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Episode 6 Act 1 brought a new map to Valorant earlier this January. Initially released for the Swiftplay-only queue, it has since been added to the Competitive and Unrated map pool starting from Patch 6.01.
Lotus is based in Omega Earth's India and features three plant sites like Haven. However, it is distinct in structure from all previous maps. It has narrow hallways that connect one site with another and a wide, open siteline leading to the two extremities of the map. Lotus also offers fresh gimmicks like rotating doors, a breakable wall, and a silent drop.
Skye is an Initiator Agent in Valorant with both reconnaissance and healing abilities. Considering how the Lotus-meta has been shaping up so far, it doesn't look like she will feature in many Agent compositions. However, Skye can be an interesting pocket pick on the map. Here's how you can use her in your Lotus games.
Skye on Valorant's new map Lotus can be a pocket-pick to catch opponents off-guard
Skye has been around in Valorant for a while now. There was once a time when she used to be an S-Tier Agent. However, with the arrival of KAY/O and Fade, she has fallen in the ranks.
Skye gets
- Guiding Light: Two bird flashes which can be sent some distance before popping
- Trailblazer: One info-gathering dog that can damage and concuss enemies
- Regrowth: Area of effect heal, can mend all her allies for a maximum of 100 HP
- Seekers: Her Ultimate ability chases the trails of the three closest enemies and slows them upon catching them.
Here is how you can play Skye on attack and defense on Lotus.
How to attack on Lotus with Skye
Skye flashes are still one of the strongest in Valorant. You can use them as pop-flashes to take fights yourself. However, they flash the enemy for longer when sent over a distance. Therefore, you will be better off flashing for a teammate who can cover distances to take advantage of the longer flash.
Sending a Trailblazer to clear all close corners will be essential when playing Skye. You can use the ability from these places to get the best value out of them in Valorant's new map:
- A-Main to clear A-Hut and the back side of A-Site
- B-Pillar to clear the close angles while entering B-Site
- C-Main to clear the C-Bend area
You should also use Regrowth and your Ultimate as much as possible to heal allies and gather information. Skye can also be a good agent to farm ultimate orbs for, as Seekers is a great mid-round Ultimate that can help you decide if you should rotate.
How to defend on Lotus with Skye
Besides flashing the enemies, Guiding Light also makes a sound cue to indicate if the enemy has been flashed. Therefore, using one flash at the start of the round is a good way to collect information on the attackers' positioning.
Furthermore, the flashes regenerate after a cooldown. You should always have a teammate with you so that they can capitalize on the flashed enemies. The flashes can also be effective tools to stall a push and buy time for your teammates to rotate.
The Trailblazer can also be useful in gathering information. However, use it on shorter sightlines as it can only assess a small distance, and if you send it down a long area like A-Main or C-Mound, enemies will quickly shoot it down.
As on attack, Seekers can also be useful in the mid-round on defense to figure out where the enemies are headed. You can rotate or hold your position based on the gathered information.
Skye is not in the best position in Valorant's Agent-meta. She could use some buffs that might make her more viable. For now, make the most out of her utility kit on Valorant's new map, Lotus.
