I’d be speaking for every VALORANT controller main when I say: It’s been a hard couple of years. With Viper nerfs and Harbor’s underwhelming trajectory leaving the controller meta gasping for air, it was high time Riot stepped in. Thankfully, Clove’s post-death magic is exactly the spice we needed.
VALORANT’s mischievous Agent 25 brings an enigmatic set of abilities focused on the power of life after death. Unlike our tried and tested controller agents, Clove is meant to run it down beside their team’s duelists and secure a kill or two.
Dying doesn’t limit them, thanks to their Ruse ability that lets them deploy smokes even after death. None of the existing VALORANT controllers can offer smokes after death. Well, they were meant to be a controller that could be on the frontline without being selfish.
As a controller main, I have always felt the pain of having to play defensive in every VALORANT game just so my team can have smokes whenever they want. With Clove, this isn’t going to be the case. I can rush with my duelists and not worry about dying as long as someone on my team can take my trade. I can always bother enemies with Clove’s colorful post-death smokes after I die.
Needless to say, Clove is nothing less than a blessing in disguise for controller experts with an excellent aim who have been limited due to their role. You can now gracefully ignore calls like, “Don’t push, we need your smokes,” and take matters into your own hands—a handy benefit to have if your team’s main duelist turns out to be a lurker. You also have abilities like Meddle and Pick-Me-Up to support your duelist mentality.
Speaking of more post-death magic, Clove also offers a one-of-a-kind ultimate ability, Not Dead Yet, that lets you defy death. Be that as it may, you either have to deal with a damaging assist or kill an enemy before the timer expires to remain alive. As flashy and powerful as it sounds, it’s also situational.
It’s can be hard to find value with Not Dead Yet, especially if you are the solo man standing on your team. For example, when your teammates aren’t around to protect or trade you. You will be stuck in a resurrecting animation, giving any lurking enemy a free kill.
Make sure you are aware of your surroundings before you cast Not Dead Yet. You do get a dismiss-like ability to escape enemies who are hard camping your spot, so that’s a relief. But enemies can always just avoid peeking you after you cast the ultimate, forcing you to die anyway.
As unique as they are, Clove is meant to be a selfish VALORANT controller agent, focused on fun and aggression. I’d be more comfortable having an Omen or Brimstone on my team as a secondary controller when I pick Clove. Their kit doesn’t have much to offer as a solo controller on defense.
Make sure you know what you are doing before instalocking Clove in your VALORANT games, especially on control-heavy maps like Breeze and Lotus. After all, you are still occupying the crucial role of a controller.
