Mastering Valorant Lineups: Tips for Practicing Effectively

Looking to up your game in Valorant? Lineups could be the key to success.

In this article, we will explore what lineups are, why they are important, how they can enhance your gameplay, and when to use them.

We will provide tips on how to practice lineups effectively and a list of useful lineups to master.

If you want to take your Valorant skills to the next level, keep reading to find out more!

What Are Lineups in Valorant?

Lineups in Valorant refer to specific projectile setups by agents involving the release of a secondary ability at a predetermined angle, distance, and timing. These setups allow the agent to deliver damage or deploy utility in areas not visible from their position. Lineups are possible with secondary abilities such as grenades, smoke screens, slows, mollies, and more offered by agents. Lineups allow teams to control areas of the map, or destroy common defensive setups of the enemy team.

Why Are Lineups Important in Valorant?

Lineups are important in Valorant because they provide players with the knowledge of where their abilities (e.g. Viper’s Poison Cloud or Brimstone’s Orbital Strike) will land, minimizing damage while maximizing the ability to kill enemies. In the tactical environment of Valorant, this is crucial to winning games.

Although players have consistently called for a built-in lineup practice tool, Riot has yet to release one. Despite this, there are options available to players, with online practice being one of the best solutions. Options include working with Valorant Noobiest Hall of Gamer’s lineups guides or using the Yoru lineup guide from geev.gg. Another alternative where physical lineups are not provided within the game is the use of external software, such as Everything Free. This is an online, offline desktop search tool that allows the easy searching of any files or folders on a pc.

Finding the answer to this very central question of how to use lineups in Valorant can be pivotal in the lives of not just people with imposter syndrome, but anyone who is afraid to take on new risks or opportunities or is in a challenging work environment.

How Do Lineups Help in Gameplay?

Lineups help in gameplay by creating tactical advantages through use of utility, creating fighting advantages, advancing post-plant survival possibilities, and providing round-saving spike defuses. Lineups help to zone off areas and hinder or eliminate short-term opponent movement. By knowing lineups, agents play much better around smoke by having a rough prediction of where opponents are and are not. The smoke gives attacker side information and a visual advantage. It can also be used for countering opponents hiding behind covers. Lineups are comparable to complex mathematical calculations on spreadsheets that are most utilized by agents specialized in long-range weapons such as Aeltas or Senya.

When Should You Use Lineups?

You should use lineups in post-plant situations when enemies need to be cleared from the site or when you want to deny access by placing a Killjoy bot. Lineups are best suited at longer ranges where the fine-tuned timing can deliver effective results. Use lineups for 3-piece clear on bind B site from A site after plant with Sova. Lineups should be practiced and used in specific situations where they are most effective.

How to Practice Lineups in Valorant?

Practicing lineups in Valorant involves setting up custom games of 30-60 minutes in length according to pro Valorant player Haris Asif (a.K.A. arrisQ), alternating as the player using the lineups to familiarize with and record notes on the characteristics of every map. Lineups must adhere to the constraints of the practice firing range because the range decides how much time it’ll take to get the ultimate. Other advisable settings for Valorant custom games when training optimal lineups include turning on infinite abilities when practicing as a controller agent and turning on the insta-cast option to aim at the exact location more quickly according to a comprehensive guide posted on Reddit describing how to optimize practice time.

Understand the Map Layout

Understanding Valorant’s map layouts is extremely important when practicing lineups in Valorant. Without understanding the geography, it is impossible to consistently place Sova’s or Brimstone’s utilitarian abilities with anything but guesswork. Players looking to line up effectively should understand 100% of the unique features of each map. From Tunnels and Pipe room unique to Icebox to the Teleporters found in Breeze, every part of the map plays a role in where each unique arrow lands.

While knowledge of the enemy’s probable ingress routes is crucial, expended utility is not always observed. The only way to make these variables work to your advantage is to know the maps and timings. Such as where your opponents are most likely to push and how to gather that information to aid decision making.

Study Common Spots and Angles

Common spots, also referred to as power positions, are the most powerful defending points on the map to hold. Angles in Valorant are where a player sets themselves to potentially take out an enemy player. Part of good map knowledge and map control for practice means knowing where players are most likely to be. This is the first step after a site is chosen. Knowing where players might be is key to figuring out how to counter them.

You are able to practice map study similar to how one can practice shooting, it just requires time. Run around a map in custom mode. Always practice attacking a spot, then defending it. Try to always use and learn the best power positions/angles on the map. Even do so with a team as they can help call what works manually. Power positions need to be taken, and this requires an ability to outshoot opponents on either offense or defense.

Practice in Custom Games

In custom games in Valorant, you can arrange to have a smaller group of colleagues practice lineups with you, and you can manage the amount of pressure given that custom games can just be played for leisure. Players can also use these games to devise new lineups or incorporate the practice of other abilities into their aim training routines for competitive games.

Direction for setting up custom games can be found in the Gamepedia page by Fandom that provides community-driven explanations of various aspects of the game including setting up of custom game.

Use Training Mode

Two training maps in Valorant are used to practice lineups in all 5v5 competition maps. These maps are Spike Plant Practice, referred to as training_aim_map, and PlayValorant Lineup Practice which is the Shooting Range of the in-game Practice tool.

The Training Mode in Valorant is an excellent place for players to practice throwing lineups. This is a game map where you can practice throwing and knowing the trajectory of all of Viper’s smokes, Brimstone smokes, Killjoy grenades, and any ability.

Go to options and allow cheats and practice using the teleport tool to be able to freely practice all the lineups you want without running out of grenades. You can even use bots that are rotating to plant site to get better aiming. With the help of tools like Mapgenie, players can easily memorize all lineups for spike plants or any of the Sage, Killjoy, Brimstone, and Viper abilities.

The most skilled professionals utilize the Valorant training tool to improve accuracy in shooting and lineups in one efficient training exercise.

Watch Tutorials and Guides

Once you understand the basics of lineups in Valorant and generally how to play the game effectively, it can be very beneficial to watch other Valorant players on Twitch, during Valorant champions tour matches, and on YouTube. Watching high-level players or analysts break down how they accomplish things in-game can be highly beneficial. Many pro and semi-pro esports players regularly release guides that can teach you all you need to know about the Valorant meta, role goals, pushing, defending, and much more.

Guide Pros on their YouTube channel state that the most important part of effectively push is to act as a team. Listening to one master at a time is the advice of Harshal gaitonde when speaking about the importance of bouncing pros placement.

Watching other players can also help you perform better under pressure, especially since most of the best players stream their ranked games in which their progress matters a great deal. They also explain their thought processes which serves as good practice for you to replicate, and when you feel you have learned enough, you can try watching your own matches on the replay to see what you are doing well and where you can improve.

What Are Some Useful Lineups to Practice?

There are several lineups in Valorant which can be practiced in custom games for sandboxes in the shooting range. This is especially helpful for maps like Breeze or for bots that mimic player behavior that you want to exploit to launch your projectile or use lineups to zone them quickly.

SMART.io features some popular lineups that players like going for, such as controller Viper lineups, Crucial Roles all agents setups, and crucial agent lineups including Brinstone, Raze, Cypher, Cypher, and more.

It is also frequently useful to create your own custom lineups if you come from a tactical shooter background. Testers like Phoenix1 of MYTHIC_reborn have shown this successfully by creating their own lineups that shoot molotovs down Haven‘s sewers on attack yet time their lineup in a way that it zones defenders out of Defender Spawn and one of Defender A‘s planted-spam retake spots.

Sage Wall Boost on Ascent

The Sage Wall Agent Skill on Ascent aka Floating Sage Wall allows you to stand on the top of the wall outside of A main. This tactic is a homage and still effective approach to the old Floating Sage Wall Omen ultimate entry.

According to Hampton Yee’s post on Reddit regarding the Sage wall’s removal in episode 3 this can help defending players escape to A Heaven against an aggressive push from the B site. An additional use is that you can peek into A site behind the sage wall to take attackers by surprise.

Brimstone Molly on Bind

In Bind, Brimstone’s molly is an important tool early in the round for disrupting pushes and denying certain areas to the attacking side. The molly does 25 damage per second and has a pool of 100 HP, and has a range similar to Yoru’s blind or breach aftershock. Brimstone has 2 Molotovs that allows him to delay pushes for 16 seconds.

You can practice Brimstone lineups in custom by pulling out your smoke leaves, standing inside Hookah and using the wall behind the teleporter gate as a reference. Aim your ghost in this position to equip your molotov and mimic the charge then practice the 2 different Brimstone molly spots in showers, one that blocks back bathroom and another one you can practice for around the corner.

Viper Wall on Split

The Viper Lineup is extremely rewarding for defenders attacking the A site in Split. It isolates the short area from back site allowing for a peek or even taking a fight. The initial trajectory is consistent to ensure repeatability even with crosswinds. Stand on A Ramp as shown in the first image. Move your crosshair to stick out of Viper’s elbow. Click on the map, then raise your aim to the top of the Building. This will catch reps from both sides.

Sova Shock Dart on Haven

Sova Shock Dart lineup in Valorant can be used for team-wide damage at the start of a match, for post plant coverage on the A site, or to stop defusals on Haven. Sova places himself at the attack spawn ions plant indicator. With his back to the Jersey (green container with plants), he charges his bow to the second notch and aims at the horizontal iron beam. The shock dart will kill enemies near the A site garden fence.

Omen Teleport on Icebox

Icebox has few lineups with Omen due to a lack of data and underdeveloped techniques which results in significant difficulty for players to understand tactics and help their teams effectively. One useful lineup on Icebox for Omen is a teleport between A-site and Mid.

Located on A-site, players first need to go to A-site’s back yellow container in front of Snowman, where a signpost points towards to Mid (100 yards, not walkable). The location will be clear with plenty of visibility to Mid, unlike most teleport locations which are hidden to prevent getting picked. The destination of the teleport is just in front of the double stack containers on Mid. This is a useful lineup in the Ignition and post-plant phase for flanking or pushing A from NA T1, EU, T10, or NA Diamond 1 ranks encouraged by Yoru.

Tips for Mastering Lineups in Valorant

These are tips for mastering Lineups in Valorant. Lineups in Valorant, whether for smokes, mollies, shock darts or any other utility, are best mastered by using them as often as necessary to create and develop muscle memory. By practicing your lineups, you will improve your probability of hitting opponents and controlling the environment for the rest of your team.

1. Study Lineups: Educate yourself on lineups strategies through online resources.
2. Practice Lineups: Head into custom games and training ranges to get a feel for how lineups work.
3. Create Custom Games: Set up custom games to help you learn all the different lineups.
4. Work on Communication: Have smooth and quick communications with teammates to improve lineups.
5. Play Unrated: Headges recommends practicing lineups in Unrated mode to avoid any negative consequences. Impact recommends just going for it even in highly competitive environments.
6. Learn through Trial and Error: Do not be afraid to use different combinations from your utility kit. With practice, you will know exactly where they will land.
7. Practice Techniques: Even if the lineup works, continue to experiment with different techniques and angles. This can not only expand your possibilities, but can also render a broken lineup effective again.
8. Up Your Reaction Time Game: A Sova main player, daang, points out that SMG buy rounds can teach you faster reaction time since you have to repeat as quickly as possible.
9. Set Achievable Goals: You cannot master lineups in a day or even a week. Break down the learning sessions to make it less overwhelming.
10. Get Help from Others: If you are finding it difficult, do not hesitate to get help. Seek coaching or look for teammates who know and are willing to teach you. Watching gameplay or tutorial videos can also be an immensely helpful source of learning.
11. Ask for Feedback: If you are struggling, do not hesitate to ask your more skilled friends for feedback.
12. Focus on Immersive Learning: Instead of fixating on the outcome, focus on improving your skills for the long-term. This makes you far less susceptible to frustration.
13. Select one agent and focus on them: Use one agent for a while and gradually add more agents to your lineup.
14. Take breaks: Do not overdo it. Take a break when you find frustration taking over more than reward.
15. Believe in yourself: It is extremely important to have faith in your abilities at every stage.

Be Patient and Persistent

Lineups are unique smokes, molotovs, or other damaging abilities. They require a considerable amount of trial and error to understand perfectly. Lineups can’t always easily be practiced with one person on a private server. They can, however, have a group attempt to find a new unique lineup for a particular spot on a practice private server. Engineering such shots and abilities can require experiencing them failing multiple times.

Remember that lineups don’t always pan out perfectly and can often vary with different obstructions in their way or slightly different distances to the desired targeting area.

Experiment and Adapt

Iriving badjob siegler, the performance coach for Vitality’s CSGO team says the trick to having good lineups is being creative and constantly experimenting to discover new things. In another CSGO example, NiKo from the now disbanded European superteam FAZE discovered and popularized the Dark Zero Smoke which is a highly innovative bug exploitation on Overpass where the A bombsite was so heavily favored for the T side on the ground that smokes were used to level the playing field. In Valorant, Rest is a Pakistan player notorious for discovering innovative lineups. Rest practices lineups and recording them on paper to discover lineup changes and create new strategies.

Communicate with Your Team

After you have tried lineups for yourself and know which are best for your playstyle, you should communicate this with your team so that everyone knows and can decide whether it should be used. You should also communicate when to use your utility with your team, as combining your utility with another team member’s at the right moment can greatly aid your team in gaining map control.

Stay Alert and Aware of Your Surroundings

While the center of your attention should normally be placed on one specific spot as you establish your lineups, it is important to be aware of what is going on around you. You may have to alter your lineup briefly if you hear enemies flanking in order to get the higher degree of certainty of opponents which minimizes the risk of moving too soon.

Keep Practicing and Improving

Not all players will reach greatness, but all players with a passion to learn how to practice lineups can improve enough to truly contribute to their team’s success. Keeping up-to-date on videos and websites educating you on maps and character specifics, as well as practicing those strategies in a custom map game as well as in actual play, are the most certain paths to improvement.

Improvement in lineups can take months and hundreds of hours, but many have shown it is possible. Musashi demonstrated how tough the progression from a zero to a hero can be, and concluded that an average player can master most skills with enough practice. While he did acknowledge how daunting the length of time and consistency of practice will be, he offered reassurance that improvement would be gradual enough that they are unlikely to be discouraged.

Independent testing at how2aim.com demonstrated that consistent practice will yield major improvements in accuracy than mean the player will have that much less deficit from the best players when they finally face off against them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of practicing lineups in Valorant?

Practicing lineups in Valorant can help improve your overall gameplay by allowing you to better predict enemy movements and secure kills. It also gives you a better understanding of the map and its layout.

How do I find lineups for specific maps in Valorant?

You can find lineups for specific maps by searching online or watching tutorials from experienced players. You can also experiment and discover your own unique lineups by exploring the map and its surroundings.

How often should I practice lineups in Valorant?

It is recommended to practice lineups regularly, at least a few times a week, to maintain muscle memory and improve your accuracy. However, the frequency of practice may vary depending on your personal skill level and dedication to the game.

What are some tips for effectively practicing lineups in Valorant?

It is important to start with basic lineups and gradually move on to more advanced ones. Practice in a custom game with no time limit to give yourself enough time to learn and perfect the lineups. Also, pay attention to your crosshair placement and use the practice range to fine-tune your aim.

Are there any tools or resources that can help with practicing lineups in Valorant?

Yes, there are many tools and resources available such as custom maps, lineups guides, and even training routines designed specifically for practicing lineups in Valorant. These can be found online or through the game’s community.

How can practicing lineups in Valorant improve team communication and coordination?

By practicing lineups, you can better communicate and coordinate with your team by sharing your knowledge and understanding of the map. This can lead to more effective strategies and ultimately increase your chances of winning matches.