---
title: 'Unfortunately, Ranking Up Really is This Simple'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=5aTJiVsipEM'
video_id: '5aTJiVsipEM'
date: 2026-08-03
duration_sec: 610
---

# Unfortunately, Ranking Up Really is This Simple

> Source: [Unfortunately, Ranking Up Really is This Simple](https://youtube.com/watch?v=5aTJiVsipEM)

## Summary

This video, hosted by Coach Raymond from the Immortal Roadmap program, debunks common misconceptions about ranking up in Valorant. It emphasizes that success comes from simplicity and consistency rather than complex strategies or excessive practice. The video provides practical advice on warm-ups, game volume, strategy, agent selection, aim training, VOD reviews, and maintaining consistency.

### Key Points

- **Simplicity Over Complexity** [00:02] — The most successful ranked players aren't those with the best or most complicated strategies, nor those who spend hours in aim trainers. They keep it simple and focus on fundamentals.
- **Warm-up Duration** [00:41] — Replicating pro warm-ups of 40-60 minutes is unnecessary for most players. A 10-minute range session plus one or two deathmatches (15-20 minutes total) is sufficient for even top players.
- **Quality Over Quantity** [02:30] — Playing more games isn't the only factor. With +20 RR per win and -20 RR per loss, going from Plat 1 to Diamond 1 requires 250 games at 53% win rate, but only 75 games at 60% win rate—saving 175 games.
- **Focus and Goals** [03:24] — Eliminate distractions (phone, music) and set specific, controllable goals per game, like clearing dangerous angles with solid crosshair placement, to improve focus and performance.
- **Avoid Overcomplicated Strats** [04:04] — Complex strat books and multi-step plans rarely work in ranked because teammates can't execute them. Focus on individual improvement and simple calls based on the enemy's defense.
- **Stick to a Few Agents** [05:22] — Avoid switching agents frequently or overreacting to balance changes. One-tricking an agent makes utility usage second nature and improves consistency.
- **Aim Training Misconception** [06:39] — You don't need hours of aim training daily. 15 minutes of targeted training (e.g., Voltaic benchmarks) is enough if raw aim is the bottleneck. If aim isn't the issue, skip it and focus on game sense.
- **Simple VOD Reviews** [08:01] — VOD reviews don't need to be complex. Download replays, look for obvious mistakes (missed util, bad peaks, bad reads), and focus on the main cause of each death.
- **Consistency Tips** [08:54] — Notice when tilted and reset before queuing. Prioritize sleep, be a positive teammate, and avoid provoking or biting on provocation to maintain team cohesion.

### Conclusion

Ranking up in Valorant is simpler than most think: warm up briefly, play focused games, keep strategies simple, stick to a few agents, train aim only if needed, review VODs efficiently, and be a good teammate. Consistency and simplicity are the keys to climbing.

## Transcript

in fact, the most successful ranked players aren't usually the ones with the best, most complicated strats, or the players who spend hours upon end in aim trainers. The best players are the ones who keep it simple and focus on the
coaches who've helped thousands of players rank up, we'll show you the few simple things that actually give results, plus some extra secrets along heads-up, I'm bringing in more top coaches onto the channel this year. So,
today's video is hosted by Coach Raymond from my Immortal Roadmap program. He's a Radiant player, tier-two coach, and a TF2 world champion. So, you're going to be in great hands. Let's start debunking the first misconception. I often see
students try to replicate pro warm-ups that last 40 minutes to an hour, and that just doesn't make sense for most players. You'll likely only play three to four games. Therefore, spending 1/3 of your time warming up is just not
necessary. My first advice here would be to make your warm-ups as manageable as something like 10 minutes in the range and one or two death matches. 15 to 20 that is sufficient for even some of the best players to warm up. Remember that
we don't need to overcomplicate anything here. If you want to try a simple mechanical fundamentals, you can try our 10-minute aim routine from this video here. Keeping it simple and warming up for just 15 minutes has a couple of
consistently, and you'll save time for an extra game or VOD review, which is a better way to learn Valorant. You can always allocate dedicated time aim specific aspect of your aim is lacking. But ultimately, aim training is better
you're just going to play for a few hours like most people, your warm-up Now, if you think your aim is not the problem, but you're still stuck in your rank, our team of Radiant and VCT coaches can give you feedback inside our
premium 10-week Immortal Roadmap program. Our average student gains 500 RR in 10 weeks, and these are some of the things that our students have to say about us. We offer 100 hours of personalized coaching with one-on-ones,
mechanics drills, and even private scrims. We're so confident in our coaching that if you don't rank up 500 RR in 10 weeks, we'll give you a full for the next season of the program, so use the link in the description to book
and see if we'd be a good fit. Now, the next reason why ranking up is simpler than you think is that you don't need to play that many games. Most players think of games to rank up, but that's often not the case. While playing more can of
course be a factor in ranking up, quality is just as important. If we account for plus 20 RR with every win and minus 20 RR with every loss, you'll need 250 games with an average win rate of 53% to go from plat one to diamond
one. If we push that win rate to 60%, [music] guess how many games you need to [music] guess how many games you need to rank up now? 75. By increasing our win rate to 60%, we're saving 175 games. The key is to make sure that when
possible in that session. Forcing distracted will only lead to frustration and bad habits. So, we want to avoid we'll be focused. Just one small caveat to this point. Even on days you don't
want to play, I would still recommend playing a death match or perhaps one fresh and avoid losing progress you might have worked hard for. To ensure you are getting the most out of your games, I'll give you two simple tips.
you don't have anything hanging over your head that could distract you. Move your phone away and ideally, turn off the music while playing. Second, stops the game from feeling boring, [music] but too much challenge makes it
challenge yourself with goals you can manage. Playing with specific, controllable goals in mind is a great idea. For example, in your next ranked game, you'll focus on clearing dangerous angles with solid crosshair placement,
you follow my advice, playing will be more easily. But, there's one more aspect that makes ranking up simpler. For the vast majority of Valorant players, there is no point going deep on
complicated strats. Many players trying to climb often spend time creating huge, overly complicated strat books and theorizing in Valorant plants and customs. But, is this really going to help you climb? While you may understand
a new way to split beyond curve road, you often won't be able to execute it. ranked teammates will not be able to follow your five-step strat. Keep it simple and avoid anything that includes more than a few steps. For example, an
theory, but then you have to consider how you will take main, how you would works, and it can quickly [music] get complex. My advice here is to focus on developing yourself as an individual
rather than trying to control the bigger [music] picture. Some simple calls based the other team's defense can work like a charm. But, you don't need to be an IGL micromanage everything and implement strats into ranked games. All you need
to do is be [music] a good teammate and perform. That means ditch the strat book >> [music] >> For example, instead of looking for complicated strats when watching your favorite pro playing, look for simple
utility, what fight they're taking, and how they clear angles. Now, everything simpler until now is kind of useless if you make this next mistake. If you've enemy agent who's feeling insanely broken. This often leads many players to
want to try that specific agent. And sure, you could try playing it, but the more work for yourself and overcomplicating your improvement process. It's far more efficient to keep it simple with your role and just a few
agents. Even better if you can one-trick the same agent for the majority of maps as utility usage becomes second nature, and you won't need to think twice about where to place a trip. If you don't have a main agent, we've created a guide to
help you find yours. Another common mistake is overreacting to balance changes after patches. This also leads us to unnecessary role changes, and it stops us from achieving consistency. Instead, keep mastering your agents, and
master your agent, you need to start with the must-haves. For example, the most common reveals, ultimate spots, and utility timings. Focus on the core skills of that role. For example, if you play initiator, you need to improve your
Likewise, don't worry too much about having the perfect comps in ranked. Agent picks really aren't everything. As long as you have smokes, you can adapt to fill in [music] the gaps as long as you are aware they exist. It's honestly
easier and simpler to just focus on your own game and let your teammates play to their strengths, rather than trying to get a perfect team comp every time. Now, the video, but we still need to address aim training. One big misconception is
the amount of time you need to spend inside Aim Labs. I'm here to tell you that you probably don't need to spend 2 hours a day on aim training to get out it if your raw aim is holding you back, but you don't need hours every day. Even
just 15 minutes of targeted aim training per day can make a big difference, but only if you're struggling with a specific aspect of your raw aim, like hitting moving targets, flicking, or tracking enemies. The solution is even
more straightforward. Use the Voltaic Valorant benchmarks on Aim Labs. They aspect of aiming. This playlist helps you identify your bottleneck by giving you a rank for each scenario. Then you simply need to repeat those exercises
improve your raw mechanics. Still, we must remember that raw aim isn't always lose duels. Maybe your movement is the problem, or your crosshair placement is emphasize the importance of not tunnel visioning on aim trainers alone and on
the scores you get. Instead, use it only when you feel that raw aim alone is what you want to work on that day. If you use the Voltaic benchmarks, aim training is many players don't even need to aim train. If you're cracked at aiming,
just a waste [music] of time. Instead, you need to work on your game sense, and the solution to improve your game sense is often VOD reviews. But the problem reviewing is a chore. You don't know
boring. But that's because you're overcomplicating it. If you struggled a download the replay and look for the obvious mistakes first. [music] Missed util, bad peaks, and bad reads on enemy positioning. Skip to your death
and try to look for the main problem that caused you to lose that gunfight. for what you could have done differently. It's not going to be clear game sense will improve and you'll start noticing patterns within your games. The
reality is that many of the best players don't have notebooks full of notes from see why they died and focus on fixing the problem as soon as possible. At the end of the day, what matters most is how consistently you can perform at your
best. Our performances can often vary widely. We can have massive win streaks and rough slumps. These rough streaks can often feel like a massive web of problems that you just can't get a grasp on. We all know how this feels. So, here
that I've used to help me stay more consistent in game and made ranking up simpler. One, learn to notice when you are tilted. [music] Two, when you notice you are tilted, don't queue right away.
Let yourself reset emotionally. Three, sleep is probably one of the most important to consistency. Without it, you'll be really inconsistent. Four, be be a positive force on your team, the better. Hypop good plays and avoid harsh
criticism to instill confidence in your teammates. Try not to bite when a teammate is being provocative. This is really hard at times, but remember that little team cohesion you have in a ranked game. If you have any experience
working in teams, this isn't necessarily complex. You just need to be likable and make your teammates feel comfortable so you can all perform at your best. I know it seems like a lot, but in short, warm up just 15 minutes before playing. Make
sure you're playing fewer, more focused games. Don't overcomplicate your strats. Stick to just a few agents and don't change them. Aim train only if your raw aim is lacking. Keep vod reviewing simple and finally, be a good teammate.
Let me know in the comments what makes ranking up easier for you. And if you need more tips, check out this video here.