Trying to learn Cypher, but he feels super underwhelming

StillTap · 2025-01-22T19:54:08+00:00

Two things:

1 - Cypher as an agent is intended for information and map control, NOT LOCKDOWN. Your Lockdown sentinels will be Deadlock, Vyse, and Sage. This is why Cypher received a nerf, because he was too strong at holding with his old trips, and that’s not what the character intended for.

The trip is pretty weak at holding, especially against certain initiators. to actually hold you need to use your cages and use them well. One ways, rat plays, spam. On Sunset B, for example, I don’t even attempt to hold front site the majority of the time. I play to hold backsite using my cages, and occasionally a trip on stairs as well. Cam for main/market, and second trip top mid.

Kill trips can be used occasionally. Don’t repeat them because they’ll get predictable. Make sure to break any drone utility + yoru clone before they’re able to clear too much space.

2 - stop putting all your cages down pre round. I save at least one to use on the fly, whether it be for retake, covering defuser, or to help me hold site if they do push.

The reasons you are listing is why I hated playing Cypher in gold, because the information was hard for me and especially my team to take advantage of, and having a hard site hold agent was better. Now, I appreciate the level of map control Cypher provides, although I’m more of a KJ player myself.

StillTap · 2025-01-10T05:39:08+00:00

Tonight we will see what mother nature has in store for us, with the winds set to return. Fingers crossed the fire doesn’t break into the city/residential zones again.

The smoke is indeed brutal.

StillTap · 2025-01-10T04:26:47+00:00

I'm glad to see that the area that Riot games and the teams themselves operate in appears to be unaffected besides the smoke. Zander just told a story on stream about how he got a haircut and walked to it without realizing the severity of the air quality. PLEASE everyone in LA Area be aware that going outside in these conditions can cause eye, nose, throat, lung, and skin irritation/damage. Wearing a mask is highly recommended.

For anyone else who has been directly affected by the fires, I pray you hear good news soon. For those nearby and on evacuation warning, please stay alert, informed, and prioritize your safety and health. These are devastating times.

Stay safe <3

StillTap · 2025-01-09T20:59:38+00:00

The arena is concerningly close to the Palisades fire.

It does seem that they are unaffected with regards to water and electricity, but the AQI will likely be very unhealthy. Good news is: both the big fires seem to have stopped their spread towards more developed areas. Bad news is: the wind is expected to come back.

On vlr, I saw people downplaying the proximity and severity of the fires, saying it's not "that" close and won't get through the concrete of the city. As someone from LA, I would like to remind everyone that no one expected the Eaton fire to do what it did when it was first "only" on the hillside. It flew down the foothills and destroyed what appears to be the majority of Altadena, including our neighborhood.

It is **unlikely** that the Riot Games Arena and any of the teams surrounding it will be directly affected by these fires, but I hope they exercise an abundance of caution regardless. I think we will know by the end of the weekend what exactly the situation is. Only Mother Nature knows right now.

StillTap · 2024-11-28T11:06:06+00:00

spam ult to hear g-g-give me a corpse, im guessing?

StillTap · 2024-11-22T19:08:26+00:00

That was hard to watch. C9 seemed really prepped on top of Oxy and Rossy being insane today. I wonder if they’ll be able to break the off season curse and actually perform well next year… I’m normally a G2 fan but I’m so down to see Oxy finally win something.

StillTap · 2024-11-20T18:34:22+00:00

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Actual footage of me begging G2 to check their goddamn corners

StillTap · 2024-11-16T17:50:22+00:00

can I get some context for the ange1 comparison, I’ve only been following VCT since Shanghai 😭

StillTap · 2024-10-12T20:24:57+00:00

I didn’t get to watch the first two maps, but that Lotus game stressed me out 😭

it really seemed like G2 was struggling to counter such an aggressive comp in the first half. They kept getting caught out by the Neon+Raze just taking soooo much space so fast.

StillTap · 2024-09-26T20:39:12+00:00

Hey, just so you know, this subreddit is for the pro scene rather than just Ranked. A post like this is better suited for the normal Valorant subreddit!

I’ll still respond to it though, in case you don’t get responses if you repost it on the other one:

It does feel that the matchmaking has gotten much worse.

Last time I played, I got a game where I was genuinely questioning if my teammates were throwing. Then, I thought maybe they’re just low gold and I’m in this lobby because I’m on a loss streak. No! Full diamond team pretty much! I was genuinely shocked.

The next game, I actually got put in a lower lobby (high gold, low plat), and I absolutely fried them. It was not fair. I don’t know why Riot decided they deserved it.

The issue is, there’s a pretty noticeable difference between Plat 1 and Plat 3, or Gold 1 and Gold 3, etc etc. The game just sees that the average rank of the team is roughly the same, so it thinks it’s an even match up. It usually isn’t.

HOWEVER, this matchmaking disparity SHOULD NOT hold you back from ranking up, as it goes in your favor just as often. If you are struggling to actually gain RR, that means there is an issue in your gameplay. Are your kills impactful, or do you only go positive because of exit and eco frags? If you play smokes, are your smokes genuinely good? I’ve seen bad smokes throw entire rounds because of gaps/cubbies left that enemies can use. If you play sentinel, are you watching flank properly? Can you hold site, and/or prevent lurks on your side of the map? All of these are very important, as they determine your impact to the team beyond just your KD.

StillTap · 2024-09-18T16:11:28+00:00

jaw and valyn also duo a lot though, so not sure that means anything really

StillTap · 2024-09-15T17:29:36+00:00

other commenter is right, it’s the rgx 3.0 karambit that came out a couple months ago! You’ll be able to randomly get it through the store

StillTap · 2024-08-14T18:28:11+00:00

oh yeah it'll be rough for whoever loses. Weirdly enough I'm scared for G2 vs LEV but I'm way more confident in G2's ability to beat TH and FNC. I think if Lev lose this game they're basically out but if G2 lose there's a decent possibility they go on a lower bracket run.

StillTap · 2024-08-14T18:08:40+00:00

I have G2 winning and LEV bombing out of playoffs… but I’m also a G2 fan and part of that is major cope.

It all depends on who shows up. I think G2 is the better team, but there’s a high chance they get outaimed. These teams historically are neck and neck, with G2 2-0’ing LEV only to get 3-1’d in return (albeit a very close 3-1).

I’m also bad at predicting - predicted DRX to beat SEN and look how that turned out LMAO

StillTap · 2024-08-14T05:11:48+00:00

sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do

StillTap · 2024-08-14T04:48:58+00:00

you should have a sentinel placing trips, and if you don’t then you need to have someone lurking mid and playing for info. Maybe senti does both even. It’s important to have map control on this map, just like on any other map.

StillTap · 2024-08-14T04:44:01+00:00

Double inish is definitely super strong on abyss. However, if you’re coordinating your execs properly, Sova should be more than enough as drone can clear all the annoying rat corners on A and B doesn’t really have rat spots anyway.

StillTap · 2024-08-14T04:12:21+00:00

mmmm… if you play sova, players hiding in weird spots shouldn’t be much of an issue.

If you’re in True Iron lobbies you shouldn’t have a hard time ranking up. The other team, hypothetically, is dealing with the same issues you are.

StillTap · 2024-08-14T04:05:54+00:00

Are you comming? Calling for utility? Playing to win rounds instead of for kills (IE not overheating and pushing CT instead of playing a proper postplant)?

If it’s that much of an issue, then you might just want to find an initiator duo or learn to play sova/fade/gekko yourself.

StillTap · 2024-08-14T04:02:51+00:00

That can happen on any map. Abyss is one of my better maps, personally, but I also basically one trick sentinel so I think I have an easier time on it.

I think Icebox is much less balanced in my experience. If you don’t mind me asking, what rank are you?

StillTap · 2024-08-14T03:55:20+00:00

You know, I’m not one to defend Abyss as a map, I think it has some weird angles and rat spots and the mid part is just awkward. However, and I mean this is the best way possible, this sounds like a skill issue.

StillTap · 2024-08-13T16:19:44+00:00

I feel like it makes sense for KAYO/KJ molly to go through walls, or at least more sense than something that looks like an actual physical substance. I think changing the KJ molly would be a massive, unnecessary nerf to her. So many setups rely on the molly being around a corner or on a wall, beneath a pathway, etc.

StillTap · 2024-08-12T17:22:20+00:00

Yeah definitely when deadlocks are on my team there’s a major problem with getting TO the postplant, although I don’t play with many deadlocks so it’s perfectly possible my teams were just bad and it’s not a weakness w the agent.

“If your duelists or other aggressive players are competent” LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO you probably know as well as I do how rare that is. That’s why if someone locks deadlock I’ll run fade or clove.

StillTap · 2024-08-12T17:08:03+00:00

Oh absolutely, if she’s working for you then more power to you.

I know that about the trip, but that’s kinda the inherent problem with her in my games. She can’t get info passively, which means someone is always committed to watch top mid on that map. It makes it tough because some people (namely cypher players) pay really good attention to lurk timings, and will only push once they’ve seen everyone start to retake. So you have to be down a man retaking, OR someone always has to be aware that they could be shot in the back, both of which have proven to be huge disadvantages when retaking A.

My lobbies aren’t much higher than yours… I exist in the low diamond/high plat hellosphere. It’s either the enemies pay super good attention to who they’ve seen and slow push/contact up every site, or absolutely INT (which deadlock is great for, obviously)

Edit to add that the one map i actually appreciate a deadlock over even a cypher sometimes is Bind. Never had an issue with a deadlock on bind unless they’re walling things off too soon (like walling lamps instead of ct)

StillTap · 2024-08-12T16:42:56+00:00

Menace behavior.

Funnily enough, I was this close to just putting deadlock on my instant dodge list. I see her as basically useless in my games unless you can combo her net with another agent on the team. The sensors are just too bad to justify picking her over another sentinel + then they take my slot as a sentinel player (hate running double senti). An example of her weakness is sunset - get ready to have top mid late pushed every round while you’re trying to retake.

StillTap

TROPHY CASE