The effects of VALORANT Patch 8.11 on the pro meta have been instantaneous. But as the 2024 VCT season progresses and the matches become must-win, it’s tough to say whether teams will stick with the new changes.
Patch 8.11 drastically shook up the duelist class earlier this month, providing massive buffs to both Iso and Neon, while “balancing” Reyna with changes that favored teamwork over solo play, and giving Raze a slight nerf to her satchel boost movement capabilities. All three enhanced duelists have seen time on the VCT stage, but it feels like one in particular will be sticking around in pro VALORANT moving forward.
Neon looks poised to be a permanent fixture in the pro VALORANT meta, barring any future nerfs to her power. With max strafing speed, a second slide charge, no sliding movement error when firing, and instant equip speed after sliding, she’s a certified menace on almost any map. LOUD’s in-game leader Saadhak has embraced Neon, using her speed to gather info needed to make calls at a lightning-fast pace while creating space for his teammates to make plays. But he was outdone by Evil Geniuses’ Jawgemo, who was just bullying LOUD with Neon on Sunset during EG’s week one win, making VALORANT look more like a fast-paced arena shooter such as Unreal Tournament.
Iso also got some time on the VCT stage, though not as much as Neon. Iso’s strengths as a tank-like duelist were apparent, but his weaknesses such as his ineffective Contingency shield and slower movement were also clear. Iso’s time to shine might also be gone already as Patch 9.00 goes live today, taking away his two-kill Double Tap reset and reducing the Double Tap duration from 20 to 12 seconds.
Even Reyna and Iso made single appearances on the VCT Americas stage in week one, but the two will likely remain niche picks. Raze’s pick rate has already seen a huge dropoff, down to roughly 13 percent after week one of stage two, following a stage one pick rate of around 44 percent.
