VALORANT’s Newest Agent Iso Receives Mixed Reactions from the Community
The introduction of VALORANT’s latest agent, Iso, has sparked various responses from the community. Opinions range from criticism of his ultimate ability and the similarities of his shield wall to an Overwatch skill, to concerns about his personal shield being too overpowering.
While everyone shares their opinions, the professional community seems to have a consensus: Iso may not be very useful in competitive play.
Version1’s Melanie “meL” Capone points out that it’s difficult to justify choosing Iso over other agents in a competitive team composition. She highlights his lack of mobility and underwhelming teamplay features. In order for Iso to be considered meta-worthy, he needs to provide consistent assistance to teammates with his abilities or have such exceptional firepower that star players are compelled to use them, similar to old Chamber and Jett.
Sentinels Head Coach Adam Kaplan highlights the challenge of earning a flexible spot in the double-controller meta for any agent. He notes that while Iso has a neat kit, agents with more utility will always take priority in competitive play.
Comparatively, Sage is a strong pick that offers more help to the team than Iso. Sova excels on Ascent, and the Brimstone/Breach combo proves lethal on Fracture. This leaves little room for Iso to make an impact.
In recent times, new VALORANT agents haven’t had a significant impact on the competitive meta. At VALORANT Champions, Killjoy, Skye, Raze, Viper, Jett, and Omen were the top-picked agents. Interestingly, the second-newest agent, Deadlock, was never picked during the tournament, indicating the limited impact of new agents.
If the initial reactions from professional players hold true, it seems that Iso may suffer the same fate.
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