Planting the spike is an important part of winning a VALORANT game. It can put pressure on the enemy team, forcing them to act quickly or lose the game. It can even allow players to kill defusing defenders. Attackers can improve their chances by planting in a corner using this tip.
Redditor Average Jonas pointed out this strategy in a video posted on r/VALORANT. As the video demonstrates, the spike placement depends not only on where the character is standing as well as which way they are facing. That means that players who face the corner of a plant location can get the spike further in the corner than if they are facing outward. They can even start the plant facing outward to have a view of potential enemies, then turn 180 degrees to plant in the corner.
This drastically limits the space that defenders can defuse in. Planting the spike in the corner cuts the available space that players can sit in to defuse to around half of what it is facing away from the corner. Using the 180 turn technique even ensures that the attacker can keep an eye out for danger before planting.
Why is this important? Well, as the video shows, Sova’s shock arrows can be used to kill defusers from certain spots on the map, but the positioning of the defuser can be the difference between securing the kill or not due to damage falloff. Reducing the area they can be in makes sure these trick shots are successful. While Sova arrows are the most obvious example, any damaging or disrupting ability that can be used without line of sight can benefit somewhat from this, as can using guns that can penetrate through walls.
Of course, this is not something players should do every round. Planting in the corner can be useful for getting shots from out of sight, but it also eliminates many angles that teammates can shoot. It is most useful in situations where a firefight would be a bad decision, such as if the planter is alone, outnumbered, or low on health. However, it is a useful tool to have at the ready.
