Valorant has a very effective measure to ensure the best gameplay in its competitive mode. Every player needs to play at least 20 unrated games in order to take part in competitive games. This mechanism makes sure that every player who ventures into ranked mode has some game sense, and aim accuracy. Ranks in Valorant start from Iron and end at Radiant.

The rank chronology is:

• Iron
• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Platinum
• Diamond
• Immortal
• Radiant

It is very obvious that the level of gameplay increases as players rise up in competition. A recent Reddit post on r/Valorant shows gameplay for Immortal 3, which is the highest rank in the game, second only to Radiant.

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Valorant is a TEAM game, so communicate!

The most important thing that leads to victory in any game is communication. Effective communication means that players share each and every detail of their actions, including the locations of their smokes, their damage on other players before dying, any guesses on player locations. Also, players should inform each other when they have their ultimate abilities ready, so the team can plan their next move accordingly.

Effective use of smokes to enable pushes

At lower ranks, players do not have a very good aim and they tend to miss a lot of shots. However, at a higher rank like immortal 3, pushing openly is simply walking towards death because all the players have amazing aims.

Agents like Omen are perfect for such times as they enable pushes with long-lasting and dense smokes at the plant sites. As attackers, the best strategy is to always spam the target site with smokes and let the duelists engage.

Always try to be one step ahead of the enemies

As players progress in the game, their map knowledge and game sense also increase. This means that if players still follow very basic strategies, they will probably end up dying. For example, killing an enemy at a site and start rushing to another in a 1v3 is very common. The move can work at lower ranks, but at higher ranks, everyone knows the basics pretty well.

One should always try to spice things up and try different strategies like baiting movements and faking teleports. One effective way to do this is by faking smokes. Putting smoke in a certain area means that the person who threw the smoke is expecting a push from there. Through misleading smokes, players can trick their opponents into guessing the wrong strategies and surprising them.

Crosshair placement is the ultimate tool to win gunfights in Valorant

The difference between a good player and an average player is their crosshair placement during fights. With proper crosshair placement, it is easy to get one-shot kills, especially through pistols and rifles like Vandal. Players should work the most on improving their crosshair placement, and they will certainly see better results in 1v1’s.

All in all, Valorant is different from games like CS: GO because of the map tactics and agent abilities. It is important that players strengthen their ability-play from the start. It is always good to work at these things from lower ranks so that the competition at higher ranks doesn’t seem too intimidating.

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