Pro reaction to Iso release suggests another VALORANT agent with minimal meta impact

As fun and stylistic as the new VALORANT agent Iso is, his ability kit does not inspire a ton of confidence that he’ll be a prolific part of the game’s meta, at least according to several member of the pro community.

Iso is still in his very early stages, with only players that have early access getting to play him currently at time of writing. Naturally though, that includes a number of pro players and people tied to the pro community. So far, the reaction appears to be that Iso really isn’t all that special, based on what some pros have had to say.

Sean Gares, former coach of 100 Thieves who’s currently streaming for Shopify Rebellion, doesn’t see a ton of value in the Iso kit. He says Contingency, the bulletproof wall that moves forward like Harbor’s Cascade, can be easily countered by utility that slows, stuns, flashes, or deals damage, since the shield only blocks bullets and not abilities.

“In a game where all the duelists are self-sufficient, this agent is not. He’s weirdly reliant on other people to do shit,” he said. Gares isn’t completely negative towards Iso though; he says the ultimate can be an excellent retake tool when Iso catches an agent that provides a lot of post-plant utility, like a Viper, Brimstone, or Sova. He also noted how useful Iso’s ultimate can be in negating opposing ultimates.

Other members of the pro community struggled to find positives though. Former NRG in-game leader Pujan “FNS” Mehta said that Iso is not good enough for pro play, as he doesn’t provide enough at the duelist role that agents like Jett or Raze do. FNS noted though that he thinks Riot is purposefully releasing underpowered agents rather than broken ones, like Chamber and Astra in the past. Perhaps this is because it’s easier to buff an agent after release than to nerf one.

FNS’s former coach, Chet Singh, is considering a solution: Build a new style of composition that doesn’t treat Iso like a normal duelist. “I think you have to not approach it like you’re trying to fill one-for-one,” Chet said recently regarding Iso as the main duelist in a comp. “You have to completely make something [new] for him. How is a wall that blocks all bullets not good?”

Regardless of how pros feel now though, sentiments toward Iso could easily change after he’s fully released, and after pro teams and players do their due diligence of experimenting with him. Still, many believe he will be a fun and popular choice for ranked at the very least.