Key Takeaways
- Since Platinum players lie at the crossroad of high Elo, the skill ceiling ramps up from here on. Make sure your individual skills are up to mark with other players in your lobbies.
- Ranking up in Plat is all about team play. Coordinated team efforts to fight for map control can be a win condition.
- Do not shy away from taking the role of an IGL(In-Game Leader). If you think you have good reads on the enemy, make callouts to your team, assigning each of them a role and position.
- Take advantage of hidden game mechanics like Angle Advantage and Peeker’s Advantage to one-up your opponents.
- Make sure you’re updated with competitive changes in Valorant, and try to watch and learn from some top players in the field.
Table of Contents
Platinum rank lies at the crossroads of medium and high Elo. While some may consider Diamond to be the start of the high Elo in Valorant, the individual skill difference between a Platinum and Diamond player may be marginal. So, why are you still stuck in Platinum, unable to progress? Follow our tips to know how to rank up in Platinum.
If you want to build your community by finding Valorant team members and competing in tournaments, download the Z league app and use our LFG feature.
Furthermore, check out our Valorant Rank Distribution list and general ranking guide. With that, let’s get started with the best tips for Plat players.
Expand Your Agent Pool
By now, you should be comfortable playing various agents and roles across different maps. From Plat and above, your teamplay matters more than individual skills. You can undoubtedly rank up in Gold solely based on your aim, but ranking up in Plat requires coordinated team skills. For that, having a solid team composition based on the map is essential.
Make sure you feel comfortable filling for your team during games. It is recommended to learn at least two agents of each role is recommended, so you can always tweak between them based on your team’s requirements and the map, as some agents are more valuable in certain maps than others.
Work On Improving Your Voice Comms
Although voice comms and team coordination are important in every rank, for Platinum and above, it’s nearly impossible to win without communication among team members. Therefore, make a habit of giving proper callouts. Learn the names of all the maps’ segments to give enemy locations without feeling confused.
On Attack, while executing a site, make a proper plan with your teammates during the buy phase. Call out the site you’re going to execute and make sure all players understand their roles during the execution.
On Defense, not only give enemy locations to teammates, but tell them what you’re holding, ask them to support you with their utility when needed, communicate if you’re on a flank, or if you want them to give the site and play re-take.
Taking the role of IGL will help everyone understand their role and make your game experience smoother. That said, make sure you’re not ghost-comming your teammates or back-seating them while they’re in a clutch situation.
Take Peeker’s Advantage In Account
In the Platinum lobby where everyone has solid aim and movement, taking advantage of the game’s intricacies is beneficial in gaining the edge on your enemy. That way, you can consistently win more fights.
A mechanic you should learn to exploit is Peeker’s advantage. The person who peeks first tends to get an advantage in the duel, making it more favorable. Therefore, don’t be afraid to peek if you know the enemy’s location. Furthermore, make sure you’re always using the Angle Advantage, so the further you’re away from an angle, the earlier you’ll see an enemy.
Learn How To Fight For Map Control
Map control is a key factor in winning rounds in high-ranked lobbies, but many Plat players barely understand this concept. Controlling important parts of the map and establishing dominance can be a win condition, especially in late rounds.
While on Defense, you can use your abilities like smokes and mollies to take the choke points of the site and ensure enemies can’t push. Furthermore, if the Attackers press one site, you can push up the other site to catch the rotating opponents or flank at the right opportunity.
On Attack, controlling the site is essential to planting the Spike. You can fake one site while leaving one or two players to lurk mid or to the other site for map control. You can also use your Controller and Initiator ability to open up the site for quick and effective map control.
VOD Review Some Pro Players
One of the most underrated tips that many players don’t incorporate into their practice routine is reviewing the VODs of professional players. If you’re trying to improve, why not learn from the best?
You can always find ranked VODs of many pro players on YouTube and watch them carefully to understand their approach to the game. It’s best to look at the VODs from the POV of the agent you’re practicing, so you can get into their mindset, understand how they make decisions in intense situations, their utility usage, and their positioning across the map.
That’s it for our general tips section for how to rank up in Valorant. Be sure to check out our Valorant character tier list.
