How to Valorant: Speeding in with Neon Valorant
The Filipino agent sped through the Valorant protocol and became one of the most exciting agents to watch on screen. Agent 19 was the sixth duelist to participate in the Valorant Protocol. The combination of Neon with initiators took the Valorant world by storm. The agent kit facilitates the agent's speedy plays, helps disrupt the timings, and maximizes utilization of the initiator's kits.
The agent's signature is the movement speed, and the players had difficulty understanding how to play the agent. Optic and Victor were the first ones to display the agent's prowess. It completely shifted how the agent was played and perceived. This brought a meta-shifting change in the game, where the entry role became highly crucial.
Neon's Valorant Ability Kit:
Coming in as the sixth duelist, Neon is an "Entry" focusing on space creation. The kit allows her to isolate a space, and speed disrupts the timing creating a deadly combination.
- Basic Ability - Fast Lane (C): Fire two energy lines to isolate an area of the map. The walls extend for a short distance or if they hit a surface.
- Cost - 300 Credits
- Duration - 6s
- Basic Ability - Relay Bolt (Q): Equip and throw an electricity bolt that bounces once. Upon hitting a surface, the bolt concusses the enemies nearby.
- Cost - 200 Credits
- Max Charges - 2
- Duration - 1.1s
- Concussion duration - 3s
- Signature Ability - High Gear (E): Activate for increased movement speed. Alt-Fire triggers a slide that recharges after two kills.
- Duration - 10s max (recharges)
- Slide Recharge: Two kills
- Ultimate ability - Overdrive (X): Activate to increase movement speed and fire a lightning beam with high movement accuracy. Duration increases with kills.
- Ultimate Points - 7
- Duration - 20s min. (Increases after kills)
- Damage - 54 Head, 18 Body, 15 Leg
- Wall bang damage - 30/10/8
The agent's kit is an interesting one and one of the unique kits in Valorant. The movement speed makes Neon a hard target to hit, and the agent can get away with a lot of damage if used properly. The agent's effectiveness is maximized when used in cohesion with initiators.
Playing Neon at the highest level of Valorant:
As mentioned earlier, the agent kits rely significantly on the movement speed and disrupting opponents' timing to catch them off-guard. The agent's kit is made for space creation. Using Neon with initiators increases Neon's effectiveness.
A standard neon valorant play at the pro level will be as follows:
- Neon isolates an area with a fast lane.
- Initiators help the agent flush out angles, and Neon kills the enemies.
- The players follow to secure the space created by the agent.
Neon can be used very effectively with Breach as Breach can clear a lot of areas, and Neon can be used to take control of the area. The agent is also a huge asset with Breach's rolling thunder, as it can match its speed and pick off stunned enemies. Neon + Kay/O were a great counter to Chamber on fracture, where Kay/O would suppress and flash a Chamber, and Neon can quickly cover a lot of space to punish the agent. The combination will have a much more significant impact now with Chamber nerfed.
Neon's Ultimate is also one of the most effective ults in the game, and players can use it very effectively. While still punishable, the Ult is an almost instant kill, as it takes only three hits from the Ult on the head. This is as fast as a headshot from Vandal but without movement inaccuracy and Neon's speed. While said so, players with proper crosshair placement can easily punish Neon making Neon a balanced agent.
One great way to understand how to play the agent is to watch Optic's Victor on the agent. Optic Gaming works well with the agent and has been one of the frontrunners in Neon's utilization. Victor does a great job at creating space and utilizing the Neon's abilities to their fullest. Neon on Haven from Optic is one of the best examples of Neon's usage.
Tips for maximizing Neon's effectiveness:
- Practicing the agent's movement and the relay bolt for best efficiency.
- Regularly practicing tracking and crosshair placement to maximize the effectiveness of movement speed and overdrive(X).
- Understanding timings of the map and agent abilities to come up with counterplay.
The agent relies heavily on movement speed, and it is necessary for players playing Neon to understand the speed and use it to their advantage. The agent is one of the most exciting ones in the duelist categories and needs an answer for the movement speed. A dextrous Neon can easily take over a game and ruin an opponent's timings. Once you get the agent's kit, speed in the server and "Spark" the competition.
Credits: Riot Games