It’s hard to spot a ‘Phoenix main’ in VALORANT’s ranked these days, and Riot Games doesn’t seem to be worried about it. The controversial patch 7.04 is set to bring tweaks to 11 agents, but it completely overlooked the British duelist’s flawed design.
In a Reddit post dated Aug. 24, a user named HonestlyBadWifi called out the developers for ignoring Phoenix’s state in VALORANT, and the fact that he still has a six-point ultimate, when other agents like Viper, Breach, and Killjoy now have to collect nine to make it count.
They also summed up Riot’s attitude, highlighting how their focus has been too much on nerfing popular agents, rather than paying attention to unpopular ones. Phoenix’s kit is definitely “fun” and doesn’t take much to master, but he’s simply not viable against duelists like Jett and Raze.
Considering patch 7.04’s impending brutal nerfs to Jett’s kit; Phoenix’s pick rate may receive a much-needed spark. The sad part is that the boost won’t be because he’s a good duelist; it’ll be because of the anticipated decrease in Jett’s pick rate. Once players find a better option, they’ll flock to it. So, even if Phoenix enjoys an increase in popularity in the coming days, it’s only going to be temporary. His flair just isn’t enough for players to treat him well.
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Besides his fast-recharging ultimate and highly situational blind, Phoenix’s kit doesn’t bring much value as a space-taker. Honestly, if I were to pick him, it would be only because of his ultimate and his kit’s healing properties.
In high-elo games, it’s just too hard to discourage and counter opponents with Phoenix’s paper-thin, chip-damaging wall, flashes that are ineffective for site entry more than half the time, and easy-to-miss Molotov. His easygoing kit, however, can be good for low ranks, where mindless aggression pays off.
It’s also worth noting that some agents are meant to be beyond repair. Both Reyna and Yoru are at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to competitive viability. They are heavily ignored in pro play, and while Reyna is popular in ranked, Yoru sadly isn’t. Riot probably wants Phoenix to be in the same class.
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Reyna’s Empress ultimate and Devour overheal are some of the strongest abilities you can get in ranked. With Yoru, there’s a lot of outplay potential, and as much as he’s incredibly fun to play, he’s a nightmare to play against, if in the hands of an expert. They may not be popular, but their kits aren’t bad for taking space.
Phoenix’s kit is a bit of a hit-or-miss, and unless you’re an aim demon in VALORANT, you’d be better off picking any other duelist over him.
Published: Aug 25, 2023 05:00 am