Valorant: What Is The Post Plant Meta And How To Counter It?


For a tactical shooter, Valorant Agents have too many abilities that can turn the tide of a match without picking gunfights. While several argue that lethal abilities shouldn't hinder gunplay, they can be used for one's advantage if their aiming skills aren't good enough. This is what started the post-plant meta in FPS games like Valorant.

In Counter Strike, a well-timed grenade or molotov thrown from a far away angle could easily win players the round. The same can be done in Valorant with Agents who have abilities that can deal damage.

So, if you're unfamiliar with the agents that are most effective in the post-plant meta, then we have you covered.

Post Plant meta

The post-plant meta in Valorant can be described as an offensive technique where players use their abilities to protect the bomb from getting defused. Sometimes, a well-timed ability can stop the enemy from defusing the bomb even after the player was killed.

There are myriads of post-plant setups in Valorant maps, and players use them often to get that critical frag without engaging in gunfights.

While several have frowned upon this practice, it has indeed become a part of the meta in Valorant. Agents with molotov or grenade-like abilities specialize in the post-plant meta.

This is one of the most difficult dynamics to counter in the game, as timing is the essence in the post-plant meta. However, with enough practice, players can come up with their counter strategy against teams favouring the post-plant meta.

Agents to use

Not every agent in Valorant is suitable for the post-plant meta. For instance, Yoru or Reyna's kit doesn't feature abilities that can inflict damage on opponents. Thus, trying to use them as post-plant meta agents is not advisable.

Instead, consider Agents like Viper, Astra, Sova, Brimstone who can deal damage to opponents without engaging in gunfights.

So here is the list of agents players should learn lineups for to effectively use them during post-plant situations:

  • Sova
  • Brimstone
  • Killjoy
  • Viper
  • Phoenix
  • Astra
  • KAY/O
  • Raze

Using these agents and mastering their specific lineups and default plant positions will help players stop opponents from defusing the Spike every time.

However, not every opponent will blindly sit and defuse, some might go peeking at spots where players use their lineups from.

The post-plant meta is relatively common in Valorant's ranked matches, and almost every opponent will expect it during the defense.

How to counter

To counter the post-plant meta, the simple way would be to pick and kill opponent agents who have incendiary abilities. However, that is quite arbitrary and doesn't always work out.

The best method to counter post-plant meta will require a lot of map knowledge, as this will help players predict lineup spots.

Usually, lineup spots are not far away from Spike sites. Pushing, peeking, clearing angles or pre-firing can help players get an easy frag while the opponent is lining up their post-plant grenade/molotov.

Agents like Yoru, Sova, KAY/O can be extremely efficient against post-plant meta, as they can gather information or can pop up at odd angles.

Countering the post-plant meta in Valorant will require rigorous practice, but once players master it, they can easily push opponents and close out the round.

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