VALORANT players agree this weapon has meta-breaking potential, but it isn’t quite there yet

With the esports scene manufacturing new competitive trends and players constantly sharpening their aim game, VALORANT’s weapon meta is bound to constantly shift.

While the Vandal and Phantom were once considered unrivaled buy round choices, another weapon is breaking through the stereotype and gaining the recognition it deserves—but it isn’t perfect.

In a Reddit post dated Nov. 2, a player highlighted the advantages of using a Guardian in a VALORANT loadout, stressing its high damage output and potential to end the pervasive light shields meta.

For those who aren’t aware, the light shields trend, popularized by Fnatic, involves the use of light shields instead of heavy shields since light armor essentially offers the same amount of protection against the Vandal and the Phantom. 

In esports and high Elo, it doesn’t matter whether you wear light or heavy shields because most players at that level will headshot you, which is lethal regardless of the weapon you use. The Phantom does deal 140 headshot damage between 15 and 30 meters away, which counters the light shields meta, but pros prefer saving the extra 600 credits over considering a single unfavorable case. 

But things change when the Guardian comes into question. Not only can it one-shot an enemy with its 195 damage to the head, you only require two bullets to the body (130) with this semi-automatic rifle to kill an enemy wearing light armor—assuming they aren’t an overhealed Reyna. If you ask me, it seems to be the perfect gun for holding long lanes and on maps like Breeze and Haven.

Naturally, that the Guardian is great for countering the light shields meta. Some players, however, think picking a Guardian over the iconic Vandal or Phantom might be more disadvantageous than it first seems.

“It’s too expensive for a budget buy and not good enough for a full buy when compared to Phantom and Vandal,” one comment added, and it’s a fair point.

For starters, the biggest disadvantage of a Guardian is its semi automatic firing mode; it just isn’t the same as having an automatic weapon. It’s priced at 2,250, while the Vandal and Phantom are both priced at 2,900 credits. The Guardian can be part of a good light buy loadout; it’s too expensive to be useful for an eco round. These arguments are enough for players to turn their heads toward the Vandal and Phantom in most cases.

Missing your Vandal or Phantom shots in VALORANT despite having the crosshair directly over your target’s head is always painful. So, on days when I miss a few more shots than usual, I involuntarily switch to using the Guardian, just to force myself to aim. While it works magically for me, most players wouldn’t want to risk their kill number for healthy aim practices.

Getting the most out of the Guardian in VALORANT requires practice, and only those with patience and excellent aim can commit to buying it over regular weapon choices. And it certainly isn’t a low-Elo-friendly gun.