Duelist, the one role everyone instalocks before caring about what anyone else wants to play. The role that frustrates everyone, because everyone has an opinion on how to play it and everyone thinks that this role is supposed to either be hard carry, or not even be a part of the game. That’s part of how to play the role, sure, but there’s so much more to playing a duelist.
Available duelists and playstyle
Currently the game counts five duelists, which is the most characters per class. Phoenix, Jett and Raze have been there since the beta, while Reyna was added on full release of the game and Yoru was added in the second season. While all these characters have their own unique twist on the duelist concept, they’re all consistent in one area: they’re extremely self-sufficient.
They have to be, because duelists are often expected to enter a bombsite first. As a duelist, your teammates will expect you to come up with plays that can change the shape of a round, and to open up almost impenetrable defenses. Depending on who you play, this can be a lot easier or harder. As such, it’s almost impossible to define a playstyle for duelists other than to say “Go forth and get frags.”
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Soaring high (in popularity)
Currently, Jett is the duelist that sees the most play by far. The South Korean is extremely mobile and due to that mobility is one of the only agents who can reliably wield an Operator. So if you’re more of a sniper, then Jett is going to be your main pick. Reyna and Raze both see moderate usage too, though in different circumstances. Reyna is an agent that is used when you have extreme confidence in yourself, as she can easily decimate an entire team due to her self-healing abilities. Raze is way more mobile and, like Jett, can open a site extremely well with her utility usage, and fast movement, though your mechanics need to be on point to make it work.
Other viable options
Phoenix is another pick that is certainly viable, though not often used. Due to his Blaze ability, combined with his Curveball ability, he can catch enemies unaware by flashing himself through his wall, as well as having moderate healing abilities through the usage of Blaze in combination with Hot Hands. Phoenix certainly isn’t a bad pick, though he lacks the mobility that other duelists have to enter a site.
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Yoru on the other hand… Yoru just isn’t very viable right now. He has a lot of cool opportunities for outplaying your opponent, and can definitely be mastered, but there’s a reason that most players in the higher tiers stay far away from the Japanese duelist: he just doesn’t offer much. He has a couple of nice gimmicks, but his deceptions and trickery are outmatched by the more useful raw utility that other duelists have.
Always remember though, just because you’re a duelist, doesn’t mean you’re alone. You require your team’s help in entering a site, and while your aim needs to be crisp, your game sense needs to be just as crisp. So always communicate with your team so you know what spaces are open for you to exploit, and possibly make that play that changes the shape of a round.
More VALORANT:
- VALORANT – What to do when playing Initiator?
- VALORANT: What to do when playing Controller
- Jett bugs may not be fixed until VALORANT Patch 3.09
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