I want to start this off by saying I'm not *incredible* at this game. My aim is mostly mediocre in my opinion, but I've spent a lot of time playing this game, as well as a combined 8k hours over three CS games. I've been watching CS MLG, Valorant esports for 8 years, and used to compete in ESEA in CS:S (lmao). I've been playing tactical FPS for nearly 2 decades now, and while I don't necessarily have the cracked aim it would take to compete at a high level anymore, I have a very strong understanding of how to play these games on a very fundamental level. I'm an IGL for a team that participates in smaller tourney's mostly for fun, but low immortal/diamond level skill. Okay, now that I've introduced myself, I want to get into some of the big, glaring issues I've noticed in lower ELOs.

To start, I need to say that I'm one of "those" people who likes changing their sensitivity really often. Often times to help me acclimate, or decide what sens I really like, I have a lower ELO account that I use to practice it in real scenarios, as opposed to static aim trainers like Kovaak or Aim Lab. Before anyone freaks out about me "smurfing" I should say I never do fantastic in these games, mostly because the sensitivity changes are drastic. I would say I mostly do about average in these games, even though it hardly matters. Why doesn't it matter? Well, I would say from bronze - gold, and even in some plat games, the level of aiming skill is really not all that different. I've played against people bordering bronze 1 who's aim is really not quite as bad as many make it out to be. It seems over time many players have taken to learning the fundamentals of burst firing, crosshair placement, jiggle peeking, etc. So why are so many people hardstuck bronze, iron, or silver? The answer is simple: lacking game fundamentals. So lets get into the biggest issues I've noticed playing in bronze ELO, and how if you're one of these people, you can improve your game and help to rank up into a more advanced level of play.

Team Relations

This may seem like a minor point, but it's actually quite huge in creating a good environment for your ranked games. What I mean by "team relations" is bonding with your teammates. Instead of calling them "idiots" or insulting them, encourage them, say "good try" after a failed clutch, or "you are an absolute GOD" after a hype moment. When the team starts flaming each other, it can lower the moral and confidence of your teammates, which can really affect their ability to make confident swings and get those frags. If you have a tip, say "hey no disrespect, I just want to say maybe next time we should put a smoke there?" or "that was an awesome effort, I think if we traded that we might have won that round", things like that. Nobody is going to feel inspired to frag out for the team if they are constantly being belittled. I've also noticed that enemy teams can be EXTREMELY toxic in this ELO. Do yourself a favor and mute the enemy team if they are being like that. Responding to it is only going to tilt you. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. I've seen amazing players in Radiant have horrible games, and people in Iron have unbelievably god like games. It just happens, and the more we pay that kindness to our teammates, the more we encourage them in the future to play better and enjoy the game.

Timing/Positioning

Firstly, it may not seem like it to some people, but 1:30 is a LONG time in this game. Way too often, on either defender or attacker side I see people making these insanely aggressive plays right off the round start with ZERO information to aid their push. It takes about 10-15 seconds to execute a site, and 3.5s to plant the spike. To address this issue, I want to split it up into both sides.

--Attacker Side

Gather information first. As much as you can. This means Sova's using dart, Cyphers using cam, or even just a quick jiggle peek to try and figure out what is waiting for you on site. Even using a roomba can be key in gathering info. It's never a waste of utility, because one way or another, you learn something about the enemy team. If a sova recon darts B site, and it tags 3 people, it tells you a lot, mostly that other spots are weaker, and it's probably wise to try a rotation. You can also spread out and use a "default" to try and catch enemies pushing your flank and giving up sites or angles for free. Sure, some rounds a rush can be useful, but always 5 stacking one choke point at the start of every round is almost always going to be punished. I've noticed its really common in this ELO for fast flanks to come through. If you play slow, and try to find those timings, you'll be able to expose the enemies' weaknesses on the map and make a more favorable push for your team. When you are ready to hit a site, make sure that everyone knows what's going to happen and be confident in doing it together.

--Defender Side

DO NOT EGO PEEK. This is the most common way being punished. Sometimes it can pay off, true, but that only means you should use it sparingly. This also means over extending on a pick, or a peek. If you're going to swing something, try to get that one pick and back off. Reset. If you over extend and get traded, then you've actually hurt yourself. It's more favorable for an attacking team to have a 4v4 than it is for a defending team, as defenders are more commonly required to space out. Going from 2 to 1 person playing a site makes that site almost a guaranteed free take for the enemy. Now all that being said, try to remember that you are DEFENDING sites. This is not CoD, or Apex. Your main goal on defenders is not to hold W and get on the other side. I know it seems like getting a good flank will improve your KD:R, but you will be punished for this more than you will be rewarded. This is why certain Agents are more geared towards what's called "lurking". If you have someone who's trying to get a lurk, or a flank, just let them be the person that does it. If three people are all pushing forward, then you're giving up too much ground for free. The maps are designed so that most entry areas for a site funnel into a choke point. Take advantage of that and try to get a frag or two off the push before giving up the site. In the end, the enemy team has to come to YOU, not the other way around. Abuse that, make it your ally.

Utility/Ultimate Usage

Don't ever be afraid to use your utility. It's almost NEVER a waste. If you're playing phoenix, your whole kit should be gone by the time you die. I could almost write a whole essay on each agent and how you can use the utility to make space for your team, but I'll just make a generalized statement. Don't sit on your ults/utility for too long, especially you sova and raze players. It's really common for players to wait until they can use their utility to get a kill. *This* is a waste of utility. Sure, it's nice when my roomba kills an enemy, but I can also get so much more value using it to clear 6 angles before pushing a site. Same goes for the showstopper. Just the audio cue of activating that ult sends people running. Most times you could just pop that baby and run onto a site and almost no one will contest it because they are afraid of dying. Maybe you don't get a kill with it, but you just cleared a whole site for free because everyone ran away. Sova's ult can also be used clear weird angles, make space, or force enemies into your teammates crosshair.

Rotations and Resets

Over-rotating is something that can be extremely detrimental to your team. Just because your teammate spotted one, or two on a site doesn't necessarily mean you need to rotate. This is why in many games, when you have two people on site, one person will play the "anchor" role. This just means they'll stay on the site while one person rotates. You'd be amazed how many people you'll catch off guard by just staying on a site and waiting for someone to run in thinking everyone has rotated off. So when do you know when a good time to rotate is? This of course plays back into the info gathering. This is very nuanced, so I'll give a couple examples of when it's almost always okay to rotate: If a team is 5 man pushing your site, and using a SHIT load of utility, and when the spike has been downed at a site. These are good times to rotate and stack. That being said, don't rotate carelessly, because there could be a lurk waiting to catch you on your rotation. Clear angles with purpose on your way there.

Now, onto resetting. If you don't know, a reset is when you and your team repositions back to starting positions. I'll give you an example of when a good time to reset might be. You're playing split, you have two on A, one ropes, one B heaven and one B Main. There's a three man push up mid, and you and your ropes player kill all three. At this point it's a 2v5 and you don't see the spike mid and you don't know where the other two players are. It's common for some lower ELO players to push that mid and try to gain that ground. Sometimes this can pay off, but regarding what I said earlier about defending, you may give your enemy a favorable angle and give up too much ground for free. Now the enemy team only has two people to push, so resetting is probably the best move. Now you have all choke points covered again, and as soon as a teammate spots someone you have enough information to make the best rotation/flank possible. This can also apply to attacking side. If you try to make a push and get two of your teammates insta picked and draw out 4 pieces of enemy utility, you can reset. Check your flanks, make sure there's not lurk, and make a judgement call on what to do next. With enough time in the round, you can make a lot of mid round changes in your strategy that might help you win the round.

Communication

You might be thinking, "this is all well and good but you're over estimating players in bronze/iron and their smooth peanut brains." Well, that's where COMMS come in handy. This seems obvious, but it's also one of the biggest issues in these lower ELOs. In a tactical FPS like Valorant, aim can be key in winning some fights that you take, but I'd say good communication is probably close to 75% of winning rounds. More often than not I find my teammates either rarely use their mic, or only use it to say "ah fuck" after they die, or ridicule their teammates for not reading their mind (why didn't you trade, we should have pushed that, no one cleared logs, etc). It may seem tedious, but there's rarely such a thing as over-communication. Don't be afraid to let your teammates know everything you're doing. If you're going to flash a corner, say you're flashing. If you're going to push or swing an angle, say so, and ask someone to swing with you to trade. If you peek and see two people B Main, say so. Information is key in this game, and gathering it can be the catalyst to making the right plays and allowing your teammates to make smarter decisions. This also means asking questions. As you play, and develop better game sense, you might start to read the enemy better. Mid round info gathering or questioning is huge in catching good timings. Sometimes mid round you might be rotating off a site, and notice nobody is on MID, so you can ask "Could they be mid? How long have we been off it?" You have 10 eyes and ears on your team, and putting them together is crucial in understanding what your enemy is doing.

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I've found a lot of folks in lower ELO are open to improving, and want to be helpful, but it's important to establish good communication, and positive reinforcement to help aid that. I also understand that sometimes people just don't COMM, or their in discord calls with their friends. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot you can do other than politely asking them to communicate with you. Sometimes there are elements of the game you can't control, and that's okay. But if everyone starts making strides to improve these issues in their own game, we can create a healthy environment for everyone to grow.

Thanks for reading, and good luck in your games out there!

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EDIT: I just want to point out that I understand there is a lot of nuance to the things I say in this post. I get that, honestly. But it's easier to make broad statements regarding a base fundamental than to go over every scenario and how to approach it differently. Those decision making skills come with time, and it would take forever to explain all the little differences that can influence a call to make it the better one.