Cypher is one of VALORANT’s most versatile and unique characters. With the ability to acquire an unmatched amount of intelligence through his various traps and tripwires, as well as his signature SpyCam, Cypher is most definitely one of the strongest agents in the game when it comes to pure reconnaissance. In this guide, we’ll go over the three mandatory setups that every Cypher player needs to know in order to get a basic feel for the way the character is supposed to operate - especially on defense. Since Cypher identifies as a Sentinel, his skillset will shine when your team has more time to set up a plan for defense. These three strategies will give you and your team the upper hand when it comes to holding down a site and preventing the attacking team from pushing.

Split B-Site

Split’s B-site presents perhaps the most basic, yet rewarding, setup for Cypher players, as you can get a good glimpse of each entrypoint onto the site. Not only can you set up your cages around garage in a manner which delays the enemy team’s push, and allows your team more time for a retake, but also, you can have your camera set up in B-heaven in order to secure as much vision as possible.

By placing your cam in B-heaven, you’ll have a definitive answer - just in case your fellow defenders lose a gunfight in mid - of whether or not the enemy team rushes towards B-site or A-ropes from their mid push. If you spot them on your cam coming to your site, you’ll also want to have wires set up near the rope under B-heaven, as well as in the typical plant spot near the green crate on the site itself. With this particular setup, you’ll delay the enemy team to a certain point, while also giving your team enough information and valuable time to rotate from A-site towards B in a reasonable manner. Additionally, you can have your wires set up near back-site in case the attacking team decides they want to hold down the site from an alternate angle as your team rotates from B-heaven. With B-site on Split being relatively small, there won't be much space where attacking players are able to avoid Cypher's gadgets and traps.

Haven A-site

Haven is naturally going to be the most complex map in VALORANT, simply because of its nature with three options for the attacking team. Ideally, as a Cypher player (or a Sentinel in general), you’ll want to be playing A-site or C-site, as they are the easiest sites for the defending team to retake in the event of a numbers disadvantage.

For the sake of this guide, we’ll cover the typical A-site setup for Cypher, as winning a gunfight at C is a lot more straightforward than A-site. A retake situation can be forced just in case you’re pressured to surrender the site to the enemy team. For your camera, you'll want it setup in a position where you have a good view of the entrypoints onto site. Since there are only two very obvious entrypoints for A-site on Haven, Cypher players will usually place their camera in the corner near heaven, which gives them a view of both potential entries from short and long.

You’ll want to set up your wires around the site - particularly where players tend to plant the spike. Directly in front of the main site’s main structure and the exit from short are the safest and most productive spots you can always count on. When it comes to traps, you’ll want to place one of them on the site, behind that same main structure, blocking the enemy’s view from under heaven. Just in case the attacking team defends from a predictable spot like that, your cage can force them out when case your team retakes. Additionally, you’ll want another cage set up blocking the view of short. In most situations, your team will retake from the defenders’ spawn, and having short blocked off will give your team cover as they make their way onto the site for a potential gunfight. Essentially, as long as you have the important sightlines covered in order for your team to get back to A in a safe and timely fashion, you’ll have done your job on this site.

It’s not necessarily recommended in proper VALORANT to give up any site in particular, but in a very unique situation where a map has three sites that the attacking team can take, you’ll want to have as much intel and recon as possible on one particular site, which is why it’s most definitely favorable to have Cypher set up his wires and traps all around A-site.

Bind A-site

Bind is one of more straightforward maps in VALORANT - especially its A-site - as attacking players really only have two very basic options when it comes to getting to the site. While they can enter mid from two separate angles, the only entry points onto site for a pushing team (without rotating) are out of bathrooms and straight out of mid. As a Cypher player, you can have both of these entries locked down easily with a relatively simple camera placement, as well as some basic spots for traps and tripwires.

To start, your camera should be placed under the pipe next to the boxes near the bathroom exit. By placing the cam here, you’ll have a view of the attackers’ feet as they leave bathrooms, as well as a clear view on anyone entering site from mid. Normally, you’ll have another player watching mid, so you don’t need to watch that angle like a hawk, but having a view of both entry points is definitely something that’s beneficial to your cause.

Additionally, when it comes to cages and wires, you’ll want to set up your traps in a manner which not only delays the pushing team’s spike plant, but also gives enough time to your team for a potential retake. Ideally, you’ll want wires on the typical plant locations to give your team a few extra seconds, and you’ll want to place your cages in between natural boxes and structures that are on the site, so that when your team comes back to site, they’ll have a bit of cover between them and the attacking team. It’s favorable to avoid placing cages directly on top of sightlines and entrances like “U-haul” or heaven, as you don’t want your teammates having to walk blindly through your own smokes to reach the site if they need to come back.