Jett’s Dominance in VALORANT Masters Berlin Raises Concerns about Operator Balance
VCT Masters Berlin has concluded with surprising results and the first international title for EMEA in VALORANT. However, amid all the upsets, one thing remains clear—Jett’s dominance.
In a recent Twitch broadcast, Sentinels IGL Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan discussed the knife-wielding agent, whom he picked seven times during the Berlin tournament. According to VLR.gg, Jett had an 85% pick rate at the international event. ShahZaM believes the main issue is that the Operator is “only viable on Jett.”
ShahZaM stated, “It’s too clunky to use on any other agent. And the problem is that there’s not a lot of counter options to the Op. Now if you could use the Op on other agents, you can counter a Jett just walking up with an Op or a Jett just taking a duel or dry peek.”
Although the pro acknowledges the need to nerf Jett, he suggests making tweaks to the sniper to provide more counterplay.
In Patch 1.09, the Operator underwent significant nerfs, targeting its scoped movement speed, fire rate, equip time, and deadzone. Despite a price reduction to 4,700 credits in Episode Three, the weapon remains difficult to handle.
Jett’s remarkable mobility allows her to take a shot and immediately dash away, compensating for some of the Operator’s weaknesses. Since no other agent possesses this advantage, it’s common to see Jett players opt for the sniper. The prevalence of Jett in professional play reinforces the need for changes.
Riot Games may consider reverting some of the Operator nerfs implemented in Episode One. This could encourage other agents to wield the sniper, although Jett would likely remain the preferred choice. To balance Jett, developers could limit her dash uses and potentially remove one of her smoke abilities. This would make dry peeking with the Op a riskier and costlier strategy.
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VCT Masters Berlin, VALORANT, Jett, Operator, balance, counterplay, nerfs, ShahZaM, sniper.