As I have said in my previous articles, all VALORANT roles are important. However, for this article, we will focus on the most popular role in the game. The Duelist may be one of the most egoistic among the many VALORANT roles.
There is no I in the team, but there is an I in Duelist.
Almost all of us have experienced someone insta-locking a duelist in our ranked queues. This is something that can trigger a player right on the spot. Everyone has an opinion on how Duelists should play, in which most players think these agents should hard-carry the team.
What is a duelist in VALORANT? According to Riot’s official description of what a Duelist is, they are classified as “self-sufficient fraggers.”
All duelists in VALORANT are Jett, Phoenix, Raze, Reyna, Neon, and Yoru. Players expect duelists to create space for the team while pushing a site. Providing a pathway and space for teammates to enter the site.
Duelist abilities either consist of flashes or movement-based abilities that they can utilize as ways of engaging first contact with the enemy. The expectations from Duelists are to get a great number of frags and take engagements first. Knowing all of these, how does one excel at being a duelist?
Do’s and Don’t as a Duelist
The Do’s
On attack, everyone expects their Duelists to be at the front of the pack. The job is to get opening picks on the enemy team. Duelists also need to consider how they can utilize their abilities to the fullest. After all, it’s about taking advantage of an enemy during an engagement.
On defense, we recommend that Duelists hold an angle where an enemy will likely try to enter the site. All Duelists can hold a risky angle, but they have the ability to reposition after getting a pick. Secure that kill and get a numbers advantage over your enemies.
When playing for a retake, Duelists should also be the first to engage just like they would on the attacker side, which would allow for the separation of chokepoints and give the rest of the team space to work with for engagements.
A duelist must be brave, have excellent spatial awareness, and have game sense. They must also possess good aim to back it up. After all, everyone expects you to engage the enemy first, you should have the ability to outduel the enemy.
The Don’t
Everyone expects their Duelists to be top fraggers. However, it isn’t really a requirement to play this role correctly.
While playing VALORANT, you might have come across terms like “frags” and “impact frags.” You often hear your teammates toss it around, whether it be them mentioning to look for impact frags or just mentioning it in general.
To those who are unaware of the terms, simply put, “frags” can be determined as eliminations themselves, while “impact frags” are any eliminations that set your team up for success.
One example of an impact frag is eliminating a lurker, which can offer control of both the site and the ability to cut any enemy rotations. Another example of an impact frag can be getting a pick in an eco round, and successfully picking up a rifle to make the eco round slightly more “winnable” than before.
Although a duelist should engage the enemy first, do not engage in unnecessary duels. Dying because of ego peeks or nonchalantly walking into the site without backup is bad practice as a duelist.
That wraps it up for our VALORANT roles breakdown for Duelist. Check out our other guides on our official website. You can also follow us on social media to stay updated with the latest gaming and esports news.
