What is VALORANT?
VALORANT is a free-to-play multiplayer tactical shooter developed and published by Riot Games. The game’s mechanics are similar to Counter-strike: GO (CS:GO) and Rainbow Six: Siege, while its skill system and art closely resemble that of Overwatch, which makes it an interesting game to bet on.
Matches in VALORANT are best played by individuals who can effectively strategize with a team and avoid head-on engagements with the enemy. Teams are composed of 5 players and require strong communication skills to achieve victory.
After each round, players will earn money based on their total amount of kills and if their team managed to complete the objective. Each player can use this money to purchase equipment and new weapons to strengthen their agent. At halftime, both teams will lose the money and equipment they’ve accrued.
Players have a total of 12 available agents to play with. Every agent has their own unique abilities that can influence the match. Teams should organize their build based upon each agent’s skills and weapon specialization.
There is currently one competitive game mode available in VALORANT. One team has to plant and detonate a “spike,” the Valorant version of a bomb, while the other needs to stop them. The team to win 13 rounds of a match is the winner.
Betting on VALORANT
VALORANT was released in June 2020, so its competitive scene is still relatively new and number of Valorant betting events rather small. Major tournaments that you typically see for other big esports games are yet to be planned by Riot Games. Valorant betting sites will still have to wait for the scene to grow and offer enough action on daily basis.
Professional VALORANT matches are hosted through the ‘Ignition Series,’ an incentive by Riot that enables players, teams, content creators, and tournament organizers, to launch their own VALORANT events. There have already been several VALORANT tournaments hosted throughout the 2020 year. The T1 x Nerd Street Gamers Showdown, WePlay! Invitational and RAGE Japan Tournament are some tier-1 events that might be held annually.
An official Twitch or Youtube channel for professional VALORANT matches is still unavailable. You’ll need to look up the latest schedules for gaming organizations that will host VALORANT tournaments. G2 Esports and T1 Esports are some organizations that broadcast VALORANT matches on their Twitch channels.
Watching VALORANT
The objective in VALORANT is straight-forward; you’ll need to either eliminate the enemy team or plant and set off the spike. Every match is best-of-three (BO3) to determine the winner.
There are currently four maps in VALORANT: Bind, Ascent, Haven, and Split. Every map has its own unique terrain and properties.
These unique properties come in the form of in-game events that can influence the match. For example, Ascent has several mechanical doors that can be opened or closed, which can separate a player from their team. Split contains ropes that players will need to use to ascend to certain locations on the map. It’s essential to take into consideration the map a team is playing on before placing a bet. A player or team might play better on certain maps than others.
A team’s chosen agents are something else to take into careful consideration. Certain combinations of agents work better for certain teams than others. The reason for this comes down to the implementation of every agent’s unique skill. Expert timing and planning on when to use these skills can change the tide of the battle.
It’s useful for bettors to have a firm understanding of VALORANT before placing any bets. Having familiarity with game-specific terms can help a bettor understand what is happening during a live match. Some useful VALORANT terms are listed below; if you wish to learn more, then check out Mobalytics.
Camp: to defensively hold an area for a long time.
Counterstrafe: an advanced firing technique that allows you to shoot accurately if you simultaneously fire when you strafe in the opposite direction.
Cubby: refers to a party of the map with a deep corner that players can hide and peek from behind.
Hip: firing from the hip or without using alternate fire to zoom.
Jiggle peek: to quickly peek out and return to cover.
Lurk: Hiding to catch flanking enemies.
Peek: to poke out of cover to look for enemies.
Team ace: when everyone on your team gets a kill and suffers no casualties.
Understanding the odds
While the VALORANT competitive scene is still new, it’s growing rapidly. Betting sites are starting to offer bets on professional VALORANT matches as the events increase in popularity. Thunderpick is a betting site, that provides sufficient depth and breadth, live betting options, and the odds for each match.
The basic bets for VALORANT are as follows.
Winner/Money-line
A winner, or money-line bet, is for the team you believe will win the match. You can bet on who you think will win just one match or even the entire tournament.
Over/under
An over/under bet is for predicting a specific statistic related to a match. For example, betting on if a team will have a higher amount of kills in a match.
Handicap
A handicap bet is also known as a line bet or spread bet. This bet assigns each team with a points handicap that levels the playing field. An example would be if a team is given a -2.5 handicap, they must win by at least 3 points.
Others
You can expect to see other new bets emerge as the VALORANT betting scene grows. Specific sites may offer bets that you’ve never seen before, so be sure to read what they entail carefully.
If you are now familiar enough with VALORANT to place bets, then be sure to check out Thunderpick for the esports betting options. Thunderpick accepts cryptocurrencies and offers complete security and fast withdrawals on any winnings. No matter when, where, or how you want to bet on VALORANT, bet on VALORANT with Thunderpick.