Secret Kay/O, Phoenix, and Yoru buffs are being tested in PBE

Fariha Bhatti Published 25/06/2022

Updated versions of Kay/O, Phoenix, and Yoru are in the Public Beta Environment with a number of secret buffs.

Not all Valorant agents are equally viable. Phoenix and Yoru are traditionally weak in competitive games, and Kay/O only makes an occasional appearance. Due to the shifting meta, some agents often struggle to find footing in new acts.

Considering the plunging pick rate of the trio, Riot Games is testing some changes in PBE. Here are all the potential buffs coming for Kay/O, Phoenix, and Yoru.

Is Riot buffing Yoru and Kay/O in Valorant?

Riot has already buffed Yoru and Kay/O in the PBE and will be publishing the successful changes worldwide soon.

Yoru recently got a much-needed rework that had the potential to make him Valorant’s star duelist. After a successful stint spanning a week, his pick rate declined drastically. Riot is now tinkering with his Dimensional Drift to truly turn him into a master of deception.

In PBE, Yoru’s time to unequip DD has decreased from the previous 1.2s to 0.8s. The agent will be able to spook enemies for 12 seconds compared to the previous 10 seconds during his ultimate.

https://twitter.com/ValorLeaks/status/1540469425551187968

Blinds are plenty in Valorant, so Kay/O didn’t necessarily enter the squad as a flasher. His true purpose was to counter abilities in Valorant and refocus things on gunplay. Despite being around for a long while now, Kay/O has failed to convince players to pick him in fast-paced competitive games. Riot is testing the following changes to fix his viability.

FRAG/ment

Removed LOS requirement to deal damage
The range of zone decreased from 10m to 8m

NULL/cmd (ult)

Allies are the only ones that hear the full audio when KAY/O is revived.
Enemies will hear a short audio cue.

Is Pheonix the worst character in Valorant?

The spirited roster of Valorant is packed with tricksters who have niche abilities. Naturally, players prefer to choose aggressive duelists to climb the ranks quickly. Phoenix doesn’t really fit into any niche, making him one of the worst characters in Valorant.

Phoenix has long been due for a buff, and Riot is finally considering some changes. In PBE, Phoenix’s Curve Ball, Blaze, and Run It Back are getting tweaked to become more valuable in competitive games. Here are the potential changes players could see once he’s out of testing:

The max duration of his flash extended from 1.1s to 1.5s
Flash windup has decreased from 0.7s to 0.5s
If he stops bending the Blaze wall early, he will pull out his gun faster
He will now spawn back with the amount of shield he originally started with during Run it Back

It’s unknown whether these buffs would do any good in competitive play, but players are hopeful. Due to Yoru and Phoenix struggling, the duelist roster has been underpowered generally. Players only have a few good options to pick from, which is not enough in a crowded Valorant protocol.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

View full profile