Valorant's new Knockout mode dropped with Patch 12.05, and most players are treating it like Deathmatch with extra steps. That's a mistake — because buried in the mode's core mechanic is a strategy that's handing out free wins to anyone paying attention.

How Knockout Actually Works

Quick refresher if you haven't played it yet:

5v5 round-based elimination — no bomb, no spike
Every kill revives one fallen teammate — this is the key mechanic
Round ends when an entire team is eliminated simultaneously
No economy — loadouts are preset each round

Most players are just W-keying and fragging like it's a regular deathmatch. But the revival mechanic completely changes the optimal strategy.

The Strategy: Trade-Chain Baiting

Here's what top players are already doing:

Step 1: Sacrifice One, Revive With Purpose

Instead of everyone pushing at once, send one player on an aggressive peek. Whether they get a kill or die, it creates information. If they die, they become the "revive bank" — the next teammate who gets a kill brings them right back.

This means aggressive plays that would be stupid in ranked (dry-peeking mid, wide-swinging on defense) become calculated investments in Knockout. A death isn't permanent as long as your team can trade within the next few seconds.

Step 2: Stack One Side, Collapse

Since there's no spike to worry about, there's zero reason to split your team. Five-stack one area of the map, create a kill chain, and use the revives to maintain a numbers advantage. Every kill you get on the stack revives a fallen player, making your push nearly unstoppable if executed quickly.

Step 3: The "Zombie Rush"

This is the degenerate play that's winning rounds: intentionally stagger your aggression. Instead of peeking together, peek one by one with 2–3 second gaps. If Player 1 dies but Player 2 gets a kill, Player 1 is back. Player 1 immediately re-peeks from a different angle.

The enemy is now dealing with the same player from multiple positions, while your team maintains full strength. It's chaotic, it's confusing to play against, and it works absurdly well when coordinated.

Agent Picks That Break Knockout

Not all agents are equal in this mode. Here's who you want:

Reyna — Dismiss after a kill keeps you alive to enable more revives. She's arguably the single best Knockout agent because every kill she gets has double value: the frag itself plus a teammate revival.
Phoenix — Run It Back lets him die, come back, and still have his "death" available for a teammate's kill-revive. He's essentially unkillable in the first engagement of each round.
Jett — Dash out after opening picks means she rarely dies during aggressive plays, keeping the revive chain intact for teammates who need it more.
Miks (new) — The healing + smoke combo keeps your fraggers alive longer, reducing the need for revives in the first place. His ultimate can also swing 2v5 situations.

What NOT to Do

Don't play passive. In Knockout, passive play means you're not generating kills, which means you're not reviving teammates. Sitting in a corner waiting for a peek is actively hurting your team.
Don't spread out. The revive mechanic rewards grouped play. Solo flankers who die on the other side of the map force your team into a 4v5 with no easy trade available.
Don't ego-peek the same angle twice. If you died from mid doors, your revived self should swing from a completely different position. The element of surprise is your biggest asset.

Why This Mode Might Be the Best Way to Improve

Knockout forces you to think about trades, positioning, and team coordination in ways that ranked doesn't. There's no economy to fall back on, no post-plant lineups, no default setups. It's pure gunplay and teamwork.

If you've been hardstuck in ranked, spend a week grinding Knockout. The trading instincts you develop here will directly transfer to competitive play — especially in chaotic retake situations where knowing when to peek and when to bait is the difference between winning and losing.

Hot take: Knockout should be permanent. It's that good. But knowing Riot's track record with LTMs, enjoy it while it lasts.