Riot Games has confirmed details regarding the character and role of the upcoming Valorant agent codenamed Mage. Agent 21 will be an Indian controller who seemingly likes samosas with a hot cup of tea.
All Valorant controllers in the current meta are unique. No smoker is versatile enough to shine on all maps, especially large ones. While Brimstone is equipped with massive globes of smokes, his mini-map tools limit him. Astra and Omen’s smokes are incredible, but their learning curve may deter players from trying them. Viper is simple to use, but her Toxic Screen isn’t exactly a thick shield of smoke.
Riot developer is diving back into the smoker category after releasing Astra at the beginning of 2021. The upcoming Valorant agent 21 is Indian, and their kit is likely water-based.
“We have seen that Controllers are in a bit of a drought, and it feels like we have to go all the way back to ancient times to our last new Controller release with Astra. Aside from Viper, introducing Controllers that can cover large open areas is a blue ocean of opportunity,” Riot developer John “RiotMEMEMEMEME” Goscicki said.
The first official teaser for Mage includes plenty of ocean puns, a pencil from a popular Indian brand, a cup of chai and a plate of Samosas, a savory treat in South Asia. The scenic background of an ocean view also features a diary with an Indian map scribbled in the corner.
The image is loaded with hints that suggest agent 21 is a controller hailing from India. All of this becomes clearer when you save the image file in the official teaser. The file is titled after famous street food in India, “samosachaat.jpg.” Riot has previously referenced the country’s popular foods in teasers, so this effectively cements it. Finally, the developer wrapped the blog in Hindi with “Jald hi milte hain,” which translates to “see you soon.”
Now that the official teaser has dropped, players should expect more consistent information to help them prepare for an agent that may toy with oceanic powers to block off the enemy’s sights. It’s too early to speculate how a water-based smoke might work. But, considering Riot mentioned Viper as an example, it won’t be a surprise if Mage brings an oceanic screen to hold off the opponents.
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