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Valorant houses 19 Agents in its impressive character roster, each featuring four distinct utilities. While some Agents are human, others have managed to foster the power of Radianite and become Radiants. Astra, a Controller Agent in Valorant, is a Radiant who knows how to use cosmic energy to her advantage.
That said, her pleasant character and universe-manipulating abilities aren't enough to intrigue fans. Astra has been one of the most under-picked Agents since her launch. Her unpopularity is mostly due to the steep learning curve of her abilities, but her condition in Valorant worsened after she received a brutal nerf.
Astra features a decent pick-rate in the pro scene, with players combining her prowess with that of Viper or even using her Controller abilities singularly. However, she has been consistently unpopular on Valorant's ranked ladder. Even in pro-scenes, most players seem to prefer Omen and Viper more than her.
There are quite a few reasons why Astra remains the most under-picked Controller Agent in Valorant's meta. The five most distinguishable reasons are stated below.
Here are 5 reasons why Astra doesn't enjoy a high pick-rate in Valorant
1) Astra's kit is complicated
The main reason behind Astra's unpopularity seems to be her utility kit type. When compared to her, Brimstone, Omen, and Viper seemingly feature much easier to deploy utilities.
Players with the ability to plan ahead of execution do well with Astra's stars. On the other hand, Astra doesn't suit an impulsive playstyle. Players have to place stars in a position where they want to use her abilities. It's almost impossible to make proper use of her kit without mastering them.
2) Astra has only 4 options for her utilities
Astra doesn't come with the versatile availability of smokes throughout a round like her fellow Controllers, Viper and Omen do. Astra's utilities can only be reused if she has a star, to begin with. She has only four stars that corner her into choosing a certain utility over another.
Although her utilities can be reused multiple times, she can only use her utilities for a total of four times in a round.
3) Her nerf wasn't balanced
Astra once climbed up the meta ladder when players discovered her potential as a Controller. Before her nerf, Astra featured five stars and enjoyed a lower cooldown on her abilities. She was practically over-powered on certain maps like Ascent and Bind.
That said, Riot Games soon realized her one-sidedness and nerfed her kit brutally. While a nerf to change the popular meta was needed, Astra may have endured much more than required. Following the nerf, Astra suffered a crash in pick-rate and is now one of the most under-picked Agents, both on ranked and pro-scenes.
4) Astra isn't usable as a single Controller on all maps
Astra is only viable on two out of seven maps (Pearl and Ascent) in Valorant, if not in a double-controller setup. Pro-players use her on maps like Ascent as a singular Controller on the team. On other maps, players prefer to use Astra only in a double Controller setup, with Omen or Viper.
Apart from pro-scenes, most players prefer to include one Controller on their team to make room for other Agents. As a result, Astra is massively ignored in Valorant's ranked ladder.
5) Other Controller Agents can easily replace her
Astra's Nova Pulse, Gravity Well, and Cosmic Divide is unlike any other ability that another Controller has in Riot's tactical shooter. She definitely features a unique kit that could be powerful if Riot Games paid some attention to her design.
As of now, Astra is easily replaceable with Viper and Omen, and at times, with Brimstone. Hence, players would rather choose another Controller Agent which poses as a better option.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.
