Are Radiant players boring? VALORANT agent pick rates say Iron players experiment more

The experience of playing ranked VALORANT couldn’t be any more different between Iron and Radiant players. Of course, that should be expected when comparing the highest and lowest ranks, but the players at the bottom of the competitive ecosystem are at least more willing to try new things.

Episode Seven, Act One is almost over, with roughly a week remaining. This was the first official act featuring the game’s latest agent, the crowd control specialist sentinel Deadlock. Did Deadlock launch with the most impactful kit? No, certainly not one that makes her a clear-cut better option compared to other sentinels. But give credit to Iron players because they were more willing to try.

Iron players in competitive posted a higher pick rate for Deadlock this act than any other rank, ranging between four to five percent across all three Iron tiers, according to data from stats site blitz.gg. As you go up in ranks, though, Deadlock’s pick rate slowly decreased with each rank before reaching its absolute lowest point in Radiant. In Radiant, Deadlock posted a paltry pick rate of just 0.3 percent, tied for dead last with one of the game’s most overwhelmingly unpopular agents in Harbor.

Radiant players’ lack of diversity is disappointing but not surprising; once players reach the highest competitive tier and rank rating is a more valuable commodity, players are less likely to be more experimental. But why has Deadlock not landed with players in Radiant?

The answers come directly from the game’s pro players, who naturally compete in VALORANT’s highest tier of competitive mode. Many players have complained about the hit-or-miss nature of her ultimate and the ineffectiveness of both Sonic Sensor and GravNet compared to other abilities. Her only consistently useful ability is Barrier Mesh, given how annoying it can be for opposing players to break through.

Is Deadlock completely useless? No. But unlike agents like Astra and Chamber, her arrival hasn’t sparked a massive change at the game’s highest ranks. Shout out to the Iron players looking to shake things up, though.