Valorant dev claims Phoenix’s patch 5.01 buffs might “not be enough”

While Phoenix received a helping hand in Valorant patch 5.01 with buffs to his Curveball flash, Riot aren’t 100% convinced they’re happy with the changes and are waiting to see if more buffs are required.

Phoenix has been out of Valorant’s meta for a bit. The duelist — who is one of the faces of Riot’s hit FPS title — floundered as one of the least picked Agents throughout Episode 4, and Riot took note of that.

Valorant patch 5.01 provided buffs to the Brit, specifically focusing on his Curveball flash. “We wanted to assess Phoenix in a world where Curveball is more competitive with the rest of the ecosystem to get a sense for the impact of the changes,” the developers said in the notes.

The increased duration gave Phoenix’s Curveball a bit more utility, and him the upper hand on entry.

However despite the buff, it’s still one of the shortest lasting flashes in the game. The community seems to be to be consensus in wanting more done with the agent, especially for competitive play.

Riot Games

Phoenix was buffed in Valorant patch 5.01, but it might not be enough to bring him into the meta.

In the past, Phoenix’s flash used to be reliable but newer agents, such as Skye and KAY/O, displaced him in the competitive realm. And since having a strong flash serves as an imperative tool for entry points, teams would much rather have a longer-lasting flash from a safe distance than Phoenix’s more in-your-face strategy.

This is something Riot is keeping an eye on as players get their hands on the Phoenix changes.

“His gun is ready dramatically sooner than most other flash agents,” developer ‘Penguin’ told players on Reddit. “It’s a lot easier to swing off a Phoenix flash by yourself compared to Skye [or] Breach. KAY/O’s right click when thrown perfectly is still stronger though.

“It’s fair feedback to say this might not be enough — especially at the pro level, where KAY/O is highly prized or the utility from the other flash agents is considered more valuable.”

Whether or not Riot will change Phoenix more from this point is unclear. Perhaps his casual catered play style will forever be his focus — rather than catering his kit for the competitive stage.