Best Lurking Agents in VALORANT

VALORANT is a first-person shooter game you can enjoy as you blast heads off one by one, provided that you’re a sharpshooter. But, there are various strategies you can employ to win games besides having an accurate aim. One among these is lurking.

Lurking is a high-risk high-reward tactic, that’s for sure. It occurs when a player chooses to play or push from a location adjacent to or away from their team. Although it seems pretty straightforward and a simple, there is more to it than you may be aware of. In actuality, lurking has always been misconstrued by certain players, who as a result end up losing some rounds or perhaps the whole game. We certainly don't want it to happen, do we?

Getting the hang of lurking can be challenging at first, but you'll get there. But one thing you should consider before lurking is the agent you are using as it can drastically change the outcome of each round or perhaps the entire game.

Here are the best lurking agents in Valorant and why you should pick them.

What makes a good lurker in Valorant

Lurking in Valorant can be a high-stake venture, as the team will lack one member when attempting to take over a site. It is done by completely isolating yourself from your team to put pressure on and seek opportunities from unexpected regions on the map. With this tactic, you are baiting your whole team; but when done right, it will surely net you valuable information, frags, and even round victories.

It’s probably best to stay with your team if you’re an initiator such as Sova, Kay/o and Breach. This is because their entire kit is tailor-made for attacking and taking over sites. Speaking of taking over sites, duelists aren’t recommended as well. We all have probably seen it before. Duelists are meant to enter and take space with their kit, and that’s what they’re good at. That said, you wouldn’t want to give up this job as a duelist and bait your teammates just so you could lurk.

But ideally, the best options you have, if you’re into lurking, is by using Controllers and Sentinels.

Controllers are also essential in attacking sites due to their smoke, but once the smoke has been placed, they are then free to either stick with the team or push from elsewhere. This is effective for most controllers due to their ability to deploy smokes without having the need to be in that site. The case however is different for Brimstone because of the limited range in his Sky Smoke (E).

Sentinels’ abilities on the other hand aren’t as essential in pushing sites; they excel more in anchoring sites and preventing flanks. Hence, they can have the option to push from the other sites of the map or cut off rotations as their traps will hold the flanks for them. Sage however is less efficient as a lurker. Sage can only heal herself for 30HP, hence her team will benefit more from her healing, she also has a wall and an orb to delay retakes.

Overall, one common thing they have is their global presence; being able to do their job without needing to stay with their team.

Who are the Best Lurk agents in Valorant

Listed down below are the best agents you can use for lurking in Valorant.

Killjoy

Killjoy is a sentinel agent in Valorant that is considered to be a great lurker. This is especially true since all of her abilities except for her ultimate aren't going to be needed to enter a site most of the time.

The German genius’ bots have her back while she is lurking. She is capable of keeping an eye on the flank for her team while applying pressure to the opposite side of the map. The sole drawback lies with the limited range of her bots which renders them useless whenever she is not in close proximity. Having that said, Killjoy will not be able to freely roam across the map as the area where she can only lurk is going to be dictated by the range of her bots. Hence, it’ll be hard to lurk if Killjoy is the only sentinel in her team in some cases.

Astra

There’s no denying that controllers are masters in the art of lurking in Valorant. What makes Astra an ideal lurker is mostly tied to her ability to deploy abilities from any part of the map. She doesn't need to be physically there to be of assistance to her squad thanks to her global skills. Astra can use her smokes without having the need to get near the site. With Gravity Pull, she can also delay plant defuses.

Astra also has a toolkit that can assist her in stealthy situations. The Ghanian agent can place stars anywhere around the map, and take them back to be able to place a short-lasting smoke to conceal her path or block off the traps’ vision.

However, when lurking or using Astra in general, one needs to have a superb game sense and map awareness. Lurking requires you to be observant of your surroundings to be able to gain info while remaining to be undetected. While doing so, you should also be aware of what’s happening on the other side of the map where your team attacks at the same time. Lastly, when lurking, you’re at risk of running into players who might want to flank or rotate so be careful when using your Astral Form without having any info about your enemies’ whereabouts. This is because when you’re in your Astral Form, you will not be able to see or hear anything.

Omen

Omen is among the greatest lurkers in Valorant for a number of reasons. This enigmatic agent likes to stay out of sight and make his enemies paranoid with his stealthy maneuvers. Omen's talents allow him to be anywhere across the map at any given time. By using Shrouded Step (Q) or From the Shadows (X), Omen can teleport from one location to another, keeping his enemies guessing about his whereabouts.

Omen, thanks to Shrouded Step, is able to successfully avoid traps like as Killjoy's bots and Cypher's Trapwires while hiding in the shadows. Alternatively, his smoke can be used to cover its vision. Assuming he knows its precise location, he should have no trouble carrying out a successful lurk.

In the same way that Astra can deploy smokes from a distance, Omen can as well.

Omen can also quickly bring himself back to his team with his ultimate, or if anything goes wrong, he can simply take the spike from another part of the map through the same ability.

Viper

Viper, the American Chemist, relies on a wide arsenal of poisonous chemical devices and toxins to choke out her foes and leave them gasping for air.

What makes her more deadly is when she begins to lurk. Her smokes do not work just like Omen’s and Astra’s, but she gets the job done just fine. Before the round starts, Viper can place her signature ability, Toxic Screen before heading to another part of the map.

As for her Poison Orb, Viper can choose to bring her orb to deny vision or seal off traps with her orb, or use her Poison Orb lineups so that her team can safely enter the site.

Snakebite (C) on the other hand can also be useful even when you’re not with your team. If you want to be a bit extra, you can learn some molly lineups allowing your snakebite to reach areas on the site where the enemies may push or hide, or on the spike for post-plant situations.

Take note that Viper’s effectiveness as a lurker also depends on the map and in some cases, it is preferable to go for a double controller if you want to opt for a lurking Viper.

Yoru

Lurking is when you decide to play somewhere else on the other side of the map, completely away from your teammates. If that’s the case, you might be wondering why a duelist, of all other agents, is here. The Riftwalker from Japan, Yoru is a duelist and is meant to enter the site and make space for his team. However, it cannot be denied that his kit is great and meant for lurking as well.

Yoru has Gatecrash that he can use to either flank, surprise, or disorient his enemies. It can reach a pretty large distance, even allowing him to reach the enemy spawn with the help of a few lineups. With it, he can be everywhere and he might be able to catch rotating opponents who have their knives out. Alternatively, he can leave his gatecrash near his allies, and roam on the other side of the map so he can still go back to his team.

But then again, Yoru is a duelist. If he’s the only duelist in his team and they’re unable to take a site on their own, lurking isn’t gonna be advisable.

Cypher

Ah, Cypher— the king of lurking. The last spot in this list is given to Moroccan Information Broker. Each one of Cypher’s abilities provides him the information he needs to be able to read his opponents and know exactly where they are with pinpoint accuracy. This fact alone makes him the best agent for lurking. After all, lurking is all about gaining information and not just about getting kills.

Cypher has two trap wires capable of holding the flank for his team regardless of his distance from it. This allows him to continue his lurk across the map without worrying about anyone who might want to attack from behind. He also has two cages that he can activate as an anti-trap or if you simply want to obscure their vision so that you’ll remain unseen. His spycam on the other hand is a handy tool to safely gain info on risky areas without having to fully expose himself.

Finally, if he's able to single out one foe, he can toss his hat with Neural Theft (X) and let his squad know exactly who else is out there. Your group can then vote on whether or not to carry out a rotation.

Lurking is a high risk-high reward approach that allows you to take free space on the other side of the map. It allows you to gain more information about the whereabouts of your opponents, which could help your team decide on their next move. Before you start with your lurk, make sure you’re using the right agents as it’ll certainly make your job and your team’s lives easier.

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