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Image via Riot Games"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/what-initiator-to-pick-in-valorant-best-initiators-on-every-valorant-map#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What initiator to pick in VALORANT? Best initiators on every VALORANT map"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/","name":"Dot Esports","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#organization","name":"Dot Esports","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"Dot Esports"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/","https:\/\/x.com\/DotEsports","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dotesports\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCckaIn-3KqLYfppkj4DeTAw"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3afee384c9d87ead430c72f05288e707","name":"Sharmila Ganguly","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/d83d5803f1627a78a32eeda10f409139","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22ebf765e736cde468c51dc36f8a00f0?s=96&d=mm&r=g&resize=96%2C96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22ebf765e736cde468c51dc36f8a00f0?s=96&d=mm&r=g&resize=96%2C96","caption":"Sharmila Ganguly"},"description":"Freelance Writer at Dot Esports. An enthusiastic gamer who bumped into the intricacies of video game journalism in 2021 and has been hustling ever since. Obsessed with first-person shooter titles, especially VALORANT. Contact: [email protected]","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/the_pomegranate_girl\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sharmila-ganguly-403902118\/","https:\/\/x.com\/g1_sharmila"],"url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/author\/sharmilaganguly"}]}},"raw_content":"Initiators in VALORANT are responsible for providing valuable intel to their team, helping them take space whether it\u2019s on attack or during retakes. While all of them are powerful agents, they fare well on certain maps more than others.\u00a0 In case you\u2019re wondering, picking the right initiator for a map is crucial because it\u2019s a huge factor in deciding the outcome of your VALORANT match. It also depends on the team composition you pick and the playstyle your team follows: An initiator like Sova might be incredible on Breeze, but he can be equally detrimental if your aggressive teammates refuse to adapt to his slow playstyle.\u00a0 Keeping all that in mind, here are the best initiators to pick on every VALORANT map\u2014based on playstyles and compositions.\u00a0 Best initiators to pick in VALORANT based on map Here\u2019s a list to refer to when picking initiators in VALORANT. Ascent: Sova, Skye, Breach, KAY\/O Breeze: Sova, Skye Bind: Skye, Fade, Gekko Split: Skye, Gekko Lotus: Skye, Fade, Gekko Sunset: Fade, Gekko, KAY\/O Icebox: Sova, KAY\/O These maps are out of rotation, but here\u2019s what to pick anyway: Haven: Breach, Sova Pearl: Fade, KAY\/O, Gekko Fracture: Fade, KAY\/O How to pick initiators in VALORANT based on playstyle: A complete guide Skye is great in the current VALORANT meta\u2014despite the nerfs she has received in recent times\u2014and it\u2019s because of her kit\u2019s versatility. Skye\u2019s recent nerfs to her Tasmanian Tiger (dog) were harsh, so you might want to experiment with other options here. Sova is a good alternative, but his kit has always been more suitable for slow, calculated strategies. Skye is, hands down, the best initiator for aggressive teams. If you are neither too aggressive nor too passive, try Fade. With prowlers that can send enemies fleeing, a flexible recon ability, and a seize that restricts, decays, and deafens enemies, she\u2019s an underrated initiator who can be played on almost every VALORANT map.\u00a0 You might find this suggestion funny, but with his recent buffs, Gekko has become a strong initiator on most maps. His Dizzy splash is undodgeable, his Wingman buddy can scout and plant the Spike, his Mosh Pit is great for clearing spaces, and I don\u2019t think I need to explain how advantageous his ultimate Thrash is. Granted that his kit can be situational, an aggressive team can greatly benefit with Gekko on their side. Just don\u2019t send in the Spike if the site isn\u2019t clear. It\u2019s an earnest request. With KAY\/O and Breach, things are situational. They are meant to be played as secondary initiators. Not that you can\u2019t bring value with them as solo initiators on the team, but they always do better in double initiator setups.\u00a0 If your team is open to double initiator comps, you can pair KAY\/O or Breach with Sova or Fade. This lets you use a mixture of strong intel, deterrent, and crowd control abilities. For example, a map like Ascent favors a double initiator setup featuring Sova and KAY\/O. The same applies to Haven, where you can go for the iconic Sova and Breach duo to hunt down enemies.\u00a0","apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Gekko_1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099001"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1099001"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1099369,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099001\/revisions\/1099369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1099021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1099001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1099001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1099001"},{"taxonomy":"invoiceable_action","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/invoiceable_action?post=1099001"},{"taxonomy":"internal-label","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-label?post=1099001"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=1099001"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1099001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":1099001,"date":"2024-01-18T09:03:11","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T14:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/?p=1099001"},"modified":"2024-01-18T09:03:15","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T14:03:15","slug":"what-initiator-to-pick-in-valorant-best-initiators-on-every-valorant-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/valorant\/news\/what-initiator-to-pick-in-valorant-best-initiators-on-every-valorant-map","title":{"rendered":"What initiator to pick in VALORANT? Best initiators on every VALORANT map"},"content":{"rendered":"

Initiators in VALORANT<\/em> are responsible for providing valuable intel to their team, helping them take space whether it\u2019s on attack or during retakes. While all of them are powerful agents, they fare well on certain maps more than others.\u00a0<\/p>

In case you\u2019re wondering, picking the right initiator for a map is crucial because it\u2019s a huge factor in deciding the outcome of your VALORANT<\/em> match. It also depends on the team composition you pick and the playstyle your team follows: An initiator like Sova might be incredible on Breeze, but he can be equally detrimental if your aggressive teammates refuse to adapt to his slow playstyle.\u00a0<\/p>

Keeping all that in mind, here are the best initiators to pick on every VALORANT map\u2014based on playstyles and compositions.\u00a0<\/p>