If there’s one thing every Valorant player from Iron to Radiant agrees on, it’s that Deathmatch (DM) sucks. Since Valorant‘s release, players have coerced the FPS game developer into several DM fixes, but all to no avail. Regular DM is a pain, and despite Riot’s attempts, players have turned to Aimlabs for a serious warmup.
The shiny-new Team Deathmatch (TDM) addresses and resolves all player complaints, resulting in a game mode that is much more than just a DM. TDM is fun to play, has just the right level of competition, and has the potential to be the first game mode to rope in serious ranked players.
How TDM works in Valorant and why it’s awesome
TDM offers the same loadout for all players within the server who have their abilities activated with cooldown enabled. With the same tools, ten players divided into two teams must claw their way to 100 kills. Whoever achieves the target first, wins.
It’s simple and effective, but that’s not what makes Valorant’s TDM a treat. In TDM mode, you won’t get shot right after spawning, effectively quashing the central issue in regular DM mode. All players will spawn behind a bulletproof screen, where they can pick weapons from the default load out. 15 seconds after the match starts, if you’re not out of the safe haven, it will start dealing damage to prevent spawn-stacking.
This feature by itself puts regular DM to shame, where players are getting shot left and right after awfully slow spawns. Getting a 3k in regular DM was a tall order, nevermind an ace. But, in TDM, you can actually go on a 10k streak (trust me, I got one), and it appears on the kill feed too! Since you’re not staring down the barrel right after you spawn, you can actually maintain a decent score.
Spawns aren’t the sole reason it’s easy to stay alive for longer than ten seconds; TDM’s custom maps are cut out for aim training. Tactically placed boxes and small map sizes help practice angles while letting you stay alive longer without camping. So far, District’s Split theme is my favorite, thanks to the chokepoints that enable aim battles.
TDM’s loadout is underappreciated
Sure, spawns are the core issue with regular DM, but one overlooked issue is that players can’t hone their skills with a preferred weapon without constantly dying to enemies equipped with better guns. For example, you want to practice with the Sheriff, but you’re up against enemies on a Vandal, it gets a bit tricky – unless you’re TSM star Yassine ‘Subroza’ Taoufik, of course.
TDM is divided into four stages, each level dedicated to a locked loadout everyone must use. So, when you’re using pistols in the first round and Ares in the second, know that you’ll have fair competition. Of course, you could always upgrade by picking up weapon spawners, but core rules enable fair play. This way, unlike regular DM, all players can practice their preferred weapons.
Besides weapons, you can also master your abilities in TDM. During our preview I tried out Killjoy, Skye, Reyna, and Chamber and found that not all agents may be cut out for TDM if you’re playing to win. Reyna is the Valorant character to pick up in this fast-paced mode, and Skye’s flashes are also promising. Chamber is a feast or famine agent, but those who excel with his golden gun would mostly be victorious in TDM.
Due to its fast-paced but uber-competitive flair, TDM could be Valorant’s first mode to attract those who play the game solely to compete. With TDM mode, Riot has finally resolved the big Deathmatch issue, so don’t be surprised if you suddenly start seeing more ‘aimgods’ in your ranked games. I am just thankful that my teammates may actually start warming up now.
Warming up in TDM isn’t enough unless you know how to choose the right Valorant agent. So get to work if you want to climb through the Valorant ranks quickly and claim the golden Radiant badge!