How to Valorant: Welcoming the party with Raze

Raze is one of the original agents introduced with Valorant's initial launch. Hailing from Salvador Bahia, Brazil, Tayane Alves is an Engineer with enthusiasm for explosions and paint. Raze's kit is synonymous with her personality. The duelist's kit allows maximum flexibility, and players can use it in many ways. With abilities that double as AOE utilities, A good raze can output a lot of damage with her utilities alone. She also has only one of two Area Damage ultimates in the game. The downside of the agent is the difficulty in mastering the agent's kit. One needs intricate game sense and immaculate movements to get maximum value out of the agent. Her high skill ceiling is why many players shied away from using the agent. 

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RAZE'S VALORANT ABILITY KIT:

Raze's kit focuses on maximizing damage output and helping her clear multiple angles and create space for her teams.

• Basic Ability - Boom Bot (C): Fire deploys the bot in a straight line. The boom bot bounces off the walls. It will lock on the players in its frontal cone and chase them, exploding after getting close to the enemy.
  • Cost - 300 Credits
  • Duration - 10s
  • Health Points - 60
  • Damage - Min 30 Max 80
• Basic Ability - Blast Pack (Q): A blast pack sticks to a surface, and Re-using will detonate the blast pack, damaging and moving anything it hits.
  • Cost - 200 for a single blast pack (Max - 2)
  • Duration - 5s
  • Health Points - 20
  • Damage - Instant damage 5-15, After detonation 20-50, 600 for objects
• Signature Ability - Paint Shell (E): Equip and throw a cluster grenade with primary Fire. It creates sub-munitions after detonation and damages anyone in range.
  • Cost - Free
  • Recharges after two kills
  • Damage - Min 15 Max 55
• Ultimate Ability - Showstopper (X): Equipped and fired a rocket, dealing massive damage on contact.
  • Ultimate points - 8
  • Duration - 10s
  • Damage - Min 30 Max 150

The ability kit is tough to master as it requires a lot of practice and needs a massive understanding of timing to maximize its effectiveness. The agent's ultimate is one of the only two Area Damage ultimates in the game and, if fired correctly, can sweep away a team.

PLAYING RAZE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF VALORANT:

Raze is one of the agents whose efficiency maximizes when used with an initiator. The agent's kit allows the agent to play either as a space creation agent like Jett, Yoru, and Neon or a hard entry agent like Reyna or Phoenix. Raze players can use the Blast pack as a self-boosting to create space for playing as a space-creation agent. Players can clear one side of the choke point with the boom bot and peek at the other to play as a hard entry. The paint shells are thrown at closed areas to flush out players and help Raze take better map control. Especially paired with utilities like Astra's gravity wall or Fade's seize, the paint shell deals maximum damage.

On defense, the same combination can help players complete deny site takes. The boom bot helps for early info on defense. The Blast packs have multiple uses, too, as players can use them to disorient incoming attackers to get an advantage. Raze, as an agent, give leeway for creative play and, when done properly, outshines all the other duelists.

Multiple teams still run Neon over Raze because it's easier to run Neon than Raze. One good example of a Raze who maximizes efficiency is Asuna from 100 Thieves. Scream on Team Liquid played Raze and introduced a different dimension to the agent. Both players play Raze, still getting the maximum out of the agent's kit. Players can choose either to get value out of the agent's kit.

TIPS FOR MAXIMIZING RAZE'S EFFECTIVENESS:

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• Practicing utilities and how they interact with the map.
• Understand positions and timings of defense and offense on every map.
• Aim training flicks and tracking, since the agent allows for faster movement, can be used to get an advantage.

Mastering the agent does take a lot of time, and it is bothersome to take time out to learn the agent, but A good Raze can change a game in an instant.

Credits: Riot Games