ranked Valorant

Valorant patch 7.07 reverts anti-smurf rank restriction, buffs Cypher

By Fariha Bhatti

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Oct 3, 2023

Reading time: 2 min

Valorant patch 7.07 reverts a crucial update that prevented smurfs from entering high-ranked lobbies.

The recent patch includes minor updates that will potentially have a major impact on the Valorant meta. Patch 7.07 acknowledges the smurfing problem in Valorant and rolls out a minor but significant buff for Cypher.

Earlier this month, Riot pulled the curtain on Valorant rank restriction, which barred low-ranked players from Ascendant and the ranks above. This rule aimed to reduce smurfs at the highest level of Valorant but was met with mixed reactions.

Now, Riot has reverted the rule with a promise to tackle this smurfing problem in a different and more effective manner. 

“We still recognize that boosting is a risk to competitive integrity and are working on an appropriate long term solution that doesn’t impact your ability to play with friends in a 5 stack,” Riot said.

Starting patch 7.07, gold players can once again queue with their Ascendant friends, as long as they’re in a five-stack. 

This change comes with an acknowledgment that smurfing is a real problem in Valorant and that Riot is already working on a solution that effectively solves the issue without impacting the existing players in Valorant. 

Cypher gets a small buff in Valorant patch 7.07 

The Moroccan spy is also receiving some love from Riot in Valorant patch 7.07. Upon dying, Cyphers’ ultimate becomes redundant if he is in the middle of activating the Neural Theft, but that would change in Valorant patch 7.07. 

Cypher Valorant

Cypher’s ultimate will remain activated and reveal enemies on the mini-map, even if he has died, allowing his teammates to benefit from the sacrifice. While this may seem like a small update, it could significantly impact the current Valorant meta.

Besides this, patch 7.07 fixes multiple bugs in Premier and general ranked games, and adds a visual upgrade to Haven.

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