Clove, the 25th agent to join the VALORANT roster, continues to rewrite the meta with a record-breaking win rate over a month after her release. This article delves deeper into the rise of Clove, exploring her unique skillset, unexpected popularity, and the potential reasons behind her continued dominance.
A Meteoric Rise: Clove Takes VALORANT by Storm
Following the VCT 2024: Masters Madrid grand finals in April 2024, Riot Games unveiled Clove, sparking immediate interest within the VALORANT community. Unlike the previous agent, Iso, who failed to make a significant impact, Clove’s arrival brought a breath of fresh air. Her diverse and adaptable skillset positioned her as a powerful new option, quickly becoming the new “it” agent.
Clove’s impact was undeniable. Within her first week, she skyrocketed to the top of the leaderboards across all ranks, game modes, and servers. Her win rate significantly surpassed even Reyna, the reigning queen of VALORANT. This dominance led to concerns about potential imbalance, prompting Riot to implement a series of adjustments in subsequent patches with the aim of ensuring fair play.
Beyond the Hype: Clove’s Enduring Appeal
Many anticipated Clove’s popularity to wane after the initial hype subsided. However, she defied expectations by maintaining her position at the top of the charts even after a month of constant play. Currently, Clove boasts a 10% pick rate, trailing only Reyna by a mere 0.8%. But more importantly, her win rate remains a staggering 52.4%, significantly higher than any other agent. This translates to a simple yet undeniable fact: choosing Clove significantly increases a team’s chances of victory, making her a highly sought-after addition to most competitive matches.
Clove’s success can be attributed to several factors. First and foremost, her skillset offers a potent combination of utility, control, and damage output. She provides valuable support to her team while simultaneously possessing the power to secure crucial eliminations. This makes her adaptable to various strategies and maps. Secondly, compared to other Controller agents who often require a steeper learning curve, Clove’s playstyle is more user-friendly. Newcomers can readily grasp her core abilities, allowing them to quickly contribute with Clove on the battlefield. Lastly, Clove’s flexibility allows her to seamlessly integrate into diverse team compositions and tactical approaches. This adaptability proves invaluable in the ever-evolving VALORANT meta.
Deconstructing Clove’s Power: A Closer Look at Her Skillset
Clove’s abilities offer a well-rounded package that empowers her to excel in various situations. Let’s break down each ability and analyze its impact:
- C1: Recon Pulse (Signature Ability): This chargeable signature ability emits a sonic wave that reveals the location of enemies caught in its radius, providing crucial intel for team coordination and strategic pushes.
- C2: Blinding Dart (Purchasable Ability): This throwable dart explodes on impact, creating a blinding AoE effect that temporarily disorients enemies. This ability serves multiple purposes, flushing enemies out of hiding spots, blocking enemy vision lines during pushes, and securing kills by disorienting opponents.
- C3: Ebb & Flow (Purchasable Ability): This versatile ability offers two functions depending on whether Clove throws or places it. Throwing the orb creates a localized area of increased movement speed for Clove and her allies, while placing it generates a field that slows down enemies who dare to enter. Ebb & Flow provides invaluable tactical flexibility, enabling fast rotations, facilitating site executes, and hindering enemy flanks.
- C4: Fracture (Ultimate Ability): This powerful ultimate creates two intersecting lines that extend across the map, severing enemy vision and inflicting damage as enemies attempt to cross. Fracture is a game-changing ability that can be used to isolate enemies, secure strategic map control, and force decisive engagements.
The Future of Clove: A Meta-Shifting Agent
Clove’s undeniable impact on the VALORANT meta is undeniable. With her unmatched win rate and flexibility, she has become a staple pick in most competitive matches. Some players speculate that Riot may implement further adjustments to bring her in line with other agents. However, her core strengths remain undeniable. Clove’s user-friendly skillset, adaptable playstyle, and potent combination of utility and damage will likely ensure her continued presence in the competitive scene for the foreseeable future.
See more information in Esports section here.
