The Viper-Astra meta has forced Valorant’s top controller into the background to a significant extent, but his smokes are still valuable and this new one-way lineup shows.
Omen has remained Valorant’s best controller for a long time due to his reloadable smokes, a blinding flash, and his ability to teleport. His map control is peerless, and no other agent can beat him when it comes to utility. However, Riot Games recently balanced the controller category by buffing Brimstone, patching up Viper, and adding a whole new agent in Astra. These changes heavily impacted the controller category and sent Omen into the middle of the pack. However, many professional players still swear by his Dark Cover.
On Ascent, Omen’s smokes can come in handy due to the map’s large size. In post-plant situations on point B, players often use two smokes to block off right and left angles. The two covers can actually be utilized in a better way.
You can smoke off catwalk and stairs on the B bombsite and bag some extra kills by trapping enemies under your crosshair. For the catwalk smoke, stand towards the left side of green boxes and aim at the corner of the house. Press the smoke key to block off stairs and create a clean one-way.
For the right side catwalk, stand behind green crates and place your crosshair on top of the small lamp on the wall. Release the smoke to shoot down enemies pushing through the smoke. They won’t be able to spot you, but enemies will be partly visible to players on one side of Dark Cover.
These smokes can help you bag most rounds on the attacker side. This strat isn’t unbeatable as enemies can always flash and push inside the point if you repeat the same tactic, but this is still a very valuable tool for Ascent.
Who is the best controller in Valorant?
Since the release of patch 2.09, Viper is certainly leading the charge in the controller category. The poisonous agent deals damage while blocking off large areas with her deadly globe of smoke and a lengthy screen. Her toolkit is unlike any other controller in Valorant, which is why her pick rate is skyrocketing in the current meta.
Astra comes in second due to the versatility of her kit. The new agent is a jack of all trades and shines on almost every map. Her unique ability to suck in enemies pairs well with most agents, making her a top pick in high-ranked lobbies.
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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