All KAY/O changes in Valorant Episode 5 Act 2 and how they will dictate his place in the meta

Valorant's upcoming patch 5.07 is set to change an important part of the in-game meta for good, primarily affecting popular playstyles for certain Duelist and Initiator Agents.

KAY/O, one of the most popular Initiators, has been on top of the competitive meta for a long time. He was once an underrated Agent, but players quickly realized the potential of suppressing their opponent's abilities. Adding on to his powerful knife, KAY/O's flashbang has proven to be exceptionally powerful in solo plays as well as team-based executions.

That said, the developers recently noticed an anomaly with KAY/O's FLASH/DRIVE, which was against the game's original intent. Patch 5.07 aims to fix the reported oddity with KAY/O and three other Agents.

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How the new KAY/O changes will affect Valorant's competitive meta

The upcoming agent modifications will nurture a new competitive environment. Patch 5.07 includes a host of updates to Skye, KAY/O, Yoru, and Reyna's flash/near-sight abilities. Players will find the need to adjust and foster new playstyles for the affected Agents, especially Skye and KAY/O, who have received considerable nerfs.

Here are all the upcoming changes related to KAY/O in patch 5.06:

FLASH/DRIVE (Q)

1. Underhand (right-click) flashbang max duration decreased 2s>>>1.25s
2. Overhand (left-click) flashbang max duration increased 2s>>>2.25s
3. Unequip Delay out of both flashes increased .6s >>> .85s

Riot Games managed to balance KAY/O's FLASH/DRIVE nerf pretty well. The team wanted to reward players who master overhand flashes (left-click), which are trickier to place into the right spot when compared to underhand flashes (right-click).

The tuning will instate a higher maximum flash duration for overhand (left-click) flashes, but slap a lower maximum flash duration for underhand (right-click) flashes. This will make KAY/O's FLASH/DRIVE more effective in long range executions, but lessen the power of his pop flash when compared to Phoenix or Yoru.

KAY/O will become less efficient in solo play owing to the reduction in max flash duration for underhand flashes and increased unequip delay. Mastering his overhand flashes will allow players to enjoy a buff while functioning as a team.

KAY/O is presently one of the most-picked Initiator Agents in Valorant and the changes will definitely affect his popularity for some time. However, players are expected to learn their way around the changes and adapt to a new playstyle based on Valorant's original intent.

The patch notes also mentioned how Duelists like Reyna and Yoru were underperforming in one versus one situations when compared to Skye and KAY/O, who thrived in solo plays due to their powerful pop flashes. This wasn't the intention, as Dan “penguin” Hardison, a designer on Valorant's team, explained:

"Skye and KAY/O are often better at taking aggressive 1v1s than Agents that we expect to be able to thrive in those scenarios like Yoru, Phoenix, or Reyna."

Penguin also stated that Skye and KAY/O will be better as team-players after the patch, as the nerfs are aimed at reducing their efficacy when played alone in Valorant. He further explained the design team's intentions:

"We believe that Initiators should still be able to make solo plays, but they should ideally be weaker than their Duelist counterparts in these scenarios."

Following Valorant's patch 5.07, Reyna and Yoru will yield more powerful flashes. The changes are expected to make them stronger in solo plays.