Valorant: Riot Nerfs Sage Further and Introduces Remake in Competitive

Riot released the 1.07 update patch notes for Valorant today, and it came with a score of major changes. Amongst the noticeable changes is yet another attempt to nerf Sage. Killjoy has also got her first major update. On the other hand, Viper has got a mild buff. This update is perhaps the biggest one yet in Act 2 and will affect the current meta, both in public and competitive gameplay.

Further reading: Valorant Devs Reaffirm The Necessity For Player Reports

Sage gets a massive nerf while Viper gets a mild buff

Sage’s nerf was perhaps one of the most significant changes brought about by this update. Although she is no longer a part of the stable meta, she had been widely regarded as one of the strongest support/medic agents in terms of utility. An unforeseen contender to her turned out to be Reyna, who has dominated the current meta along with Jett, from time to time.

Changes made to Sage are:

• Her healing power now recovers 60 HP in five seconds as opposed to 100 HP earlier. The same goes for her self heal which now recovers 60 HP as well over 10 seconds.
• Devs have reduced her slow orb ability radius by as much as 30%.
• On the upside, her barrier orb ability now costs 300, instead of 400.

Nerfing Sage does seem a little redundant since she is currently the only healer. Axing her healing abilities and passive tactical ability (slow orb) will affect the gameplay heavily, more so in competitive where the stakes are much higher.

On the other hand, there is Viper. She has had her fair share of dominating the meta but is currently one of the more neglected agents. However, it looks like this current buff might bring her back to the forefront as someone who can aid in holding the fort.

Thanks to the new update, Viper can now plant her toxic screen during the buy phase and through the spawn barriers. The screen rises faster too. Moreover, her smoke ability does not decay allies anymore. In addition to this, Viper’s pit is now visible to teammates on the mini-map.

Riot introduces remake feature in Valorant

Speaking of competitive gameplay, this update has brought a feature that will benefit players hugely. The surrender feature did a number on the player morale as they had no option but to end a match even due to technical issues. With the introduction of the remake feature in competitive, players will get a second chance at competing in the same match without having to surrender. This is how it works:

• In the case of lopsided matchmaking, or players going AFK on one side throughout the first round, the team can call for a remake match vote by typing “/remake” in chat. All the connected players can participate in the vote. Note that the remake option is only valid until the end of the buy phase. 
• However, there is a trade-off: The remade match will not show up on the match history. Neither will the players participating in the vote receive any XP or Match Making Rating adjustments.
• On the other hand, disconnected players who are not part of the vote will take a full MMR loss for the game, and will receive a penalty equivalent to disconnecting from a full match. Now, although this seems a bit harsh, there is no way to distinguish between those who accidentally went AFK and those who disconnected from the match on purpose.

The latest update has a make-or-break potential, and the detailed consequences of it remain to be seen. But one thing is for certain; this will change the gameplay in significant proportions.