Neon is set to be hit hard in the upcoming VALORANT Patch 12.09, and here is what that means for the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) ahead of Masters London.
The post-plant meta, the Chamber meta, and the Tejo meta are phrases that any die-hard VALORANT fan would recognize. Since the launch of VALORANT in 2020, the game has gone through cycles of various metas.
In 2026, one of the most impactful agents in esports and ranked has been Neon. With that set to change, here’s what it could mean for VALORANT esports.
VALORANT Patch 12.09 will go live on either May 12 or 13, depending on your timezone. Before we dive deep into the impact of the changes on the VCT esports meta, let’s take a look at the nerfs.
The first change to Neon comes to her ability, High Gear. Neon will no longer have a speed boost when airborne while High Gear is active. Her speed while running and jumping will be the same as her melee speed. The fuel bar for her ability will only regenerate with a kill during her Ultimate Fastlane. Her fuel bar outside the ultimate will still regenerate passively.
On paper, these nerfs may not seem significant, but that is not all. Riot Games will also nerf the accuracy of shotguns. The shotgun accuracy while the player is moving or jumping is being reduced. Another change is that all shotguns will receive a 15% accuracy multiplier while crouching. Last but not least, the Bucky will have its damage output reduced in the 0-8m range.
Image credit: Riot Games
If we take a look at the pick rate of Neon during Stage 1 of the VCT EMEA and Pacific, it stands at 82% and 81%, respectively. Interestingly, the second most-picked agent in both regions is Omen with a 50% average pick rate.
Thus, one can see the disparity in the pick rate between the two agents. With these nerfs, the agent will have its pick rate reduced drastically.
With the nerfs to Neon being live before VALORANT Masters London, the meta during that tournament will be different. Currently, we aren’t aware on which patch the tournament will be played on, but most likely, it will be Patch 12.09.
Due to this, a lot of the teams that have qualified for the tournament will start to make changes to their team compositions. One major change could be the return of Jett and Raze as the primary duelist agents on all teams.
We have already seen teams like Global Esports and Paper Rex use these agents during VCT Pacific Stage 1 with quite a bit of success. The meta will now have a higher probability to switch to a double Initiator or double controller meta. The duo of Omen and Viper could be used a lot more now that shotguns are nerfed.
Some teams will run a double Sentinel composition to make sure that they are defensively sound. Agents like Chamber and Veto will have an increased pick rate due to the mobility they provide on defense rounds.
Teams will be forced to play a lot more slowly on attack and be more pragmatic. It does feel like going into VALORANT Masters London, we might see the duration of each game increase by a few minutes. With Neon being nerfed, entering sites will become a lot tougher.
VALORANT Masters London is set to begin on June 6.
Read also: Remembering the career of VALORANT pro Tyler “sym” Porter
Featured image credit: Riot Games
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