Valorant New Agent Deadlock: Flop or Broken?

Apart from having a thriving Esports scene, Valorant is known for having an extensive list of Agents that players can pick up and play. This list is constantly expanding, with new Agents gracing the game every year. Deadlock, the most recent Agent introduced to Valorant, was the talk of the town for being broken when she was released. Now that Deadlock has been out for a while, it’s time to assess whether the new Agent is a flop or broken.

Is Deadlock Broken in Valorant?

When Deadlock’s abilities were leaked before her release, many fans were quick to claim that Deadlock’s kit as a Sentinal was incredibly broken. They pointed towards Deadlock’s abilities and claimed they were far more effective at holding down a site than any other Sentinal in the game, namely Sage, Killjoy and Cypher. Many considered her ultimate ability the most broken utility in the game, especially in 1v1 clutch scenarios, as it can wrap enemies in a cocoon and pull them to their deaths.

However, that was not the case when Deadlock was finally released in the game. As players got their hands on the Agent and played her in their games, they soon realised that her abilities were not that broken after all. As a matter of fact, she had a fairly balanced kit, unlike some other Agents on their initial release (Looking at you, Chamber). 

While Deadlock might not be broken, it begs the question of whether she has any place in the meta, especially after patch 7.04. At the time of writing, Deadlock is not a staple pick in the pro scene, unlike Agents like Jett or Killjoy. Even in pubs, she has a low pick rate, which can be attributed to how her utilities require proper setup and coordination to be useful, which is lacking in your average pub game. So, if you want to try out a new Sentinal Agent, you are better off playing Killjoy, Cypher or Sage due to their utilities’ effectiveness and ease. However, if you really want to play Deadlock, consider playing with your friends and ask them to pick Agents like Breach to help you set up your abilities.

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Deadlock’s Utilities

To determine whether Deadlock is flop or broken, we need to first learn what her utilities do in the first place. Continue reading as we’ll explore just that in detail:

GravNet (C)

Deadlock’s (C) ability is a grenade that you can throw. However, instead of exploding like Raze’s nades, this grenade detonates and turns into a circular netted trap that forces the enemies unfortunate enough to get caught to go into crouch mode, reducing their movement speed. While this ability sounds very broken, in reality, this grenade is very easy to dodge. Moreover, the area of effect is very small, and the GravNet can even be plucked out by simply pressing F, just like you would when Cypher tags you with his camera. 

Sonic Sensor (Q)

Arguably the weakest utility in Deadlock’s kit, Sonic Sensor is a sound sensor trap you can set up. If an enemy makes a significant amount of noise in the area where the Sonic Sensor is placed, whether it be footsteps or weapons fire, the trap will concuss that area. That said, this tiny device is easily detectable by enemies if they come close, and they can even shift walk past it in some cases if it is not tucked away well enough. 

Barrier Mesh (E)

As the name implies, Deadlock’s (E) ability creates a wall you can set up in a choke 

point to block the enemy’s advances. This ability has an X-shaped barrier that is transparent and allows bullets to go through. However, you can’t go through the wall as it restricts movement for both allies and enemies. To destroy this ability, you must shoot at the blue nanowire balls at the bottom of the shield. 

This ability is definitely one of Deadlock’s strongest utilities, as it can help you buy time by blocking the enemy’s movement for a considerable amount of time, like Sage’s wall, until reinforcements arrive. While this utility is definitely great at what it does, it is not at all overpowered, as it doesn’t take long to bring down this barrier, especially if multiple people are shooting at its core.

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Annihilation (X)

Lastly is Deadlock’s ultimate ability, Annihilation, which fires a pulse of nanowires that captures the first enemy it encounters. Once the enemy is captured in this ability, they are wrapped up in a cocoon and pulled towards the starting point where the ability was initially cast. The cocooned enemy is disabled, and once they reach the starting point, the affected enemy is killed. While this ability seems broken in a 1v1 scenario, it is not the case, as the enemy can simply sidestep, and they’ll be able to avoid the ability. Therefore, to effectively land this ability on an enemy, you’ll need help from other Agents that can help set it up, like Breach’s stun, Cypher’s wires and Sage’s slow. 

It is worth noting that once an enemy is trapped in the cocoon, their allies can shoot at the cocoon to break it and free anyone who is trapped.

Conclusion

It is very common for any new character introduced in a game to be overpowered at launch. For Deadlock, many people jumped the gun and assumed that her kits were way too overpowered simply based on some leaks. However, once they got their hands on the Agent, they soon realised that her abilities were pretty balanced and even underwhelming in some cases if not used properly. While Deadlock may not be broken or overpowered, she is also not a flop, especially in the right hands.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Deadlock a Meta Agent?

With Deadlock being the newest Agent released in Valorant, many people expected that this new Agent would shake up the meta and give rise to new Agent compositions in professional games. However, that was not the case, as Deadlock’s abilities are quite underwhelming, and other Agents like Cypher and Killjoy were able to do the same job far more effectively.

Best Maps for Deadlock?

In order to determine the best map for a Sentinel, you need to identify which maps make it easier for you to set up your utilities. In the case of Deadlock, her best maps are Fracture, Split, Ascent, Haven and Bind. This is because these maps have specific choke points that you can block off with your utility until reinforcements arrive. 

How to Effectively Use Deadlock’s Sonic Sensor (Q) Ability on the Attacker Side?

Unlike Chamber’s trap, Cypher’s wires or Killjoy’s Alarmbot, Sonic Sensor is not designed to function as a flank detector. So, when you are on the attacking side, you should use the Sonic Sensor to prevent opponents from defusing the spike or help you retake the site.