Valorant added its newest map to the game, Lotus. It has unique characteristics that make this a very complex map that ushers in a playstyle unlike any other map. Let’s take a look and see what makes this map unique and how to play it most efficiently.
Lotus is the ninth map introduced to the game. Taking place in the mountain range of Western Ghats, Karnataka, India; Lotus features a triple bomb site that plays like no other. Because of its unique characteristics, there are playstyles that flourish on this map as well as agents that utilize the map’s size best.
Map from valoplant.gg
As previously noted, this map has 3 plant sites like Haven, but unlike Haven, the map is a lot shorter in length. Lotus features 3 Ultimate Orbs, whereas Haven has 2. Lotus presents the Attackers with 3 Spawn Barriers that make the Attacker Side Spawn feel claustrophobic, meanwhile the Defenders get 5 Spawn Barriers that allow them acres of space to control before the round even begins. The advanced positioning of the Defenders is unlike any other Valorant map.
Lotus’ gimmick is two revolving doors that are activated by switches on both sides. Revolving clockwise, these doors make a loud sound and notify everybody on the map of their activation in the form of a minimap icon.
The Key to Defense: Deny any sort of space and information early in the round. Controllers do this best on Lotus.
The Key to Attack: Take as much space as early as possible. Initiators are the key to taking space from Defenders.
Fighting and winning space in A Main should be the Attacker’s first priority. A Main provides the Attackers with the most options during mid-round attacking, while also supplying them with an orb right in front of their Spawn Barrier. If the Attackers are able to win the fight in this area, they will be able to safely collect the orb as well as have access to B Link, something located in a precarious position. If A Site is stacked, the Attackers will have the option to rotate quickly to a weakly defended B Site.
The reason C Main is not as good as taking A Main is that it is a little harder to fight for Attackers, not being rewarded with the Ultimate Orb. Once Attackers have won the fight in C Main, they are also not gaining any meaningful ground. The link onto B Site from C Main is the loud rotating door, whereas the link from A Main to B Site is a smaller breakable doorway that isn’t as noticeable.
A Main is the key to turning the round into your favor in both Attack and Defense. The orb and the link onto B allow for many easier options for Attackers.
B Site seems like a hard site to hit as a first option like Haven’s B Site. Lotus’ B Site should be a secondary option when attacking either A or C Site. Because of B Site’s small size, it can easily be held down by a Sentinel such as Killjoy or Cypher. B Site pushes should be utilized when A or C Site are stacked or unfavorable for Attackers. However, a B Site push can be done on a save round since the site is so tiny. A 5-Man Deathball with shotguns and sub-machine guns might be effective in taking the site for a spike plant.
C Site should be the second option to A site, due to a slightly tougher initial fight, with a less than ideal option to rotate on to B Site if need be. Sneakily planting on C Site can be difficult with the need to tread through loud water before the spike goes down. With an elevated planting area, the Defenders have a height difference that plays to their advantage.
Because of Lotus’ stout build, players can be heard throughout the map, even if they are starting an attack on the opposite bomb site. For reference, we can see how large the radius of a player’s audible footsteps is compared to the map size.
This makes Lotus a map where players must really consider the noise they are making. Walking over running is very important on this map, whereas other maps are much more forgiving. The map is designed this way, especially considering the water surrounding C Site and the roaring noise the revolving doors make when activated. Even the breakable door from A Main onto B Site requires noise to be made before taking advantage of the shortcut. So, remember, ssshhhhhh!
Lotus seems to be a Controller Agent playground. With the amount of space Defenders get, the ability to effectively control the space the map gives are key to winning defensive rounds. In turn, the best counter to Controller’s controlling space is Initiator’s leading their team to take space. It is a lot easier to control space than take it, so advantage Controllers.
With Controller’s being the best agents, I’ve found that Viper, Harbor and Omen to be the most effective agents on Lotus, Viper being the best. Harbor would be great at helping to initiate during Attack rounds and Omen can place smokes across the entire map akin to Astra, thanks to Lotus’ size. Brimstone might be the weakest Controller, but he could still be suitable in a pinch.
The best Initiators on Lotus are Breach, Fade, and Sova, with Breach being the most effective. Fade and Sova are already great Initiator picks on any map, this does not change on Lotus. Breach’s range with his fault line can deter Defenders or Attackers from claiming space in front of them. With the many walls and tight angles on Lotus, his Flashpoint is effective as well.
Sentinels also get to lock sites down on Lotus, however their most effective position on Defense is B Site, so they are pretty much locked down to a single site. The best Sentinels to play are Killjoy, Sage, and Cypher. Killjoy will most likely be the best Sentinel as she can cover a lot more space and angles than both Sage and Cypher. Her ultimate also reaches a large portion of the small map.
Duelists don’t excel like Initiators on this map, but the mainstay duelists in Raze and Jett are still solid choices on this map. Raze is one of the most versatile Duelists in the META currently, so she would be the best choice. Jett is still great at using an Operator, and her Dash ability is still really effective in taking dangerous fights, however Lotus does not offer great verticality for her to play with. The dark horse Duelist pick would most likely be Neon. Her speed on rotates and wide swings can turn the tide in fights and in deciding on where to plant.
Lotus is a lot smaller in length than anybody anticipated, especially with the rumor of it being a 3-Site map being true. The revolving doors offer great passage through the map, while also having an adequate downside in its usage. Immediate fights upon Spawn Barrier drops are also interesting, as it goads Defenders to push, even when it is not correct tactically. Lotus should offer interesting tactical fights in the pro scene, while offering fun and explosive duels in everyday play. Lotus is a successful entry to Valorant’s map pool that many have been enjoying.
