The world of competitive Valorant can be a daunting place, especially for those stuck in the trenches of low ELO. Many players find themselves frustrated, unable to climb the ranks despite their best efforts. However, by employing a few key strategies, you can turn the tables on your opponents and rapidly ascend the ladder. In this article, we'll dive deep into six essential cheese tactics that will help you dominate your low ELO games in 2024.
Timing is Everything: Exploiting Ability Cooldowns
One of the most crucial aspects of gaining an edge in Valorant is understanding and exploiting the timing of enemy abilities. Agents like Sova and Omen have abilities on long cooldowns that often dictate the pace of the game. Sova's Recon Dart, for example, has a 40-second cooldown, while Omen's smokes refresh every 30 seconds.
By mentally tracking these cooldowns, you can anticipate when the enemy is likely to make a move. If you've seen Omen use his smokes early in the round, expect a potential hit or rotation around the 30-second mark when his smokes come back online. Similarly, if Sova hasn't used his Recon Dart for a while, be prepared for an enemy push or re-take when that cooldown is up.
You can also use this knowledge to your advantage by timing your own plays. Engaging the enemy just before their key abilities come back can catch them off guard and give you a significant advantage in the fight. Experiment with different timings and see how you can disrupt the enemy's rhythm.
Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast: Perfecting Your Fundamentals
In the heat of battle, it's easy to get caught up in the idea that faster is always better. However, this mentality often leads to sloppy, inconsistent play that will keep you hardstuck in low ELO. Instead, focus on perfecting your fundamentals slowly and methodically.
Whether it's crosshair placement, ability usage, or movement, take the time to drill proper technique at a slow pace. This could mean spending hours in the practice range perfecting your aim, or running through ability lineups in custom games until you can execute them flawlessly.
Only once you've mastered a technique slowly should you start to increase the speed. This approach ensures that you build a strong foundation of fundamentals that will serve you well as you climb the ranks. Remember, it's better to do things slowly and correctly than quickly and sloppily.
Waste Not, Want Not: Maximizing Your Utility
One of the most common mistakes low ELO players make is dying with abilities left unused. Every agent in Valorant has a unique kit of utilities that can provide immense value in the right situations. Whether it's gathering information, blocking off sightlines, or assisting in a duel, your abilities are there to be used.
Make it a habit to incorporate your utility into your gameplay. Before taking a fight, ask yourself how you could use your abilities to swing the odds in your favor. Could you use a flash to blind the enemy before peeking? Could you use a smoke to isolate a 1v1 duel? Could you use a molly to force the enemy into an unfavorable position?
After each death, take a moment to reflect on how you could have better utilized your utility. Did you die with abilities still available? What could you have done differently? By constantly analyzing your utility usage, you'll develop a keen sense for when and how to maximize your abilities' impact.
Ego Check: Playing for the Team
In low ELO, it's common to see players attempting to hard carry every game. They'll often neglect their teammates, force hero plays, and generally play a selfish style of Valorant. While this approach can occasionally lead to highlight-reel moments, it's not a consistent path to climbing the ladder.
Instead, focus on playing a fundamentally sound, team-oriented game. This means buying and saving with your team, executing strategies together, and generally playing to enable your teammates rather than just yourself.
It can be tempting to buy a Sheriff and armor when your team is saving, but consider how much more impactful you could be if you bought with your team and executed a coordinated strategy. Similarly, if you're playing an agent with smokes or flashes, think about how you can use your abilities to set your teammates up for success rather than just focusing on your own frags.
By keeping your ego in check and playing for the team, you'll find that your games become much more consistent and winnable.
Comms Check: Communicating Clearly and Concisely
Effective communication is key to success in Valorant, but all too often, comms in low ELO are filled with distracting chatter or a lack of important information. To climb effectively, you need to ensure your comms are clear, concise, and impactful.
When making callouts, focus on delivering the most important information as quickly and clearly as possible. This includes:
Enemy locations: "Jett in U-Hall"
Enemy health: "Sage lit 120"
Weapon information: "Reyna has an Op"
Ability usage: "Viper's wall is down"
Avoid cluttering comms with unnecessary details or irrelevant information. Keep your callouts short and to the point, so your teammates can process the information quickly and react accordingly.
If you find that your team lacks a dedicated shotcaller, don't be afraid to step up and fill that role. Take charge by suggesting simple, easy-to-follow strategies that your team can execute together. Even basic calls like "Let's group up and hit A site together" can make a huge difference in low ELO games where coordination is often lacking.
Aim to Improve: The Importance of Mechanics
While tactics and strategy are crucial, at the end of the day, Valorant is still an FPS game where raw mechanical skill can make a huge difference. In every ELO, the players who consistently win duels and carry games are those with the sharpest aim and movement.
To climb effectively, you need to continuously work on improving your mechanics. This means incorporating regular aim training into your practice routine, whether it's through in-game tools like the practice range or third-party programs like Aim Lab or Kovaak's.
Focus on drills that emphasize key skills like flicking, tracking, and crosshair placement. Start slowly, focusing on accuracy over speed, and gradually ramp up the difficulty as your skills improve.
Remember, even the best strategies can fall flat if you can't hit your shots when it counts. By keeping your mechanics sharp, you'll be able to win duels even in disadvantageous situations and carry your team to victory.
Climbing the ranks in Valorant can be a challenging journey, but by employing these six essential cheese tactics, you can give yourself a significant edge in your low ELO games. Remember to exploit ability timers, perfect your fundamentals, maximize your utility, play for the team, communicate effectively, and continuously improve your mechanics.
If you find yourself struggling to implement these strategies or looking for more personalized guidance, consider checking out one-on-one coaching services like Skillcapped. With expert coaches, tailored advice, and a rank improvement guarantee, these services can help you fast-track your improvement and reach your Valorant goals in record time.
Now get out there, start cheesing, and dominate your low ELO games in 2024!
