Valorant is fun to play only when you know how to play its Agents right. Today, we’ll learn to use the Valorant Agent Kay/O in the best way.
Kay/O is the fourth Initiator agent in the game and is of a cybernetic race. He was launched as a part of Episode 3 Act 1 in June 2021. According to the story, humans built Kay/O in the future to fight the Radiants of that time. Moreover, he traveled back to the current timeline of the Valorant and joined forces with the current Agents.
Kay/O is a mechanical robot, and unlike the Radiant Agents, Kay/O has technology-based abilities. They are Flash/Drive being a flashbang, Frag/Ment being a nano pulse grenade, Zero/Point being the suppressing knife, and null/cmd is his ultimate based on energy blast. Kay/O’s main aim is to neutralize the enemies by using his abilities. He has a stacked ability kit and thus allows you to set up the team or himself for success.
Kay/O: Abilities
Kay/O, being an Initiator, involves abilities that can help you gather information and react accordingly. The three abilities are FLASH/DRIVE, ZERO/POINT, FRAG/MENT, and its ultimate NULL/CMD. All these abilities are unique in the game, making Kay/O very important on the team for specific maps.
➡️ FLASH/DRIVE – Q
FLASH/DRIVE is a flash grenade that is used as the blinding ability to take on the sites. The ability has two modes of usage – the first being its FIRE (Left-click), which has a higher lob throw with a long duration in the air, while the second is the ALT-FIRE (Right-click), which is a low lob that can be used for an instant flash as a pop flash.
➡️ ZERO/POINT – E
ZERO/POINT is the signature ability of Kay/O. It is a knife that is primarily useful for suppressing enemies and for information gathering. Equip the ability and then FIRE it on the wall. As it sticks to the walls, it releases a beam of energy that suppresses the enemies in the range. As a result, the enemies will be unable to use their abilities for a limited period. It has a recharging ability and can be used multiple times in a single round.
➡️ FRAG/MENT – C
FRAG/MENT is a damaging utility in the form of a nano pulse grenade. Once thrown, this grenade releases multiple pulses of blast to damage the enemy. Equip the ability using the Key “C” and then use FIRE (Left-click) to throw the ability at a desired location based on distance and angle.
➡️ NULL/CMD – X
NULL/CMD, pronounced as Null Command, is the ultimate ability in Kay/O’s Kit. It is a suppressing ability that can be used to capture 9 ULT Orbs in the game. As soon as you use the ultimate ability, Kay/O overloads with energy and releases it into a large radius. It will suppress the enemies in the range for a few seconds before suppressing them again. If the enemy downs Kay/O during the ultimate, he can be restabilized and brought back on his feet to fight his enemies.
Kay/O: How to Play?
Kay/O has a unique kit, so playing around with this Agent in a round may differ from situation to situation and player to player. However, the basic playstyle with Kay/O remains consistent most of the time. Playing with Kay/O as your Agent pick differs based on the attack and defense sides. However, it also depends on factors like team composition and map, but we will consider neutral grounds here.
➡️ Kay/O: On Attack
Kay/O on Attack has a wide variety of plays, but the primary two objectives are to suppress the enemy posted on the entry lines or close to the entry. These enemies usually are on Operator or Shotgun, and Zero-point / Null command can help you nullify their escaping abilities.
Moreover, it also allows you to trade out in case one of your players goes down to that player. You can pair this utility with his grenade by lobbing it out a few seconds before the zero-point or the ultimate. Furthermore, you can also combine it with a flash from Skye, Reyna, etc., to make the situation even more critical for the enemy to escape.
The second usage for this ability is to use it for faking a site execution or information gathering. You can lodge the knife and ultimate deep in the enemy territory due to its range, forcing them to rotate onto that site while your team can attack on the weaker side. In this case, your teammates won’t rely on your flashbangs and can take on the site easily.
In a different scenario, you can also solo-push a site with your ultimate to fake the execution while still staying in a safe position so that you can be revived. Both these abilities allow you to scan the site for the number of players holding the site on the other side of the wall and what Agents or utility to expect. You can also use it to scan mid portions on specific maps like Ascent and Split, where it is crucial to have map control.
You can pair grenades with your knife to clear corners, delay a retake, or even in postplant lineups to guard the spike from getting defused. As for the flashes, you can either lob them higher over the walls as your Duelist is about to enter, or you can lob lower and try to flash the enemy to take a 1-vs-1.
➡️ Kay/O: On Defense
Kay/O has similar objectives on defense, but the execution of these objectives differs. While on defense, you want to throw the knife as soon as the round starts. This would allow you to gather information immediately or even suppress the enemies and slow their execution if they hit that particular side. Moreover, this also allows the knife regeneration to start early in the round. Hence, the second knife is available during the mid or late rounds to stop an execution or to retake the site.
The ultimate is preferable to be used during mid-round, when enemies run late on the clock, or you want to retake the site quickly. For the early stage of the round, you should use the grenade to delay the push until your teammates can come over to help you get the most out of your ultimate.
The flashbang is useful to peek mid or site entries based on the footsteps or utility usage from the enemies at the beginning of the round and try to surprise your enemies. It can get you the numbers advantage early in the round. This ability is also useful to set up your teammate in an aggressive position or retake the postplant site.
Kay/O: How to Counter?
While you now know how to use the Valorant Agent Kay/O, it’s also important to know his weaknesses and counter them if your opponent is using this Agent. It would also be helpful for you to know in-depth about this Agent so you can conceal any weakness in-game.
➡️ Kay/O: On Attack
On Attack, you have a better opportunity to counter Kay/O by initially analyzing his gameplay as a priority. Based on that, wait a few seconds for Kay/O to use his ability and try avoiding the knife.
For his ultimate, there are two options. The first is to get his ultimate wasted by faking a site and pressuring the enemy Kay/O to use his ultimate. The second option is to plant for long-range fights to avoid getting suppressed by the Kay/O ultimate and try to protect the plant using lineups from one of the agents on your team.
Countering Kay/O’s abilities depends on individual skills and knowledge for the remaining two abilities. However, to counter the grenade, you need to position yourself better and have room to escape from the situation. While for flash, you should have reflexes and turn around at the right moment to dodge the flash.
➡️ Kay/O: On Defense
To counter Kay/O on defense, you should post an Agent like Chamber or Jett at the entry point. They can easily escape Kay/O’s ability before his utility can suppress them. It’s best to play a bit passive to avoid getting in the range of the knife that suppresses you.
While to avoid his grenade, you should not play on default positions and playoff angles. The trick remains the same for the flashes: to play from a bit of distance and behind the cover so you can avoid flash or at least take cover if you get flashed.
Kay/O: Guns
The Kay/O utility requires a lot of movement, like for flashes or grenades. Therefore, you should prefer playing a gun with less recoil over more significant damage. It is due to the first shot accuracy taking a dip due to the additional movement required on Kay/O.
The preferred guns on Kay/O are Phantom, Spectre, Stinger, Ares, and Judge. They will allow you to move fast across the map and fight in the blink of a second. The only bane with it is the damage is considerably low on these weapons compared to their counterparts. But this is a trade you should be willing to take to get the most out of Kay/O’s utility.
Conclusion
Kay/O has been in the game for a long time and has recently seen a growth in the pick rate. Hence, it is one of the key Agents to have in your bag of tricks. He can single-handedly change a round out of nowhere and can win that round for you.
His utility kit is so stacked that players can get creative and use it to their advantage in numerous manners. Kay/O’s utility is useful to set up the team for success or solo fights. The knife and ultimate is the most unique piece of his utility, suppressing enemies to stop their utility. This makes the Valorant Agent Kay/O a great addition to the team.
If you’re new to Valorant and aren’t sure about the Agents and what they do, check out our guide on all Valorant Agent roles. This will give you a better idea about how to use Kay/O and further your understanding of the general gameplay of Valorant!
