VALORANT

Leak Suggests Next VALORANT Agent Will Disable Other Abilities

Written by

Jack Marsh

Published

10th Jun 2021 13:15

As VALORANT's first birthday passed, the 14 million-large player base has had a chance to reflect upon just how far the game has come in 365 days.

With new maps such as Icebox and Breeze being added to the mixer, a range of new Agents has landed to shake up the meta. New agents such as Astra have dominated the meta, despite woes from the pro community, and heading into yet another season, another VALORANT agent is set to spice up life.

With the next character looking to expose gaps in the meta, new leaks suggest that the new VALORANT agent's abilities will disable other abilities.

New VALORANT Agent Teaser

Agent 16 has been leaked to be named "Grenadier", at least within the files. With many suggesting that this will mean an explosive agent may be landing, blessed with pyrotechnic exploitation, a new leak suggests that the new VALORANT agent actually be a master of shutting down other players.

According to leaks from "Cynprel," Agent 16 will harness the Radianite around the map with a knife, contrary to other leaks that suggest they will have a grenade ability.

🔻New Agent Teaser Update🔻

ARRIVAL IMMINENT

The teleporter looks more active than ever with that radianite texture!

—and what's this? A knife that seems to be interacting with the radianite inside the crate?

| #VALORANT pic.twitter.com/2VKB4UuhqS
— Cynprel // VALORANT Lore // Art (@cynprel) June 8, 2021

New VALORANT Agent Abilities Leaked

Within a blog post, Riot Games teased that "this is an Agent whose utility can create moments where you must rely on your gunplay,” which contradicts reports of an explosive atmosphere.

However, Cynprel also showcased a short video of the knife interacting with the Radianite, which now has people believing that Agent 16 will be the first agent which can disable enemy abilities.

🔻Next Agent Teaser🔻

Here's a better look at the knife!

Judging by the setup here, this may be the ability that disables other abilities.

| #VALORANT pic.twitter.com/mlb3zsSUO6
— Cynprel // VALORANT Lore // Art (@cynprel) June 8, 2021

This theory ties in with the thought that gunplay will be prominent, with the abilities being blocked. Many fans now believe that the knife will act as an EMP, either disabling any agent within the vicinity from opening their abilities or could be used as a direct counter to certain abilities.

The impact of Agent 16 could be detrimental to teams who use stacked smokes from the likes of Astra or Viper's pit, and players who rely on Sova's Hunter's Fury to pick up kills on the Spike through walls.

Players can expect the new VALORANT agent to land on June 22, following the conclusion of Episode 2 Act 3.

Image via Riot Games

About the author

Jack Marsh

Jack is an Esports Journalist at GGRecon. He joined the team after graduating from the University of Chester, with a BA Honours degree in Journalism. Specialising in Rocket League, Call of Duty, and trending gaming news, Jack aims to bridge the gap between players and audiences with interviews and creative features, alongside breaking esports news. Having been an avid esports enthusiast since Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, he is also knowledgeable in VALORANT and League of Legends.