The End of Chamber Dominance: A Shift in the VALORANT Meta
The era of Chamber dominance in VALORANT esports is officially over. Just one day into the new pro VALORANT season for 2023, Chamber is struggling to maintain relevance.
After the first day of the open qualifiers for the NA VALORANT Challengers League, Chamber is tied for last place in overall pick rate among all agents. According to VLR.gg, Chamber was selected in just three percent of compositions across 462 maps played, along with Phoenix, Harbor, and Yoru.
While Phoenix and Yoru have historically had low pick rates in pro play, and with most pro teams still figuring out how to utilize Harbor, Chamber’s appearance this far down in the pick rate rankings is the most surprising of the group. And it’s not just in North America. In the first few days of the Spain VALORANT Challengers League, Chamber has not been picked once in the first 10 matches.
This is due to the significant nerfs Chamber received in Patch 5.12. All four of his abilities were weakened: the slow duration of his Trademark and Tour De Force, the firing rate of Tour De Force, and the accuracy of Headhunter while spamming. However, the biggest change was made to his Rendezvous ability, replacing the two-anchor method with a single anchor, which greatly reduced the distance he can teleport away.
While many pro VALORANT fans expected Chamber to lose his top spot in the agent pick rate rankings after the nerfs, the significant drop-off in his pick rate is unexpected. However, it’s important to note that we haven’t seen the top-tier partnered teams play yet this year, and they may still use Chamber more regularly.
On the other hand, Killjoy has seen a surge in popularity due to her changes in Patch 5.12. Her Nanoswarm and Lockdown ultimate abilities have received a health upgrade, propelling her to the top of the agent field with a 70 percent pick rate after day one of the NA VALORANT Challengers League open qualifier.
Chamber, VALORANT, esports, pick rate, agent, Patch 5.12, nerfs, Rendezvous, Killjoy, VALORANT Challengers League, meta.