Here’s a quick guide on how to play Cypher in Valorant.
Amir El Amari, better known in-game as Cypher, is the Valorant protocol’s information broker. Cypher is one of the first Sentinels in-game and has been available since the Closed Beta version of Valorant.
Recruited by the Valorant Protocol as Agent 5, Cypher works as one of the protocol’s primary sources of information. Cypher will stop at nothing to gather intel on everything, regardless of whether they’re friends or foes.
This quick guide will walk you through how to play Cypher in Valorant.
Cypher’s Abilities
Cypher’s primary job is to hold down bomb sites and give his team the confidence to move around the map. You can do this almost effortlessly through Cypher’s slew of abilities, which include trap wires, cameras, and high-tech cages that you can use to throw enemies into confusion. As a last resort, you can even use Cypher’s high-tech hat to hack into your dead enemies’ brains to locate the rest of their allies for your team.
Trapwire
EQUIP a trapwire. FIRE to place a destructible and covert tripwire at the targeted location, creating a line between the placed location and the opposite wall. Enemy players who cross a tripwire will be Tethered, Revealed, and Concussed after a short period if they do not destroy the device in time. This ability can be picked up to be REDEPLOYED.
- Cost: 200 Credits
- Windup: 3s once tethered
- Health: 20 HP
- Damage: 5 (if windup completes)
- Debuff: 3-second Tether (or until the trapwire is destroyed) and 3-second Concuss (if windup completes)
Trapwire is Cypher’s bread-and-butter skill that allows him to hold down bomb sites on most maps in Valorant single-handedly. You can set up Trapwire in various ways on most maps in Valorant. Depending on your needs, you can place Trapwire horizontally, diagonally, or vertically.
Enemies caught by the wire will become tethered for three seconds. After three seconds of being tethered, enemies will then be Concussed. Anyone caught in the trap wire cannot escape unless the Trapwire is destroyed.
Cyber Cage
INSTANTLY toss the cyber cage in front of Cypher, ACTIVATE to create a zone that blocks vision and plays an audio cue when enemies pass through it.
- Cost: 100 Credits
- Duration 7.25 seconds
- Charges: 2
Cyber Cage is a smoke ability that’s unique to Cypher only. Unlike traditional spherical-shaped Smokes in Valorant, Cypher’s Cyber Cage is a cylindrical wall that plays an audio cue whenever enemies pass through it. Cyber Cage is also hollow, which means you and your teammates can see enemies inside the Cyber Cage if you’re standing from a vantage point.
Lastly, you can trigger Cyber Cage remotely from across the map, making it great for setting up trap combos on one bombsite while holding another simultaneously.
Spycam
EQUIP a spycam. FIRE to place the spycam at the targeted location. RE-USE this ability to take control of the camera’s view. While in control of the camera, FIRE shoots a marking dart. This dart will Reveal the location of any player struck by the dar. This ability can be picked up to be REDEPLOYED.
- Cost: Free
- Cooldown:
- Recalled: 15 seconds
- Destroyed: 45 seconds
- Dart: 6 seconds
- Charges: 1
- Health: 1 HP
- Debuff: Flashes a still image of the tagged enemy every 2 seconds until the dart is removed.
No other Agent in Valorant can see a completely different part of the map as Cypher does with his Spycam. Spycam essentially gives Cypher an alternate set of eyes, allowing him to gather information on two separate locations. Cipher can stand in one bombsite and have no problems keeping a close eye on the other.
You will also use Spycam with your other Trapwire and Cyber Cage abilities. Cyber Cage can also be activated through the Spycam, making it a versatile ability that synergizes well with the rest of Cypher’s kit.
You can also use Spycam to tag enemies and reveal their location every 2 seconds until they remove the dart. It is great for instilling confusion and panic in anyone daring enough to push through Cypher’s bomb site.
Neural Theft
INSTANTLY use a targeted dead enemy to download information on their team. After a brief delay, the location of all living enemy payers will be Revealed twice.
- Ultimate Points: 6
- Windup: 2 seconds (1st reveal) 4 seconds (2nd reveal)
- Debuff: Reveals the positions of all remaining enemy players.
As mentioned earlier, Cypher can hack into a dead enemy’s brain and dig out their memories to reveal their remaining teammates’ locations through Neural Theft. This ability will Reveal all remaining enemies on the map twice, making it.
How to Play Cypher in Valorant
The Attacking side isn’t Cypher’s best side, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything useful with Cypher’s kit when it’s your team’s turn to plant the Spike.
When playing the Attacker side using Cypher, you aim to secure your team’s flank and help your team take space toward the bombsite using your Cyber Cage and Spycam. You can carry up to two charges for both Trapwire and Cyber Cage per round, which means you can use one set to lock down your flank and save the other set for post-plant setups.
Nevertheless, The Defending side is where Cypher truly shines, and it is here that the Moroccan Sentinel’s kit makes the most sense.
The simplest way to play Cypher on Defense is to use his Trapwire and Cyber Cage to deter the enemy team members from rushing into your bomb site. Simple Trapwire setups along entryways should be enough to keep most enemies honest. Follow up Trapwire setups with a Cyber Cage; you should be able to punish enemies and deny them the ability to fight back.
Best Maps for Cypher in Valorant
The buffs Riot Games gave Cypher back in Patch 5.10 have opened up a world of possibilities regarding Trapwire setups, making the classic Sentinel a viable pick for almost every map in Valorant.
Nevertheless, here are some of the best Cypher maps in Valorant.
- Ascent: A-site, A-Tree, B-Main, and Lower Middle have narrow entryways you can block off using Trapwire + Cyber Cage setups.
- Split: Similar to Ascent, lanes leading to bombsites are fairly narrow, accentuating Cypher’s Trapwire setups.
- Haven: Cypher can easily hold down two bombsites simultaneously using Trapwires, Cyber Cages, and Spycam.
- Lotus: Similar to Haven, both maps feature three bombsites with narrow hallways leading to bombsite entrances.
- Pearl: Pearl features narrow hallways and entrances, making it a great map for Cypher’s Trapwire and Cyber Cage combos.
- Bind: Features no middle lane and has narrow hallways leading to A-site and B-site.
- Icebox: Icebox has some of the narrowest lanes leading to either bombsite. Trapwire setups can easily deter or punish enemies. Creative Spycam placements give Cypher an unfair advantage right from the round start.
- Fracture: Flank-heavy gameplay suits Cypher’s anti-flank kit. Narrow entrances leading to bombsites make it a haven for Trapwire setups on Defense.
Final Thoughts
Cypher isn’t the most exciting Agent to play in Valorant. Still, he doesn’t have to be, as his gameplay revolves around holding down bombsites on Defense and securing flanking lanes on Attack through his Trapwire, Cyber Cage, and Spycam.
You should also have no problems picking Cypher and fitting into most team compositions in Valorant. The recent buffs given to one of Valorant’s oldest Sentinels have given him a new lease on life, allowing for more creative Trapwire setups around most maps in the game.
