates. just communicate what you see/hear constantly and if you're gonna be making plays then tell your team you'll make them. if you see people pushing mid, that's huge information.
not knowing when to peak can be easily solved by getting more used to the maps as you play. there are very common spots for each map and bombsite. also, there are limited doorways that attackers can use to enter a site or take control for it. for example, on Ascent B, there are only 3 ways they can enter the site: B main which has the ult orb, through mid and market area (the part with the closable door), and through defender spawn. the market area should always have someone defending from it so the attackers can't get past market without killing the person(s) defending there. whether you decide to aggressively peak as a defender or hold angles is up to the individual players. here's a graphic illustration, i'll talk about my point of view as a cypher defending B on ascent (which is my most comfortable role/site on that map):
in this example, i'm the cypher defending B with Jett against raze and phoenix. I usually play from market (although sometimes i'll play from the stairs/spawn area), set my camera up to watch B main and the whole area between B main and defender spawn in general, and I set a cypher cage on b main entrance and i'd usually switch up my trip wires every round depending on situation/where my teammates are playing. for example, if someone is gonna push mid, i'd use both my trip wires to secure the B site, if not, i'd put one in mid so I don't get flanked. (all this is indicated in the picture)
also, the yellow arrows coming from cypher indicate where I'll go depending on the information I get. if I don't hear/see anyone B main, I'll change my position to go to spawn area for example or directly rotate to A depending on the comms I receive from teammates. Although, as cypher in general, i like to anchor a site until I get absolute confirmation it's a hit on the other site, for example if my team is fighting/the bomb is planted in a rush. otherwise i'll anchor B or lurk mid to catch rotators/stray pushers.
the attackers when entering a site will go one of two places: either push towards the market/spawn area, or go on site immediately. I play defensively from market accordingly, only taking safe peaks and if I see someone pushing B main i'll activate my cage reactively and see if they decide to push it or not. basically, I play off my utility as cypher and I'd have absolutely no reason to peak without utility (also known as dry peaking), so I don't get punished for it. I'll play trying to punish opposing team instead.
So here is what happens usually when they push the site I'm holding: they get caught by a trap, at which point thats usually a guaranteed, non-tradeable kill because I'd be set up in a position where they can't chase me down. Or they destroy the trap through utility which is always sad, or just by noticing it and destroying it with a bullet. My main goal here isn't to get kills, it's to delay the opposing team long enough that my team can rotate and make sure to NOT die. if i get a kill, it's just a bonus and gives an advantage, but it's never my priority as a defender/sentinel holding a site.
so, to answer your question: as a defender here I don't peak, I just keep an eye on B main and flank from mid/market, and use my utility and the advantages I set up through them to possibly get kills, but more importantly delay/annoy the attackers.
so, this is my experience/input as an cypher player. I also just noticed u said ur an omen main after I wrote all this xD but doesn't matter, the basics/concepts of what I wrote still apply to omen. as omen you'd wanna smoke key entrances in a way that gives you the advantage, which can be seen/explained in this video:
also what you wanna do and imo the hardest part of omen is knowing when to use his flash. you can use it either as a way to delay the attackers, retake a site, or blind defenders to entry into a site as an attacker. you can also do some shenanigans with teleport but thats up to you as an omen main cuz i'm personally very mediocre with the agent :')
i feel like I wrote a lot and i might've even deviated from what ur question originally was, so i'm sorry if thats the case LOL. i'm just chilling and not very sober right now
if u have any more questions i'd be happy to help, i love talking about this game and labbing new ways/strats to attack or defend cuz i can't always play in my free time.
