With VALORANT Champions Tour Masters now in the rear-view mirror, Riot Games is making some balance changes that should impact the meta. And 100 Thieves captain Spencer “Hiko” Martin had plenty to say about them.
The pro player discussed Patch 2.06 during his Twitch broadcast today, commenting on the adjustments to Viper, Yoru, and the Bucky shotgun.
Viper is getting major changes to her kit, with the most impactful buff instantly inflicting enemies with 50 decay when they enter her poison gas. While Hiko admitted that the adjustments are “big” and that her pick rate might increase, his main qualm is with Viper’s ultimate.
“I still think that they should rework her ult because it seems like a lot of the times her ult is more a liability than it is a positive,” Hiko said. “And a lot of Viper mains you see, the only time they really ult is just for post-plant or for retaking.”
Yoru will receive a couple of buffs as well. The duelist’s flash duration will be longer, while the time it takes to activate will be quicker. And his Gatecrash ability will now have a 35-second cooldown instead of requiring two kills for a refresh.
Even though Hiko thinks Yoru’s “a lot better now,” he’s unsure if his kit lends itself to being a duelist.
“I don’t know if he’s a duelist anymore,” Hiko said. “They’re buffing his utility and I feel like now he has a lot of utility and, as a duelist, I feel like almost you don’t want your Yoru to die anymore because he gets his Gatecrash.”
The team captain also said that he doesn’t like how players, including himself, assume that “duelists have to be entry” or “controllers have to be passive.” And if a duelist can be a support in a specific team comp, Yoru can “be the first” one that can play a more supportive role.
The last major balancing change in the patch includes some reworking of the Bucky, making it far less effective at longer ranges. Hiko said that the Bucky was “broken for too long” and that players will likely opt for purchasing a Shorty, Sheriff, or Ghost instead.
VALORANT Patch 2.06 will likely go live later today.
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