Besides the fun, competitive experience it promotes, VALORANT’s ranked ladder is plagued with players who sadly don’t care about the game’s integrity. The most dedicated players among us run into throwers and face griefing, sometimes as frequently as every other match. Unfortunately, even if it makes punching a wall seem pleasurable, there isn’t much we can do as players—except ignore it.
On Aug. 16, a Reddit user named SreenidhRG shared an annoying experience they had with a thrower in a ranked VALORANT match. All they did was lock in Reyna, causing another ‘Reyna Main’ on the team to become salty. Upon being denied Reyna’s pick, the thrower went on to lock Phoenix and proceeded to sabotage the entire match.
Players like SreenidhRG are often suggested to ignore a thrower’s tantrum. Giving throwers your attention apparently validates them and gives them the satisfaction they yearn for.
“If you’re in luck, they might get bored and focus on the game. It’s the only thing you can do really. Except for giving the crybaby the agent they want, of course,” one popular suggestion under the post says, and it’s just one of the several “ignore them” comments.
Be that as it may, it isn’t exactly easy to overlook griefing, especially when you’re in high Elo where losing a VALORANT ranked match takes away a chunk of RR even if you top frag.
Plus, it’s difficult to silently watch a weak enemy team snatch away what could have been an easy win for you just because one of your teammates won’t participate.
In one of my Diamond matchups, I had a salty Sage wall me up into a corner on defense, leaving my team to fight three-vs-five. When I tried ignoring her, she followed me around the map, firing her weapon to indicate my position to the enemies and throwing her Slow Orbs my way. And it was just because I requested her to play with the team. It was impossible for me to keep my cool, let alone ignore such a griefer.
Related: VALORANT Competitive is in dire state despite Riot’s efforts
Of course, Riot Games offers a ‘Report a player’ system, where you can submit a complaint. I reported the Sage, and they got punished, according to the message that showed up the next day.
I believe I got lucky because not all in-game reports get noticed. Alternatively, you can record such games and submit them to Riot directly via a support ticket on its website for faster resolutions.
Amidst all the redundant suggestions, one player offered some quirky advice, asking the victim to troll the thrower back.
There isn’t any right or wrong way to deal with a thrower or griefer in VALORANT. Unfortunately, it’s a problem with most first-person shooter games out there. But I have found the ‘mute, report, ignore, and move on’ way to be the best solution so far.
