All Sage Walls are created equal, but some more equal than others. How to make better decisions when placing Sage’s Wall and why some walls are better than others. Here is what to look for, why your wall might be bad, and how to think of better defensive walls.
We all know this wall. The “default” Sage Wall in Mid on Split. Sometimes the Sage will hop on top of it to get some surprise picks on the attacking team, sometimes Sage will be close by to call out when their wall is being broken, but it’s a basic wall that everybody knows and uses. It is not necessarily a good wall.
Let’s identify why this wall isn’t necessarily the best option, so we can use this knowledge to better place walls on other maps or choke points. Walling mid like this does block off both routes to A and B Site. However, this wall can be easily worked around two different ways. The first, and most obvious, way, is to spam shoot the wall from the safety of B Link as seen in the photo above. Once the wall is taken down, Sage loses her Barrier Orb ability all while the information being gathered isn’t useful for the Defensive team. The information basically tells the Defense that they are mid near their spawn, something that is a given every round at the start. The second way to get around this wall, which can be utilized more effectively late in the round, is by crouch jumping onto the box beside the edge of the wall. There you can get over the wall without destroying it.
Next, we need to think about what is being accomplished with the wall being placed there. Sage is able to block off Vent and Mailroom with that wall. Both of those areas in the map are also the hardest to push from. By removing the hardest chokes for the attacking team, they are invited to take sites either through A Main or B Main; this would be less than ideal for the defensive side. In professional play, we have increasingly seen the defending side leave mid open to the attacking side. This coaxes them into taking what is given to them and entering sites through the harder chokepoints.
Not necessarily. That specific wall is good situationally, just not as a default. It is a good wall during pistol rounds, as it would take a long time (and a lot of bullets) for the attacking team to destroy it. It does a good job of persuading the attacking team of rethinking their strategy to enter one of the sites. It would also stop the attacking team’s lurker from advancing high into Mid (unless they crouch jump onto the box beside the wall). However, the wall seen here would be a better wall in Split’s mid-map area:
Blocking Mailroom with the Sage Wall is better for a few reasons. First, Sage is blocking off the “easier” of the two harder routes of entry. Vents to Ropes is close to being a suicide mission for attackers going against a competent defense. If the attackers elect to attempt a push through Mailroom, they will only see the wall when they have advanced far into Mid. Here, they would be in a vulnerable position breaking the wall.
In the first wall, they had the cover of B Link to hide behind if someone wanted to swing on them from mid top while they broke the wall. The wall in Mailroom will coax attackers to the harder chokepoint, if they want to circumvent the noise made by breaking the wall. The information gathered from them breaking the wall in Mailroom is more beneficial than the first wall. If they break the wall here, the defenders will know that they have advanced all the way to Midtop, which has minimal cover from a swing or crossfire. If paired with a Cypher Tripwire, Killjoy Alarmbot, or Chamber Trademark in Vent, more accurate and valuable information will be given to the defending team to better plan around.
In the picture you could see that the attackers would have to break two blocks of the wall to access all of Mailroom. This takes more time and bullets, allowing more time for the defense to execute on a push from the attackers.
We know why Split’s Mailroom Wall is better than Split’s Mid Wall. It leaves attackers in a vulnerable position when dealing with it, it forces teams to take a harder route into site, they have to break multiple blocks to utilize the cover in Mailroom, and it gives the defenders good information to work around. If a wall can utilize a few of these advantages, it is a good wall to place. Keeping these factors in mind, Sage players can evaluate the walls they do and think of better placed walls in the future.
For example, we could look at Ascent’s B Site:
This is a bad wall. The attackers need one block to break it. All this wall does is delay (and not well). A smoke would be more effective here and does the same thing that this wall accomplishes. Instead, a Sage should look at how to utilize their utility to its strengths. A good wall will coax the enemy team into making a certain movement or play.
Instead, an Ascent B Main wall should look something like this:
Here, we see the wall placed at an angle. This forces the attackers to break multiple blocks of the wall to even attempt a push through. Even when they do so, the remaining part of the wall blocks off Raceway. They must go past Shed and enter site through Stairs. This funnels the enemy team through one route. If the attackers decide to clear the wall blocking Raceway, not only do they need to then destroy the entirety of the wall, but they are doing so in a vulnerable position. Here, the defenders can easily pick off the attackers preoccupied with the Sage wall.
Another example of shepherding a team to doing what you want is seen here:
If a Sage places a similar wall but only leaves Raceway open to the attackers, it can be paired with a deadly Killjoy combo. The attackers are forced to run through Raceway while it is littered with Killjoy utility resulting in advantageous casualties for the defense. Using a Sage wall by making the team do what you want them to do all while removing routes for them is important.
Sage walls have to be used with intent. Sage’s Barrier Orb is not only used to divide the defenders from the attackers, but it should be used to force low percentage plays from the attackers that the defense can then execute upon. Sage Walls should make the enemies vulnerable, close attacking options, and force enemies to rethink their attack. It is a good delay like a smoke, but unlike a smoke, it could be used to funnel the enemies into an area controlled by the defense. So Sage, just because it divides you from the enemy team, doesn’t make it a good wall. Thanks.
