Like the Ice Climbers climbing mountains, you and your friend want to climb the ranks of Competitive together, without leaving each other behind. Duo queuing in the competitive game mode can be the most efficient way to climb. You are helping your friend; your friend is helping you. You are in this together. But, if you can’t maximize your efficiency when queued together, you can experience a lot more downs than ups. Let’s see how Duo Queuing could be the best way to play competitive Valorant.

The Pre-Match Setup

Getting the most out of duo queuing happens even before the Agent select screen. Understanding each other’s style of play and coordinating around that to find a happy medium should be the first thing you both do. If you play more aggressively, maybe duo with somebody who can play to your tempo, or somebody that can restrain you, so you don’t get too aggressive with your positioning. Once you have found your duo, it is time to plan in the Agent select screen.

Agent Combinations

To be a duo, means to have synergy with each other. This includes the types of Agents you both select. To rank up efficiently, it is best to use a Duelist since the game counts frags and scoreboard impact into your overall RR gain and loss. The combination that is most popular is one Duelist and one Initiator. This way the Duelist can play off of the Initiator. While both Agent types synergize really well, it also allows you two to be self-sufficient no matter what the rest of the team does. Other combinations include:

Controller and Sentinel
Controller and Duelist
Controller and Controller

Combinations that don’t work as well include Controllers and Initiators, since both roles typically set up for others. Sentinels and Duelists do not work as well either, since Sentinels require more of a passive role, while Duelists are aggressive, so they do not synergize well in small coordinated attacks.

Double Controller agents work well as the only one to double up on since the coordination of smoke placements can really disrupt the enemy team. Not having to rely on a random teammate to place favorable smokes is great and I am sure the rest of your team will be relieved that they do not have to fill in for smokes. Omen can be a key to this duo Agent combination since his smokes can regenerate throughout the round. His ability to place smokes across the map (unlike a Viper or Harbor) also makes him a great partner to a more traditional Controller agent.

Strategy

You and your duo should also be talking about simple strategies both in the menu and in the Agent select screen. It is best to talk simple strategies, so that you can adapt your gameplay as you read your opponents. A great way to set some groundwork is by following IFTTT (If this, then that).

For example, if you are Skye and your duo is Reyna:

If you want to use Trailblazer, then Reyna can Leer through a wall first.
This nearsights the opponent, so they cannot see the dog approaching them.
Once you concuss the opponents and give your duo the okay, Reyna can then swing and get an opening pick.

"If I dog, then you blind. If I concuss, then you swing."

Setting up basic ground rules of what to do in certain situations helps boost synergy and ultimately be a step ahead of the competition.

In-Game Synergy

With a winning combination of Agents, it is time to carry over that synergy during your gameplay. It should be no problem to die for each other since you are friends, so you should be trying to bait each other (with their knowledge) every so often. One player can play an on-angle while another plays an off-angle and get the kills while the on-angle player most likely will perish. Crossfires allow for a 50/50 chance of one of you dying while the other collects the frags. Utilizing your abilities allows a player to bait without risking their life (this is also why Initiators are the best to choose when duo queuing). Baiting each other results in positive impact kills for the teams, as long as a Controller Agent isn’t being baited.

When taking a gunfight, it is also key to perfect the double swing. A wide swing combined with a short swing allows for a more advantageous gunfight. As long as you both can hit a shot, this should guarantee a successful fight. However, it should go without saying that this should be used in smart situations. A 2 v 1? Utilize a buddy system so that you can double swing on the opponent. The beginning of a round? Probably best to stay put on Defense, so that you don’t cause your team two unnecessary deaths.

Make sure to combine abilities as well. You didn’t pick two Agents that synergize together for nothing. Combine something like a Killjoy Nano Swarm with an Astra Gravity Well if you have a more defensive combination. A more aggressive combination would be a Fade Haunt with a Yoru Blindside. Utilize the IFTTT strategy so that you and your duo are always in the same sentence on the same page.

Things to Keep in Mind

Both you and your duo have different MMR and whether you’d like to admit it or not, one of you is bound to be better than the other. Keep in mind that there will most likely be an imbalance in the matches. You might have to play in higher ranked matches, or your duo might have to play above their level). Sometimes, it can shine a light on a player’s faults to be playing in harder lobbies, but that is also how you can grow as a player. Remember to not get tilted if it is a hard lobby to play in.

Speaking of tilting, it is harder to get tilted when you have a friend by your side. So, it should be a more enjoyable experience playing Competitive. Remember to have your duo’s back (even if something is their fault). You can tell them in party voice or over a 3rd party app like Discord what they did wrong, but you should always be by their side while they are by yours.

Clear communication is key, so if you are using a 3rd party app like Discord, you can bind Discord’s Push-to-Mute function to Valorant’s Push-to-Talk button so that they don’t have to hear you talk both in game and over voice chat on Discord. You can find this by going to Discord > User Settings > Keybinds > Record Keybind.

Have fun, communicate with your duo and your team, and hopefully you can climb the competitive ladder to reach your full potential. Happy fragging!