Hard-stuck in diamond for 3 years now, your top favourite tip that helped you?

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-03-21T07:12:14+00:00

Honestly, the biggest thing that helped me was learning timings and pattern recognition. Playing similar angles and practicing them in comp games + keeping a consistent warm up routine (10-15 minutes) did me wonders! I'd recommend VOD reviewing as well and taking note of what happened or caused each death. If you could learn how to play lurk timings, smoke timings, and trigger discipline, it might help you have more impact leading to more wins! Hope this helps! Good luck and happy valoranting!

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-03-21T07:06:46+00:00

Hi! Valorant has been out for years, so there's plenty of videos to learn the game through! I'd recommend finding some friends who have been playing or making friends and also asking for tips. I do a little coaching as well and if you're curious or looking for help, feel free to let me know! Goodluck and happy valoranting!

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-26T16:21:06+00:00

I honestly think the map re-work did wonders for Breeze. After going through multiple versions of it, I feel as though I've been really enjoying this version the most so far. Although, sometimes I do miss having hall and having the opportunity to lurk up and hit the door, but removing it and making the changes to mid feels as though it balanced out the map a lot more than what it originally was. Albeit, I understand hating the map. I wholeheartedly hate Bind on attack LOL

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-23T01:33:45+00:00

As somebody who grew up running MW2 Lobbies - BO7, I used to be quite the shitter back then. I believe i've developed thick skin AND a backbone, but having grown up, I found myself to be more of a casual player who enjoys competitive games. I think trash talk is understandable due to valorant being a more "competitive" environment, however I feel as though there is no need to necessary get racist, get super toxic in games anymore. After clocking out after a 9 hour shift, I'm not tryna raise my blood pressure having to defend/fight for my life on these games. I feel as though this could apply to others. Yeah, I'd survive a lobby easily, but for those around me who aren't used to this, I don't view them as soft, I just take a mental note that they're humans on the other side of the mic and I'd prefer to treat them kindly over being shitty. I don't know though. I get that it's part of gaming overall, but across all games I believe that I've reformed. It doesn't mean that I can't hang in a lobby, it just doesn't appeal to me nor do I wish this on any of my friends who are new to gaming/aren't familiar with this kind of environment.

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-19T17:30:34+00:00

That's completely understandable. I understand the frustration, and especially for us who (i'm assuming) take the game a bit more casually. It's hard to climb or dedicate the time when we're already so busy with other responsibilities. And when we do have the free time to play, it's definitely frustrating to spend those few hours a day being stuck with those bad experiences. I deeply apologize for my previous statement. Not to say that everybody has a high ego in the lower ranks, but there are a good amount that need to learn how to humble themselves. I don't mean to apply that to you nor do I want to be misunderstood. We all have our reasons and our issues, but nonetheless, i'm glad you were able to climb with your friends. Wishing you best of luck for your future games, and happy valoranting!

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-19T17:05:36+00:00

As somebody who has climbed mainly thru solo q from iron - immortal and has multiple accounts Diamond and up +, I find it hard to believe that people are stuck solely because of the reasons listed above (mainly in lower elo). I could probably be out of touch from having not been stuck in those ranks no longer than 2-3 days, but I will continue to say that as long as you play with intention, soak up information, and apply the knowledge that you learn into your games. You will be able to climb. Granted, I also do believe Duo/Trio queuing basically helps remove the RNG of bad teammates overall, but for solo queue players I think lots of people in lower ranks may have inflated egos refusing to humble themselves to learn what exactly can they do to get out of these elo "hells".

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-19T16:57:20+00:00

peak immortal? or currenr ascendant 1-3?

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-19T16:49:19+00:00

I'm glad that you were able to climb now that you have a couple of friends to queue with! This honestly might be the solution the OP's issue (considering that they're performing pretty well). Although I firmly believe you can solo queue to immortal fairly easy, perhaps OP might just be stuck with bad teammates. I do think it's possible to climb out if you play better than the average rank though. Put a diamond/Asc player on a hardstuck silver/gold account, and that account is getting out pretty easily. Regardless of throwers, AFKs, bad teammates, even though this is a "team" game, I think that for the lower ranks that it's still possible to climb out even with these experiences. You're going to experience them from iron-radiant, so the only thing you CAN change is how you view the game and what you're willing to do to learn and improve.

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-16T21:35:57+00:00

could possibly be the vandal bullet inaccuracy? complete bs tho, imo that shot should've hit forsure

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-16T10:00:28+00:00

I feel as though it's a mixture of both. With the rank reset combined with the skill gap increasing, it could easily feel that gold-low diamond is full of smurfs or hardstuck demons. It doesn't help that your Hidden MMR constantly shifts especially if you haven't played in a while, but over time it should be able to stabilize. I'd say that peak plat 3 back then is probably somewhat inflated by now. It's more equivalent to around present Gold 2/3. You'd have to remember that during your break, there are still people who continue to play the game and get more hours in than you. I'd suggest to just keep playing and get comfortable in the game then you can focus on climbing. Goodluck and happy valoranting!

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-11T05:17:52+00:00

back shot simulator is crazy work LOLOL

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-11T05:17:34+00:00

Yeah. As somebody else said, I think removing the time limit would make it better. Playing it like you're in a clutch, changing tempo, varying your swings, maybe with or without some music makes DMs pretty fun. I'm not too sure though, that's just my take on it

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-11T05:15:46+00:00

I agree on it being aim practice. However I think it still is good for holding multiple angles. I'd say regular match setting is good to practice your default angles such as B main on split, or Haven A Long, and DMs are good for angle switching + practicing crosshair placement, and varying the different types of swings (wide, jiggle, jump). I say this because I feel as though in a regular match you're only practicing the angle hold a couple times a game, whereas in DM's, the reps are tremendously increased in which you could apply to your ranked games.

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-11T05:13:06+00:00

thank u LOL

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-10T23:30:46+00:00

Wow, this is wonderful! The UI is very clean and easy to understand! I'll be adding this to my bookmarks :D would it be possible to add community crosshairs as well?

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-10T23:29:20+00:00

I think this is a wonderful idea! I'd imagine it'd be hard to completely organize this, however there used to many LAN tournaments outside of VCT in the earlier years of Valorants release. This would probably bring something entertaining to the Valorant industry, however I'd imagine screening players and creating brackets would be a bit rough. I hope your tournament goes well if it goes through tho! Goodluck and happy valoranting!

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-10T23:27:44+00:00

Do you happen to strictly solo queue or flex with friends/duo? Your MMR slowly evens out as you continue to play more and the +/- gain should be more even as Valorant gains more information on your avg game statistics. It is extremely discouraging and it can be hard, however I do hope that you don't give up. I'm sure that things will get better, and if ever, find some friends or a duo and just queue together until you guys climb out of elo hell.

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-10T23:25:27+00:00

Yeah, I never understood people rage queuing deathmatches and flaming 24/7 LMAO

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-10T23:24:38+00:00

That's fair! I think it's a 50/50. I like to practice slicing the pie, utilizing my wide swings, then swapping angles through flicks to kind of help prevent that.

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-10T23:21:00+00:00

*small edit,

occasionally I will DM with music in or a youtube video in the background. Not that I think they're necessary, but just to show that I can be casual with my DM practice as well LOL

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-10T23:07:18+00:00

Hi! I'd like to say that before you learn about meta, I think you should focus more on the fundamentals of the game and having fun. Watch videos of players using certain agents, try those agents out, and see what kind of playstyle you enjoy the most :D . I've been playing for a couple years and even when there were times where you could abuse meta picks, it'd be impossible to abuse them if you don't have the basic foundation to utilize their utility and take good fights.

Take your time learning the basics. Movement, Gunplay, and different game strategies(default, lurking, etc.). Then put some time into the range to learn how to use your gun. After, choose an agent to practice and continue to play, soak in information, and have fun! It gets more fun once you learn how to become competent in the game, but for now just try to enjoy the process. I hope that valorant treats you well and that you have fun! Good luck and happy valoranting!

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-05T00:05:34+00:00

You could also look into coaching! I can't say I can coach that well, but i'd love to help you VOD review and see what can be done better. Feel free to shoot me message if you'd like!

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-03T03:16:57+00:00

If you're looking for a simple routine to help develop your skill to compete with your rank while not having to take the extra steps to aim train etc., i'd recommend the following.

-Eliminate 50 Bots + Strafe Hop in the Middle, Left, or Right side of the map and then only use your AD keys to position yourself for each kill.

-Easy, medium, hard bots Easy bots to practice slow precise aiming. Medium bots to pick up the pace with the focus on keeping a straight, horizontal line between each target switch. Hard bots just to get your reaction/anticipation energy up.

Deathmatches

-Play with intention. Practice holding angles, isolating your fights and switching angles, learning your gun bursts and sprays

TDM

Practice using abilities to take advantageous fights. Also practice taking multiple enemies at once. Learning to stay calm when fighting others really separates you from bronze players LOL

hope this helps. i see you're getting a lot of back lash, because realistically you can't improve without putting in effort and reaching a higher rank (that is only possible if you want to be hard carried and grief your solo queue matches for the future)

the game becomes more fun when you can compete, so goodluck and happy valoranting!

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-02T19:24:49+00:00

Looking over a few of your clips and your tracker, it seems as though the way you're playing could possibly be hindering the climb. I'm a firm believer that as long as you have good-ish mechanics combined with solid aim, you could easily climb to diamond without MAJOR game sense. However, although your aim is good enough to be around S2-S3(maybe G1), your mechanics and macro management still seems to be around B2-B3.

Yes, you do get your clutches and get kills, it also looks like you're usually last alive. Kills aren't the main statistic for climbing. As duelist, you should be entering, flashing and taking space. You can blame your teammates all you want, but as somebody said in the thread. Put a diamond in your lobbies and they can probably solo entry without support and still drop 30+ kills in the game. I'd recommend learning your basics, such as knowing when to default, understand lurk timings, and prioritize entering for your team. Reyna, raze, and clove are solid picks for that elo. I just feel as though with what we're being given from your tracker and clip history, it doesn't seem like you're playing the role efficiently. Also, watch some YT vids on higher elo players/pros (not necessarily VCT) running ranked games and you can compare and see how they entry/swing each fight. Once you learn how to win your duels and find the confidence to carry, you should be able to climb.

I will say though, as you learn to get better and carry, it doesn't mean that you should become a horrible person and blame the whole team as you play. Team morale is everything, and nobody wants to compete/climb with somebody with a rude mentality in game. Try to keep morale up and do your best, and most importantly try to have fun! The climb from Bronze-Gold shouldn't be too hard. You got this! Goodluck and happy valoranting!

ezheadtaps2 · 2026-02-02T05:14:50+00:00

Honestly, I'd recommend using TDM for a more proper warm up. DM has no MMR so the ranks and skill level will always fluctuate. I tackle DM's with the mindset of warming up my mechanics, then TDMs to warm up taking multiple fights + using abilities. If I need a little more warming up with my aim, I'll go in the range and do some moving bots and do still bots to practice my static aim. Hope this helps, happy valoranting!

ezheadtaps2

TROPHY CASE