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Valorant Patch 5.07 is set to introduce various changes to the Agents, the map Fracture, user-interface, and several other bug fixes and quality of life updates. One of the Agents that's receiving a major overhaul is Reyna. This time around, her flash ability Leer is being modified.
Valorant is a first-person tactical-shooter title developed by Riot Games. It was launched back in 2020 and since then has amassed a large playbase. The game involves two teams of five players each who pick Agents with unique abilities that allow them to gain an advantage over their foes.
Everything players need to know about Reyna changes in Valorant Episode 5 Act 2
Valorant Patch 5.07 will be making major changes to the flash abilities of the following Agents - Reyna, Yoru, KAY/O, and Skye. While the former two are being buffed, the latter two are being nerfed to reduce their viability as an alternative to Duelists.
According to the developers at Riot Games:
"When it comes to Duelists with a flash ability, many of them have been outclassed by some of our Initiators when it comes to generating kills for themselves off their flashes. 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."
They talked about how new changes are set to be beneficial for players, especially the ones made to Leer:
"Reyna’s flash underperforms as a selfish entry-tool, especially at higher skill levels. This set of changes is intended to give Reyna more agency around how she decides to peek after casting Leer. Also, it should sharpen Leer as a powerful angle-breaking tool against Operators on maps with longer sightlines."
They further added:
"We’ve also felt like individual casts of the eye remain in the world for too long when the eye isn’t destroyed. If Reyna is now able to make more selfish plays off her Leer, we then wanted to reduce some of the value it has when thrown for teammates."
Hence, the following changes are being made to Reyna:
Leer (C):
- Wind-up of nearsight effect decreased .6s >>> .4s
- Range Restriction on Leer removed
- Nearsight unequip delay decreased: .7 >>> .5
- Duration decreased 2.6s >>> 2.0s
How will Reyna's Leer ability changes impact Valorant's gameplay?
Keeping in mind the numerous changes incoming for Reyna, it will impact her playability in the following ways:
1) Peeking wide-open areas confidently:
Currently, Reyna's Leer doesn't blind enemies positioned at long distances from her. Players using sniper rifles can especially be holding these angles. Now with infinite range on the Leer, she can blind enemies across all ranges, enabling her to peek at those angles confidently. This can even be used to assist her teammates to quickly get across open areas where a sniper might be positioned.
On maps such as Breeze, where there are lots of long-range engagement scenarios, Reyna will be a much more viable Agent post patch.
2) Quick flashes
Agents such as Skye and Phoenix can instantly flash an angle to clear it and are deemed to be some of the most aggressive Agents in Valorant.
While Reyna is considered an aggressive Agent, her Leer ability wasn't viable as a blinding force. She was previously limited on attack rounds when entering a site due to the time it took between deploying her flash and her foes getting blinded.
However, now with the decrease in "wind-up of nearsight effect" timer, her flash almost instantly blinds enemies, allowing her to go more aggressive while clearing an angle or rushing a site.
3) Faster gameplay
Finally, the decrease in time required to equip the weapon after deploying her flash, Reyna can flash and instantly peek into any corner while being ensured of a weapon in her hands. Presently, there's a set delay in the time it takes her to throw the Leer and equipping her gun. With this delay decreased in the upcoming patch, Reyna can now go more aggressive than ever.
Conclusion
Reyna, despite being a Duelist, is one of the slowest Agents in Valorant when it comes to being aggressive. Jett can dash, Raze can satchel, Neon can sprint and Phoenix can flash instantly, and all these unique abilities allow them to use speed and quick actions to bamboozle their enemies.
After the patch, Reyna's flash ability will be much more viable, allowing her to execute fast, aggressive gameplay and be more selfish in her approach. This will result in an increased pick-rate for the Agent in competitive play. In VCT Champions Istanbul, Reyna only had a 1% pick-rate.
The Valorant 5.07 patch will go live on October 4. However, depending on the time zone, this date can shift to October 5.
