The ultimate guide to winning games on Icebox

Icebox is one of the smaller Valorant maps, but it’s also more complex than any other location, so here’s the ultimate guide to winning ranked games on Icebox.

Icebox, introduced in Episode 9, was initially met with lukewarm reception due to its challenging layout that features tight corners and a complex interior. The map is divided between a futuristic indoor facility and an icy tundra, with a tunnel connecting the two sites and a mid area linking to A, creating a unique and intricate design. Icebox’s tight structure and tricky angles can put peekers in a bind, giving attackers an edge.

However, with the right guide, defenders can breeze through Icebox for a quick win.

The best agents to play on Icebox

The best agents for Icebox are Neon, Jett, and Sova, but plenty of other picks can shine.

Icebox is a playground for movement maniacs like Raze, Jett, or even Neon. Support players should opt for intel gatherers like Sova, Fade, or Skye. Smokes take the best seat on this map. Even if players pick one, they want to play them in a hybrid style.

Icebox’s unique layout, which lacks traditional rectangular entryways, renders popular smoker agents like Omen, Brimstone, and Astra less effective. Instead, hybrid smokers who utilize screens and walls prove to be a more suitable choice.

Icebox agent tier list:

• S-Tier: Neon, Jett, Sova
• A-Tier: Viper, Fade, Kay/O, Killjoy, Skye
• B-Tier: Yoru, Sage, Chamber, Harbor, Raze
• C-Tier: Cypher, Reyna

Icebox map guide for attackers

Attackers will have more chances of winning on Icebox if equipped with well-thought-out strategies. Icebox is a heavily attack-favoring map, with 52.3% of rounds being won on the attacking side. But rushing in won’t help, as Icebox punishes ambitious peekers.

If players pick out the right set of agents, something like two duelists, one smoker hybrid, an initiator, and a sentinel, they should easily gain site control.

A site

Compared to B, A site is more challenging to break into. Key areas worth keeping an eye on are A heaven, nest, maze, and gen. Expect enemy Cypher’s sneaky setups on Maze. If you’re planning to rush in, throwing in an intel gatherer’s utility first is worth it. Skye’s dog can clear out close angles like maze and pipes and flash out any nearby enemies while breaking any hidden utility, including Cypher’s Tripwires. To double down on this, have Raze throw her car towards the back side to make sure that the entire site is clear.

To tackle Haven, it’s worth stationing an OPer on the T ramp to watch for the enemy sniper. If your team couldn’t afford an OP, toss in Sova’s arrow early in the round to get info. If there’s an active OPer on Heaven, they will instantly get into cover upon inspecting the dart. In higher Elo, avoiding the OP is best, so switch routes and enter A from the main entrances.

Ideally, you want to plant under nest, as this area can easily be protected from pipes or nest itself. If the team has time before enemies retake A, consider planting on the nest’s center window where the spike is visible. This strategic spot allows squads to delay the attackers and protect the spike without directly engaging them, making it easier to defend.

One bonus tip on Icebox is to always wait a beat before pushing into the site, especially if the enemy has Sova to guide their team. Sova is a popular pick on Icebox, and defenders often use early rounds to dart to reveal incoming attackers. Wait out the dart and then hit A site on contact.

B site

While smokes are generally not the top-tier utility to use on a map like Icebox, attackers may opt for unconventional smokes like Viper or Harbor to take control of B site. Early in the round, throw in a diagonal Viper screen to block snowman. Harbor can do the same with his Hide Tide. Once that area is blocked, have Neon place her Relay Bolt on B yellow to concuss nearby enemies. While running into green, make sure to check close angles for sneaky enemies.

On B, OPers usually take a spot on either B yellow or on top of containers on green. So it’s best not to dry peek green and instead rush with teammates on the back of a Yoru flashbang. Alternatively, Habor’s Cascade is already an excellent tool for granting entry into the alley.

Viper’s ultimate is highly valuable on B site in post-plant situations. Once the spike has been planted, have damage-dealing agents like Raze or Sova combine their utility to finish off vulnerable enemies hiding inside Viper’s Pit. This combination can be deadly and will ensure that the spike blows.

Mid

Icebox’s Mid has now become even more defender-sided with the open window in the tube. However, gaining entry into the said tube was never easy in the first place. But, once a team has control of this area, they can easily flank enemies. The best agent to break into the tube is either Neon or Jett, as both can dash past danger and make space for teammates.

First of all, they’ll need to take out the OPer on boiler. If that’s not possible, always smoke out the boiler itself or mid crossing with Viper’s smoke. It ensures that enemies holding orange don’t flank tube. Once they’re in, quickly block the window with Jett’s smoke to clear out the kitchen and halls. When they’ve made it this far, their teammates should be able to take care of the enemies watching the window or those under the tube.

From here, players will quickly need to decide which site to flank. B is highly recommended since they have already removed one player on kitchen. This means there should be only one guarding B, and they often guard toward green.

Icebox map guide for defenders

Defenders will have to work a bit harder to keep those sites locked because Icebox’s tight choke points favor the attackers by a small percentage. Defenders may want to work with the classic 2-1-2 strategy to tilt the scale in their favor.

Since Icebox’s mid has a unique design that somewhat splits into two, sometimes players on B will have to alternate between tube and site. This depends on the enemy’s play style, but a classic two A, two B setup should work just fine.

A site

On A site, players always need a Sova or Kay/O and Jett. If one of the two agents is on B site, the other must also follow. Simply put, an intel-gatherer and Jett must work together on whatever site they’re playing. On A, their synergy is most fruitful. If enemies are attacking A, they’ll need early info with Sova’s dart or Kay/O’s knife, and then Jett can convert that into a kill. Call for rotations if more than three enemies are spotted. If the spike has been revealed, it’s best to rotate instantly.

Make sure the agent watching mid is utility-heavy and a crowd controller like Viper. Raze’s grenades or Skye’s dog should do just fine to delay a push. When there’s a rush towards A, the agent on mid should move towards the site to buy time for rotations, and the one B should watch mid in the meantime. This will ensure the entire map is locked down without compromising a site.

If a team doesn’t have Sova or Kay/O, Viper is the second-best pick for A site. They won’t have guaranteed first info, but a diagonal wall blocking entry paired with her molotov can pause attackers for a good while. If they try to hop over the site using the rope, the Jett player on Heaven should be able to take them down easily.

Flanking defenders on Icebox will always be a bad idea except in sporadic cases. For example, if the enemy doesn’t have a sentinel and there’s confirmed info of a five-person push, a team should flank almost instantly. Another crucial tip is to stay behind cover in the first few rounds to watch for Sova’s dart. If a teammate is an OPer, instead of hiding from the dart, aim at expected spots and break it right away. These are the two most common dart spots.

This would help bag the first kill and gain a person advantage early in the round.

B site

B site is easier to defend due to the lack of complex hiding spots. For this reason, squads should always have one player at a close angle like yellow. The second player should either play tower to watch both the tube and the site or under the tube towards mid.

On the Icebox B site, players need an agent like Neon or Yoru to play a close angle and guide the team with information before falling back. This allows the two players on mid to decide their positions mid-round. If there’s noise towards B, the tube player will have to shift focus on the site.

On a map as complex as Icebox, at least one site needs to be played passively. Utility-heavy agents like Killjoy, Cypher, or even Viper shine on B site, where they can contribute from the back lines. For example, once Yoru or Neon has gathered first intel and called for backup, Killjoy’s Turret or Cypher’s Tripwire can slow them down.

One player must always stay in the tower to take down the defender mid-plant, since the most common spot for planting the spike is under the tower.

Mid

Mid is the most difficult part of the map for defenders since it’s divided into two parts. To defend mid, one player must always hold a position on boiler throughout the round. Preferably, this player should either have an OP or crisp aim to one-tap enemies. One player must always either play inside the tube or under it. That could be Sage or Killjoy since both have crowd-control abilities to deal damage in the congested area. Although Viper’s smoke is nerfed to where she can’t retrieve her orb, this agent is another option that would be most viable for playing on the tube.

Players can simply drop her smoke near the new window opening and play comfortably under the tunnel. As soon as someone steps inside it, activate the smoke to buy time to rotate into the Kitchen and tackle the enemy.

This wraps up our guide for winning games on the Valorant map Icebox.