Iso becomes perfect Operator counter after VALORANT Patch 8.11 buffs

Iso is finally getting buffs in VALORANT Patch 8.11, and players believe it’ll make enemies think twice before picking up an Operator against him.

Patch 8.11 focuses heavily on changes for four duelists—Neon, Reyna, Raze, and one of VALORANT’s weakest agents, Iso. It’s no secret Iso has been underwhelming and outshined by the other duelists since his release, and he was due some kind of buff that would make him stronger like the devs did with the likes of Yoru, Cypher, and Deadlock.

With this next patch, there’s a list of positive changes to Iso’s Double Tap ability. Initially, Double Tap’s shield effect required Iso to get a kill and shoot an orb in the air. Now, he gets the shield for free after just waiting one second. He must get a kill and shoot the orb to refresh the shield’s duration, or get two kills for a second charge, but the initial free shield has its perks.

For example, players point out how Iso can now conveniently deal with Operator users like Jett or Chamber at the start of a round without putting himself or others in danger. Since Iso no longer has to secure a kill to activate his shield, he can use Double Tap, peek common Operator angles, and tank one hit if necessary. On attack, this can deny the OP user from getting the first blood and give Iso’s team a chance to take the site.

What’s even worse for OP users is if they immediately get caught in Iso’s Kill Contract ultimate while he has his Double Tap shield up. You would have to waste one slow OP shot to break the shield before going in for the kill, so the odds are definitely in Iso’s favor (unless he whiffs badly). This way, Iso gets an easy first kill while also removing the dangerous VALORANT sniper from the round before things get ugly.

One player suggested this buff could even deter players from buying an Opr altogether if there’s an Iso on the enemy team, calling it a “huge passive impact just from [him] being in the game.” After all, the OP is the most expensive gun in VALORANT, and it would suck to not get any value out of it if Iso ults and kills you at the very beginning.

We’ll have to see if this is enough to make the duelist more viable, but some are still skeptical; it will all become clearer when Patch 8.11 goes live.