Riot wants Killjoy disabled in FaZe Clan Invitational event

Olivia Richman Published 06/08/2020

Riot Games does not feel confident in Killjoy’s “stability” just yet.

To ensure competitive integrity, the 12th agent will be disabled in the FaZe Clan Invitational tomorrow.

“Due to the recency of Killjoy’s release, there is a risk that multiple issues may negatively impact the competitive integrity of this weekend’s tournament,” FaZe Clan tweeted.

The esports organization noted that Killjoy had been disabled at the request of Riot Games developers, who don’t want the new agent in official Valorant tournaments until they are more confident in her stability. Valorant developers thanked FaZe Clan for “putting the competitive experience first” by agreeing to disable Killjoy.

This one’s on us.

Thanks for the understanding, and for putting the competitive experience first. Looking forward to watching a great tournament! https://t.co/J4maVOMHG3
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) August 6, 2020

Killjoy heavily criticized by Valorant fans

Removing Killjoy from the 14th tournament in the Ignition Series was met with praise from most Valorant players. Ever since Killjoy was dropped into the game alongside Act II, competitive players have felt she was a bit too OP.

100 Thieves’ Valorant captain, Spencer “Hiko” Martin, has been very vocal about the need for a nerf. Hiko was especially critical of her Nanoswarm ability.

“I think her mollies do a lot of damage too fast so it’s hard to even know you’re in a molly sometimes. I actually think Killjoy’s damage in the molly shouldn’t be ticks. It should be constant damage, like all the other mollies in the game are. It should alert you that you’re in the molly better,” Hiko explained in a Twitch stream.

Hiko admitted that his team had been scrimmaging against other pros earlier that week and that his squad didn’t even realize they were in Killjoy’s mollies until they were already down half of their health.

“I think they’ll fix it. I don’t think she’ll stay in the game like she is right now,” Hiko said.

The Valorant captain is most likely correct. Other agents, including Brimstone and Phoenix, had their molly abilities adjusted during the closed beta patch when it came to developers’ attention that players couldn’t typically avoid the damage due to its tick speed.

It’s not yet clear when Killjoy will be allowed in Valorant tournaments.

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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