VALORANT‘s newest agent, Iso, is generating plenty of reactions from the community. The responses are varied: His ultimate is a bit silly, the shield wall feels a little bit too much like an Overwatch ability, and the personal shield could be a bit much.
While everyone gets their takes off, the professional community is mostly in lock-step with the same reaction: He’s not going to be that useful.
Version1’s Melanie “meL” Capone says “it’s just hard to justify having him in a comp over anyone else,” detailing Iso’s lack of mobility and underwhelming teamplay features. In order to have a place in the meta, Iso has to be able to give teammates consistent help with his abilities, or have such overwhelming firepower that the star player has to use them, like old Chamber and Jett.
Sentinels Head Coach Adam Kaplan says it’s “already hard for an agent to earn a flex spot in double controller meta,” noting the rigid state of VALORANT competitive agent picks. The kit is neat, but other agents with more utility will always take priority.
Sage is another powerful pick that easily helps the team more than Iso, Sova is a demon on Ascent, and the Brimstone/Breach combo is lethal on Fracture. There just isn’t room.
Lately, new VALORANT agents haven’t had an impact on the meta. At VALORANT Champions, early additions to the game like Killjoy and Skye topped the pick rate charts, and right behind them were three release agents: Raze, Viper, Jett, and Omen. Deadlock, the second-newest agent to the game, saw precisely zero playtime during Champions. She was the only agent in the game that was never picked during the tournament.
If initial pro reactions hold true to these early impressions, it’s looking like Iso will suffer the same fate.
