It’s been a long time since Valorant introduced a new sentinel Agent. Over 18 months ago, in fact, which is a little strange until you remember it was Chamber, an Agent who completely busted the game’s meta for months after his arrival. Having been shackled by countless nerfs in recent times, Chamber was due a comeback. But those looking forward to the return of the king should beware of the new Valorant Agent Deadlock. The latest Valorant Agent is a potential new queen possibly set to quickly ascend Agent tier lists. The Nerd Stash had the chance to play her in Early Access and draw some conclusions about whether Deadlock is set to impact the meta.
New Valorant Agent Deadlock Borrows Elements From Other Sentinels
In many ways, Deadlock feels to Cypher and Killjoy as Gekko does to KAY/O and Skye. The Norwegian Agent is a halfway house between a site anchor and a flank watcher, just as Gekko straddles flash, stun, and recon abilities of other initiators. But in my short time playing her thus far, her strengths actually feel less about being a jack of all trades but a master of setting up potential utility combinations.
That’s not to say her kit doesn’t work well playing her aggressively and without the sort of team coordination you’d find in high-level ranked or pro play. Deadlock’s Sonic Sensor, which activates via sound, can be used to score easy kills in chokepoints and is brilliant in post-plant situations. Her Barrier Mesh, too, is obviously a menace to onrushing enemies when it’s so effective at blocking movement but can be shot through. I’ve seen plenty of players popping off with Deadlock with an aggro playstyle that wouldn’t suit a Cypher or Killjoy.Â
But the real potential that could see Deadlock as a meta Agent is in the wombo-combos. If you can coordinate your team to play off the back of her traps, using their utility to capitalize on stunned opponents, it’s very powerful. And unlike the other sentinel Agents who need time to deploy their utility in stationary positions, Deadlock’s is all done on the fly. She can quickly deploy Sonic Sensors and throw her other kit either on the move or from safe lineup positions. Although, it has to be said that I’m not sure her GravNet ability is all that useful; it’s too easily. removed (like a Cypher camera dart), and the crouch effect is rather underwhelming. Check out our overview of all Deadlock abilities for a detailed breakdown of what each does.
Deadlock’s Ultimate Might Need a Rework
Of course, the elephant in the room I haven’t mentioned yet is Deadlock’s ultimate ability. Annihilation looked gimmicky at a glance, but the more I’ve used it, the more I realize it’s overpowered in certain situations. If you’ve not yet fallen victim to it, the ability grabs a single enemy and pulls them along a thread, killing them unless they are broken out of the cocoon by a teammate. In 1v1 situations, it’s extremely difficult to counter — almost impossible, actually. Even used at the start of the round to randomly pick an enemy peeking a chokepoint, it’s proving far too strong.Â
There always needs to be counter-play in a tactical shooting experience such as Valorant, and I’m not sure there’s enough of that going on in this instance. Perhaps the area of effect that sucks players into the cocoon should be slower to deploy? There needs to be a greater chance to dodge, I think. The other issue is how long it takes to break. Actually, this is an issue with Deadlock’s Barrier Mesh, which also takes forever to destroy. Against all but rifles or LMGs, Barrier Mesh, and Annihilation are too tanky.
The result are awkward situations where it feels as though Deadlock’s kit makes for unfair scenarios for enemy teams. It’s fun when you’re winning, but not so much on the other end of the chaos. Some of her abilities might need some tweaking. This isn’t how we want Deadlock to become meta.
Is Deadlock a Meta Agent?
Although, I’ve said that in the past about Agents, only to find weeks after their launch that they’ve had minimal impact on the meta. I’m not so sure this time around, though. It feels to me that for the first time in a while, Riot Games might have got the balance wrong. Where Harbor was underpowered and Gekko was fairly well-balanced, Deadlock’s kit seems problematic and in need of massaging.
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But anyway, enough of all that. Is the new Valorant Agent Deadlock actually fun to play, you ask? The answer to that question is… kinda. Deadlock’s utility is interesting but hardly thrilling to use. As I mentioned already, what certainly is cool about her design is that she can be used in a fluid, mobile way but also in a very rehearsed and tactical fashion, too. She has casual appeal, but the nerdy lineup Larry’s will also find plenty to enjoy.
The question is whether the entertainment value at this early stage of her joining the meta is more about trolling helpless victims of her ultimate than the actual value and excitement she brings. I’m curious to see whether in pro-play she actually makes for a better sentinel than Cypher and Killjoy, who are both very established on a handful of maps. As ever, time will tell, and in the meantime, we’ll enjoy our free Annihilation kills.
