How should Riot nerf Kay/O?

KAY/O is the most recent agent added to the Valorant roster. He’s also arguably the most overpowered Agent Valorant has introduced.

The community is almost certain that KAY/O will receive a nerf in the next major patch, especially once pro players get their hands on him.

Ahead, we’ll speculate about some changes we could see to KAY/O in the future, along with what we’d like to see stay the same.

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What do we keep?

Before we get into any proposed changes, let’s talk about the parts of KAY/O’s kit that shouldn’t – and likely won’t – change.

First, his FRAG/MENT ability. This is a simple molly that zones opponents, and one of the weaker ones at that.

The mechanics of KAY/O’s ultimate will almost certainly stay the same as well.

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We’ll talk about potential nerf to it ahead, but the suppression and ability for him to be revived will almost certainly be in the game for the foreseeable future.

KAY/O’s flash is another untouchable ability. It’s far from the only flash in the game, but it’s the most similar Valorant flash to a flash in CS:GO, which is clearly intentional.

Now, let’s talk about what we would change about KAY/O.

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ZERO/POINT changes

KAY/O’s E ability, or ZERO/POINT, is probably the most broken part of his kit. The knife marks and suppresses enemies, giving KAY/O the ability to see which players he suppressed.

We have a few proposed changes for this one. Making all of these nerfs would be overkill, but one or two of them should be on the table.

• Make it line-of-site, so you can’t use the ability through walls.
• Shorten the suppression duration.
• Increase the cooldown or make it refresh on a kill.
• Increase the time it takes to pulse, giving players more of a chance to shoot it.
• Stop the ability from marking specific opponents, only giving you numbers like a KJ ult.

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Ultimate Changes

KAY/O’s ultimate could probably use some tweaking as well.

Most of the mechanics of the ult are unique and relatively balanced. Sticking a res on a downed KAY/O is risky, and opponents can just as easily use him as bait.

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The range on the suppression is a bit oppressive and could get a nerf.

With some adjustments to ZERO/POINT, however, we could see NULL/CMD staying the same – at least, at first.

Do you think these nerfs went too far? Not far enough? Let us know on Twitter @JaxonMVP.