Valorant is not a skill-based shooter. It's a gambling simulator.

The only skill-based mechanic in Valorant is the use of abilities, which comprises 99% of where the skill is needed to climb ELO. This game is not about who has better aim, and never will be. The gunplay is entirely gamble-based (except for any weapons with 100% first shot accuracy)

The Vandal; the most commonly selected weapon -has a 25% chance of missing on the first shot (without ADS, 10% with ADS, I think?), which means that 25% of your shots on average -are going to miss the point at which your crosshair is pointed. This is no different to playing Roulette on Bet365 or any other gambling website. Gambling is addictive. Wow! Imagine that! And this is why you play regardless of the frustration that comes with the horrible inconsistency of a dice-roll shooter.

The best way to play any gambling system is to take small, calculated risks. In terms of Valorant, this looks like peeking, shooting, and hiding without the expectation of getting a kill, and being prepared to try again immediately knowing that you have a pretty high chance of something unexpected happening.

Suppose there's a tournament for 10 Million Dollars on the line. It comes down to a 1v1 in the final round of the game. Winner takes all. Player A aims directly at Player B's head, and shoots but misses due to a 25% bad roll. Player B misses, but also rolls a 25% miss chance and the bullet actually ends up hitting player A. Player B takes home the winnings...

There is something incredibly unsettling about the fact that we call this a competitive shooter, yet we're rewarded for missing and punished for aiming well?

Am I missing something? Or are we all insane for playing this mess of a game.