Taking the online competitive landscape by storm, Riot’s Valorant provides one of the most addicting experiences on the market. Its masterful combination of Hero Shooter mechanics and gameplay with the cult classic style of titles such as Counter-Strike makes sets this title on the path to becoming one of the most popular titles ever released. Valorant’s success seemingly emerged out of nowhere, as the game has swamped the home page of streaming platforms such as Twitch. For an early access title, Valorant’s popularity could be considered strange, as its consistent numbers on the home page of Twitch are insurmountable. This is rooted in Riot’s clever marketing program, in which access to the rising title is restricted to “drops” from popular streamers.
With a roster bursting at the seems with charismatic and interesting characters, Valorant players are spoiled for choice. However, choosing a “main” character is one of the hardest aspects of the game. With such a diverse and interesting roster, each member of the Valorant cast is as interesting last the last. One of the more unique designs found in the title is the technology-savvy Cypher, who provides an under-utilized niche to the competitive scene of Hero Shooters. His trap-heavy playstyle is one of the most difficult to master but yields an oppressive and dominant presence when mastered to its fullest.
Understanding Cypher’s Abilities in Valorant
Considered by many to be the most difficult among the roster, Cypher relies upon a player’s understanding of the map and their enemies’ tendencies. But with a firm understanding of both general gameplay and Cypher’s arsenal of abilities, an aspiring Cypher main will find success through his oppressive toolkit.
The first of Cypher’s moves are the main staple of his playstyle and that is his Trapwire. As the name implies, Trapwire operates as a powerful trap to place throughout the map. When using the ability players will need to attach the long string-like wire to two close walls. Once attached and players walk through the Trapwire, that enemy will be stunned and appear as an outline in your perspective. Making it a powerful tool to keep enemies away from a particular location, or to notify Cypher players when players are approaching a particular destination. When placing the Trapwire be sure to place it about chest height, that way an enemy isn’t able to either jump or crouch under the wire, avoiding its effects.
Cypher’s Cyber Cage provides a powerful Smoke-Style aura which both limits an enemy’s vision and slows down their movement speed. This ability is useful to slow down an approaching team or to use in conjunction with your Trapwire, concealing the trap’s location. Cyber Cage is one of Cypher’s most powerful moves and is a pillar of his playstyle.
Spycam is Cypher’s final ability, in which a Cypher player would attach a CCTV to any wall or item that is within his range. The Spycam allows Cypher players to access its perspective, allowing him to see what the camera sees. It also provides Cypher with a powerful Marking Dart, which when fired from the Camera onto an enemy allows Cypher to see the enemy’s outline from any point on the map. Making it a powerful recon tool in the right hands. Be aware, when using the Spycam, it becomes visible to the enemy team and can be shot from its mounted position. The Marking Dart can also be removed by the enemy, ending its powerful recon ability.
Finally, Cypher’s ultimate, Neural Theft is a rather complicated but interesting move. When Cypher approaches an enemy team’s corpse, he can utilize Neural Theft on the corpse. When the ultimate is activated it grants Cypher the ability to locate all of the Enemy team’s silhouettes for a short second. This ultimate provides similar utility as the Marking Dart but on a larger scale, granting a Cypher ability the ability to scout and call out the enemy team. However, this move can be difficult to pull off, as it requires Cypher or his teammates have defeated an enemy player, but when the condition is met, this is one of the strongest ultimate in the game.
Using Cypher’s Abilities Effectively in Valorant
For Cypher to operate at his fullest capability, the player controlling the mysterious character needs to have a strong game-sense and map understanding. Cypher is at his most powerful when he is placing his traps, camera, and Cyber Cage in key choke points or in troublesome and sneaky positions.
When placing a Trapwire a Cypher player needs to consider a few factors. The first of which is, what location will the enemy team travel towards. Once this location is determined, assess which chokepoints or entrances will they utilize, then place the Trapwire accordingly. The Trapwire is not a major game-changer throughout a match, but if used correctly can turn the tide of a combat encounter. On the offensive, a Cypher player should use the Trapwire to cover his and his teammates back and allow them the chance to counter-attack a flanking defensive team.
Cyber Cage works well in conjunction with Cypher’s Trapwire as it can stun and slow the enemy team for a lengthy period of time. When used correctly it can both disorient an enemy player and team, and even lead to a powerful ambush for Cypher and his teammates. Making it one of the deadliest combos in the entire game, and a tricky combination to play around.
Cypher’s Spy Cam and Neural Theft primarily operate as powerful recon abilities. When used correctly, a Cypher player should have eyes on the enemy team at nearly all times. Be sure to abuse the oppressive capabilities of the Spy Cam’s Marking Dart as often as possible. A sole enemy death can lead to an incredible momentum shift when playing Cypher, as it can reveal the location of the entire enemy team, leading to a potentially devastating counter-attack or ambush. Use these abilities wisely and matches will end as quickly as they began.
Valorant is available in early access on PC.
