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While waiting for the 8.11 patch notes to be released on June 11, fans got a glimpse at a preview of Agent updates coming in that patch. Valorant players were quick to notice that with all the upgrades, Neon might become the new meta. Does she actually stand a chance?
Neon Becomes a Strong Candidate for the Meta
On June 5, the official Valorant account on X shared all aff the upcoming Agent updates. Dedicated fans read the article and one Agent stood out – Neon. The developers explained: “We want to sharpen Neon as an Agent who excels at taking mobile fights directly to her opponents by buffing the unique value she brings to the table. We’ve made her slide more effective at sliding directly into opponents by making it more combat-ready, and by removing all weapon movement error when sliding as well as a few other changes”.
As you might have guessed, this statement thrilled the fans. Time_Engineering6521 raved: “They went way over the top. 0.2 secs after sliding to get gun up, no accuracy penalty, 2 charges, stun activates faster.. god have mercy on my low sense”. PresenceOld1754 added: “The stun is my issue. I understand she needs a compensation nerf, but I feel like her stuns are significantly more important than her slide”.
Another one of Neon’s fans, KrillLover56, answered the burning question. They said: “As someone who plays Neon, yes. Cypher will destroy her as much as he already does. But if a good Neon player can match into a team with Cypher or KJ, she can completely take over the game. Her attack side is now scary where if you get hit by any util (including her stun) she can kill you. Her defence is better now as she can rotate for days”.
Special-Silver4162 contributed: “I am Neon main and she was good, yet underrated ALREADY. I am scared of these buffs because they will certainly push everything up. Rioters will come up with huge nerf, that will destroy any fun”. This is a solid concern, for sure.
Not All Valorant Players Support Neon
As usual, different players have different opinions. Dokkancents shared their insight: “The reason why she [Neon] would rather have a hard time becoming meta is that she is a purely horizontal movement duelist. Raze and Jett’s strength comes from being able to vertically enter a site or even in a single mid air dash, which allows them to dodge most sentinel util, such as KJ mollys, Cypher traps, and so on. Being able to fly past sentinels set up is what makes them a desirable pick. Neon still gets caught by Cypher traps and the likes”.
OneWithTheSword agreed: “She won’t become meta because of her skill curve IMO. However, Neon one tricks are going to become the most terrifying thing to encounter”. Apexay101 added: “She will be good for sure, but she is a hard agent to be good at”.
We are rooting for Neon. Of course, players still have to wait for the patch notes to assess her chances of becoming the meta. Also, you’ll get to see the new map! Hopefully, the developers will surprise us all.