Still OP? VALORANT players can’t decide if this agent needs more nerfs

Who would best suit the title if you had to name the second most controversial VALORANT agent after Chamber? Here’s a hint: It’s not Jett. 

When a Redditor said Viper is “still OP” in a popular post on Aug. 6, players hit back with justifiable reasons why she is the weakest controller in VALORANT’s current meta, leaving the verdict pretty uncertain.

The Redditor highlighted Viper’s dominant pick rate in VALORANT Champions 2024, where she is currently the second-most chosen agent after Omen. Calling out those who thought Patch 8.08’s nerfs were too much and would lead to the death of the poison queen, they emphasized her being a must-pick on maps like Icebox and Breeze, with her base strengths still remaining intact. 

While the argument makes sense to some extent, players were quick to point out Viper’s unreliability as a solo controller in VALORANT, especially in ranked games where double-controller comps are mostly frowned upon. They also stressed that her smokes—which are primarily supposed to block vision and help take control of the map—have one of the shortest durations among her peers. To top it off, she now has only one molotov to offer, taking away her crucial post-plant advantage before Patch 8.08. But the biggest deal-breaker has to be that players can no longer pick up her Poison Cloud (orb). 

Most of the fandom firmly believes that Riot Games unjustifiably nerfed Viper to curb her popularity in pro play, where double-controller setups are extremely common. But this has left her weak in the ranked meta, where players think twice before picking a controller in the first place, let alone agreeing to club Viper with Omen, Astra, or Brimstone to strengthen the team’s defenses. Notably, Viper isn’t played as a solo controller in pro play either.  

One player shared a fun strategy for ranked: “The secret is to wait for someone else to lock in smokes, pick Viper, get yelled at for picking a second controller, win 13-4, repeat.” Oh, what would I not give for the player base to be more accepting of double-controller comps featuring Viper? It’s the secret to winning more VALORANT games. 

Considering both sides of the story, Viper, in her current state, certainly doesn’t require additional nerfs. However, she deserves some balance changes or a rework to make her more viable as a solo smoker. Whether Riot will pay heed to the community’s requests and come up with a plan to fix her deficiencies is something we have to wait and see.