KAY/O banned in upcoming Valorant Champions Tour Europe events

Olivia Richman Published 21/06/2021

Reports are circulating that KAY/O will be disabled in the Valorant Champions Tour Europe Stage 3 qualifiers and main event. 

KAY/O is Valorant’s newest agent, coming to the tactical shooter in Episode 3 Act 1. According to Upcomer, Riot Games is planning to disable KAY/O for the VCT Europe Stage 3 Challengers 1 event on June 28. This is in line with previous agent rollouts in the past. New agents have been disabled from official esports events to keep competitive integrity while developers monitor them in the past and it looks like KAY/O will be no different. Riot has even pressured third-party tournament organizers to keep new agents banned in the past.

The event’s qualifiers begin just six days after Season 3 Act 1’s patch goes live, meaning KAY/O may be still be imbalanced or buggy. 

In the past, Riot has even expressed concern over new agents being allowed in Valorant tournaments even outside of official circuits. Riot asked FaZe Clan to disable Killjoy for the FaZe Clan Invitational in August 2020 due to the agent still being “unstable.” 

It’s still unclear what KAY/O’s status for the North American qualifier and main event will be later this month. Going by past tournaments, KAY/O will most likely be disabled in all regions. Meanwhile, teams all over the world can practice with the new agent before the EMEA Stage 3 Challengers Playoffs in August when he is enabled. 

Who is KAY/O?

KAY/O is Agent 16 in Valorant. He’s a deadly robot that has been met with applause from the Valorant community. With an exploding blade, a blinding flash grenade, and deadly energy pulses, KAY/O is set to change the game’s meta upon his release. Learn more about his abilities here. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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