Gaming
esports
Here's how to build the perfect VALORANT team
Thinking about entering Red Bull Campus Clutch? We asked G2's Aleksander ‘zeek’ Zygmunt to run through everything a VALORANT team needs in order to succeed.
VALORANT is different to other tactical shooters because it offers a class-based character system. Rather than directly buying all kinds of utility before the round starts, players buy ability slots and guns. Those ability slots are directly tied to the kind of utility every character's able to use. Building a perfect team composition means selecting the right agents before a match starts and making sure that those agents have all the necessary skills and abilities that you need to win.
However, this is easier said than done. Currently, there are 14 agents in the game, which allows for a huge variety of different team compositions. How do you pick a team composition that works and covers all the utility that you need to succeed? Ahead of the brand-new global VALORANT tournament Red Bull Campus Clutch for university students, we asked G2 Esports’ new signing Aleksander ‘zeek’ Zygmunt to help us answer that question.
It’s all about utility
Zeek tells us that there are no agents that every single team composition needs. He says: “You just want to have a certain piece of utility from the agents. For example, you would like to have smokes and it can be any smoker which fits better into your playstyle.”
It’s more about the different types of utility that every agent brings, than the agent themselves. There's no 'must-have' agent that works on all maps, zeek explains: “It always depends on the map.".
As for the meta, the G2 star says that there really is none right now: “Every team is unique in their approach to the game and they play different agents that fit that, there is no meta at all.”
However, that doesn’t mean that teams can simply stack random agents that they're good with. As zeek explains, “picking five duelists means you're really weak against an operator, because you have no smokes/flashes to cross choke points and it forces you to play only in one style all the time, which makes you predictable.” So it’s a good idea to have enough utility in your composition that you’re able to switch things up from time to time. Remember, more utility means more options.
Make use of multiple roles
If you’ve read our article about picking the right agent for you, you know that there are a number of roles that agents can fulfil. On that subject, zeek says that, while it varies from map to map, the T side should always have an entry fragger and a lurker, a support player to back them up and an operator player (the classic sniper). CT is a little different; here you’re looking at two anchors. Anchor agents are used to locking down sites by themself – good examples of agents that can easily anchor a site down are Cypher and Viper. The anchors are joined by two support players and their own operator player.
However, zeek explains that agents can fulfil multiple roles: “You can play Breach Support, or you can play Breach Anchor. A lot of teams put Breach on A-site on Split and pick with flashes from elbow/side and give them an anchor role.” He also says that changing compositions requires you to think about your gameplan before the game starts. What does your composition excel at? What are its weaknesses? If you have the answers to these questions, you’ll have a better idea of what to expect once you’re actually in-game.
Get ready to adjust in-game
So you’ve carefully considered your composition and are ready to jump into your game. One minute in and your Raze gets sniped, can your team composition still do what it’s supposed to do, even with a player down? Not always, says zeek: “For example sometimes you can lose the player with the smokes, which means that the plan to create a full execute towards a site doesn’t work any more, because you don’t have the utility to smoke off angles.”
Losing an agent early means that attacking teams often scramble and look for kills on the other side of the map. Losing a player doesn’t lose you the round, but it’s impossible to prepare for every situation, so shooting well can make up for the fact that you can no longer execute your strategy.
If your composition doesn’t work out and you lose the game, fear not. As zeek tells us; professional players rethink their strategies all the time. They often pick up entirely new agents and work from there. If a playstyle doesn’t suit you, or a certain team comp isn’t working – just switch it up and try again!
Sign up now
If you’ve grabbed pen and paper and started scribbling down different team compositions halfway through the article, then Red Bull Campus Clutch might be something for you and your friends. If you’re a student, sign up now!
