Valorant agent 23 could finally make her VCT debut at Valorant Champions 2023.
However, the opinions of two coaches in this year’s Valorant world championship shed light on why Deadlock might not make it to a match.
During the pre-Champions 2023 press conference, NRG Esports’ Chet “Chet” Singh, Team Liquid’s Emil “eMIL” Sandgren, and NAVI’s Erik “d00mbr0s” Sandgren voiced their opinion that Deadlock’s agent abilities are significantly underwhelming.
Deadlock isn’t a good agent, according to Chet, eMIL, and d00mbr0s
Deadlock joined the Valorant roster on June 27, shortly after Masters Tokyo. As she was a fresh addition to the game, she wasn’t available in the VCT Last Chance Qualifier.
Now that enough time has passed since her release, Deadlock will finally join the competitive agent pool for Champs. Nonetheless, Chet and eMIL still hold reservations regarding the viability of this sentinel agent in the current meta.
Chet believes that Deadlock is too much of a niche character, and her advantages do not outweigh those offered by other agents currently prevalent in the meta.
“I probably won’t see her that much this tournament,” Chet said.
EMIL agreed with Chet, explaining that Deadlock’s Sonic Sensors “are kind of useless.” Liquid’s coach clarified that the sensor, which activates upon detecting enemy sounds, holds little value during attacks, as defenders frequently move silently while pushing.
He also finds limited use for her Gravnet grenade, pointing out, “Within one and a half seconds, you can escape the net.”
Liquid’s coach believes that Deadlock cannot function effectively as a team’s sole sentinel agent, emphasizing the necessity for Sage, Cypher, Killjoy, or Chamber to make her viable.
Although eMIL anticipates teams might avoid picking the Norwegian agent, he clarified that his prediction could be mistaken. He acknowledged the possibility that the winning team could unlock the sentinel agent’s full potential at Champs.
EMIL’s identical twin brother, d00mbr0s, who coaches NAVI, further highlighted that Deadlock’s limitations on offense could diminish a team’s information-gathering capabilities because of her underwhelming toolkit.
While d00mbr0s was talking about the pros and cons of the sentinel agent, eMIL asked him if he would play Deadlock at Champs. D00mbr0s responded, “I have no idea, maybe.”
Chet and eMIL agreed that for Deadlock to become a viable agent, Riot Games should give her some buffs.
“They should extend the range of her trip or slight adjustments on it so it matches other sentinels,” said Chet.
Follow ONE Esports on Instagram and TikTok for more Valorant exclusives.
READ MORE: Full list of Valorant free agents looking for teams after VCT 2023 season
