The winners and losers of VALORANT Patch 5.07

VALORANT Patch 5.07 has introduced a handful of new changes in the game’s most meaningful and meta-shifting update since Chamber’s nerfs from Patch 5.03 back in August.

The devs have implemented flash changes to some of its primary duelists and initiators, made some significant changes to numerous spots across Fracture, and finally added a “favorites” system to use on the Collection page.

So who won and who lost after the latest patch? Let’s jump into the winners and losers of VALORANT Patch 5.07.

Winners: Skye and KAY/O teammates

For players queueing alongside Skye or KAY/O, the changes to their flashes should encourage these initiators to set up their teammates instead of themselves. Skye’s changes are huge: her Guiding Light can no longer be destroyed, and its duration scales with how long it’s charged after cast. This means Skye can send her Guiding Light into deeper spots, allowing duelists to flash the close-range defenders, fully blinding the entire defensive setup on executes. The increase to KAY/O’s overhand flash should see similar effects since it’s more viable to throw his flashes deep now.

Losers: Solo queueing Skye and KAY/O players

But for Skye and KAY/O players playing selfishly and trying to make plays by themselves, it’s much harder now. Quick flashes for both agents are now reduced in duration, making these agents less viable as individual playmakers.

Winners: Reyna instalockers

Oh, what a day it is for the fastest instalockers in VALORANT. In its notes, Riot explicitly said that it wanted her Leer’s performance as a “selfish entry-tool” to improve—and that’s what the devs have done, making Leer’s effects equip faster and removing its range restriction. Leer’s overall duration takes a hit, but the fast and quick hit potential for Reyna has skyrocketed.

Losers: Operators holding long corridors against Reyna

Players holding the Operator on long angles will no longer be able to ignore Reyna’s Leer from a distance, with her Leer getting its range restriction removed. Now, players holding the Operator on long corridors will have to either shoot Reyna’s Leer down, evacuate their angle, or take a risky nearsighted shot in the dark.

Winners: Fracture players

The changes made to Fracture have really simplified the map, and looking at the overall changes, it seems like the map has remained pretty balanced with both attackers and defenders getting new advantages. Attackers can now drop into A site more safely and smoke off B Generator on executes. Defenders have more access to the expanded A Ropes area for retakes and can worry about fewer lurkers in their spawn. And the changes to Dish make it easier for both sides to attempt to gain control of the area.

Winners: Players with big skin collections

You’ve amassed quite the cosmetic collection since launch, and now it’s time to show it off. Players can now set their favorites for individual weapon skins, plus a ton of other cosmetics. You can now also set an equipable “Random Favorite” for each weapon.