Ascent has always been one of the more traditional maps in terms of overall feel and gameplay. Most if not all players who came into VALORANT in its early days likely came from the Godfather of the Tactical Shooting genre: CSGO.
Ascent’s layout features the traditional two-bombsite affair with a spacious middle lane that splits the Bombsite A from Bombsite B. If you are familiar with Dust 2 back in CSGO or Mirage, then you will feel right at home at Ascent.
The mix of open spaces and tight entryways make for some exciting Team Compositions on Ascent.
The Best Team Composition for Ascent: Sova, Skye, Jett, Omen, Killjoy
Sova
Ascent is Sova’s playground. Ascent is the only map in VALORANT where Sova-mains can thoroughly enjoy lining up Recon Arrows and the hilariously fun double-shock Bolt.
Ascent is wide and tight in places that matter the most for a Sova. Ascent is tighter around the entryways into the bomb site, but the bombsites themselves are wide and open. Sova can take advantage of the narrow alleyways and entrances to land double Shock Bolts on unsuspecting enemies and make full use of his Recon Bolt to scan most of either of the two bomb sites.
Sova is a must-pick on Ascent. His pick rate in pro-play supports this claim as well. Sova’s kit is too good to pass up on a map such as Ascent.
Skye
Double-duelist lineups are not as common as they used to be, especially in the higher ranks. These days, the second “Duelist” in most Team Compositions usually takes the form of an Initiator-Duelist hybrid. Hybrid Initiators have become a more viable secondary Duelist in-game thanks to their team-centric utility.
Skye is one of these hybrid Dualists. Skye can be challenging to stop from entering a bomb site thanks to her many flashes and her Trailblazer ability.
Thanks to a recent buff to her flash mechanic, Skye can now play more aggressively with her flashes and pave the way for her teammates to safely enter any bomb site.
Jett
Jett is the most powerful Duelist in-game right now. There are only a handful of maps in VALORANT where Jett will not be the first pick on any team.
On Ascent, Jett can take advantage of her dash to cover a ton of space into any bombsite with ease. This is especially true for Ascent’s B-site, where Jett can use her double Smoke Clouds to quickly smoke off Market and Spawn and dash her way to Switch to close off the mechanical door.
Jett can also make risky peeks early into the round to net herself an early kill. Her dash ability will make these peeks less risky, as she can easily dash out into cover once things get too spicy.
Jett can updraft high enough on Ascent’s A-Main and B-Main to get a bird’s-eye view of either bombsite with ease. Coupled with her powerful Ultimate, she might even be able to pick off an opponent or two even before she sets foot in either bomb site.
Omen
Astra is a very powerful Controller/Sentinel in Ascent. Astra can set up her smokes and Gravity Well around common chokepoints to help delay an enemy team rush/push. Her Ultimate is also amazingly useful in Ascent post-plants and retakes.
However, there’s one thing that landed Omen the Controller spot in our list: Paranoia.
Ascent’s alleyways are almost made specifically for Omen’s Paranoia flash. The width of these alleys is just enough for Omen’s flash to cover the entire area. A-Lobby and B-Main are some examples of these spots. On Defense, Omen can coordinate with his A-site teammate to Flash and Rush A-Lobby. The same is true for B-Main.
Ascent is also quite the lurk-heavy map, and Omen embodies a lurker thanks to his teleport abilities. Omen can use his Ultimate to quickly sneak up behind enemy lines and score a quick kill for his team.
Killjoy
As with Sova, Ascent is where Killjoy can utilize her abilities to the fullest. Killjoy can set up her traps around the map and effectively stop enemy team rushes. Despite the recent nerf to her Turret’s durability, it remains a very annoying utility to worry about when Attacking.
Ascent is where Killjoy’s Ultimate Ability, Lockdown, can cover most if not all of a bomb site. The large area that Lockdown covers make retakes extra easy for you and your team, as the enemy players will be forced to either clear out the bomb site and meet your crosshairs or stay in the site and be detained.
Team Ascent
Ascent is a simple map to play, all things considered, as most VALORANT players will already be accustomed to the map layout coming from other tactical shooting games.
Some maps naturally bring out the best in some of these Agents. Agents such as Sova and Killjoy are at home in Ascent, where they can freely set up their utilities to their hearts’ content, with the player’s imagination being the only limit.
That is about it! These Agents are some of the best in Ascent regarding the utility and value they bring to the table. Only time will tell which Agents will be swapped out in favor of others in the upcoming patches. Keep your eyes peeled!
