Good day! It’s Librarian Husky. Now, even with many of the Buffs and Nerfs that have happened recently, a lot of people would argue that Valorant is in a fairly balanced state for the most part. The Meta has settled, and there have been S-tier characters that have been consistently dominant at the highest ranks and in pro play.

Need for Changes

That being said, some of these characters have been dominant for too long and perhaps need Nerfs to bring them back in line. In addition to that, there are some characters that could receive Buffs or Reworks to make them actually establish ranked picks and not characters that have slowly been powered out of the game.

Character Categories

So, in this article, we’re going to be putting characters in five different categories: buffed, nerfed, reworked, quality of life, and balanced, and showcasing what could be done to up the Meta and balance the game.

Sage: The Obvious Choice for Buffs

The first character I want to talk about is Sage, and I think this is a really obvious character to slam in the buff category. This character has slowly but surely become one of the worst characters in the game, and it’s really far away from how she used to be back all the way in beta where she was literally the best character.

Sage’s Decline

If you look at her state then and look at her state now, she has received nerf after nerf after nerf. I would argue that at the same time she has gone through a crazy amount of Nerfs, there has actually been power creep in the game overall. Sage is definitely in the running for the weakest character in the game, and if we look at her pro play and how she stacks up against other Sentinels, it’s obvious that she is underpowered.

Possible Buffs for Sage

Now, I think raw Buffs across the board would be fine for her. Either make her abilities cheaper, last longer, or anything in between. Moving along to my opinion here.

The Sage Meta

I would really love us to enter a Sage Meta. I understand that Cypher is finally getting the limelight, he’s finally getting his time in the sun, but Killjoy has been an established Meta pick for a very long time and has been a character that has slowed down the game substantially.

Dominance of Killjoy

I think not only has that dominance been too long, but there are more frustrating aspects about Killjoy. I think a different Meta centering around Sage as the slow-based Sentinel would be a bit more interesting, but that’s just my opinion. Let me know if you agree.

Killjoy in the Nerf Category

To pair with that, I did want to talk about Killjoy, and I would obviously put Killjoy in the nerf category. Killjoy has been consistently one of the best characters in the game in S tier for a very long time and it hasn’t changed at all. Consistently dominant, consistently played.

Need for Diversity

I would argue here that for diversity’s sake and enabling different Metas to thrive, some dramatic Nerfs to Killjoy would make reasonable sense. I know Killjoy mains are not going to be happy about that, but there are a lot of characters that don’t get to see established Meta play, and Killjoy has had established Meta play for a very long time.

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Deadlock’s Role in the Meta

The next Sentinel that we need to talk about is Deadlock. Deadlock is actually seeing some play, especially on Abyss. This character is seeing a little bit more play than before. She is sometimes seen in these double Sentinel setups and, for a while, she was seeing no play.

Potential for Buffs

But she’s kind of broken in to see a little bit of play here and there. I think that’s good, and it’s good that this character is finally seeing play. I think you could even further buff this character slightly to give her more flexibility as perhaps a solo Sentinel.

Impact of Nerfing Killjoy

Maybe this would only actually work if you heavily nerf characters like Killjoy, but still, I think you can make the argument that a character that only sees play in double Sentinel setups every once in a while is not strong enough to stand on their own two feet.

Controller Comparisons

We’re going to run into that same problem when we talk about the controllers later on with characters like Harbor, but we’ll get to that then. I think some small Buffs to the character further from here and then we wait and let things settle, especially if you nerf other characters. It can have a dramatic change on the other character’s pick rate in the Meta.

Cypher’s Position

The next Sentinel that we definitely need to talk about is Cypher. I did reference him before and I do think that Cypher is finally in a place where he gets to be Meta after not being Meta for a very long time. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s at the right power level.

Balancing Cypher

I think he has to be so strong to a point that he can compete with characters like Killjoy. Perhaps a power creep problem is actually rampant here and throughout many characters in the game. If you nerf characters like Killjoy substantially, you could still nerf characters like Cypher slightly, and he would still be reasonable and fine, still powerful in the Meta.

Small Changes for Cypher

So overall, it would be really small changes, if anything at all. You could argue that he’s balanced, but maybe small Nerfs would come right after.

Chamber’s Potential Buffs

The last Sentinel that we definitely need to talk about is Chamber. I think there’s a strong argument to buff Chamber. We’ve had a dominant Chamber Meta, and I think the reaction to having this dominant Chamber Meta for quite some time was to nerf him so severely that you removed him from the Meta entirely.

Impact of Chamber Meta

But I think that there were a lot of things about the Chamber Meta that were really interesting to see and to watch. I think especially in pro play, it was really interesting and dynamic.

Learning from Chamber

In ranked play, Chamber really got to teach players the concepts of space and how to cut off areas of the map that enemies could be in and their possible rotation routes. It was also a Sentinel role that demanded a lot of mechanical skill.

Adjusting Chamber’s Dominance

I think that overall it was a good dip into that Meta, but not to that level of dominance. We don’t want Chamber in every game, taking over the entire game with a 90% pick rate. But still, a character that sees almost no pro play and is heavily nerfed to the point where he doesn’t even see much ranked play could demand some Buffs.

Adjusting Cypher’s Kit

I still think the fact that he only has one trip is not really conducive to his identity as a Sentinel. I would argue that some of those things could be changed and the character could be more established in the Meta with some of those specific Buffs.

Discussion on Duelists

The next category that we need to talk about is definitely Duelists. There are a lot of characters here that can get Buffs, Nerfs, and even Reworks. We have to start with Iso.

Iso’s Impact

Iso kind of changed everything for a little while when he received a massive buff, being able to activate his overshield. Then, from there, he got a massive nerf, reeling that back in line. Still, this character is incredibly strong in the right hands and really rewards you for being great mechanically.

Problems with Iso

But I think that there are a couple of problems that Iso sets in general. Oftentimes, his ability comes off as a bit of a gimmick where you’re going to pop his ability, take a duel, and win a fight when you’re taking damage.

Coordinated Play Issues

When enemies play properly, use utility, and do all the things they would do in coordinated play, it becomes weaker and weaker because your timing matters so much. People can just deal a little bit of damage to you to break off this shield.

Ranked Environment Concerns

In that ranked environment, a character like Iso can really feel oppressive when someone is just a little bit mechanically better, putting a lot of power on that mechanical aspect. It also completely neutralizes certain things like operators and things like that.

Iso’s Buff and Rework Needs

I think it did its job as far as establishing Iso as a powerful force, a Meta force out of nowhere. I think he is a great example of how easy it is to buff a character into superpowered status very easily. However, it was a step too far, and I would say a rework should actually hit this character once again, trying to give him power in a different way.

Phoenix’s Role in Ranked Play

Phoenix is a little bit trickier because in ranked play, Phoenix is perfectly fine. He doesn’t see any pro play, but in ranked play, he’s actually really strong. He’s capable of filling in gaps where your team is lacking something. He can do a lot of different things and is really good at generating kills, so there’s a lot to like about him.

Balancing Phoenix for Pro Play

I think in that regard, he’s balanced. But if you wanted him to make a more resounding statement in pro Meta play, you would have to buff him either incredibly severely, making him completely broken in ranked play, or give him a rework where some parts of his kit get focused and honed.

Phoenix’s Kit Focus

He wouldn’t be someone that does a lot of different things; he’d be someone that does a few things extremely well. However, I don’t really think that makes sense for the character overall. I think he’s perfectly balanced.

Phoenix in Meta Play

He’s a character that will probably never see substantial Meta play except in weird triple Duelist Metas and some of the unusual stuff that happened in recent pro Metas. He did see a little bit of play here and there from some teams, but it was very infrequent and kind of resulted in a 1% pick rate overall.

Phoenix’s Core Identity

There isn’t much you can really do about this character without changing his core identity. His core identity is that of a Duelist that’s good in ranked but is different from a lot of the aim-centric Duelists like Reyna and Iso. He requires other skills from you, and I think it’s healthy and good for the game overall.

Jett’s Role in the Meta

The next Duelist we need to talk about is Jett, a character that has been an established best or top-five agent in the game for a very long time. If you just look at her stats alone, you might argue that she deserves huge Nerfs.

Considering Jett’s Nerfs

But there are a couple of things to consider before saying, “Let’s just hit the nerf hammer on Jett.” For one, Jett has been nerfed a lot, like a crazy amount of times, and it hasn’t really dramatically changed her dominance. The reason for this is because a character like Jett is just necessary.

Jett’s Essential Role

Being able to aggressively get to sites, dash to sites, and create space, clear angles, and set up with an initiator is how Valorant is played at the highest level. This is how entries on sites are played. A character like Jett, or something that can do something similar, is basically necessary.

Nerfing Jett’s Core Identity

It doesn’t really matter how much you nerf this character. You either keep that core identity in place, and she’s still needed and used, or you remove it, and then you just don’t have that. There are other characters that can do something similar, like Raze and maybe Neon, but they aren’t able to be as flexible as a character like Jett.

Jett’s Flexibility

They have certain weaknesses on certain maps that Jett doesn’t have. That’s why Jett has a certain map pick rate where she’s basically picked 100% of the time in a lot of pro matches on certain maps.

Jett’s Dominance

I don’t think that Jett’s dominance is a result of her individual power as much as it is that she accomplishes something that a composition desires. Of course, you could keep nerfing this character to oblivion, but that would make her feel terrible to play but still played. I don’t think that’s a great precedent to set.

Nerfing Sentinels and Power Creep

You could also argue that if it came with Nerfs to Sentinel characters, then characters at the highest ends of the power level scale, and it was an overall nerf to power creep, you could nerf Jett further a little bit. But for now, I’m actually going to put her in the balanced tier.

Jett’s Unique Role

Honestly, if there were other characters that could fulfill this role that Jett has, she would not see anywhere near as much play. A lot of the Duelists that have been coming out don’t have that form of active mobility, can’t burst out on-site, and can’t fulfill this need in compositions like Jett can.

Raze and Reyna

But if you have a different take, let us know. The next character we need to talk about is Reyna. This is what I mean when I say that Duelists need certain things to see play in pro play. If they don’t have those things, it doesn’t matter how much you buff them; they won’t see pro play.

Reyna’s Strength

Reyna is the perfect example because she has been buffed and buffed, and she’s so strong she feels crazy to play. But she’s also not going to see established pro play at all.

Buffing Reyna

If you wanted her to be an established pro-picked character, you would have to buff her so severely that she would be a demon in ranked. She already kind of is the demon of rank. Overall, I think that Reyna needs to be put in the same category as Phoenix.

Balancing Reyna for Ranked Play

Where it’s okay if this character isn’t a pro-picked character because we don’t really think that it’s reasonable to actually buff this character enough to put them in pro play. You would want to balance them for ranked play more than pro play because that is the only balance where their power level is reasonable. Unless you wanted to do a dramatic rework to the character, which I don’t think is a great idea.

Reyna’s Kit and Popularity

The character’s kit flows well, and a lot of people like to play this character. I think you should probably nerf her for ranked play specifically and completely ignore the pro pick rate aspect. This character will never be a pro Meta pick character.

Neon’s Recent Buffs

Next, we need to talk about Neon. Neon did receive some crazy Buffs recently: double slide accuracy while sliding, and it looks like it’s completely off the rails now.

Neon’s Impact on the Meta

I do think that Neon is a character that has deserved their time in the limelight for Meta play, and it’s really interesting to watch. You could argue that right now, just keep her really strong, see how she impacts pro play and ranked play, and for how long.

Overtuned Characters and Meta Balance

I can argue that some characters, especially when they don’t get much time in the Meta as a whole, deserve periods where they might be a bit overtuned, but it’s fine. However, if a character has had a really dominant reign over many acts and episodes, then yes, those characters deserve Nerfs. So, it’s a bit different here.

Monitoring Neon’s Strength

For now, I would say keep this character as is but definitely keep an eye on her because you all know how strong she is right now.

Raze’s Current State

The next character we need to talk about is Raze. Raze is exactly what I’m talking about when you nerf a character to the point where they can feel frustrating to play. From a pick rate and power level point of view, Raze was really strong.

Impact of Nerfs on Raze

To counteract that, they nerfed some abilities like Boom Bot to the point where its range is really low and feels not as effective. Some abilities are just more frustrating to use than they once were.

Meta Influence on Raze

A lot of this is because of the current Meta. When characters like Killjoy and Cypher are really strong, it makes sense that Raze would be picked often. When you only have characters like Raze and Jett capable of taking space on-site, it makes sense that those characters would have dramatically high pick rates.

Need for Diverse Duelists

There’s a world where Raze wouldn’t have to get nerfed nearly as much if there were more Duelists that could compete with these characters for their slots.

Duelist Diversity and Balance

If we look at some of the Dome Smoker roles, characters like Clove and Omen complement each other. They allow each other to maintain a certain level of power in their kit because they compete with each other for slots and pick rates. It’s not just them—Brimstone and Astra are also strong. Because there are so many strong characters fulfilling the same goal, you get balanced, powerful characters where no one character is overly dominant. This is not what we’re seeing in the Duelist category.

Issues in the Duelist Category

There are characters like Iso, Reyna, and Phoenix that might as well be non-pro picked characters because they don’t fulfill the same job. So, introduce more Duelists that can do the jobs or rework Duelists to do the jobs needed of Duelists. This rapid space enabling and creation is really important.

Nerfing Duelists

If you had more Duelists that could create space, you wouldn’t have to nerf characters like Jett and Raze repeatedly to keep them balanced. For now, I’m going to put Raze in the balanced tier. You could make changes to her in the future, but until other Nerfs come down the pipeline for certain characters, you might as well keep her as she is.

Yoru’s Current State

The last character is Yoru, and I think Yoru is perfectly fine as is. You could probably turn this character into one that sees pro play and does the things necessary for the Duelist role in pro play like Jett and Raze. However, if you did that, you might make him lose some of his identity.

Yoru’s Potential Changes

So, I really don’t think that might be the right direction, but I want to pass the question off to you. Would you rather see Yoru undergo substantial changes to balance out the Duelist role a bit more, or do you want to maintain his core identity as it is now and not touch it any further?

Yoru’s Core Identity

I think that’s probably up to your personal preference, but one of the most frustrating things I’ve heard about Yoru is that when he teleports away, it doesn’t make a loud enough noise or any noise at all. Perhaps more sound cues there could be fair, so you could make that argument, but I think no changes to the character overall are needed.

The Controller Role

Next up, we have the Controller role, and I’m going to say it right now: the Controller role is fairly balanced except for one character. There’s one character that has had a very long reign of dominance, and it’s for many of the reasons we’ve talked about with the Duelist role, and it’s Viper.

Viper’s Dominance

Viper has had too long of dominance, but similar to other characters, I don’t necessarily think a nerf to this character will make it so she’s not played. She needs to be played on some maps because of the kit she provides.

Balancing Viper and Harbor

However, if you did a combination of a dramatic nerf to Viper and a buff to a character like Harbor, potentially even a buff rework to establish them more as a line smoker capable of doing many of the things Viper can do, then you could add more diversity.

Introducing Diversity

Maybe this could lead to Harbor and Viper splitting the necessary pick rate instead of Viper monopolizing it. This would be similar to the diversity we see with characters like Brimstone, Astra, Clove, and Omen.

Balancing Controllers

I think the best path forward would be slight Nerfs to Viper, slight Buffs to Harbor, and then the introduction of a new line smoker. This would help balance out the Meta. As for the other controllers, I think they are reasonable right now.

Adjustments for Astra and Brimstone

You could make a small argument that Astra and Brimstone could receive small Buffs to put them more in line with their other dome smoker counterparts, Clove and Omen. But other than that, Clove and Omen are balanced as of now.

Specific Buffs and Nerfs

The other controllers could receive some small Buffs, Harbor a larger buff, and Viper a small nerf. In addition to a new line smoker, this would probably create the diversity in the category that many players are craving right now.

The Initiator Role

Last but not least, we need to talk about the initiator role. A lot of these characters are balanced. I think the initiator role is probably the most balanced out of the entire roster because of how competitively strong every single character is in this role.

Current State of Initiators

All of them are really good right now. I think Skye is finally in a reasonable state—really strong but not completely busted like she has been in the past. Fade is the one character you could probably buff a little bit.

Fade’s Role in the Meta

Sova is winning the initiator information gathering role right now, but Fade is still good on certain maps. While there is a certain map-based Meta, Fade remains a viable option.

Potential Buffs for Fade

I think Fade could receive some small Buffs to her kit overall—just some small changes to make her a bit more competitive. Sova seems perfectly fine the way he is, and Breach also seems perfectly fine. He sees a lot of play, especially on maps like Fracture, and I think he’s reasonably balanced.

Neon and Breach Combination

We’ll have to see how dominant the combination of Neon and Breach is with the newly buffed Neon. The combo might be a little too strong, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Gekko’s Rise in Power

Gekko is a character that has been slowly but surely becoming more powerful and more established. Personally, I dislike this character, but from a power level perspective, he’s reasonable. I’ll put him in the balanced tier as a result.

KO’s Balance

KO is a character that is incredibly strong, yet somehow balanced right now. He’s really only seeing play on a couple of maps like Ascent. He’s not taking over the Meta, but if you buffed him even a little bit, he could easily become a dominant character.

Maintaining KO’s Balance

I’m putting him in the balanced tier for now, and I don’t think he can be buffed significantly without taking over everything. You could look at a couple of his abilities, make them a little cheaper, or change the cooldown slightly, but for the most part, I’m going to say he’s balanced.

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