Valorant right now features a total of 25 agents across four different categories: Initiators, Duelists, Controllers, and Sentinels. Now, players choose them as per their playing styles. For example, aggressive players mainly go with Duelists, whereas players who like to watch the team’s back are with Sentinels.
Now, to maintain balance in the game, all the agents go through some nerfs and buffs. These processes make the game fair for all. However, for Iso, the drama of nerfing and buffing is pretty wild.
Iso: One of the Most Controversial Agents in Valorant
Iso is a Chinese Duelist who was introduced in Episode 7, Act 3 of Valorant, in November 2023. However, despite being a Duelist, this agent never had the charisma of other duelists like Jett, Reyna, or Raze. People used to leave Iso in the corner.
Then came the legendary buff in Patch 8.11, where his Double Tap was made universal. That means he didn’t have to shoot his opponents for collecting the orb to form a shield from their corpses. This buff made Iso one of the most picked agents in the game, even in competitive scenarios. His in-built shield was a tank against an Operator, and almost got a free kill every round.
As things were going out of hand, Riot decided to nerf this agent. In Patch 9.0, Iso’s shield duration has been reduced to 12 seconds from the previous 20. Also, now the Double Tap ability can’t be recharged. The only way to maintain the shield now is to continue killing enemies.
Fans Are at Different Poles Regarding Iso
Recently, a fan made a post on Reddit discussing Iso. He thinks that the ability to equip a shield without even killing anyone isn’t that great. Even when the whole world tagged Iso the “High ELO Terror” after the 8.11 buff, he still thinks he wasn’t OP at all. According to him, Iso has even become worse after the 9.00 nerf, compared to what he was before 8.11.
He has also stated the reason for his opinion. The fan thinks the only way to sustain the advantage of Iso’s Double Tap is to carry on killing people. Once the agent fails to kill an enemy for 12 seconds, his shield will be gone for the rest of the round. He also thinks the rest of his kit is pretty poor as well.
This player is also a fan of the old Iso. He just wants to alter some of his other abilities, as shielding was never a problem for him.
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However, there are different voices as well. This fan is okay with the shield. They just want Iso to control his wall’s movement, just like Harbor.
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This fan thinks that despite having a strong shield set-up, Iso’s other abilities, like his vulnerable or his wall are “severely underwhelming.”
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Iso has always been a confusing pick when it comes to ranked matches. Many players use this agent for its shield ability, even more so after its huge buff.
However, his vulnerable is also a key element in his kit and can give him an edge when taking fights 1v1. Also, this ability can also be paired up with Raze’s Nades or Sova’s shock darts to get some easy frags.
It currently remains to be seen whether or not Riot will take fan demands into consideration.
What’s your opinion on the Chinese contract killer in Valorant? Let us know your opinions as well on Iso in our comment section below.
