Clove Valorant Guide – Abilities, Tips & Voicelines

Who is Clove in VALORANT?

Clove turned the Controller role on its head. Where smoke agents used to be played calmly, defensively and for the team, Clove is an aggressive front-line fighter – the only Controller who seeks out duels like a Duelist and still lays smoke for the whole team.

Clove comes from Scotland, is non-binary (addressed with “they/them”) and is thematically all about immortality. That's not just story flavor but the core of the kit: Clove is the first and so far only agent who can keep acting even after their own death. Lay smoke from the death cam? Yes. Revive yourself? Also yes. That is exactly what makes Clove one of the most unique agents in the whole game.

For you as a player, that means a completely new mindset. Classic Controllers like Brimstone or Omen thrive on smoking the right angles in the background and enabling the team. Clove can do that too – but plays much more aggressively, because the kit rewards kills and forgives mistakes. Dying is not the end of the round for Clove, but sometimes just a pause. That suddenly makes risky plays worthwhile that would be suicidal with any other Controller.

In this guide you get the complete overview: we explain Clove's role as a Controller, the famous immortality mechanic, every ability in detail, tips for beginners and advanced players, the best maps – and you can listen to Clove's most distinctive lines right here. If you then want to know how good your own Clove really is, the Valorant-Spind coach analysis evaluates your real matches locally on your PC.

Clove's Role: the Aggressive Controller

In VALORANT there are four roles: Duelist, Initiator, Controller and Sentinel. Clove is a Controller – the role whose core job is to block sightlines with smoke and thereby open or defend sites. Without a Controller a team can hardly structure its attacks, because open angles shred every push.

What's special: Clove fulfills this task without having to adopt the passive playstyle of a classic Controller. Clove's smoke (Ruse) is placed freely on the map like Omen or Astra – but Clove personally gets to play much further forward. Kills give Clove speed and healing, the Ultimate brings Clove back after death. This lets a Clove take on the role of the “solo Controller” while applying pressure almost like a second Duelist.

So as Clove you carry a double responsibility: you have to think like a Controller (which smoke opens the site?) and act like a Duelist (who gets the first kill?). That sounds demanding, but it's exactly the appeal – no other agent combines team utility and independence so seamlessly.

Whether your aggressive playstyle pays off is shown in the Valorant-Spind app: opening duels, trade rate, multikills and your best agent per map tell you whether your Clove risk is worth it.

All of Clove's Abilities in Detail

Clove's kit consists of four abilities, two of which carry the famous immortality mechanic. The icons and names here come directly from the official game data.

▶ Gameplay

Q

Meddle

An essence fragment that makes hit enemies “decay”.

▶ Gameplay

E

Ruse

Two smoke clouds, placed freely on the map – even after death.

▶ Gameplay

C

Pick-Me-Up

Absorbs the life force of a killed enemy: speed & regeneration.

▶ Gameplay

X

Not Dead Yet

Revival after death – if Clove scores a kill or assist quickly enough.

💡 Hover over one of Clove's abilities for a preview – or click it to see the official gameplay video (from Riot's CDN) full size.

Meddle Q – the Decay Throw

Meddle is a fragment of immortality essence that you throw. On impact it creates a brief zone: enemies standing in it become “decayed” – they temporarily lose part of their health (Decay). A decayed enemy dies faster and is more reluctant to duel. Use Meddle to drive enemies off a strong angle or to “soften up” a site just before the push.

Ruse E – Smoke from Beyond the Grave

Ruse is Clove's signature ability and core utility as a Controller: you open a map overview and place two smoke clouds freely on the map – similar to Omen or Astra. The unique twist: Clove can cast Ruse even from the death cam. If you die on the entry, you can still lay the decisive smoke for your team so the push keeps going. No other Controller supports its team after its own death.

Pick-Me-Up C – Life Force from the Kill

Pick-Me-Up is Clove's reward ability. It costs 200 credits (1 charge) and can only be activated after Clove has damaged or killed an enemy; you then absorb their life force: Clove gets a boost of speed and regenerating health. That rewards aggressive play twice over – a kill makes you faster and tougher and lets you immediately keep applying pressure.

Not Dead Yet is Clove's Ultimate and the wildest ability in the kit. After Clove has died, you can trigger your own revival from the death cam within a short time window. After coming back you have a brief deadline: score a kill or a damaging assist and you stay alive – if not, you die again. Used correctly this means: you go aggressively into a duel, die if you have to, come back and still turn the round around. A nightmare for enemies who had already written you off.

Playing Clove Right: Tips for Every Level

Clove combines two mindsets – laying smoke and seeking duels. These tips help you connect the two instead of doing just one of them halfway.

As aggressive as Clove is allowed to be – the foundation stays good smoke timing. For your main maps, learn one or two fixed Ruse setups per site (which two clouds open the entrance?). Once you master the smoke basics, you can then take the freedom for aggressive plays. And: remember the Pick-Me-Up after every kill – many beginners forget to claim the heal and speed boost.

Clove's biggest advantage is that dying is not the end. Dare to make aggressive entries that would be forbidden with other Controllers – because even if you fall, you can still lay smoke from the death cam and come back with the Ultimate. Plan your death utility in: if you know you're about to go into a risky duel, keep a Ruse free so you can place it while dead if needed.

“Not Dead Yet” isn't just for surviving. Because you come back after a death, you can deliberately be the first into a retake: you may die, but you gather information and damage – and then get back up when your teammates move in. Timing is everything: revive when your enemies are distracted or your teammates are nearby.

The Best Maps for Clove

Clove barely features in the current pro season: across 1,392 team compositions Clove showed up only 1 time – on Split. That doesn’t mean much for ranked; how Clove performs there is shown in the “Clove by the numbers” section.

Clove – share of pro team comps per map

Not played on: Abyss, Ascent, Breeze, Haven, Lotus, Summit, Sunset.

Source: VLR.gg · Clove in 1 of 1,392 comps · 696 maps from VCT 2026 Stage 2 and Champions 2026 (final) · as of Oct 18, 2026

Ready-made Clove setups from our map guides (with minimap and step-by-step instructions):

• Breeze: A execute: smokes between the pyramids & Mid Wood Doors
• Breeze: Mid control: smoke on Mid Nest
• Breeze: B execute: smokes in B Tunnel & on Defender Arches
• Breeze: Clove defense A: smokes on A Main & Mid Wood Doors
• Breeze: Clove defense B: smokes on B Main & B Tunnel

Whether Clove works best for you personally on which map is shown by the "Best agent per map" report in the Valorant-Spind app – from your real matches, by win rate.

🛠️ Patch 13.09 (Oct 27, 2026): Riot brings Clove in line with similar abilities – Pick-Me-Up’s movement speed bonus drops from 15% to 10% and now shows as a Haste buff (the old timer bar is gone). Killing Clove after they cast Not Dead Yet grants an ultimate point and a signature refresh point. All changes: patch notes 13.09.

Agent Mastery: master Clove and unlock rewards

Patch 13.06 (Sep 22, 2026) replaced agent gear with Agent Mastery: every match with Clove earns mastery points toward act and lifetime levels, and you buy the rewards with Kingdom Credits. Every MP value, level and reward plus a calculator is in our Agent Mastery guide; more on the performance bonus is in the performance score guide.

Clove by the Numbers: Pro Presence, Ranked Pick Rate & Best Maps

Clove shows how different the pro and ranked metas can be: at Valorant Champions 2026 Clove was not in a single team composition (0 % presence), while the ranked (Platinum+) pick rate is 22.3 %. The win rate is 52.7 % – currently Tier S in the Controller role.

Share of team compositions at Valorant Champions 2026 (86 maps) in which Clove was played on each map. Clove was not played on any of the seven Champions maps (Abyss, Ascent, Haven, Lotus, Split, Summit and Sunset).

Clove data as of Oct 18, 2026 · Pro = VLR.gg (Valorant Champions 2026, final: 34 series, 86 maps, patch 13.05b/c; presence = share of all team compositions, each map counts twice) · Ranked = valking.gg (Platinum+, patch 13.08 – start of Act 6, no agent balance changes). Full comparison in the pick-rate overview – updated per patch, no estimated numbers.

Clove Crosshair & Settings

Because Clove fights much more actively than classic Controllers, a calm, precise crosshair pays off here too. A small, static crosshair with clean edges helps you win the duels that Clove's aggressive playstyle constantly produces.

Among pros, AAAAY (FPX) has played the most Clove rounds: 18 rounds across 1 map. There’s still no special “Clove crosshair”. Ready-made codes: pro crosshair database · your own: crosshair generator · sens/DPI: pro settings.

The best team combinations for Clove

Clove is arguably the most aggressive controller in the game – thanks to self-revive and smokes that can even be placed after their own death, Clove plays almost like a duelist. That's exactly why Clove fits excellently into aggressive compositions: together with an entry duelist like Jett or Raze, Clove can smoke with Ruse and push in directly rather than just passively blocking sight.

Clove's Meddle is especially strong in combination with area-damage agents: the decay effect weakens enemies so a Raze grenade or a team push safely leads to a kill. Clove harmonizes with initiators too, because the self-revive lets Clove attempt aggressive info plays that would be too costly for other controllers. The ultimate Not Dead Yet brings Clove back into the game after a death. You'll find which partners suit Clove best in the Duo & Trio Combos.

Countering Clove: how to play against them

Clove's greatest peculiarity is the self-revive – and that's exactly what can be countered. The ultimate Not Dead Yet only works if Clove scores a kill or assist within a short window after death. Deny Clove that frag: retreat after the kill and give Clove no target, then the window runs out and Clove stays dead. Body-blocking the reviving Clove can also prevent them from getting to safety.

Against Clove's smokes the same applies as with other controllers: don't shoot in blindly but wait on the edges. Clove's Meddle decay is clearly visible – leave the affected area to avoid the weakening effect before a push comes. And because Clove plays aggressively, consistent trading punishes every push. Never treat a dead Clove as safely finished while the ultimate is available.

Clove on attack and defense

On attack Clove is a unique hybrid of controller and duelist. The Ruse smokes cover the sightlines for the entry, and because Clove can even place them after death, the team's sight control is never lost. The Meddle weakens defenders before the push, and the self-revive lets Clove go into the site first – a dead Clove isn't necessarily dead for good.

On defense Clove uses the smokes to delay attacks and the Meddle to weaken rushes. The big advantage: even if Clove falls early in the fight, the team can still control sight thanks to the posthumous smokes. On the retake the self-revive is especially valuable, because Clove can play aggressively and reclaim the site without risking a final death.

Clove for beginners: the first steps

Clove is more beginner-friendly than most controllers because the kit forgives aggressive mistakes – thanks to self-healing after kills and the revive. To start, learn to place the Ruse smokes on the most important sightlines of your favorite map. And deliberately try placing your smokes even after your death – this unique ability sets Clove apart from every other controller.

The most important beginner tip: use the Pick-Me-Up after a kill or assist to heal and speed up – that way you can turn an advantage into the next kill. And plan your ultimate Not Dead Yet boldly: because you come back, you can attempt risky plays. Clove rewards aggressive, creative play and is the perfect agent for anyone who wants to learn the controller role with an offensive twist.

Clove in the meta and in esports

Clove changed the meta as the first truly aggressive controller – above all in ranked: 22.3% pick rate and 52.7% win rate (Platinum+, patch 13.08) currently make Clove Tier S, while pro teams (0% presence at Champions 2026) still prefer classic Controllers. The ability to smoke posthumously and self-revive allows teams a more offensive playstyle without losing sight control. Over the patches Clove has been adjusted to balance this unique strength, but the solo-controller value remains high.

For you on the ladder, Clove is an excellent pick if you want to combine the sight control of a controller with the aggression of a duelist. Especially in solo queue, the posthumous smoke ability is an enormous advantage, because your team keeps cover even after your death. How strong Clove stands in the current meta is shown by our tier list and the pick rates.

Pros on Clove: Exactly one pro played Clove in VCT 2026 Stage 2 and at Champions 2026:

VLR.gg · final as of Oct 18, 2026 · ACS/KAST round-weighted

Common mistakes with Clove – and how to avoid them

The most common mistake is playing too passively: whoever plays Clove like a classic lurk controller wastes the aggressive strength of the kit. Use the self-revive to attempt bold plays. The second mistake is forgetting the posthumous smokes – after your death you can still control sight for your team, which many newcomers overlook.

A third mistake concerns the ultimate Not Dead Yet: it only works with a kill or assist in the window after the revive. Whoever stays passive after returning wastes the ult and stays dead for good. Go actively for the next frag after the revive. And don't forget the Pick-Me-Up to snowball advantages. Whoever uses Clove's unique kit aggressively and creatively turns Clove into one of the strongest and most flexible controllers in the game.

🧭 More controllers: Astra, Brimstone, Harbor, Miks, Omen, Viper – compare abilities and playstyle.

Frequently Asked Questions about Clove

Is Clove Worth It?

Clove is one of the most exciting agents in the whole game, because they combine two roles that used to be mutually exclusive: the team utility of a Controller and the independence of a Duelist. Anyone who likes to play aggressively but still wants to give their team the smoke it needs finds the perfect compromise in Clove – with the unique bonus that even your own death doesn't have to mean the end of the round.

The fastest way to improve with Clove is honest feedback about your own rounds – exactly what Valorant-Spind delivers, locally on your PC, no login, no tracking.