Learning how to play Omen is all about understanding how the controller agent changes from offense to defense.
As a controller, Omen is meant to be an information-gathering agent with strong tools for clutch situations. His smokes and teleports are also strong on defense, blocking off crucial sightlines and setting up important flanks for his team. His unique Paranoia flashes also allow him to take duels that other agents would have to shy away from. Here’s how to get maximum impact out of each of Omen’s abilities on both sides of the battlefield.
How to use Omen’s tools to open up sites
On offense, Omen’s main goal is to help initiate a site take and then catch defenders during rotations. To do this, he relies on his unique smoke and teleports.
Paranoia flashes inflict nearsight on enemy players, which makes it especially useful against snipers. Normal spots like Split mid and the back of Breeze A are easy to disable with a well-placed Paranoia flash. If the Omen player is unsure where enemies will be, Dark Cover functions as a great way to close off an area.
Omen can also use his short-range teleport to mess with enemy sightlines. For example, the path to Haven C has a small cubby. Teleporting there early can set up an unexpected peek, but make sure to use your other tools early if you plan to take a big risk.
Learning how to use Omen’s ultimate on offense is a great way to make a game-winning play. While usually a post-plant lurker, the From The Shadows ultimate ability allows Omen to skip the plant and go straight to hunting for pickoffs. The most obvious way to use this is to teleport to the enemy spawn, but snatching mid control is more valuable on most maps. Remember that From The Shadows and Shrouded Step can both be used into Omen’s smokes, which sets up a dangerous guessing game for the opposing team.
How to play Omen on defense in Valorant
Many of Omen’s tools change uses when he’s charged with defending a bomb site. His excellent initiation tools instead become roadblocks to the attacking team.
Omen excels at preventing any enemy push onto a site he’s defending. By using Paranoia, Omen can take peeks down important sidelines and gather info for his team. Since his flash can go through walls, it’s an excellent tool for defending Splits B and Ascent B. Pop it, peek the corner, and let your teammates know what they’re up against.
As for the smokes, they don’t have any special properties to help on defense. That doesn’t stop them from still working as normal smokes though. One technique is to set up the smoke UI while another player watches an angle with the Operator. When they take the shot, throw the smoke to prevent a counterattack. Just remember to use them in conjunction with Dark Cover smokes to effectively take enemies by surprise.
While most of Omen’s abilities are more useful for attacking than defending, From The Shadows works basically the same on both sides. Pick a clever spot and keep your enemies on their toes. Omen’s ultimate is also very useful in clutch scenarios, as it allows him to effectively reset the opponent’s information.
