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Although a First-Person Shooter, Valorant players are expected to finesse their ability usage in addition to learning the game's shooting mechanics. The diversity created in playstyle due to this compels players to choose the agent that best suits their style.
Duelists are essentially the ace of the team and are expected to be proficient in fragging. These agents are equipped with abilities that can help them earn kills for the team. Valorant's Duelist roster includes - Raze, Jett, Reyna, Phoenix and Yoru.
Initiators agents conduct recon for the team while possessing abilities that can assist teammates in making their entry into bomb sites or other locations on the map. Valorant has four Initiators - Skye, Sova, Breach and KAY/O.
With respect to their effectiveness in competitive solo-queuing, this article compares Raze with Skye based on their ability, skill set and popularity among Valorant's community.
Raze vs Skye in Valorant: Facts, abilities, skills and pick rate
Raze
Facts
Since: Beta
Role: Duelist
Origin: Brazil
Abilities
Basic Ability 1 (C): Boom Bot
Raze can equip a bot that travels on the ground in a straight line while bouncing off walls. The bot finds nearby enemies and explodes, and is capable of dealing 30HP - 80HP in damage.
Basic Ability 2 (Q): Blast Pack
Raze can deploy a satchel that sticks to the targeted surface. She can either activate it within the timer to deal up to 50 HP damage or use it to enhance her mobility.
Signature Ability (E): Paint Shells
A cluster grenade that explodes and separates into mini-grenades to deal further damage (15-55 HP) to targets within the radius. This ability will recharge after two kills.
Ultimate Ability (X): Showstopper
A rocket launcher that deals massive damage (30-150 HP) to any enemy within a radius. Raze has a 10-second timer to launch the rocket after activation. Showstopper requires Raze to collect eight ultimate points.
Skills
Raze is one of the two agents in Valorant who has access to aerial mobility. Being a duelist, Raze has the capability to charge into bombsites by clearing areas with her paint shells (E). Her boom bot (C) is a good recon agent in narrow parts of the map and can also deal considerable damage.
In defensive scenarios, all of Raze's abilities can slow down the enemy's approach. Her blast pack (Q) provides her access to angles that are inaccessible to most other agents. Raze's ultimate (X), when paired with her satchel, can catch enemies from blind angles and damage them heavily.
Pick rate
Raze is one of the most favoured agents in Valorant, with a pick rate of 10% across all game modes and maps in Episode 3 Act 2. The agent is currently maintaining this pick rate in the ongoing Act 3 of Episode 3. Valorant players prefer Raze ahead of fellow duelists - Yoru and Phoenix, as per blitz.gg.
Skye
Facts
Since: V1.11
Role: Initiator
Origin: Australia
Abilities
Basic Ability 1 (C): Regrowth
A healing trinket that restores up to a combined total of 100 HPs for teammates within the ability's circumference. Although Skye cannot heal herself, the ability can be reused until she drains out her healing pool.
Basic Ability 2 (Q): Trailblazer
Skye takes control of a tiger trinklet that she can control to find nearby opponents. Enemies caught will receive 30 HP damage while being concussed for up to four seconds.
Signature Ability (E): Guiding Light
A hawk trinket that can be guided as per Skye's direction. The hawk explodes into a flash that blinds players for two seconds. The ability recharges after 40 seconds.
Ultimate Ability (X): Seekers
Three seeker orbs are released, which track down and chase the nearest three enemies. The seekers nearsight enemies for three seconds and have to be destroyed to be rendered ineffective. Skye's ultimate requires seven ultimate points.
Skills
As an initiator, Skye has abilities that are beneficial for reconnaissance. Her trailblazer (Q) can be used to obtain information before clearing out areas of the map. Skye's regrowth (C) makes her the only healer in Valorant apart from Sage.
Skye's guiding light (E) is a versatile ability that can be used as a flashbang as well as for recon. Her ultimate ability (X) can be highly influential in winning handicapped situations, as it almost pinpoints the enemy location. Skye's abilities provide the team with information while supporting the duelists in entry.
Pick rate
Skye had a pick rate of 5% in Act 2 of Episode 3. Moving to the current act, the agent's pick rate has dropped to 4.6% across all maps and game modes as per blitz.gg. Skye ranks second among four initiators in terms of pick rate, trailing Sova on the list.
Raze vs Skye: Comparison between the two Valorant agents
Selecting Raze demands an aggressive playstyle from Valorant players and requires good utility usage. Her ability toolkit is better suited to deal damage to opponents than other Valorant duelists. On the other hand, Skye has a relatively passive playstyle as the team requires her abilities in various scenarios.
Players solo queuing for a competitive match should be inclined towards choosing Raze over Skye. Initiators like Skye require communication with the team to bring out their full potential. Raze's abilities are sufficient for players to suit their fragging needs while assisting the team as well.
