Valorant teases Agent 19 with new abilities during VCT finals

Agent 19 got a surprise reveal at the VCT finals.

The Valorant Champions event has already produced many exciting moments. KRU Esports managed an insane upset over Sentinels, ACEND and Gambit finally met in the grand finals, and Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom pulled off some of the most insane one-taps the game has ever seen. Riot Games pushed one more surprise for Valorant fans to truly immortalize the grand finals as fans got a first look at the new agent headed to Valorant.

The teaser came right before the start of the best-of-five grand finals. The teaser started normally, with trippy graphics and existential questions being asked. But after a few seconds, the screen began shaking and distorting. The images turned into computer code that twisted and weaved to form the shape of a human. That figure is none other than the next addition to the Valorant roster.

What are Agent 19’s abilities?

The teaser didn’t show much of the newest character, but fans are already speculating what Agent 19’s abilities will be. 

The first hint we have is her scattered voice lines from the trailer. The most audible one is “I go fast,” which is still ambiguous. The most likely case is that she will have some sort of mobility tool. Data miners also claimed that her hidden files referred to her as “sprinter,” which further points to some kind of special movement option. Fans often complain that Jett has a monopoly on burst movement, so a new fast agent is frequently requested.

The hacker introduction to the teaser is another hint towards Agent 19’s kit. The best idea is to look at how hackers operate in other first-person shooters. In games like Rainbow Six Siege and Overwatch, computer geniuses tend to mess with their opponents’ abilities in some way. Based on this, Agent 19 could manipulate or shut down her opponents’ abilities. 

For example, after seeing Reyna’s Leer flash, Agent 19 could prevent its use for the rest of the round. This wouldn’t be nearly as useful against one-time abilities like Killjoy’s turret, but it would provide a new level of interaction between agents. If it works on mobility spells, she could become a counter to agents like the newly buffed Yoru or Jett. It’s also possible that she could drain the enemy’s resources and use them for herself. Agent 19 could steal enemy ultimate ability points to power her own abilities. 

Is Valorant getting a Filipino agent?

Many Valorant fans have been wanting for a Filipino agent to join the game’s roster of characters. Riot Games has kept a tight lid on the details surrounding Agent 19, but this is actually the second teaser we’ve gotten thus far. Several voice lines in the updated range alluded to the newest agent hailing from the Philippines. The previous range update included voice lines hinting at Chamber, including the fact that he was born in France. Considering previous teasers, Agent 19 is almost assuredly from the Philippines.

The trailer didn’t confirm fan suspicions, but the few voice lines from the trailer seem to have a slight Filipino accent. Valorant is huge in the Philippines, so adding an agent from the country would be very popular among the community. Fans will have to wait until the Valorant Champions Tour official stream is over to learn anything more about the character.