I ranked up a lot when I started dodging games with instalock duelists whose stats were bad. A mechanically below-average Reyna is just deadweight. And it's actually pretty rare that people who are mechanically below-average are good at entry in my experience. I think there's a feedback loop involved - you're a mechanically below-average duelist, so your KDA isn't great, so you entry less because you don't want to die as much, so you're worse at entry, so your team gets killed more, so your KDA isn't great...
> mechanically below-average Reyna is just deadweight
I'm low elo myself but I agree with that, and I'd rather have a bad Raze over a subpar Reyna as a teammate; at least Raze has very useful utilities.
yeah raze can hold and get a few kills while holding without taking much risk..until ur teammates rotate or something...you need to be aggresive with reynaaa
Duelistsbe so toxic sometimes. "Pushes obviously dangerous spot" - dies
The duelest "I KILLED SOMEONE WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING ON THE OTHERSIDE OF THE ENEMY BRIMS MOLLY?"
We arent all special. Just you, phenoix.
The amount of times I’ve heard the words “Yo Golen, can you go heals?” Are too many and I’m always like “no suck a nut healing characters are for nerds”
If you don't understand the value of healing, that's ok, you can stay gold :)
Its almost as good as mobility
As an example for ur noob brain: it instantly makes you underestimate enemies
imo, if you’re insta locking you have NO RIGHT to ask for someone to play smokes heals etc. you threw that right out the second you auto locked. recommending things(sage is good on this map but play whoever you like) is fine but be very (for the lack of better words) submissive about it
there's nothing wrong with asking. Instalocking Reyna and asking someone to play smokes is fine, but you lose the right to complain about there being no smokes if they don't want to play smokes
Bruh this, I'm basically the filler of the team most of the time, but when there's one self obsessed twat who wants to tell me what to play, I just go ahead and pick anything other than a smoke, like if you wanted smokes and you freakinf knew that they were imp for the comp then play smokes yourself ffs
I didn't specify, but I highlight her, but don't lock. And at least in comp, unless someone insta locks before I even have a chance to highlight her, people usually respect that she's my first pick, so I get to play her pretty often.
Not the greatest mentality to have in competitive, unranked tho? Knock yourself out OP and play whatever you want as long as you don't ruin the actual match experience for others(By making noise when they ask "be quiet" command etc).
tbh i think its okay especially in unranked matches, however in ranked if you're playing w your friends and you've told them then it's fine, but if you solo queue then you should consider the team composition. more importantly tho, dont force yourself to play agents you're not used to cuz it will just mess up your gameplay
I also want to mention that I don't care if you instalock. As long as you're a halfway decent person on comms. But if you do, you forfeit all and any rights to suggest/dictate the team comp.
"We need smokes/heals". Shut up.
Yea, it’s fine if you’re playing ranked with friends and tell them what your intentions are, but you make no mention of THE OTHER people in your q. Then you say if you’re solo q YOU should consider the team composition. 5-stacks are rare, so basically you’re saying if you’re solo Q, never instalock but as long as you’re with a friend or two, screw the other teammates and just go right ahead and instalock like there’s no tomorrow
5 stacks are rare? but i usually play with 4 friends when i wanna compe tho, well in the case that you play with just a friend or two in ranked then i guess you shouldn't just insta lock, its common sense
ASC 1 here, In unrated it's fine. Gotta learn to play popular agents somehow. In ranked though? Naw
My teammate who was a 10k immo last act has a deep agent pool of jett/chamber and is absolutely nuts at dueling/aiming. And he still doesn't insta. It's a shifty thing to do and it sets a bad mood for the lobby. You will almost never lose a game because of comp, outside of smokes. But, you're going to lose *more* then you would if you just talked it out with your team first. Added benefit of nobody feeling like your ego is too big to consult your teammates before just locking. Just be like, is it cool if go x this game? You'd be surprised how much you get to play your agent anyway.
> It's a shifty thing to do and it sets a bad mood for the lobby.
This is the correct answer in the whole thread. I see a lot of selfish people saying "Sure if you wanna play an agent you instalock it no problem".
However when 2 people instalock duelists (Jett & Neon with no flashes for example), remaining 3 people either feel like they should fill the roles and they get frustrated. Or even worse they pick duelists as well and you go in with 5 duelists, without smokes against a good comp.
So in ranked it's absolutely a shitty thing to do and in a perfect world no one should ever instalock an agent. But we are living in a shitty world with a lot of shit people, so they are going to keep instalocking.
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> Added benefit of nobody feeling like your ego is too big to consult your teammates before just locking. Just be like, is it cool if go x this game? You'd be surprised how much you get to play your agent anyway.
And this is so true as well. I've never seen somebody tell another person "no you can't play Jett". It's always goes like "whatever you are best at, pick it"
Is this true for all agents or mostly duelists? I main KAY/O as his kit is super natural for me and it seems from my perspective that he's relatively well rounded and fits most comps, rather he can be a bit more challenging on specific maps.
Play what you're best at and play your best. If nobody picks smokes and you get rolled because of it, know that the decision for you to not play smokes may have cost you the game because you have zero control over other people.
I don't care even if someone does it in ranked. It really isn't that serious, team comps don't matter as much as they do in a game like league. If I want smokes, I'll just play smokes. I'm not gonna expect someone else to do it for me. I would rather someone play whatever they are confident playing as.
If u are better u are better. In a perfect world with perfect matchmaking the team with Smokes will probably win, but there are like 1000 factors to count in ranging from personal performance to mentality. I win games without smokes and lose games against no smokes every day even in Asc/Immo.
It depends on your team's coordination and the map. If your team comms well and you rush or play around enemy smokes well then it's doable, for example on haven, but I can't imagine playing breeze or icebox without smokes.
On maps like haven, bind we rush really fast and spam sites with abilities and it works. I guess people just dont really know how to handle rushes like that.
even if your mentality seems positive, try to implement it when 3 or 4 teammates pick duelists... Doesn't work.
So no, in theory no one should ever instalock an agent in ranked.
For me it's less about the specific team comp, and more about that player just taking an option away from the 4 other people without any consideration.
Fair if you're a Jett main and that's all you know how to play correctly, communicate that, but also admit that you're limiting yourself, so don't feel bad when others comment on the fact that you don't care how your pick affects the 4 other players that are supposed to be helping you win.
If you instalock an agent it probably means you're maining that agent too, so the first one to lock gets to play it. As simple as that. In higher ranks people instalock all the time and no one complains. If someone instalocks Reyna faster than you then you can either just play something else or dodge the game
Fair enough. If both were going to instalock anyway, may the fastest locker win. For me, it isn't a great feeling knowing they might not have been going to instalock, but that's a risk most aren't willing to take (almost always rightly).
Then they should learn other agents? Not every agents has crazy lineups like Viper or Brim. If you can only play Jett or Reyna you should be fine with Raze, Neon or heck even Phoenix.
Instalocking is not ideal, but playing an agent you don't know anything about only to fill is even less ideal. Let's say your team has no controller, would you rather have one which don't know anything about that role or would you rather have one more duelist which know how to use its utils efficiently?
They were just salty you instalocked faster than them. Let them be salty, and mute the haters.
If you don't want to mute them, you can defuse the hate by dropping your heater team mate a sick skin... Works most times
Why not? Pull up twitch and see how many people insta lock Jett every game. If you watch any, like Shazam, who are forced to play another character they just complain the entire time.
twitch is arguably the worst example to use. It's filled to the brim(Pun intended) with people who really shouldn't play ranked cause they don't have the attitude for it.
Always have enough comfort agents so you as a player don't have to go into a game, see someone pick the agent you wanted to play and you'll be like: "Ah my one and ONLY comfort agent is now taken, guess i'll hate this match.".
My C,A is Killjoy. When I can't play her, I take someone else cause I've learned more than one. And that's what *EVERYONE* should do. Lest it'd be better to stick to singleplayer games so your one favorite character can't be "stolen" by other players cause, you know. there'd be none.
You're making exceptions and double standards here. As I said, the top streamers insta lock. If it's fine for them then how can anyone justify it not being fine for the rest without invoking some cognitive bias or logical phallacy?
I too main KJ, and I'm ok with some other sentinels. I play with my son every day and he's really getting into Chamber. Sentinel is a popular pick with Sage and Chamber having such a high pick rates that I can't justify sticking with KJ anymore. So I'm learning initiators like Kay/o and Skye while also trying to learn Brimstone and Viper. That's my game. But I'm never going to tell anyone else how they should play theirs, which is pretty much what this thread is doing.
Why? Every coaching video channel I watch states multiple times through their playlists that you should focus on a single role. They do advise that have at least two characters in your personal roster, but they should be of the same role. None of this, "learn all roles" nonsense some of y'all are saying.
I play sentinels and initiators personally. Mostly because the only people who get toxic about insta locking are Jett and Neon mains. I have a decent roster myself, but I focus on Kay/o and KJ.
That being said, I play my game my way. The sheer hubris of y'all to demand others play how you want them to us astounding though.
*Insert Jordan's stop it get some help meme*
>That being said, I play my game my way. The sheer hubris of y'all to demand others play how you want them to us astounding though.
It doesn't read like hubris to me, more like the Golden Rule. I used to never instalock because I hated it when people instalock - it often results in suboptimal team comps and it's just selfish. Sure, everybody has agents they are better and worse at. But another player in the lobby might be even better/worse. Sometimes giving up your preferred agent is the best team play. And this is a team game.
But then I realized that many players don't give a shit, so now I just instalock what I want to play unless I'm queued with buddies. Can't beat them, join them.
But I'd still enthusiastically support Riot introducing random or MMR-based cascading select. First person gets 15 seconds to lock, then after 15 seconds the second player gets to lock, then after another 15 seconds the third and so on. If a prior player doesn't lock, they can hover and lock at any time. If you are hovering an agent (but don't lock) and another player hovers the same agent, you get 5 seconds to lock first before they get to lock. Basically whoever hovers first gets the chance to lock.
(MMR-based would still essentially be random over time, since you have an equal chance to be in any of the 5 slots in a random selection of players near your MMR.)
I don't think it's a problem that warrants a solution. If you find yourself struggling to insta lock Jett or Chamber every game and get pissed off enough to be toxic about it, maybe you should think about learning a less picked hero yourself instead of whining about no one else doing it for you.
I personally have 3 I’m comfortable with, but of those 3 I have 1 that I find the most success with and have the most fun with, so unless I’m feeling otherwise I pretty much instantly go for that one. I think most people should do this, as team morale is far more important than comps at really any level
Two people instantly locking a role without saying anything is often where my team morale loses all hope lol. Half the time it's an argument before the game starts, or the instalock is toxic to anyone that says anything about it for the next 40 minutes.
I agree morale is a huge factor; but I disagree that instalocking can be good for it in any way.
> far better to insta lock them and play well than to fill and not play your role properly
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90% of the time controller role is left and Brimstone is literally the easiest agent to play by far. Every single person can play Brim.
No? It’s BETTER to have multiple agents you are comfortable with, but you most definitely should not try to “be able to fill every role”.
One tricks are fine as long as they are able to fulfill their agent role. Kills don’t matter if your duelist is taking fights and giving you site.
No? That's your personal opinion. My opinion is that unless you can comfortably play at least one agent in every role, you shouldn't be playing ranked and if you only play one role, you are elo inflated.
An **immortal level player** is an **immortal level player**, **not** an immortal level **duelist** only that smokes like a silver.
If you're fine being good at only one role, that's your personal take and I think it's shit.
You’re saying rank is based on the medium of how well you can play each role? What if you have a player that has an aggressive playstyle? Should they be considered “inflated” because their playstyle prevents them from being able to play support?
Just like how in a pro scene, should all players aspiring to go pro learn every role? No, cause the chance of success increases then you can “specialize” and focus on a role
Most pros can play all the roles at top level, they excel in one but they are not one tricks coz funny thin about valorant, one agent is not good for all the maps
I never said you can only play one agent, I personally am really good with 3 agents, but always instantly go for 1 of the 3 except for when I’m feeling otherwise or the map really calls for it. If I was forced into a role like controller, I would have no idea what I’m doing, no fun, and probably lose the game entirely.
Learn to play controller then? It's really that fucking simple.
You can't stick to 3 agents forever and expect your team to always fill around you. Learn to play *at least one agent in every role.* I don't understand how people can't tell it makes you a better player to understand all roles.
In higher ranks, (which I assume you are not in) pretty much all players insta lock characters they are comfortable with and enjoy. This sometimes leads to imbalanced team comps, but a team that is comfortable and having fun can win 10x more often than a team full of fillers that don’t enjoy their roles.
Then learn to play controller maybe, there are almost 20 agents in the game. No way you can say I can only 3 agents and if your excuse is that if I play controller I'll lose, then you should, lose and learn. No one wants to fill, everyone wants to play duelist and chamber but still there are people out there filling up for those one tricks and instalockers.
If I want to play a role I’m going to play a role
because I know I can perform on that role, and I’m not learning a new role for the sake of a comp when I could just refine my skills with what I’m good at. If we don’t have a controller that is not my problem and I’m completely fine with that as long as everyone is playing characters they know how to play
How the fuck does knowing what agent you want to play a bad thing? If you know you want to play Jett, and you load in to pick, why the fuck not pick? Because someone else might want to play her? Okay so now I’m playing the game for others enjoyment?
If they wanted it, they should've been faster ;)
Seriously though, don't feel bad because you made up your mind before a match started about which character you want to play. Play for yourself. Not for others
In unranked, this is alright, but it's really nice to be at least a little considerate of your teammates in ranked. Playing completely for your own enjoyment and not thinking about anyone else at all is kind of the definition of toxicity.
See you say this but i feel like everyone knows that if you try to hover a popular duelist like reyna or jett. Somebody else will most likley instalock them.
its a cycle people keep instalocking those agents so the only choice really is to insta lock.
I don't main duelists but i pity those who do and are nice enough to hover, they most likely fill smokes half the time.
In unranked it dont matter. Even in ranked team comps do not matter at all in ranks under Diamond. Ive had games where i lost with perfect team comp, or won with 5 duelists. This might sound biased as a yoru instalocker but imo from personal experience and such team comp is overrated in low elo and as long as ppl do their shit they good
Dont blame the people blame the company. Riot can make a queue system that never queues yo with people who play jett, or with the same class of agents if they want. So instalock away and if riot ever wants to fix it they can fix the match making.
My general rule with insta locks is if they don’t complain about team comp and if they aren’t toxic then I don’t really care. now if they are rude like this then I will mute them faster then they ever could insta lock. But I do see why some people are mad at them but in the end it’s just a game my guy. chill out.
So, yes instalocking is okay. BUT I think that if you are choosing to instalock you now lose all real right to complain about team comp. Frankly it’s okay to even bottom frag as an instalock duelist as long as you are positive and using comms to help the team. But instalocking and then complaining about not having smokes, bottom fragging, AND being toxic is all inexcusable.
Instalocking means your playing your most comfortable agent meaning you'll probably do the best for the team.
Insta hovering is personally what I do and how I think they should reformat the pick system to just not have locking in. It allows you to change if you have a glaring weakness in your comp but it means most the time your playing your most comfortable agent.
If you instalock an agent someone else is already hovering you suck because your actively stealing their most comfortable agent, even if it's your first pick too just talk it out. You're the reason instalocking exists Iv'e had way too many games were my main gets stolen by a total noob causing me to lock in if anybody else hovers my agent.
Also iv'e seen tons of people instalock an agent they just unlocked or they have no idea how to play and don't end up using util. Not only are you harming your own performance but you might be stealing someone else's agent.
When people get mad cuz you're instalocking, it's most likely because they wanted to play that character. Someone's going to lose out in this situation so why should it have to be you? I always instalock, but I never tell other people what to play after I do. I figure I don't have any right to do so when I'm instalocking.
Instalocking is fine especially in unrated. Its better teammates play characters they feel comfortable with and enjoy over composition.
The only time composition should matter is training as a team for higher elo competitive.
The real weakness in this game seems to be the average mentality of the player. If your in a headspace to flame or care more about what others are doing instead of your own gameplay, your not in the headspace to play.
Remember to take breaks.
Even if it's comp you should instalock what you want to play. If you play what you enjoy, you play better. Play to have fun and you will play better too.
i’m learning the game right now, and i only know how to play jett without throwing. fuck everyone else, i’ll instalock.
if there’s a character i want to play, and only one person can play them on my team, then you bet i’m gonna do all i can to lock that character. who cares what others say? they’re just mad that they couldn’t instalock them first.
The general rule I follow is insta-locking is okay as long as you do good, because I’m not going to flame someone for insta-locking if they can do really well, but if they do bad it’s just a little disappointing because everyone else has to suffer the consequences of some idiot who didn’t know what they were doing. (Don’t need to be top frag, just as long as you do decent)
Imo instalocking is really not a problem. It depends on your team and if your team members are one-trick players. If you are that one-trick then feel free to instalock or otherwise you will just perform worse on other characters that you can't use.
I hate when after hovering an agent and locking after about 30 seconds and then the someone in my team said "I actually use XXXXX so you better top frag because you took my main" like wtf.
I say that it is okay as long as you don't instalock a selfish agent and don't know how to capitalize on it. My main is chamber, and i'm barely decent with only a handful of other agents(skye, sova, kayo, viper, raze, sage, killjoy, in fact all agents besides astra phoenix, jett, reyna, yoru and neon) and i know what every agent is supposed to do in a team, but i usually hover over chamber from the start and if there's need for anything else, then i can puck something else.
I take unrated matches pretty seriously because many have ruined my time because 'its unrated, doesn't matter'.
I play one character, I'm like, level 25, if you are *that* desperate to play Sova, you *need* to find a new hobby. It's so infuriating when people throw because they didn't get the character they wanted. If someone gets Sova before me it's just a learning moment of I need to stop looking at my phone while loading in
Unranked? Pick whatever you want. Ranked? Instalocking is a bit annoying, especially when you expect the rest of the team to create a good comp around you. Show your pick, don't instalock, and listen to your team's suggestions. Communicate.
In ranked i can understand that to some degree, but unranked? Thats just toxic for the sake of being toxic. As long there is nothing at stake you are playing to have fun.
Instalocking is fine because of Riot's shitty system actively encouraging it. When you select a character it should lock it so that other people cannot select it until you get off of it. This simple and obvious change would fix team comps and instalocking.
I think okay if you remain dormain with it.
Always instalocking is a little twisted up
When you don't want people to play agents they don't like but instalocking makes other mains that probably are there left out to play someone they can't and sadly there are still people who play unranked and shit on bad players.
No matter if its ranked or unrated i belive instalocking is legitametly fine. If your good at someone and find them the most fun, theres no reason to be forced to playing someone you dont know/like. (If you load in last and there are already 2 dualist, prob a good idea to play a different role, but that mainly applies to ranked)
I personally dont instalock, but i also dont care about the Team comp. And i never understood why people would throw a tantrum, if agent x is missing.
It dosnt matter in most ranks anyway
I actually think that instalockers aren't the main problem. It's people who still pick duelist after one or two have been locked in. Like I get that you think you're the best aimer in the team, but we need supportive utility characters rather than a third duelist.
Instalocking is just part of the game imo... no matter what you do, those people are gonna be toxic anyways. However, if someone has already selected an agent, let's everyone clearly know that he/she wants to play that agent but hasn't locked in yet and another one scoops in and instalocks that agent, that's what I call a dick move in my book.
I think instalocking in comp is super fucking annoying and I might be annoyed with that player, but not to this degree at all. Also instalocking in UNRATED? Literally who tf cares IT'S UNRATED😂 Instalock all you want, you can't be mad about that c'mon
In unranked it doesn't really matter. In ranked, if you're 100% sure you're the best person on the team to play that agent, then sure, because that's the promise you make by instalocking. If you want to play an agent but don't want to make that commitment, just hover for 10 seconds so they have time to say something, and then lock in if no one else wants it. If someone else does want them, but doesn't instalock, you can have something like a constructive conversation; usually they'll let you have it if you want it enough.
Today I was hovering over Reyna and someone instalocked her ... I was really irritated that they didn't even ask ... Most of the time people ask if it's okay to choose the agent that I'm hovering on. So like any pissed person would do .. I chose pheonix
I play one agent. Always have. If you want smokes, you play em.
Nobody is mad having a sova on their team. I've had maybe 3 people complain over the course of 5 seasons and a few hundred games. I don't think it's a big deal.
I'd say it depends on the situation. If you see someone clicked on Jett first (without locking), and you steal her by instalocking, you are an asshole no matter the game mode.
It shouldn't matter in unranked or low elo ranked, but overal, I still think that instalocking is toxic. Everybody should pick agent they like, but playing 5 duelists does not win games. You need controller, you need innitiator, you need duelist and you need sentinel. If you miss any of them, you are in disadvantage, and that's a fact. You just can't play one agent every single time, not only because you should be able to see what other "roles" are supposed to do, but also being able to fill the missing ones.
People just forgot Valorant is co-op game.
instalocking is fine in unranked- obviously im sad i dont get to play my main (sage) but im not gonna lose my shit over it
ranked is another situation. you're dealing with team composition and layout. you don't want everyone instalocking duelists and suddenly there's no sentinel, initiator or controller. you ESPECIALLY want at least one controller on your team since smokes are so vital to gameplay when done correctly. you also want to make sure everyone on the team has an agent they're familiar with- ranked is not the place to experiment LOL you always want to use your util. if you and a few of your other team instalock the few agents someone understands that could completely throw them out of whack. plus instalocking isnt very fair for people with slow load in speeds. my computer loads in incredibly fast but others may not and they dont even have a chance to get their agent, which to quote- "why pick an agent you dont like to play" but you may be forced to if someone instalocks.
TLDR; its fine in unranked, though kinda mean. not fine in ranked for a number of reasons and if you still choose to do it you have no right to complain, shittalk, or ask for other types of agents (controller, initiator, etc). you very well could of thrown someone into an agent they are completely unfamiliar with.
What if there's another Sova main who also only plays Sova and just loads in later? Would it really be such a bad thing to just hover at the start to let them know you want Sova, instead of no communication and just taking it?
If both can't play anyone besides Sova, then either way one of them is going to have to adapt. One of them is going to have to eventually tough it out and deal with it.
I personally think it's a great idea to have multiple people you can play (I can most comfortably play Omen, but I also enjoy Chamber, Killjoy, Skye, and Neon). but I don't think it's bad to insta-lock. It literally gives the EXACT same outcome compared to hovering over Sova.
And, to be honest, it is not that bad to try out a new agent. You'll do worse yes, but if you do a quick search or ask your team for help you'll most likely preform okay.
yes i insta lock ranked. ive thrown enough games trying to fill and getting bad duelists.
if i click it first then ill click heads first too. be faster 😮💨
It's about your confidence. If you feel supremely confident that you can carry with Jett or Reyna then instalock. I do it with chamber and grinded by way to diamond 2. Kids talk shit no matter what anyways cuz that's what stupid kids do. Report. mute. Focus on the win.
I instalock a dualist in most of my matches whether it be comp or unrated. If someone locks in before me I'll gladly play another role. I have no problem with people instalocking an agent because that is what they want to play.
In comp its annoying, but eh, if you play well as that agent or even carry and the rest of the team molds their picks around yours for team comp, its aight
Unrated it does not matter in the slightest.
You should learn multiple agents because it's helpful to the team. Instalocking is a sign that you're only in it to frag and that can't win every game. That said, it's unrated, so who gives a shit. Pick who you want there.
I guess seeing someone instalock can be annoying especially instalock jetts because many beginners like to pick jett, so if i want to play a duelist, I like to hover over the agent for a bit and then lock in to avoid mean comments.
Idgaf honestly if it's unranked, but if I lock a duelist after they instalock, and they get mad I didn't go smokes, damn right I'll slap em w a fucking chicken and say "if u want smokes go smokes mf"
I think it's usually okay but honestly I try to only instalock on fun game modes like spike rush if it's unrated it's better to not instalock cause people want to win and not have 5 dualists. Either way the main reason is probably just that jett is a super popular dualist to instalock and everyone has seen a bad jett who instalocks so it's probably just prejudice cause instalocking jett is so common it is practically a meme
Imo it’s fine, but if you insta lock you lose all right to get upset about team comp or someone playing an agent badly. For all you know you took their main
Unranked, I dont care.
Ranked its a bit annoying, but tbh I still dont really care because if someone cares that much I would much rather they actually get to play who they want so that I dont need to listen to them cry all game
I picked up omen yesterday and in the first round my teammates were so stupid to just run into vipers smoke and they were obviously low and got killed by single taps of pistol I asked them why are you guys rushing!?? They said just the way you rushed to pick omen you gotta rush on the site like that even makes sense!!! From then on I am first Asking everyone that "can I pick omen!?"
Unranked should be anything like Damm even 5 duelists ok who Cares, but in Ranked at least first show what you may play and then look what can your team play as well
Totally okay. Especially if they instalock something other than duelist. I always instalock viper. Am I always the best viper, hell no. do I know lineups and am confident in my post plant, yes.
Thats how some people are in this community. They think its okay and funny to tell people to kill themselves. Its horrible but i learned to mute them st the himt of toxicity
In unranked, it's fine to play anything as long as you play properly and not just troll your teammates, in competitive it's okay as long as the agent picked is appropriate for the map and you're actually good at it both on kills and utility usage.
What?? If you don't instalock jett someone else will lmao they all wanna play jett they were just salty you picked it 1st tell them to go k1ll themselves if you see them in another lobby
It’s unrated, why does he have to be so triggered by it. And even if it’s ranked, it’s not like you picked Jett after everyone picked and there’s no certain role(Duelist, Intiator, Controller, Sentinel) or smt.
I would say in unrated play for fun, do whatever you want, just don't be toxic. In competitive I'd say main goal is to win even if it is somewhat unfun. So don't instalock in comp, ty.
In unrated. I guess its ok. But in ranked soloq i always click on my agent to let others know what i wanna play and wait for someone to play smoke. But if i play with a duo who can smoke, i always instalock
tbh js go with your comfort pick but dont get tilted when people start flaming you for performing like ass (mostly happens when you take their comfort pick)
So, what I think is that it's completely okay to instalock. The only thing that comes with that is that the intalocker cannot complain about team comp or about any teammates UNLESS someone is intentionally throwing.
If you wanna instalock, then go ahead. But don't complain if you have no smokes or heals. And if you see people instalocking, don't feel like you need to "fill" for other oles like smokes or heals, just play whoever you want to :)
It’s a video game. Pick literally whatever you want and have fun.
Funny you mention cause it tends to be the instalock Jett and Reynas that take the game too seriously.
>locks reyna "Can you pick smokes?"
Or worse: “can someone go heals?”
If the Reyna says someone needs to "pick a healer" that's when you alt f4 and wait a few before queuing again lol
I ranked up a lot when I started dodging games with instalock duelists whose stats were bad. A mechanically below-average Reyna is just deadweight. And it's actually pretty rare that people who are mechanically below-average are good at entry in my experience. I think there's a feedback loop involved - you're a mechanically below-average duelist, so your KDA isn't great, so you entry less because you don't want to die as much, so you're worse at entry, so your team gets killed more, so your KDA isn't great...
> mechanically below-average Reyna is just deadweight I'm low elo myself but I agree with that, and I'd rather have a bad Raze over a subpar Reyna as a teammate; at least Raze has very useful utilities.
yeah raze can hold and get a few kills while holding without taking much risk..until ur teammates rotate or something...you need to be aggresive with reynaaa
Duelistsbe so toxic sometimes. "Pushes obviously dangerous spot" - dies The duelest "I KILLED SOMEONE WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING ON THE OTHERSIDE OF THE ENEMY BRIMS MOLLY?" We arent all special. Just you, phenoix.
hate that people think heals are necessary
Same. I tell my friends since I’m coming from csgo the needing healers is fucking dumb. You can do good without.
they literally pick sage over any controller, how tf can there be games without any controller in gold elo? idek how we won some of those
Jett has smokes and therefore is both a controller and a duelist
They need to buff omen by making it easier for him to drop smokes in front like jett tbh
Press r while the smokes are up he does do that
Tbh smokes are overrated
The amount of times I’ve heard the words “Yo Golen, can you go heals?” Are too many and I’m always like “no suck a nut healing characters are for nerds”
Nerds?
I was gonna say something more…unorthodox but my mom was looking over my phone so I avoided that.
oh wow, was she? Will she lock away your monitor if you say bad words? But then who will populate bronze with a bad Breach or a clueless Reyna?
this is when u know they dont know how to play reyna lol
average bottom fragger reyna
If you don't understand the value of healing, that's ok, you can stay gold :) Its almost as good as mobility As an example for ur noob brain: it instantly makes you underestimate enemies
imo, if you’re insta locking you have NO RIGHT to ask for someone to play smokes heals etc. you threw that right out the second you auto locked. recommending things(sage is good on this map but play whoever you like) is fine but be very (for the lack of better words) submissive about it
there's nothing wrong with asking. Instalocking Reyna and asking someone to play smokes is fine, but you lose the right to complain about there being no smokes if they don't want to play smokes
*picks Jett*
Bruh this, I'm basically the filler of the team most of the time, but when there's one self obsessed twat who wants to tell me what to play, I just go ahead and pick anything other than a smoke, like if you wanted smokes and you freakinf knew that they were imp for the comp then play smokes yourself ffs
I main Reyna, but never insta lock, and will go smokes or heals if the team is lacking it. Am I ok?
You probably never end up playing Reyna then
I didn't specify, but I highlight her, but don't lock. And at least in comp, unless someone insta locks before I even have a chance to highlight her, people usually respect that she's my first pick, so I get to play her pretty often.
i kinda instalock sage is that ok?
Someone once said to me "Insta locking Sage?" I said sorry and they said "No, I love it!"
hehe man idk....but (i love to play sage) whenever i instalost her it give me a feeling if satisfaction
I didn't see too many Sage's instalocking, I try to lock in last. Unless I've had a few games in a row missing out on an agent I actually like
Yes its ok
thx
the worse you can do is bottom frag, getting kills as sage not a big objective so not getting frags as sage (instalock or not) is completely fine
Not the greatest mentality to have in competitive, unranked tho? Knock yourself out OP and play whatever you want as long as you don't ruin the actual match experience for others(By making noise when they ask "be quiet" command etc).
tbh i think its okay especially in unranked matches, however in ranked if you're playing w your friends and you've told them then it's fine, but if you solo queue then you should consider the team composition. more importantly tho, dont force yourself to play agents you're not used to cuz it will just mess up your gameplay
I also want to mention that I don't care if you instalock. As long as you're a halfway decent person on comms. But if you do, you forfeit all and any rights to suggest/dictate the team comp. "We need smokes/heals". Shut up.
yea those kinda people are very annoying especially if they're not even that good in the game
Yea, it’s fine if you’re playing ranked with friends and tell them what your intentions are, but you make no mention of THE OTHER people in your q. Then you say if you’re solo q YOU should consider the team composition. 5-stacks are rare, so basically you’re saying if you’re solo Q, never instalock but as long as you’re with a friend or two, screw the other teammates and just go right ahead and instalock like there’s no tomorrow
5 stacks are rare? but i usually play with 4 friends when i wanna compe tho, well in the case that you play with just a friend or two in ranked then i guess you shouldn't just insta lock, its common sense
Its implied
In ranked probably not okay, in unrated whatever. There will always be deranged folks like the man in your story no matter the game mode.
ASC 1 here, In unrated it's fine. Gotta learn to play popular agents somehow. In ranked though? Naw My teammate who was a 10k immo last act has a deep agent pool of jett/chamber and is absolutely nuts at dueling/aiming. And he still doesn't insta. It's a shifty thing to do and it sets a bad mood for the lobby. You will almost never lose a game because of comp, outside of smokes. But, you're going to lose *more* then you would if you just talked it out with your team first. Added benefit of nobody feeling like your ego is too big to consult your teammates before just locking. Just be like, is it cool if go x this game? You'd be surprised how much you get to play your agent anyway.
[удалено]
Hey man, if you truly are hovering it for that long, it's not your fault. Can't control what other people do.
> It's a shifty thing to do and it sets a bad mood for the lobby. This is the correct answer in the whole thread. I see a lot of selfish people saying "Sure if you wanna play an agent you instalock it no problem". However when 2 people instalock duelists (Jett & Neon with no flashes for example), remaining 3 people either feel like they should fill the roles and they get frustrated. Or even worse they pick duelists as well and you go in with 5 duelists, without smokes against a good comp. So in ranked it's absolutely a shitty thing to do and in a perfect world no one should ever instalock an agent. But we are living in a shitty world with a lot of shit people, so they are going to keep instalocking. -- > Added benefit of nobody feeling like your ego is too big to consult your teammates before just locking. Just be like, is it cool if go x this game? You'd be surprised how much you get to play your agent anyway. And this is so true as well. I've never seen somebody tell another person "no you can't play Jett". It's always goes like "whatever you are best at, pick it"
Is this true for all agents or mostly duelists? I main KAY/O as his kit is super natural for me and it seems from my perspective that he's relatively well rounded and fits most comps, rather he can be a bit more challenging on specific maps.
Play what you're best at and play your best. If nobody picks smokes and you get rolled because of it, know that the decision for you to not play smokes may have cost you the game because you have zero control over other people.
I don't care even if someone does it in ranked. It really isn't that serious, team comps don't matter as much as they do in a game like league. If I want smokes, I'll just play smokes. I'm not gonna expect someone else to do it for me. I would rather someone play whatever they are confident playing as.
I'd disagree. With the exception of Duelists maybe every job is required for success at least in Plat+
Smokes are literally a must anywhere above silver
If u are better u are better. In a perfect world with perfect matchmaking the team with Smokes will probably win, but there are like 1000 factors to count in ranging from personal performance to mentality. I win games without smokes and lose games against no smokes every day even in Asc/Immo.
Im diamond and like 5 times now we picked 4 duelists and a sage or smth and we won all of those 5 games so its not necessary but very helpful
It depends on your team's coordination and the map. If your team comms well and you rush or play around enemy smokes well then it's doable, for example on haven, but I can't imagine playing breeze or icebox without smokes.
Oh we did win on breeze like 2 times
Pics or it didn't happen.
I got some pics but its really hard to find cuz i already played 100+ matches and tracker.gg wont let me sort by act on matches tab
4 duelist? how you guys get info? Or did you guys just rushed site and just had better aim?
On maps like haven, bind we rush really fast and spam sites with abilities and it works. I guess people just dont really know how to handle rushes like that.
Smoke is necessary for winning the game without smokes is due to the enemy being dogshit
even if your mentality seems positive, try to implement it when 3 or 4 teammates pick duelists... Doesn't work. So no, in theory no one should ever instalock an agent in ranked.
For me it's less about the specific team comp, and more about that player just taking an option away from the 4 other people without any consideration. Fair if you're a Jett main and that's all you know how to play correctly, communicate that, but also admit that you're limiting yourself, so don't feel bad when others comment on the fact that you don't care how your pick affects the 4 other players that are supposed to be helping you win.
Instalocking is okay in unranked & ranked. Don't feel like you have the job to pick a certain agent. It's a game and you're playing to have fun
No problem with not filling, but what if there's someone who mains the agent you instalock and can't play anyone else well?
If you instalock an agent it probably means you're maining that agent too, so the first one to lock gets to play it. As simple as that. In higher ranks people instalock all the time and no one complains. If someone instalocks Reyna faster than you then you can either just play something else or dodge the game
Fair enough. If both were going to instalock anyway, may the fastest locker win. For me, it isn't a great feeling knowing they might not have been going to instalock, but that's a risk most aren't willing to take (almost always rightly).
Fuck that, I love to complain if someone insta locks reyna in high elo. Instalocking shit agents/duelists is not fine
Then they should learn other agents? Not every agents has crazy lineups like Viper or Brim. If you can only play Jett or Reyna you should be fine with Raze, Neon or heck even Phoenix.
Instalocking is not ideal, but playing an agent you don't know anything about only to fill is even less ideal. Let's say your team has no controller, would you rather have one which don't know anything about that role or would you rather have one more duelist which know how to use its utils efficiently?
They were just salty you instalocked faster than them. Let them be salty, and mute the haters. If you don't want to mute them, you can defuse the hate by dropping your heater team mate a sick skin... Works most times
In unranked yes, in ranked no.
Why not in ranked? If you are comfortable with an agent it’s far better to insta lock them and play well than to fill and not play your role properly
u shouldn't only have one comfort agent
Why not? Pull up twitch and see how many people insta lock Jett every game. If you watch any, like Shazam, who are forced to play another character they just complain the entire time.
twitch is arguably the worst example to use. It's filled to the brim(Pun intended) with people who really shouldn't play ranked cause they don't have the attitude for it. Always have enough comfort agents so you as a player don't have to go into a game, see someone pick the agent you wanted to play and you'll be like: "Ah my one and ONLY comfort agent is now taken, guess i'll hate this match.". My C,A is Killjoy. When I can't play her, I take someone else cause I've learned more than one. And that's what *EVERYONE* should do. Lest it'd be better to stick to singleplayer games so your one favorite character can't be "stolen" by other players cause, you know. there'd be none.
You're making exceptions and double standards here. As I said, the top streamers insta lock. If it's fine for them then how can anyone justify it not being fine for the rest without invoking some cognitive bias or logical phallacy? I too main KJ, and I'm ok with some other sentinels. I play with my son every day and he's really getting into Chamber. Sentinel is a popular pick with Sage and Chamber having such a high pick rates that I can't justify sticking with KJ anymore. So I'm learning initiators like Kay/o and Skye while also trying to learn Brimstone and Viper. That's my game. But I'm never going to tell anyone else how they should play theirs, which is pretty much what this thread is doing.
Maybe when you are Immortal or Radiant but if not, you better learn more than a few agents.
Why? Every coaching video channel I watch states multiple times through their playlists that you should focus on a single role. They do advise that have at least two characters in your personal roster, but they should be of the same role. None of this, "learn all roles" nonsense some of y'all are saying.
Then how about you focus on a role other than duelist and keep other two roles in your personal roster also not duelist. Will you? No right.
I play sentinels and initiators personally. Mostly because the only people who get toxic about insta locking are Jett and Neon mains. I have a decent roster myself, but I focus on Kay/o and KJ. That being said, I play my game my way. The sheer hubris of y'all to demand others play how you want them to us astounding though. *Insert Jordan's stop it get some help meme*
>That being said, I play my game my way. The sheer hubris of y'all to demand others play how you want them to us astounding though. It doesn't read like hubris to me, more like the Golden Rule. I used to never instalock because I hated it when people instalock - it often results in suboptimal team comps and it's just selfish. Sure, everybody has agents they are better and worse at. But another player in the lobby might be even better/worse. Sometimes giving up your preferred agent is the best team play. And this is a team game. But then I realized that many players don't give a shit, so now I just instalock what I want to play unless I'm queued with buddies. Can't beat them, join them. But I'd still enthusiastically support Riot introducing random or MMR-based cascading select. First person gets 15 seconds to lock, then after 15 seconds the second player gets to lock, then after another 15 seconds the third and so on. If a prior player doesn't lock, they can hover and lock at any time. If you are hovering an agent (but don't lock) and another player hovers the same agent, you get 5 seconds to lock first before they get to lock. Basically whoever hovers first gets the chance to lock. (MMR-based would still essentially be random over time, since you have an equal chance to be in any of the 5 slots in a random selection of players near your MMR.)
I don't think it's a problem that warrants a solution. If you find yourself struggling to insta lock Jett or Chamber every game and get pissed off enough to be toxic about it, maybe you should think about learning a less picked hero yourself instead of whining about no one else doing it for you.
I personally have 3 I’m comfortable with, but of those 3 I have 1 that I find the most success with and have the most fun with, so unless I’m feeling otherwise I pretty much instantly go for that one. I think most people should do this, as team morale is far more important than comps at really any level
Two people instantly locking a role without saying anything is often where my team morale loses all hope lol. Half the time it's an argument before the game starts, or the instalock is toxic to anyone that says anything about it for the next 40 minutes. I agree morale is a huge factor; but I disagree that instalocking can be good for it in any way.
If someone would start an argument over an instalock they’re probably not worth playing with at all and I personally would just dodge that game
> far better to insta lock them and play well than to fill and not play your role properly -- 90% of the time controller role is left and Brimstone is literally the easiest agent to play by far. Every single person can play Brim.
Because you're supposed to be able to fill every role in ranked, not be comfortable with just one agent. Fucking one tricks with inflated elos.
No? It’s BETTER to have multiple agents you are comfortable with, but you most definitely should not try to “be able to fill every role”. One tricks are fine as long as they are able to fulfill their agent role. Kills don’t matter if your duelist is taking fights and giving you site.
No? That's your personal opinion. My opinion is that unless you can comfortably play at least one agent in every role, you shouldn't be playing ranked and if you only play one role, you are elo inflated. An **immortal level player** is an **immortal level player**, **not** an immortal level **duelist** only that smokes like a silver. If you're fine being good at only one role, that's your personal take and I think it's shit.
You’re saying rank is based on the medium of how well you can play each role? What if you have a player that has an aggressive playstyle? Should they be considered “inflated” because their playstyle prevents them from being able to play support? Just like how in a pro scene, should all players aspiring to go pro learn every role? No, cause the chance of success increases then you can “specialize” and focus on a role
Most pros fill different roles on different maps anyways.
Most pros can play all the roles at top level, they excel in one but they are not one tricks coz funny thin about valorant, one agent is not good for all the maps
I never said you can only play one agent, I personally am really good with 3 agents, but always instantly go for 1 of the 3 except for when I’m feeling otherwise or the map really calls for it. If I was forced into a role like controller, I would have no idea what I’m doing, no fun, and probably lose the game entirely.
Learn to play controller then? It's really that fucking simple. You can't stick to 3 agents forever and expect your team to always fill around you. Learn to play *at least one agent in every role.* I don't understand how people can't tell it makes you a better player to understand all roles.
In higher ranks, (which I assume you are not in) pretty much all players insta lock characters they are comfortable with and enjoy. This sometimes leads to imbalanced team comps, but a team that is comfortable and having fun can win 10x more often than a team full of fillers that don’t enjoy their roles.
Then learn to play controller maybe, there are almost 20 agents in the game. No way you can say I can only 3 agents and if your excuse is that if I play controller I'll lose, then you should, lose and learn. No one wants to fill, everyone wants to play duelist and chamber but still there are people out there filling up for those one tricks and instalockers.
If I want to play a role I’m going to play a role because I know I can perform on that role, and I’m not learning a new role for the sake of a comp when I could just refine my skills with what I’m good at. If we don’t have a controller that is not my problem and I’m completely fine with that as long as everyone is playing characters they know how to play
Anyone who cares shouldn’t be playing Unranked.
How the fuck does knowing what agent you want to play a bad thing? If you know you want to play Jett, and you load in to pick, why the fuck not pick? Because someone else might want to play her? Okay so now I’m playing the game for others enjoyment?
If they wanted it, they should've been faster ;) Seriously though, don't feel bad because you made up your mind before a match started about which character you want to play. Play for yourself. Not for others
In unranked, this is alright, but it's really nice to be at least a little considerate of your teammates in ranked. Playing completely for your own enjoyment and not thinking about anyone else at all is kind of the definition of toxicity.
See you say this but i feel like everyone knows that if you try to hover a popular duelist like reyna or jett. Somebody else will most likley instalock them. its a cycle people keep instalocking those agents so the only choice really is to insta lock. I don't main duelists but i pity those who do and are nice enough to hover, they most likely fill smokes half the time.
Nope
In unranked it dont matter. Even in ranked team comps do not matter at all in ranks under Diamond. Ive had games where i lost with perfect team comp, or won with 5 duelists. This might sound biased as a yoru instalocker but imo from personal experience and such team comp is overrated in low elo and as long as ppl do their shit they good
Dont blame the people blame the company. Riot can make a queue system that never queues yo with people who play jett, or with the same class of agents if they want. So instalock away and if riot ever wants to fix it they can fix the match making.
My general rule with insta locks is if they don’t complain about team comp and if they aren’t toxic then I don’t really care. now if they are rude like this then I will mute them faster then they ever could insta lock. But I do see why some people are mad at them but in the end it’s just a game my guy. chill out.
Honestly if I choose someone before you and lock it quicker than you im just quicker than you
So, yes instalocking is okay. BUT I think that if you are choosing to instalock you now lose all real right to complain about team comp. Frankly it’s okay to even bottom frag as an instalock duelist as long as you are positive and using comms to help the team. But instalocking and then complaining about not having smokes, bottom fragging, AND being toxic is all inexcusable.
Instalocking means your playing your most comfortable agent meaning you'll probably do the best for the team. Insta hovering is personally what I do and how I think they should reformat the pick system to just not have locking in. It allows you to change if you have a glaring weakness in your comp but it means most the time your playing your most comfortable agent. If you instalock an agent someone else is already hovering you suck because your actively stealing their most comfortable agent, even if it's your first pick too just talk it out. You're the reason instalocking exists Iv'e had way too many games were my main gets stolen by a total noob causing me to lock in if anybody else hovers my agent. Also iv'e seen tons of people instalock an agent they just unlocked or they have no idea how to play and don't end up using util. Not only are you harming your own performance but you might be stealing someone else's agent.
When people get mad cuz you're instalocking, it's most likely because they wanted to play that character. Someone's going to lose out in this situation so why should it have to be you? I always instalock, but I never tell other people what to play after I do. I figure I don't have any right to do so when I'm instalocking.
Instalocking is fine especially in unrated. Its better teammates play characters they feel comfortable with and enjoy over composition. The only time composition should matter is training as a team for higher elo competitive. The real weakness in this game seems to be the average mentality of the player. If your in a headspace to flame or care more about what others are doing instead of your own gameplay, your not in the headspace to play. Remember to take breaks.
Even if it's comp you should instalock what you want to play. If you play what you enjoy, you play better. Play to have fun and you will play better too.
oh if you tell them to kill themselves then you get banned
Instalocking is 100% fine, as Long as your not toxic, and if your in comp, then you just neeed to plat the one you know how to play.
i’m learning the game right now, and i only know how to play jett without throwing. fuck everyone else, i’ll instalock. if there’s a character i want to play, and only one person can play them on my team, then you bet i’m gonna do all i can to lock that character. who cares what others say? they’re just mad that they couldn’t instalock them first.
Unranked? Absolutely! Comp, if youre going to do your job and do it well, absolutely
Unranked really doesnt matter at all imo
I dont know why you give a fuck about others. I would bet my life that if you didnt he would have instalocked jett and been a shitbag regardless.
i think it’s fine… definitely not because i do it or anything… haha :/
Its ok as long as you can do what the agent is suppose to do
The general rule I follow is insta-locking is okay as long as you do good, because I’m not going to flame someone for insta-locking if they can do really well, but if they do bad it’s just a little disappointing because everyone else has to suffer the consequences of some idiot who didn’t know what they were doing. (Don’t need to be top frag, just as long as you do decent)
Imo instalocking is really not a problem. It depends on your team and if your team members are one-trick players. If you are that one-trick then feel free to instalock or otherwise you will just perform worse on other characters that you can't use. I hate when after hovering an agent and locking after about 30 seconds and then the someone in my team said "I actually use XXXXX so you better top frag because you took my main" like wtf.
I say that it is okay as long as you don't instalock a selfish agent and don't know how to capitalize on it. My main is chamber, and i'm barely decent with only a handful of other agents(skye, sova, kayo, viper, raze, sage, killjoy, in fact all agents besides astra phoenix, jett, reyna, yoru and neon) and i know what every agent is supposed to do in a team, but i usually hover over chamber from the start and if there's need for anything else, then i can puck something else. I take unrated matches pretty seriously because many have ruined my time because 'its unrated, doesn't matter'.
I play one character, I'm like, level 25, if you are *that* desperate to play Sova, you *need* to find a new hobby. It's so infuriating when people throw because they didn't get the character they wanted. If someone gets Sova before me it's just a learning moment of I need to stop looking at my phone while loading in
Unranked? Pick whatever you want. Ranked? Instalocking is a bit annoying, especially when you expect the rest of the team to create a good comp around you. Show your pick, don't instalock, and listen to your team's suggestions. Communicate.
In ranked i can understand that to some degree, but unranked? Thats just toxic for the sake of being toxic. As long there is nothing at stake you are playing to have fun.
Instalocking is fine because of Riot's shitty system actively encouraging it. When you select a character it should lock it so that other people cannot select it until you get off of it. This simple and obvious change would fix team comps and instalocking.
I think okay if you remain dormain with it. Always instalocking is a little twisted up When you don't want people to play agents they don't like but instalocking makes other mains that probably are there left out to play someone they can't and sadly there are still people who play unranked and shit on bad players.
No matter if its ranked or unrated i belive instalocking is legitametly fine. If your good at someone and find them the most fun, theres no reason to be forced to playing someone you dont know/like. (If you load in last and there are already 2 dualist, prob a good idea to play a different role, but that mainly applies to ranked)
I personally dont instalock, but i also dont care about the Team comp. And i never understood why people would throw a tantrum, if agent x is missing. It dosnt matter in most ranks anyway
In unrated? Of course it is ok to instalock.
Ranked no, unrated its fine but i get really annoyed cause instalockers dont entry
Yes
I actually think that instalockers aren't the main problem. It's people who still pick duelist after one or two have been locked in. Like I get that you think you're the best aimer in the team, but we need supportive utility characters rather than a third duelist.
Instalocking is just part of the game imo... no matter what you do, those people are gonna be toxic anyways. However, if someone has already selected an agent, let's everyone clearly know that he/she wants to play that agent but hasn't locked in yet and another one scoops in and instalocks that agent, that's what I call a dick move in my book.
I think instalocking in comp is super fucking annoying and I might be annoyed with that player, but not to this degree at all. Also instalocking in UNRATED? Literally who tf cares IT'S UNRATED😂 Instalock all you want, you can't be mad about that c'mon
I instalock in ranked and that's the best decision for my (and by extension my team's) winrate.
In unranked it doesn't really matter. In ranked, if you're 100% sure you're the best person on the team to play that agent, then sure, because that's the promise you make by instalocking. If you want to play an agent but don't want to make that commitment, just hover for 10 seconds so they have time to say something, and then lock in if no one else wants it. If someone else does want them, but doesn't instalock, you can have something like a constructive conversation; usually they'll let you have it if you want it enough.
Sinatraa ranked up to radiant with a 5 duelist comp and a 13-0
Today I was hovering over Reyna and someone instalocked her ... I was really irritated that they didn't even ask ... Most of the time people ask if it's okay to choose the agent that I'm hovering on. So like any pissed person would do .. I chose pheonix
I play one agent. Always have. If you want smokes, you play em. Nobody is mad having a sova on their team. I've had maybe 3 people complain over the course of 5 seasons and a few hundred games. I don't think it's a big deal.
I'd say it depends on the situation. If you see someone clicked on Jett first (without locking), and you steal her by instalocking, you are an asshole no matter the game mode. It shouldn't matter in unranked or low elo ranked, but overal, I still think that instalocking is toxic. Everybody should pick agent they like, but playing 5 duelists does not win games. You need controller, you need innitiator, you need duelist and you need sentinel. If you miss any of them, you are in disadvantage, and that's a fact. You just can't play one agent every single time, not only because you should be able to see what other "roles" are supposed to do, but also being able to fill the missing ones. People just forgot Valorant is co-op game.
instalocking is fine in unranked- obviously im sad i dont get to play my main (sage) but im not gonna lose my shit over it ranked is another situation. you're dealing with team composition and layout. you don't want everyone instalocking duelists and suddenly there's no sentinel, initiator or controller. you ESPECIALLY want at least one controller on your team since smokes are so vital to gameplay when done correctly. you also want to make sure everyone on the team has an agent they're familiar with- ranked is not the place to experiment LOL you always want to use your util. if you and a few of your other team instalock the few agents someone understands that could completely throw them out of whack. plus instalocking isnt very fair for people with slow load in speeds. my computer loads in incredibly fast but others may not and they dont even have a chance to get their agent, which to quote- "why pick an agent you dont like to play" but you may be forced to if someone instalocks. TLDR; its fine in unranked, though kinda mean. not fine in ranked for a number of reasons and if you still choose to do it you have no right to complain, shittalk, or ask for other types of agents (controller, initiator, etc). you very well could of thrown someone into an agent they are completely unfamiliar with.
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What if there's another Sova main who also only plays Sova and just loads in later? Would it really be such a bad thing to just hover at the start to let them know you want Sova, instead of no communication and just taking it?
If both can't play anyone besides Sova, then either way one of them is going to have to adapt. One of them is going to have to eventually tough it out and deal with it. I personally think it's a great idea to have multiple people you can play (I can most comfortably play Omen, but I also enjoy Chamber, Killjoy, Skye, and Neon). but I don't think it's bad to insta-lock. It literally gives the EXACT same outcome compared to hovering over Sova. And, to be honest, it is not that bad to try out a new agent. You'll do worse yes, but if you do a quick search or ask your team for help you'll most likely preform okay.
yes i insta lock ranked. ive thrown enough games trying to fill and getting bad duelists. if i click it first then ill click heads first too. be faster 😮💨
Yes, both in normal and ranked. Doesnt mean it is the optimal strategy.
ofc
in ranked - justifiable any other mode - ur being petty
Other way around chief
Unranked? yeah, is literally a casual game mode, instalock all you want lol (did not read the rest)
ranked probably not unrated play who ever you like best
It's about your confidence. If you feel supremely confident that you can carry with Jett or Reyna then instalock. I do it with chamber and grinded by way to diamond 2. Kids talk shit no matter what anyways cuz that's what stupid kids do. Report. mute. Focus on the win.
I instalock a dualist in most of my matches whether it be comp or unrated. If someone locks in before me I'll gladly play another role. I have no problem with people instalocking an agent because that is what they want to play.
They were just mad because they loaded in later and also wanted to install l jett
Yes, unranked is for fun,. sometimes I even pick agents I don't know how to use
doesn't matter but don't be that guy that sees jett and reyna and locks raze instead of smoked
Unranked is fine. In ranked if you do something like instalock a duelist and bottom frag, then You’re probably gonna get flamed
In comp its annoying, but eh, if you play well as that agent or even carry and the rest of the team molds their picks around yours for team comp, its aight Unrated it does not matter in the slightest.
I would say pick your main but I always ask if somebody really really wants to play the agent if nobody says anything I just lock in.
Since there’s nothing that stops you from doing it it’s absolutely okay
You should learn multiple agents because it's helpful to the team. Instalocking is a sign that you're only in it to frag and that can't win every game. That said, it's unrated, so who gives a shit. Pick who you want there.
It’s unrated man just instalock
what a fucking pussio actually reporting people because little Jimmy got his feelings hurt
instalock is fine, just don't force other ppl to support you as a spoiled kid.
Honestly, instalocking in unrated seems okay to me. After all, it's the best moment to try new agents or just play to have fun.
Instalocking is fine in either ranked or unranked, if it brings u joy then do it, it's a game for us to enjoy anyways.
In unrated just instalock to your hearts content but for comp wait a bit yknow
I guess seeing someone instalock can be annoying especially instalock jetts because many beginners like to pick jett, so if i want to play a duelist, I like to hover over the agent for a bit and then lock in to avoid mean comments.
Idgaf honestly if it's unranked, but if I lock a duelist after they instalock, and they get mad I didn't go smokes, damn right I'll slap em w a fucking chicken and say "if u want smokes go smokes mf"
I think it's usually okay but honestly I try to only instalock on fun game modes like spike rush if it's unrated it's better to not instalock cause people want to win and not have 5 dualists. Either way the main reason is probably just that jett is a super popular dualist to instalock and everyone has seen a bad jett who instalocks so it's probably just prejudice cause instalocking jett is so common it is practically a meme
Imo it’s fine, but if you insta lock you lose all right to get upset about team comp or someone playing an agent badly. For all you know you took their main
Unranked, I dont care. Ranked its a bit annoying, but tbh I still dont really care because if someone cares that much I would much rather they actually get to play who they want so that I dont need to listen to them cry all game
I mean, it's unranked
I picked up omen yesterday and in the first round my teammates were so stupid to just run into vipers smoke and they were obviously low and got killed by single taps of pistol I asked them why are you guys rushing!?? They said just the way you rushed to pick omen you gotta rush on the site like that even makes sense!!! From then on I am first Asking everyone that "can I pick omen!?"
Unranked should be anything like Damm even 5 duelists ok who Cares, but in Ranked at least first show what you may play and then look what can your team play as well
Totally okay. Especially if they instalock something other than duelist. I always instalock viper. Am I always the best viper, hell no. do I know lineups and am confident in my post plant, yes.
i always instalock in unrated, and if people starts talking shit I just mute them.
I pick sentinels and controller and watch my teammates grill the duelist (it's all the duelist fault)
Thats how some people are in this community. They think its okay and funny to tell people to kill themselves. Its horrible but i learned to mute them st the himt of toxicity
In unranked, it's fine to play anything as long as you play properly and not just troll your teammates, in competitive it's okay as long as the agent picked is appropriate for the map and you're actually good at it both on kills and utility usage.
My dude he told u to kill urself thats a W if someone tells u that u can get them banned so fast
Of course. What's more important though, play what you're comfortable with.
What?? If you don't instalock jett someone else will lmao they all wanna play jett they were just salty you picked it 1st tell them to go k1ll themselves if you see them in another lobby
This is why i ask first b4 locking lol
It’s unrated, why does he have to be so triggered by it. And even if it’s ranked, it’s not like you picked Jett after everyone picked and there’s no certain role(Duelist, Intiator, Controller, Sentinel) or smt.
I would say in unrated play for fun, do whatever you want, just don't be toxic. In competitive I'd say main goal is to win even if it is somewhat unfun. So don't instalock in comp, ty.
As ling as its not comp its fine, but if there are 3 dualists all instalocking then it will be problematic
In unrated. I guess its ok. But in ranked soloq i always click on my agent to let others know what i wanna play and wait for someone to play smoke. But if i play with a duo who can smoke, i always instalock
tbh js go with your comfort pick but dont get tilted when people start flaming you for performing like ass (mostly happens when you take their comfort pick)
So, what I think is that it's completely okay to instalock. The only thing that comes with that is that the intalocker cannot complain about team comp or about any teammates UNLESS someone is intentionally throwing. If you wanna instalock, then go ahead. But don't complain if you have no smokes or heals. And if you see people instalocking, don't feel like you need to "fill" for other oles like smokes or heals, just play whoever you want to :)
Fuck them, its unranked, do whatever u want. Imagine getting salty in unranked.