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Abilities are key in Valorant, and play a pivotal role in completing the objectives needed to assure a victory in the team-based tactical shooter.
Valorant has a roster of 19 Agents separated into four different classes - Duelist, Initiator, Controller and Sentinel. The role of the Agent decides the nature of their abilities. In that regard, the right combination of abilities is essential for achieving victory in Valorant's competitive lobbies.
Each Agent in Valorant has a set of four distinct abilities at their disposal, each of which has its own diverse effects during the course of the match. Here in this article, we take a look at five of the most effective Agent abilities that can deny the Defenders a spike defuse.
Top 5 abilities that Valorant Agents can use to deny spike defuse
5) Astra's Gravity Well
Astra is one of the most popular choices for a Controller in Valorant due to her versatile Astral Form. Playing a Controller role allows players to play behind the frontlines and deploy Astra's utilities to suit the team's needs.
In addition to her smoking and concussion abilities, Astra can deploy and activate her Gravity Well to pull players towards the center of the star, rendering them vulnerable.
Enemies caught up in the Gravity Well are also prone to double the damage for 5 seconds, due to their vulnerable state. This opens up a window for the defending side to distract the defusers. Astra has only one charge of Gravity Well each round.
Using Gravity Well in post-plant scenarios doesn't necessarily deal the enemy any damage. However, opponents are denied the opportunity to defuse the spike, which earns the Attackers a few extra seconds that can win them the round.
4) Brimstone's Incendiary
Brimstone is one of Valorant's oldest Controllers and has a skill set that can contribute to holding down the bomb site or assisting the team in retakes. Players can utilize the Agent's tactical map to deploy sky smoke or orbital strikes.
One ability from his toolkit that stands out is his incendiary grenade, which players can use to deal extensive damage to their opponents.
Incendiary (Q) is one of Brimstone's basic abilities that allows players to launch a grenade that denotates to create a zone of fire that lasts for 7 seconds at full size, dealing 60 HP/second in damage. This ability can only be used once every round upon purchase for 250 creds.
Players can line-up their crosshairs onto a specific point on the map and use the ability to direct the incendiary to their desired locations. Brimstone's incendiary is the longest deterrant ability in the game, and is ideal for taking time off the enemy's hands during spike defuse.
Additionally, players can also activate Brimstone's ultimate ability using his built-in tactical map and deny spike defuse.
3) Killjoy's Nanoswarm
Killjoy has a reputation for being the smartest Agent in the Valorant Protocol and has an ability toolkit that suits her character. All of her technological creations are ideal during defensive scenarios in competitive matchups.
Killjoy's Turret and Alarmbot aid in dealing damage to enemies whereas her Nanoswarm can be lined up and deployed to inflict considerable damage across a small area.
Nanoswarm (C) is capable of creating a zone that can afflict 45 HP worth of damage per second. Killjoy can purchase up to 2 Nanoswarms for 200 creds each. When combined with her Alarmbot, vulnerable enemies will suffer double the damage.
Similar to a few other Agents, Killjoy can also use her post-plant lineup to deny spike defuse. This allows Killjoy players to be positioned anywhere on the map as they can run down the enemy clock by deploying their Nanoswarms accordingly. Killjoy's ultimate - Lockdown - can detain enemies and is another proficient tool in post-plant situations.
2) Viper's Snabekite
Since her initial beta release, Viper has witnessed numerous changes to her efficacy in ranked matches. In Episode 4 Act 1, Viper is the primary choice for a Controller in maps like Icebox, Bind and Breeze.
Her Toxic Screen and Poison Cloud cater to her role as a Controller and are capable of inflicting temporary damage. However, the highlight of the Agent is her Snakebite ability.
Snakebite (C) allows Viper to launch a vial of chemical matter to create a splatter radius, damaging anyone within. Agents who come in contact with Snakebite will be vulnerable for 2 seconds and will suffer 12 HP per second in damage.
Unlike other post-plant utilities, Snakebite can deal damage as well as inflict vulnerability.
Viper players have the freedom to deploy Snakebites from numerous locations on the map to conveniently deny their opponents a spike defuse. Viper can purchase up to two Snakebites for 200 creds each and can deploy them consecutively to delay Defenders in their path during post-plant situations.
1) Sova's Shock Dart
Sova features on Valorant Protocol as one of their four Agents in the Initiator role. With recon being invaluable to teams in competitive lobbies, Sova is a common pick on almost all maps across Valorant.
Players have access to information about the enemy's whereabouts with the help of Recon Bolt and Owl Drone, while Shock Bolts help the Agent inflict damage onto opponents.
Shock Bolts (Q) can be fired to land on any specific area on the map. Players can control the charge and bounce applied to fire the shock dart. Sova can choose between three levels of charges and can bounce the Bolt up to twice. Once hit, players within that radius will receive 10 - 90 HP in damage.
Sova can purchase a maximum of 2 Shock Bolts for 150 creds each. With precision and map knowledge, Sova players can accurately deploy their Shock Bolts to bewilder the spike-defusers and successfully bag the round for the Attackers during post-plant.
