March 6, 2023
Cypher is considered one of the best defensive anchors in the game. His information-gathering abilities are unmatched by any agent in the game. Information gathering is one of the key ingredients to winning a round, and Cypher is the best agent to do so. This guide will help you understand what to keep in mind when defending and attacking with Cypher.
Cyber Cage (Q Ability)
Instantly toss the cyber cage in front of Cypher. Activate to create a zone that blocks vision and slows enemies who pass through it.
Cyber Cage can be used mainly at entry points and at certain height levels on the wall to produce one-way smokes.
This ability can be set before or during a round. It can be used to help push, obscure a site that has been taken, or to cover your team while you rotate out of danger. Detonating on command, either by the line of sight or by Spycam, can cause the enemy team to hesitate. This ability can also obscure your Trapwires and other allies’ snares.
On offense, Cyber Cages can be helpful as they dampen the sound when inside the cage. This can allow you to sprint and jump without giving away any information to the other team. However, Cyber Cage is open at the top, so be careful of enemies that can see you from a higher vantage point, as they will still be able to see your team’s movements.
Spycam (E Ability)
Equip a Spycam. Fire to place the spycam at the targeted location. Reuse this ability to take control of the camera’s view. While in control of the camera. Fire to shoot a marking dart. This dart will reveal the location of any player struck by the dart.
This ability is used mainly to scout without risk. It’s Cypher’s free ability that can be used multiple times during the round. It is better to aim the placement on higher walls so you can view the enemy from a higher vantage point they will have difficulty aiming at.
You can retract your Spycam if you misfire, and the cooldown will only be fifteen seconds if retracted. If an enemy destroys it, the cooldown will be forty-five seconds.
Check long corridors and try to use the ability to discern which point is safe to push. Spycam’s best feature is that it will always give you an eye on the site, and if it is shot down, you can at least determine where the enemy is pushing. Sometimes it will be better to use the Spycam without the tracking dart so it can remain unnoticed. This will allow you to call out the exact position for a retake or push a position the enemy thought was secure.
Trapwire (C Ability)
Equip a Trapwire. Fire to place a destructible and covert tripwire at the target location creating a line between the chosen location and the opposite wall. Enemy players will be tethered, revealed, and dazed after a short period if they do not destroy the device in time. This ability can be redeployed.
This is used mainly to gather information or sometimes completely restrain players from entry. This ability pairs well with Cypher’s Cyber Cage because the cage will obscure the enemy’s line of sight. Placing a cage on the Trapwire to activate when someone is caught can guarantee an easy pick. Enemies can shoot it if they’re quick enough. However, if they focus the Trapwire you can catch them off guard for a quick pick. Even if they don’t shoot it, they will still be stunned and easier to manage.
While this is a good tool for defensive plays, it can also help with offense by preventing flankers from coming up behind you via routes with less cover. It can also help lock down a bomb site after you have planted, making an enemy entry that much more difficult.
Neural Theft (X Ability/Ultimate)
Instantly use on a dead enemy player in your crosshairs to reveal the location of all living enemy players.
This ability can ping an enemy’s last known location briefly. This is a valuable offensive and defensive play that can turn the tide when you are in a pinch. While timing this ultimate is not always doable as it relies on finding a deceased agent, we recommend using it immediately.
The more information you can provide to your team, the better! It can turn a losing round into a win by showing you where the enemies are, which can tell you where to push or where to avoid.
Tips and Tricks
- Spycam is used mainly to scout ahead without risk. Try to find placements that can be hidden from the enemy
- Cyber Cage can be focused on entry points and certain height levels on the wall to produce one-way smokes
- Trapwire is mainly for gathering information, but it can be used to restrain players from entry
- Neural Theft can briefly gather precise information that could secure a round
Valorant is a game built on information, and that is what makes Cypher such a great agent. With his Trapwire and Cyber Cage abilities, he can slow enemies and catch them off guard. With his Spycam ability, he can keep an eye on a site or mark an enemy, and with his Neural Theft ability, he can get precise information on the enemy’s whereabouts. If you want to be the team’s information gatherer, we recommend trying your hand at Cypher. He specializes in locking down sites with a mix of traps and smokes, and his information gathering would be a welcome asset to any team.