Attacking can be very scary at times in VALORANT. If the team doesn’t have the credits for proper guns, or the defenders have been holding strong, certain pushes seem impossible in pivotal moments. Sometimes all the team needs is a little space to work with, and Brimstone’s smokes can do just the job. Smokes are extremely helpful in denying enemy vision of the attacking team, as well as putting the enemy in dangerous peeking spots in order to scout the attackers. With just a few well-coordinated pushes, attacking with smokes can help the team get right back into it.
Attacking a site is an extremely common early strategy for most players. It has a relatively short path to the point, with only few spots for the defenders to lay and wait. The threat of attacking A is a defender sitting in Heaven, and another sitting behind boxes looking A-Short. Using two smokes, Brimstone is able to block out these two important sight lines.
The important thing to remember with these smokes is that it is not a perfect cover for Heaven. The defender can hug the left side of Heaven (or the right if looking from Long-A) and gain vision of the ultimate orb. Because the smoke isn’t complete cover, attackers will need to hug the left-most wall entering site. Staying close to the wall prevents the Heaven defender from seeing the entry of the attacking team. The boxes in the center of the point add additional cover from anyone standing under Heaven.
Attacking B Site is an interesting play for all phases of the game. The tricky part of B is the tight space the work with as a unit. If the team fails to hold all 3 angles after the plant, the defenders can easily get a pick or two and retake the area. These smokes allow for a quick plant with a teammate watching through Mid Window.
These smokes hedge bets against a Jett or Omen hiding on top of the tall boxes on site, as well as provide cover from A and B Connectors. The door smokes are vitally important, as it forces the defenders to take longer routes back to B site. As more time ticks down, the defenders are more likely to feel rushed and make a mistake.
Similar to attacking A Site, the difficulty to attacking C is the extremely long corridor with only one point of cover. Snipers on the back of C Site have a large advantage over the attackers, as they can safely scout and defend the site from various angles. Without smokes, approaching C Site relies solely on getting an early kill onto the oftentimes solo defender.
Two smokes on the left side of C should displace any lurking defender on the platform and on the of back. The smoke of the right prevents the sight line from any rotation coming through Garage – or also known as C short. By blocking off these areas, the attacking team can either try and get the spike down quick, or clear out the site before the defenders rotate.
On maps like Haven and Split, there are extremely long hallways the attacking team needs to get through to get onto site. While smoking off potential hiding spots does go a long way of making space, the team needs to take that space. Sitting in spawn may be the safest play, but it is not a winning play. Be sure to push forward when the opportunity arises.
Featured image courtesy of Riot Games.
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