VCT 2025 has ushered in new VALORANT duelist meta—and no, it doesn’t include Jett

If you’re stuck in the Jett era, it’s time to adapt to a new duelist VALORANT meta, just like your favorite athletes have been doing throughout the VCT 2025 season.

While the year started with Raze and Jett dominating the Kickoff tournament across all regions, the trend has slowly shifted to Yoru, Neon, Raze, and, interestingly, Waylay. Pro VALORANT teams mostly go for a double duelist comp with these agents, but occasionally choose to go solo with them.

In the 13 maps and six group series played in Champions 2025 until now, Jett was picked only once—by Team Liquid on Abyss. Things weren’t this bad for her even in Stage Two. Raze has also suffered damage to her reputation, considering she was once a popular duelist alongside Jett. But she still sits at a decent pick rate of 23 percent.

Yoru, on the other hand, currently boasts an agent pick rate of 54 percent in the tournament. Neon sits at 42 percent, while Waylay is at 15 percent.

Even if it’s only been three days into the tournament, the shift is still quite drastic, especially since Jett was once the most picked agent (and duelist) in the meta, while Yoru was heavily ignored in esports altogether. Now, the Japanese trickster hasn’t just become the most picked duelist, but also the second most popular agent in VALORANT Champions. He has also been a favorite throughout VCT 2025, being the top duelist agent in almost every tournament played this season.

While Neon has been enjoying a higher pick rate since her buff in 2024, Waylay wasn’t always a popular choice in esports. In fact, she was a sporadic pick till VCT Stage Two. Champions Paris, however, has seen teams put her unique lightspeed kit into good use, weaving some of the most entertaining VCT plays we’ve witnessed this season. I mean, who thought Waylay would surpass Jett’s popularity in a high-stakes tournament like Champions?

Neon and Yoru have been a favorite duelist duo throughout the 2025 season, while the promising Yoru-Waylay (or, Neon-Waylay) meta is just emerging. If you’re wondering why these combos work so well, here’s my take: pairing Yoru with Neon or Waylay unlocks the power of speed and manipulation at their best. When combined with a strong setup and good strategy, this duelist comp is incredibly powerful in the present VALORANT meta, which currently favors defense.   

Whether in esports or ranked, staying unpredictable can give you a major advantage, especially against opponents who rely on reading your moves. Combine Neon or Waylay’s speedy tactics with Yoru’s tricks, and your team will have a much easier time taking or reclaiming space. It makes trades much easier and keeps your enemies on their toes at all times: the idea is to make it difficult for them to react to your moves. So, if you’re still playing Jett or Raze in ranked and are frustrated with smurfing Reyna’s and Iso’s, it’s time to embrace the sneaky, speedy, and unpredictable style your favorite pros are mastering—and teach them a lesson.

Watching the world’s best teams use these agents in the most creative ways possible is nothing short of thrilling. VALORANT Champions has easily been the most entertaining esports tournament I’ve watched this year—as it should be—and it’s largely thanks to the teams that sparked the major meta shakeup.