The Sentinel role currently consists of three agents, with a fourth in the making, codenamed Deadeye. However, as of yet, we only have Cypher, Killjoy and Sage.
On your own
While there’s two main playstyles available for Sage, namely as a healer or as someone who runs in guns blazing and who has been lovingly nicknamed “Battle Sage”, both Cypher and Killjoy are way more focused around the concept of using their utility to protect areas. As such, both Cypher and Killjoy are the perfect agents to pick when you prefer a lurker playstyle. Cypher, Killjoy and, to a lesser extent, Sage are often tasked with holding down bombsites by themselves, or holding the back when their team executes a strategy on the offensive side.
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That means that you will often be playing alone. If you’re not the first player to volunteer to hold the back, you’re probably not playing your agent very effectively. Of course, you can help your team push in but more often than not, your agent excels in staying behind and mopping up unsuspecting flankers.
Providing utility
The name of the game here is utility usage. Your agents live and die by their usage and placement of utility. Killjoy and Cypher players should aim to guide their opponents into areas where their utility can work its magic, which is easier said than done. However, by studying the map, and the most common places that people like to push, you can create a multitude of setups that allow you to hold down bombsites by yourself. That’s the bread and butter of a Sentinel player.
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However, there’s a reason that Sage has barely been mentioned. As said earlier, she can be played in two ways. Either as a classic Sentinel, or as a guns blazing healer type agent. Both have their advantages, but right now she is more often than not played in the Battle Sage role, which sees her go in with the team, wall off key areas and use her utility on herself to keep her health topped up. The choice to go for kills over utility usage in a safer role leads to her getting her revive ultimate ability a lot faster, which can change the tide of a round when used correctly.
Viability
The best part about Sentinels is that these three agents are viable on every map. You just have to be smart about it. Of course, there are some maps such as Icebox where a Cypher player might have a bit more trouble, but all in all, even on that map the Moroccan agent is still playable. The downside is that you can’t just run and gun. Like the Controller, the Sentinel requires a lot of thought being put into its playstyle and, depending on your rank, you might be called a ‘baiter’ for being the rock that holds down the back. Don’t let that deter you though, because a solid Sentinel player can frustrate their opponent to no end, and allow the rest of their team to shine.
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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