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    ANALYSIS: What we can expect from the recent VALORANT update

    Viper mains will suffer while Omen players can now rejoice
    Mar 2, 2022
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    PHOTO: Riot Games

    THE SECOND act in VALORANT Episode 4 just went live and it will surely shape up the competitive meta in the next couple of months.

    Usually, Riot would release a new agent around this time, but they decided they would just concentrate on balancing the existing agents and adjusting the maps. The VALORANT team’s focus on making the game as best as it could be for the millions of fans around the world is definitely the right move. Here are the latest changes in VALORANTs newest patch and how it could shape up the meta.

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      Controlling the battlefield

      This patch sees a focus on the adjustments of the four controllers currently in the game.

      Astra from Valorant.

      Lessening the power of cosmos

      Astra has long dominated the VALORANT landscape with nearly map-wide utility range and abilities that would put other Controllers to shame. So Riot has deemed the Ghanaian agent worthy of the nerf hammer.

      Stars: Max Stars reduced 5 to 4. Cooldown on retrieving a Star increased 14 to 25. Astra can now pick up placed Stars during the Buy Phase to refund their charge immediately. Max distance of Star Placement increased 10000 to 30000 to allow her to place Stars across the furthest corners of maps.

      Gravity Well: Cooldown increased 25 to 45. Gravity Well size decreased from 525 to 475. Gravity Well no longer affects anyone fully underneath the Gravity Well.

      Nova Pulse: Cooldown increased 25 to 45. Nova Pulse no longer affects anyone fully underneath the Nova Pulse.

      Nebula: Cooldown increased 14 to 25. Nebula cooldowns are now sequential instead of simultaneous. Nebula size increased 410 to 475.

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      Astral Form: While in Astral form, pings are no longer blocked by level geometry that Astra cannot see. Astra’s targeting ring in Astral form is reduced to one ring that reflects the now unified size of all her utility. Astra’s targeting ring no longer randomly disappears when aiming across some map locations. Increased the speed of the overlay that covers Astra’s screen when transitioning in and out of Astral form.

      All of the changes will hurt Astra a lot specially with the reduction in her max stars as well as the cooldown adjustments, which will make using her Gravity Wells and Nebulas require a lot more thought and preparation. The changes may be too much for this pro player favorite, but despite these changes we may still see her at the extremely highest level of VALORANT play. She may not be as good as she used to be but she may still see some use in coordinated play.

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      Viper from Valorant.

      A less toxic Viper

      Another agent that players have grown to find a bit too toxic in the meta is Viper. She gets plenty of nerfs as well because Riot thought her dual role as Sentinel/Controller was too much.

      Fuel: Fuel drain increased 50 percent when Toxic Screen and Poison Cloud are both active. Viper’s fuel bar now turns red when she does not have enough fuel to activate her abilities.

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      Toxic Screen: Cooldown after deactivating increased 6 to 8. Cooldown timer now starts when her smoke starts dissipating instead of when the deactivation telegraph plays. Deactivation delay decreased from 1 to 0.8. Toxic Screen now has yellow lights that indicate when it is on cooldown. Removed delay on Toxic Screen disabling when Viper is suppressed. Added a unique voiceover line that plays when her smoke is disabled by suppress.

      Poison Cloud: Cooldown after deactivating increased 6 to 8. Cooldown timer now starts when her smoke starts dissipating instead of when the deactivation telegraph plays. Deactivation delay decreased from 1 to 0.8. Poison Orb now has a yellow light to indicate when it is on cooldown. Removed delay on Poison Orb disabling when Viper is suppressed. Added a unique VO line that plays when her smoke is disabled by suppress.

      Snake Bite: Duration decreased from 6.5 to 5.5.

      Her smokes will go down faster, her molly is a second shorter, and, more importantly her smokes will now telegraph to a bright yellow when they are on cooldown to friend and foes alike.

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      Brimstone from Valorant.

      Brimming with potential

      Brimstone, the first Controller ever unlocked for new VALORANT players, is getting some much needed love.

      Sky Smoke: Deploy time decreased from 2 to 1 second. Deploy radius increased 5000 to 5500. Smoke height increased to match other Controllers.

      Stim Beacon: Now also applies a 15 percent speed boost in addition to RapidFire.

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      His Smokes are bigger, faster to deploy, and can be used from a much longer range. His Stim Beacon also gets a nice new buff with a speed boost on top of the Rapid Fire. Brimstone's way of changing the tempo for his team is better than ever and we can’t wait to see what his changes bring to the game.

      Omen from Valorant.

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      An Omen of hope

      Omen was picked a grand total of one time during last year's VCT Champions by Filipino Team Secret. They managed to win the map, but Omen was cemented as one of the most underwhelming agents in that tournament alongside Yoru. Omen needed a buff and Riot is blessing the elusive shadow.

      Dark Cover: Cooldown decreased from 40s to 30s. Cost increased 100 to 150. Projectile speed increased 2800 to 6400.

      Shrouded Step: Cost decreased from 150 to 100. Pre-teleport delay decreased from 1s to 0.7s.

      Paranoia: Added forward spawn offset, so players adjacent to Omen are not hit.

      Yoru from Valorant.

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      New year, New Yo(r)u

      Yoru is finally getting some much needed changes in this patch.

      Fakeout: Charges reduced from 2 to 1. Decoy HP is 150. Decoy is now a full running version of Yoru and can only be sent running forward. Right-click to place a stationary marker for the decoy, reactivate similarly to footsteps to create the decoy that runs forward. Upon taking damage from an enemy gun, the decoy winds up, turns towards the enemy that shot it, and explodes after a short delay. Enemies within the cone are flashed.

      Gatecrash: Charges increased from 1 to 2. Cost is 200 Credits. Cooldown charge refresh removed, switched back to 2-kill reset. Gatecrash can be faked by pressing F while hovering over the beacon. Fake teleport will play audio and portal visuals as if Yoru is attempting to teleport. Time it takes for teleport beacon has decreased from 1.5 to 0.5 seconds. Teleport beacon’s in-game audio while traveling reduced from 22.5m to 12.5m. Teleport beacon’s speed has been increased 675 to 800. Upon activating a fake teleport, the beacon creates a small decal on the floor for 30 seconds to indicate location of the fake teleport.

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      Dimensional Drift: Duration increased 8 to 10 seconds. Yoru is not revealed to enemies. Unequip delay time increased 0.6 to 1.2 seconds. Yoru is now able to cast all utility out of his ultimate. Yoru’s footsteps can now be heard within 15m of Yoru’s location. Cast delay added upon casting Dimensional Drift, preventing the invulnerability frame on cast.

      His abilities now allow for a lot more outplay and mind games. The fake audio queue on his teleports, his illusions, and his improved ultimate might just make the Japanese agent finally viable in competitive play. We may wait awhile before we see Yoru in the VCT but I am already looking forward to it.

      How will this change things up in the competitive scene?

      The change to Astra opens up the slot to see the other controllers in pro play, which will provide much needed variety to the scene. Omen will be able to go for the high-risk/reward plays with his Shrouded Steps, and the speed on his Smokes will place him in a very good spot among controllers. The faster smokes from Brimstone and movespeed buff from the Stim Beacon will allow high tempo teams to secure areas of the map faster.

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      The nerf to Viper might not make her viable as a solo controller in huge maps like Icebox and Breeze. But a second controller to alleviate the responsibility depending on the map’s needs will greatly help isolating fights in your team’s favor.

      The controller slot is wide open and this is the meta shake up that VALORANT sorely needs after months of Astra dominance.

      In the patch, Icebox also went through big changes, but it remains to be seen how this will affect pro play. But the map does feel alot more balanced than ever, with a mix of extra open space and more corners and cover around the map.

      What are your favorite changes in VALORANT’s newest patch?

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      PHOTO: Riot Games
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