While the majority of the VALORANT player base is waiting to get their hands on the trap-centric, map-controlling new sentinel agent Deadlock, many creators and media members were able to test her early in early access sessions. One of those creators, and one of VCT’s prominent analysts, doesn’t think she’ll dominate the meta though.
Jakub “Lothar” Szygulski, VCT EMEA desk analyst and content creator for DRX, provided detailed initial thoughts on Deadlock today during the VALORANT Episode Seven maintenance period. He stated there’s only a “very little chance” he will change his opinion that Deadlock is “turboweak.”
In his analysis, Lothar runs through her entire ability kit and breaks down the shortcomings of each of her abilities. He notes how easily her GravNet grenade effect can be turned off, and says that the slow and crouch effect it applies isn’t that powerful, especially on attack. He also noted numerous weaknesses in the Sonic Sensor trap: how loud it is when placed, how it can be destroyed even when active, and how it will do almost nothing to stop flankers and lurkers that can quietly walk past it.
Lothar did admit that he’s “excited” to see what can be done with the Barrier Mesh ability that generates barriers, but is disappointed that Deadlock’s signature ability doesn’t have a regenerative cooldown if it’s destroyed. As for her ultimate, he brings up the same points that other community members already made, that it’s both “[easy] to dodge and hard to hit [with].”
Related: Is Deadlock worth unlocking early in VALORANT?
If Deadlock doesn’t make a significant splash in the meta, then she would be the third straight agent to do so. When both Harbor and Gekko arrived previously, they were far less impactful than agents like Fade, Chamber, and KAY/O before them, and Harbor eventually needed significant buffs in order to become more relevant.
There is a path for Deadlock to become viable though, as her abilities can provide plenty of options during both post-plant scenarios and retakes. If placed correctly, the Barrier Mesh can be a significant and annoying obstacle to get past, while GravNet and Sonic Sensor can really slow down opponents. Ideally, we’ll get a better look at her once she’s live in-game.
