The Decline of Chamber in VALORANT’s Professional Meta
The professional VALORANT scene is already witnessing a shift in the meta, even before the official franchised VCT regular season has begun. This change can be observed through the VCT LOCK//IN tournament and the non-franchised Challengers circuit.
One significant change in the meta so far is the absence of Chamber, the French agent known for wielding a gold firearm, who dominated the VALORANT servers in 2022.
This absence speaks volumes about the agent’s individual strength and also hints at a new direction for the game’s playstyle as a whole. With less focus on Chamber, there are fewer long-range engagements, operators, and angle holding in the game.
To understand Chamber’s reduced presence this season, it’s crucial to acknowledge how dominant he once was as an agent.
During the 2022 VCT Champions tournament in Istanbul, Chamber was the most frequently played agent, chosen over 66% of the time across all maps and compositions.
However, in the VCT LOCK//IN 2023 tournament held in São Paulo, Chamber only had a 2.53% pick rate. This significant drop can be attributed to the nerfs the agent received, which decreased the value of his kit. Other agents have become more effective choices than Chamber in the current meta.
This decline isn’t limited to professional play; even players across all rankings on VALORANT servers are no longer prioritizing Chamber. Interestingly, despite his reduced pick rate, Chamber still maintains a high win rate when chosen in ranked matches.
Even professionals who have picked Chamber this year have failed to make a significant impact.
In the recent VCT Challengers North America circuit, Chamber’s statistics during the first split were even more abysmal.
Among tier-two North American teams, Chamber only had a 1.39% pick rate in the Challengers tournament. He is tied as the least popular agent alongside Yoru, a character that has always struggled to find a place in the meta.
As the 2023 VCT meta continues to evolve, it’s highly likely that Chamber will completely disappear from professional play, despite once being at the top.