Thursday provided more than the team would realize as it battled against Trivec Gaming. Trivec Gaming now 4-0 is one of the top teams in the Emerald League. Showing a dominant performance from map one it became clear that KIG was beating themselves in these gun fights. Without the the use of defensive players such as KillJoy and Chamber, KIG noticed that the current strategy needed to be changed. By that time it was too late.
The first map is a new map to the teams comp style during this league. Ascent.
Here are the basic callout locations you should know for Ascent’s A site. Outside of Generator and the bricks next to Green Box, it’s important to remember that most of these surfaces are spammable, including the divider between Heaven and Hell. There are a few other A-related callouts you should be aware of, though.
- Bricks: In the corner to your right if you’re entering site through the A main entrance.
- Door and Panel: In the corner to your left if you’re entering site through the A main entrance.
On attack, you want to cut off the ability for defenders to peek from corners in Heaven, Hell, and from behind Door during a site take. Smokes or a Viper wall will accomplish this the best, or you can try to rely on flashes to get from A main into the site. Closing the door as soon as you have site control is a must since it cuts off a retake angle from the defenders, forcing them to break it and give themselves away.
This is where the majority of the kills came from. KIG quickly became fuzzy within the callouts. It turned into a dominant performance from Trivec. Taking Map one, 4-13.
The second map provided a little bit longer gunfights and patience on KIG’s part. However, Trivec was still thee better team last night. This time playing on Split.
Split is an interesting map to play in that it doesn’t seem like it’s been designed for Valorant’s fairly simple objectives. The game is about holding or taking Spike Sites, and so other Valorant maps feel built around attacking or defending these sites. Split, though, has a much more meaty middle ground, which seems better equipped for something like Team Deathmatch. That mode and others may well be coming in time, and with different objectives, the map tactics may change. For now though, we’ve got the best tactics for both attacking and defending Split right here.
Defensive tactics have more value here than offensive ones, so Sage is a strong hero to use on this map, although that also puts pressure on you to use her properly. Phoenix is a great hero for a mix of tight and wide corners too, thanks to his flashbang-esque ability, so he’s a great pick when trying to overcome the defenders.
Apart from the middle ground – an exciting gimmick in itself, right now – the unique part of Split is the presence of ropes. These allow you to ascend or descend to or from raised vantage points, and controlling them can offer a significant advantage for your team. Be warned though, with ropes not only a tactical advantage but equally the most engaging part of Split’s map, people will expect the ropes to be used. As such they are sometimes either hit in numbers or by projectile powers. Using the ropes is high-risk, but can offer a high reward. If you want to be cheeky, you can even hang on the ropes, surprising an enemy and giving you the chance to score the first hit.
KIG’s player of the match was Conrad, the captain. Conrad was not only leading most of the score board but provided two 4K’s to make an entertaining watch. Reaper provided 8 assists with Omen, and KIG Noir pushed with Reyna providing 5 first blood opportunities.
“TriVecGaming is a very good team, ultimately we beat ourselves. I think with this experience we’ll just get better.” –@conradskiii Captain. KIG will look to bounce back on March 29th at 7:00 pm est against Soulstice. #KIGFam
