Riot’s latest meta changing patch is finally upon us.
Valorant’s 1.09 patch is the same patch that will change the Operator forever. But it also includes five agent updates that could have an impact in Valorant’s meta moving forward.
Here are the biggest winners and losers of Valorant patch 1.09:
Loser — Jett
Jett’s Blade Storm Burst Fire now has a damage falloff that begins at 12 meters and drops steadily to 35 damage, which is the least amount of damage at max range.
Consecutive Burst Fire use time has also been increased from 0.33 seconds to 0.45 seconds. And finally, the Burst Fire’s headshot multiplier has been reduced from x3 to x2.
Winner — Viper
Meanwhile, Riot is still working on making Viper a viable agent in the competitive meta. This time, they’ve decided to increase her fuel to start at 100 instead of 50.
The Snake Bite now has added lingering effects that last for two seconds after leaving the acid. Viper’s move speed is now also doubled when casting her ultimate. She can also equip her weapon faster after casting Viper’s Pit.
Loser– Reyna
Reyna’s Empress ultimate has been nerfed with its fire rate bonus decreased from 25% to 15%.
- Upcoming Operator nerfs have Valorant pros in disbelief
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Winner — Brimstone
Brimstone received some minor buffs to his Stim Beacon ability with its fire rate bonus increased from 10% to 15%.
Loser — Omen
Omen reworked Paranoia to let players see its hitbox better. This could make it easier for players to dodge both for enemies and teammates.
Loser — Operator
The Operator has recieved some major nerfs in 1.09:
- Price increased from 4,500 to 5,000
- Decreased scoped movement speed from 76% to 72%
- Adjusted dead zone from 30% movement speed to 50% movement speed (become inaccurate sooner and longer to become accurate)
- Fire rate changed from 0.75 to 0.6
- Reduced instant equip time from 0.3 to 0.5
Unsurprisingly, many pro players are in shock over the nerfs.
Riot’s explanation for the nerfs is that aggressive Operator players have been too effective, especially when jump peeking. They’ve also noticed that even when an Operator gets pushed off their defensive position, players just re-peek and get a kill at a reliable rate.
In addition, the patch also includes some major changes to jump land inaccuracy which is now binary instead of gradual, which means players who try to shoot right after landing will now have a flat rate inaccuracy state instead of gradually gaining back their first shot accuracy.
The jump land inaccuracy duration has also been increased from .2 to .225, and its value increased from 5.0 to 7.0.
In addition to all the changes they’ve already made regarding the Operator, Riot is still looking to implement agent changes that will help players counter the Operator even more.
Riot has also announced that they’ve implemented competitive updates that will lessen matchmaking queue time.
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