How to play every duelist in Valorant

Fariha Bhatti Published 03/11/2021

Valorant currently has five fierce duelists and while all of them are equally viable, some are better on certain maps than others.

Riot Games’ shooter was unveiled with three duelists in the original roster. The developer later added Yoru and Reyna, making it one of the most crowded categories. Though every agent has their uses, it’s rare that an agent is flexible to the point where they’re a true must-pick. Players must pick their duelist smartly and play a certain way to gain an edge over enemies.

Who’s the best duelist in Valorant?

Jett is the best duelist in the current patch.

The agent is comparatively easy to use and works wonders on almost all Valorant maps. She has been absolutely dominant with an Operator, thanks to her ability to fire a shot and dash away without worrying about any sort of counter. On top of that, she had one of the better smokes in the game.

Those abilities have been nerfed to some degree but she’s still cutting things up for the time being. As other patches come through and maps are altered, this may change.

How to play Jett in Valorant?

Unlike other duelists, Jett is equally viable on all maps. However, her kit can be a bit confusing for new duelist players.

Her smoke isn’t mainly used to block out wide angles. Throw a cloud of smoke in close angles to dash onto the site. The blockage will allow safe detours into dangerous areas. Her dash also acts as a reset if the player scores a kill and want to return to safety.

Finally, Jett’s ultimate is one of the best in the game. Jett’s knives are absolutely devastating in eco round situations where the enemy team will be expecting Jett to be poor but can still take them out with one hit.

How to play Reyna

Reyna is another agent who’s worth picking on all maps. Her abilities aren’t terrain-based, which makes her an ideal pick for anyone that is confident that their aim can carry them to victory.

The key to being good at Reyna is to have reasonable control over your Devour and Dismiss. Players often spam these two abilities after getting a kill, but they should only be used when it’s essential.

If there are no enemies in sight, save E and Q for later. Her ultimate should only be used with spray-based weapon like the Phantom, Vandal, or Spectre. Reyna’s ultimate isn’t as valuable on weapons like the Sheriff, Guardian, and other one-tap guns.

How to play Raze

Raze shines on smaller maps as her Boom Bot and ultimate have short timers. It’s crucial to master her satchels to have maximum map control and squeeze full juice out of her launcher.

Always use the Boom Bot at the beginning of the round on the attacker’s site to clear out an area. If enemies are detected, double down with grenades to eliminate injured agents.

How to play Pheonix in Valorant

Only pick Pheonix on smaller maps like Split and Icebox. The agent has a short-range flash that isn’t as effective on locations like Breeze. His ultimate is also a bust in large maps.

Learn to use curved walls in custom games as they can help with avoiding self-flashes and improve one’s ability to breach sites with them. But even in the best hands, Phoenix tends to underwhelm.

How to play Yoru

Yoru’s skill ceiling is the highest among all duelists, which is the kind way of saying his abilities aren’t especially reliable. His teleporter can be a hit or miss, and so are his flashes. The good thing is his ultimate can be extremely rewarding when paired with a teleporter to flank on enemies.

Place a Gatecrash tether at a safe spot before activating the ultimate, get a kill against the enemy, and return to safety through the tether. If you’re quick enough, use flashes before teleporting to stay safe and bag bonus kills.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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