Duelist are the tip of the spear for every agent composition in Valorant.
The first onto site, they are the ones tasked with finding entry kills to give their team an opening. With its narrow entryways, Lotus will need duelists with explosive power who can cover more distance and make their way deep onto a site.
Here’s a look at the best duelists to use on Lotus.
Ranking the best duelists to use on Lotus
1. Raze
Raze’s Paint Shells grenades lend themselves to Lotus’ narrow choke points with aplomb. On a small site like B, Paint Shells can be used to devastating effect to clear tight areas, particularly the small room at A Link or even B Upper.
Even the long sightlines at A and C Main have areas where enemy teams are likely to gather up for a push. An early Paint Shells could chip off a big portion of health, stopping any attack in its tracks.
Her Blast Packs also offer great maneuverability, allowing her to burst onto site in a blink of an eye. This is particularly crucial given the narrow pathways leading onto each site, and teams will need speed and aggression to gain ground.
2. Jett
Jett is a solid pick on most maps, and Lotus is no exception. Her Tailwind dash is a powerful entry tool, creating space for her team and serving as an excellent diversion into the map’s enclosed sites.
There are also various scattered elevations around the map, such as at A Rubble, which may allow her to take advantage of unexpected positions on high ground.
3. Neon
Much like Jett and Raze, Neon’s movement abilities make her a strong pick for Lotus. Her Fast Lane wall will cause plenty of confusion and disruption on its small sites, and her speed will allow her to get up close and personal far quicker than opponents may expect.
At the same time, her Relay Bolt stun may prove effective around the map’s tight corners, allowing her to clear the path ahead of her with ease.
Neon’s High Gear sprint also allows her to rotate quickly, a big advantage given Lotus’ size and its three sites. This is also one of the reasons why she is a strong pick on Haven, the only other three-site map in Valorant.
4. Yoru
Trickster duelist Yoru remains a risky pick, no matter the map, but his mind games and teleporting shenanigans could allow him to run circles around opponents on Lotus’ three sites.
Those who are able to maximize every inch of his kit could find unexpected ways onto spike sites with his Gatecrash teleport. On top of that, he can rotate quickly with Gatecrash, teleporting to the opposite end of the map in an instant, confusing opponents. Given Lotus’ size, this buys him a big advantage in terms of time as enemies scramble to catch up.
Dimensional Drift is also a very strong recon tool, and it is arguably the best for checking around corners and pressuring opponents.
5. Phoenix
Despite his fiery nature, Phoenix remains somewhat lackluster as a duelist. Nevertheless, his Curveball flash is one of the most difficult to dodge in the game, and he will be strong when pushing the multitude of tight corners in the game.
However, because his flash only works around corners, he is limited in how he approaches a site. KAY/O’s flashes are far more versatile, and Phoenix will struggle to carve a spot out for himself on Lotus.
While his flash can possibly be paired with Blaze wall for a bit more flexibility, his lack of movement abilities means that he will not be as effective at taking space as an agent like Raze or Jett.
6. Reyna
Reyna is the game’s most selfish agent, which is why she ranks in last place.
With the exception of her Leer blind, all her other abilities are predicated on getting kills. They do nothing to help her team take space, which is why she is arguably the weakest duelist of the lot.
Unless her team plays around her and actively sets her up to find kills, she will flounder.
She epitomizes the meaning of feast or famine — a skilled player could still find success with her on Lotus, but they will live and die on their aim alone.
READ MORE: Valorant Neon guide: How to use High Gear to backward, sideways, and double slide
