How to Master Clove: Smoke Timings, Self-Revive Protocols & Aggro Plays

Clove revolutionized the Controller role by encouraging aggressive first-contact duels rather than passive survival play.

1. The Power of Post-Death Smokes (Ruse) Unlike Brimstone or Omen, Clove can drop smokes even after dying, provided your death location is within range of the target bombsite. As an attacker, dying on site while trading a defender still allows you to smoke off Heaven and CT for your teammates during post-plant.

2. Pick-Me-Up (Overheal & Haste Mastery) Immediately after securing a kill or assist, activate Pick-Me-Up. This grants temporary overheal (up to 100 bonus HP) and a movement speed buff for 10 seconds. Use this speed boost to aggressively swing the second enemy before their trade window closes.

3. Meddle Decay Combos Meddle inflicts a 90 HP decay on all enemies caught in its detonation radius. Combine Meddle with a teammate's Raze Grenade, Sova Shock Dart, or standard Phantom spray for instant, low-risk eliminations.

4. Not Dead Yet (Ultimate Protocol) When activating your ultimate upon death, you must achieve a kill or damaging assist within 12 seconds to survive permanently. Do not resurrect blindly—strafe into cover during the invulnerable phase and swing with an ally to guarantee the trade.