Iso Gains Popularity Among VALORANT Pro Scene
The newest addition to the official VALORANT agent roster, Iso, is garnering attention from analysts and casters for his unique ability kit and playstyle.
In a recent episode of Plat Chat, the casters and analysts who work on the VCT discussed Patch 7.09 and shared their initial thoughts on Iso. While Iso may not become a meta staple like Jett or Raze, the consensus is that his kit holds more value than initially believed.
Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson expressed his surprise, stating, “He’s better than I thought at the beginning. The fact that you have two Vulnerables you can shoot out whenever you like is actually pretty powerful, and the ultimate is genuinely powerful on the attack site. It wins you rounds; it’s like KAY/O knifing the sentinel player except it’s almost guaranteed if you have any info on where they are because it’s got such a big radius.”
Brennon “Bren” Hook, who has played the most Iso in ranked among the group, finds the most value in hunting down enemy sentinels with his ultimate, particularly because Cypher received a buff in this patch. Bren shared, “I’ve just been ult-ing [Cypher], putting him in the Gulag, and telling my team to go in while all his traps are disabled.”
The group generally agrees that Iso’s Contingency wall and Double Tap orb/shield can be situational. However, if used effectively, weapons like Stingers and Judges can become more valuable when paired with Contingency. Additionally, Bren and Sideshow note that Double Tap has a psychological effect on enemy players, intimidating them and giving the shielded Iso more confidence when engaging in combat.
Bren does mention that evaluating the value of the Double Tap shield itself can be tricky, as it sometimes absorbs minimal damage but other times protects against a full Op shot.
Overall, the group agrees with the sentiment shared in the review of Iso’s ability kit: He has the potential to replace situational agents in pro play and is likely to be popular among ranked players.
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