Riot Games recently expanded their Valorant agent roster with the introduction of a fearsome assassin, ISO. He is a Chinese hitman for hire and adds significant depth to the game’s lore.
Shortly before the release of ISO, there were many rumors regarding him being the Valorant agent meta breaker. However, despite all the hype created by the developers, so far, ISO has been anything but just another Valorant duelist.
Jett and Raze, both of whom are currently the hero shooter game’s most picked agents, were on the verge of being sidelined by ISO. Nevertheless, they can now rest in peace knowing they are still in pretty much the same ranking.
If anything, the introduction of ISO only further cemented Jett’s and Raze’s positions as still the best duelists in Valorant.
As such, one cannot help but wonder what went wrong. Therefore, in this article, we will take a quick look into why ISO is not a game-changer Valorant agent despite all the hype created about him. Without further ado, let’s begin!
Why ISO is NOT a Game Changer Valorant Duelist
If you wonder why I say that ISO is NOT a game-changer Valorant duelist, the reason for this is very simple: his abilities are not designed for team play. He is rather a lone wolf, seeking to stack up kill counts on his hit list.
When Riot Games introduced ISO, every player who managed to unlock the latest duelist, was quick to play as ISO. However, the pick ratio drastically declined as ISO continued to prove itself more and more difficult for the majority of players to adopt.
Even I also play Valorant. And the more matches I played following the release of ISO, the lesser I saw ISO being picked by players.
You will not be wrong to think that ISO only needs some practice getting used to. I also thought the same before I tried him out. Since I’m an average “team” player, ISO quickly got on my nerves and I wasted no time in reverting back to Brimstone, my favorite Valorant agent.
In case you have ISO locked but still want to try him out anyway, you can buy yourself an ISO-unlocked Valorant account from Eldorado and see if you can get a hang of him.
As I see it, it is not surprising why ISO failed to appeal to Valorant players. ISO’s failure to live up to its hype can mainly be attributed to the nature of how Valorant is and should be played.
The hero shooter game is all about team tactics and gameplay strategies. Each agent in Valorant has access to a unique skill set and serves one of the 4 key roles: Sentinels, Controllers, Initiators, or Duelists.
Since ISO is a Duelist, he belongs to the more offensive class of agents. While his abilities are indeed deadly and truly live up to its hype, there are sadly very few players who can fully master it. Therefore, despite his abilities being overkill, ISO still falls short when it comes to team gameplay.
In other words, ISO is the perfect choice for Pro Valorant players, and that, too, is only for those pro players who main as a Duelist in the game. As mentioned above, ISO is more of a lone wolf and hence is only effective for players with good aims.
Therefore, average players are not picking ISO as often as other agents. Even when it comes to only duelist agents in Valorant, I doubt an average player would give more preference to ISO than, let’s say, Phoenix or Jett, both of whom are much easier to get used to and actually contribute to team play.
Iso Abilities and Valorant Team Gameplay
To get a better understanding of why ISO lacks when it comes to team coordination, let us have a closer look at his abilities and see how they contribute to Valorant’s team gameplay.
ISO’s Double Tap essentially makes a player completely immune to any one instance of damage. However, in order to activate it, the player would need to get a kill. And on top of that, they must shoot the orb after the kill in order to activate the shield.
Unsurprisingly, all this requires precise aiming. Failure to do so will instantly fire back, as you will be the one getting killed if other enemy players are nearby. Therefore, this ability is only good as long as you are good at making first blood in Valorant matches.
As such, aiming is something that the majority of Valorant players are not good with. They either get a first kill by chance or by luck. And for the most part, they stick with their teams, something not ideal for a duelist.
As far as Undercut is concerned, this ISO ability is only useful if you are experienced in diving headfirst into enemy territory and racking up kills quickly from vulnerable foes. Again, this is something the majority of Valorant players don’t do as they usually stick with the team for coordinated battles.
ISO Contingency ability is perhaps the only ability that average Valorant players will have no issues using it. However, its effective use by such players can be subject to debate.
Despite being bulletproof, the moving shield barely lasts for 5 seconds before vanishing into the thin air. As such, it has a very time-limited use and requires quick action when activated. This is only good for pro duelists who waste no time getting into action. As for the average players, well, the shield would be long gone before they come up with the courage to move onto the battlefield.
Lastly, ISO’s Kill Contract Ultimate is only good as long as you are good in 1v1. Since an average player is not good at taking both quick and precise aims, they will only invite trouble for themselves with ISO’s Kill Contract Ultimate as they will be the one to go down in a 1v1 brawl.
As seen above, ISO as a duelist has very, very limited team gameplay. However, this is not to say or cement the statement that ISO is not for team play. In spite of his solo-focused abilities, you can still team play will ISO by thoroughly communicating with your teammates and making safe openings for them to enter sites on both the offense and defense.
Like every agent in Valorant, if you know how to use ISO correctly, you can probably be successful with him. But be prepared for lengthy training sessions with ISO first where you will further be improving your aim for the most part.
Now, with all the discussion above, what do you think of ISO in general? Have you played with him in Valorant? If so, then share your thoughts with us and let us know in the comments below!