Split’s narrow entryways and alleys are a godsend for Cypher’s Tripwire setups.
Out of all of the maps in VALORANT, Split is where Cypher is arguably at his most powerful. Split’s narrow alleys and entryways help accentuate the strengths of Cypher’s entire kit, especially his Trapwire Ability.
In most cases, just knowing that a Cypher is on the other team automatically makes the entire game a tad slower. On a map like Split, a good Cypher player can have so much control over the enemy team’s site entry and can often deter or even stop most Attacker team rushes singlehandedly.
Thankfully, you don’t have to be a top Cypher player to be an effective contributor to your team. Take a look at some of the best Cypher Tripwire setups that you can use for Split.
The Creepy Morrocan Stalker
Cypher is a Sentinel-class Agent who loves to spy on other Agents as they make their way slowly into his bomb site.
The Moroccan Agent is quite creepy when you realize that he uses his cages (Cyber Cage) to encase enemies in his reflections while his tripwires (Trapwire) make sure that enemies have no choice but to stare at his face for as long as possible.
He even tags them with his camera (Spycam) to make sure he can track his targets wherever they go.
Cypher reaches peak Creepy-dude levels whenever he uses custom-made technology (Ultimate: Neural Theft) to tap into a dead Agent’s brain and locate other Agents. Yikes!
All jokes aside, Cypher is a master of surveillance and distraction. His skill set revolves around making sure that his enemies forget about the real threat within bombsites (Cypher himself) and allowing Cypher to claim kills one after the other easily. He can do this all while his enemies are distracted by his traps.
Trapwire
Trapwire is Cypher’s bread and butter ability. A well-placed Trapwire can easily deter or even stop an entire bomb site push by the Attacking team.
Trapwire puts all enemies caught in it in a brief moment of confusion that Cypher can use to net easy kills. He can also pick up the wires and relocate them as needed.
Agents caught in his trap will be placed in a tethered state. They will not be able to move more than the allowed range but can shoot and use their abilities while in this state. They will also be revealed to Cypher and his team via an outline similar to Sova’s Owl Drone when an enemy gets pinged.
After a five-second wind-up, enemies caught in the Trapwire will be placed in a dazed (concussed) state for three seconds.
Cypher’s wires are generally invisible up to a certain distance. However, it can be destroyed by enemy fire, abilities, and knife damage. Cypher can carry a maximum of two charges for 200 credits each.
Split A-Site: A-Main/Hell Trapwire
Upon site entry, the natural reaction for entry-fraggers is to look for effective cover while they wait for the rest of the team to clear out or smoke-off key Defender sightlines.
For Split’s A-Site, Hell is naturally where most entry-fraggers run to once they get past the A-Short area. Players do this since Hell is a quick and effective safe-haven (ironic) against Defenders from A-Elbow, A-Screens, A-Tower, and A-Site itself.
This is the reason why most ability setups are focused around the Hell area. Agents such as Killjoy have staple Nanoswarm traps around here as well.
With that in mind, this Cypher Trapwire setup will be focused on the A-Short/Hell area as well.
- For the first Trap Wire, simply align the puck with the gray area at A-Hell:
2. For the second Trapwire, align the puck with the brown area of the A-Hell plant box:
Together they should look like this:
Attackers taking cover at A-Hell will get caught by the first Trapwire. Enemies that attempt to swing you to cover their teammate will also be punished by the second one.
You may place a simple Cyber Cage that acts as a cover for when you’re shooting down enemies caught on your wires. Playing with the Phantom conceals your location, so that’s a plus.
Split A-Site: A-Ramps/A-Tower Trap Wire
A-Tower is an essential space that Attackers need to gain control of to gain full entry to the A-Site.
The shortest route to A-Tower – A-Ramps – is one of the usual routes Agents such as Jett, Raze, and now Neon can quickly take control of. Having control of A-Tower is a must to gain access to A-Site and cut off rotations from Ropes and Spawn.
Knowing this, setting up a simple Trapwire-and-Spycam combo can help Cypher defend A-Tower/A-Ramps from Attackers.
- For the first Trapwire setup, look for this small box at A-Ramps:
2. There are three stripes on the side of the small box. Aim for the right side of the middle stripe:
When done properly, the Trapwire should stick diagonally onto the adjacent wall:
3. For the second Trapwire setup, get inside of A-Tower and look for this slanted wall by the entrance:
4. Stick the Trapwire so that it connects diagonally with the A-Ropes entryway:
As for Cypher’s Spycam, look for this wooden platform at A-Ramps:
Place the Spycam at the right corner of the platform:
This setup is best played from behind the large boxes in A-Tower:
Split B-Site: B-Main/Back Pillar Trapwire
Most players are used to playing against Cypher by now. VALORANT has been out for quite a while, which means players already have a general idea of where a Cypher might have his traps set up in most maps.
With this in mind, players need to think of new ways to place Cypher’s Trapwire so that it retains its surprise factor.
Here are some Trapwire setups that cover common enemy pathing towards Split’s B-Site.
- For the first setup, look for this cola can at Back Pillar:
2. Stand on top of the soda can:
3. Crouch, then aim for the bottom left corner of the Pillar:
4. For the second Trapwire, aim for this branch at the other side of the wall:
The wire should connect the branch and the floor:
Together, both Trapwires should look like this:
Place a simple Cyber Cage to act as cover for when you’re trying to shoot down enemies caught in your wires. Again, playing with the Phantom is a must so that you can avoid revealing your location.
Split B-Site: B-Rafters/Pillar Trapwire
B-Site takes are best done when Attackers split B-Main and B-Tower. Without B-Tower control, Attackers will have a difficult time entering B-Main as there will just be too many angles to check when entering the site.
To counter B-Site entry from B-Tower, you can set up some unorthodox Trapwire setups for B-Rafters and Drop to counter this Attacker strat.
- For the first Trap Wire setup, simply place the puck on the right edge of the Pillar:
2. For the second Trap Wire placement, aim for the corner of this box just below B-Rafters:
At first, the second Trap Wire is going to be a little tricky to set up. Just keep practicing on its placement. Soon, you’ll be able to consistently place it every time.
3. Place a one-way Cyber Cage in between the two stacked boxes:
4. Stand against the Pillar and align yourself with the top-most steps:
5. Aim for this corner on the double boxes:
The Cyber Cage puck should slot in nicely within the gap of the two boxes:
This setup is best played from B-Backsite:
Once again, it is best to use the Phantom as much as possible when playing Cypher. The Phantom does not have bullet traces which helps keep Cypher’s location a mystery to unsuspecting players when spraying through his Cyber Cage.
Don’t Trip
Thanks (or no thanks, depending on which side of the map you’re on) to Split’s cramped layout, enemy routes and pathways are generally predictable around this map. Controller and Sentinel Agents should have no problems forcing enemy players towards spaces that give their team the advantage.
Cypher can take advantage of this fact and set up his Trapwires, Spycam, and Cyber Cages in spaces and routes that players generally take when playing on Split.
With that said, these are some of the less common Cypher Trapwire setups for Split. Use these setups in conjunction with your standard Cypher setups to keep your enemies guessing.
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