With Valorant Patch 5.0 giving us the new map, the PBE was released for Patch 5.1. The upcoming patch is expected to release in two weeks. Amongst other changes, Major buffs are coming to Phoenix, Kay/O and Yoru due to their dropping win rates in Valorant Competitive.
Phoenix was out of the first five agents introduced in the game with the beta release. The agent had great pick rates until other agents were introduced, but as the game progressed, the pick rate of Phoenix dropped considerably.
The agent is obsolete in the professional scene, with the agent only picked a handful of times in the casual play.
Phoenix as an agent isn’t bad. His kit with Blaze, Curveball, Hot Hands, and Run it Back is a well-rounded kit but seems lacklustre.
The flash Curveball is easy to dodge and has to be used carefully. Blaze and Hot hands don’t impact enough, while The Ultimate, Run It Back seems terrific with a team but usually does not gather much value.
Phoenix Valorant Buff
In the upcoming patches, Phoenix’s abilities will be buffed.
With a faster flash and less equip time on Blaze, Phoenix would now be better at entering the site solo. With Run it back buffed, Phoenix ultimate now reduces the risks of using it.
Now even if a phoenix is caught off-guard, he can still fight back after respawning. Especially on Pearl, the latest map, with the number of corners, Phoenix’s curveball and blaze might work great.
Along with Phoenix, buffs for Yoru and Kay/O are being tested. Kay/O is a permanent pick in professional Valorant, but he doesn’t see much action in Casual play. The buffs are to promote the use of Kay/O and Yoru in casual play.
For Kay/O,
The buffs would increase the use of his Kay/O, as the fragment would now deal damage through the wall.
While for Yoru,
The buff to the Dimensional Drift would encourage more ridiculous plays with less equip time. The ability to flash inside the Dimensional Drift makes Yoru’s ULT much more viable than earlier.
Along with the buffs, there have been voice line addition to Phoenix and Killjoy
The added voice lines might be related to the Omega Earth and would add more to the Valorant lore. Hints for the next agent, which most likely would be a controller, can also be expected in upcoming patches. Codenamed Mage, the next agent, is likely from Omega Earth, and it would be interesting to see how it plays out.
