It didn’t take long for fans to learn about the abilities coming with the new duelist joining VALORANT, Iso. Just a few minutes after his lore teaser trailer dropped on Oct. 19, videos of his ability kit spread across the internet like wildfire.
The reaction has been one of almost dismay from the VALORANT audience due to some wild choices for abilities. The VALORANT agent design team at Riot had a singular theme: excitement. According to designer Nicholas “Nickwu” Smith, Iso is more of a “juggernaut” duelist who rewards players who emphasize precision and confidence, which must refer to all my ranked teammates who think they’re TenZ.
Let’s take a deep dive into how each of Iso’s abilities work and how they can be used in a match.
(E) Double Tap
- Start a focus timer. Once completed, enter a flow state during which downed enemies you kill or damage generate an energy orb. Shooting this orb grants you a shield that absorbs one instance of damage from any source.
Way back when this agent was first teased, Riot hinted at an agent who would hit with the players “putting hours in clicking those orbs with aim trainers.” This ability seems to be perfect for players who spend hours in Aim Labs as they can shoot an orb that can absorb a “single instance of damage” like a Sova shock dart, a single Operator shot, or pretty much any piece of Raze utility.
(Q) Undercut
- Equip a molecular bolt. Fire to throw it forward, applying a brief fragile to all players
it touches. The bolt can pass through solid objects, including walls.
Undercut can be used to give you and your team an advantage if you’re able to nail an enemy with the bolt. The ability can be shot through walls, but the bolt itself is rather narrow, meaning you’ll need to have a pretty precise idea of where the enemy is before firing it.
(C) Contingency
- Equip to assemble prismatic energy. Fire to push an indestructible wall of energy forward that blocks bullets.
Many have already compared this ability to the Overwatch hero Sigma’s shield. It’s a super useful tool for covering angles that will let your team get onto a site or get a plant secured.
(X / Ultimate) Kill Contract
- Equip an interdimensional arena. Fire to hurl a column of energy through the battlefield, pulling you and the first enemy hit into the arena. You and your opponent duel to the death.
Referred to immediately as the “Gulag ultimate,” this is inevitably going to be the biggest source of frustration for teammates playing with an overconfident Iso. There are plenty of potential uses, especially in one-vs-two scenarios, but there’s also lots of opportunity for misuse and wasted potential.
