Imagine this. You are on Attack. You have gained control of the Site. You planted the Spike. Now that the hard part is done, how do you guarantee you win this round? This guide will teach you tactics to play one of the most crucial seconds in Valorant — post plant.
Having the Spike planted certainly gives you an edge in the round, but it does not guarantee a win. The possibility of messing up and losing the round is higher than you would think. In order to ensure the maximum chance of satisfying either of the two winning conditions — letting the Spike detonate or eliminating the enemy team — it is vital to play to your advantage.
This guide will cover the mechanics of the Spike, how to position, how to take advantage of damage-inducing utilities, and the situational choice of pushing further than the site. When you are aware of all the opportunities at your disposal when it is now the enemy team playing against time, you’ll be able to maximize your chances to win the round. And by learning how to act accordingly in a pressure point, you can integrate these strategies into your general game sense and improve your gameplay.
Before delving into how to protect the detonating Spike, let’s cover what exactly is the Spike. As the main objective of Valorant — whether that would be stopping the plant or carrying out the plant — it is one of the two tickets that will help the Attackers win rounds.
To put it simply, the Spike takes 4 seconds to plant, 45 seconds to explode, 7 seconds to defuse entirely, and 3.5 seconds for the halfway point.
It is important to take note of the seconds because timing is everything during post plant, ranging from stalling the defuse to preventing the defuse altogether. One of the simplest, yet most critical ways to protect the Spike in post plant is positioning.
Think of it this way: your team, the Attackers, are now the Defenders defending the Spike, and the enemy team, the Defenders, are now the Attackers trying to infiltrate the Site to defuse the Spike. With this line of thinking, it means you play just like a Defender, which entails holding angles and not peeking unless necessary.
For holding angles, make sure each of your teammates is holding at least one different entrance at which an enemy can enter. Try to position yourself in a way that makes your positioning unpredictable, such as a ledge or box, to throw the opposing team off.
A good tactic is to hold a crossfire at an entrance. This is when you and another teammate are holding an angle linear to each other, which forces a trade from the enemy that decides to peek the crossfire. The enemy can take down one of you at the least, but not both of you. This is most useful in a 2 against 1 situation where you would want to maximize the upper hand of an additional teammate.
When down teammates and the odds stacked against you, sometimes it is better to — instead of holding an angle — not peek at all until necessary. Examples of a necessary situation would be when the enemy begins to defuse, prompted by the audio cue, or an opportunity to kill them. To capitalize on the advantage of a ticking Spike, you can play around certain structures to stall the defuse.
Remember, it is the enemy team playing against time. They are the ones that must push the site and peek these angles under the pressure of the Spike. Thus, you want to play out the 45 seconds to your best ability tactically.
Other than tactics, you can play post plant with your Agent’s utilities. Agents that have utility that can damage are useful for stalling a defuse because it forces the defuser off the Spike, potentially buying enough time for the Spike to detonate.
These types of Agents also have lineups, which are calculated angles at which a utility can be employed to land on a specific spot. Examples of Agents and their utilities that are prominent for this are Viper’s Snakebites, Sova’s Shock Dart, Brimstone’s Molly, and Killjoy’s Nanoswarm grenades, among others. In order to play lineups, you will frequently make the play from far away, which is usually off the Site.
If you are smart with your utilities, you can bait enemies off the Spike due to their anticipation. They can either anticipate your utility or your peek, so this mind game can stall a defuse long enough for the detonation.
The last resort to consider is pushing. Pushing is purely situational and definitely not a necessity. When done out of ego, it can cost a round that could have been easily won. Thus, think wisely when deciding to push. Will it help you gain an advantage? Situations in which pushing can be beneficial are to take space, bettering the numbers against you, and preventing a retake from the enemy team.
In the midst of the chaos that is taking Site, space is crucial to proper positioning. You do not always have to immediately plant the Spike once you step foot in the planting zone. By taking space, it ensures a safer plant, more flexibility for your team, and less flexibility for the enemy team. Flexibility includes map control and positioning. Therefore, if a situation absolutely calls for it, you can push further than the Site to gain more space for your team to play around.
Pushing often intends for a pick or two against the enemy team. This can be useful in situations where all of the enemy team is alive or your numbers are down so you can either better your odds or even the field following the post plant.
Lastly, pushing can prevent a retake from the enemy team. When the situation calls for it, such as a Killjoy ultimate that can zone out your team from the Site, it might be in your favor to push to unravel their strategy.
Whether that would be killing them or seizing crucial space, remember that every time you push, it is always for the purpose of post plant and the sake of teammates in order to win the round.
The approach to the post plant will change with the meta, new Agents, and new maps. Regardless, these general strategies and tips can be applied to most post plant situations. Most importantly, each second counts — even to the very decimal — so try your best to play out these seconds. Every round will be different, so trust yourself through the process!
