Patch Notes Breakdown 8.01
The first patch after the Episode release only introduced a few bullet points of agent changes, but it will massively shake up the meta. This is because Skye got a significant nerf. This article will discuss the nerfs to Skye, if Skye will still be a viable agent, and how the meta will evolve after this patch.
Skye Nerfs
The changes to Skye are the following:
- Skye’s flash activating at the end of the duration pushes her to be more intentional when throwing fake flashes while also making it easier for Skye to fly Guiding Light (E) to its maximum distance and still get its output.
- Guiding Light (E)
- Guiding Light no longer regenerates charges during a round.
- Guiding Light now automatically activates the flash at the end of its lifetime.
The first change makes it such that Skye’s flash automatically activates at the end of its duration. This is nice for newer players who sometimes throw the flash without activating it on accident. The other nice benefit is that lineups can be created to pop flashes in very precise locations. This is a real niche use, but can be nice to create some lineups for flashes that are nearly impossible to turn. This change does hurt throwing fake flashes as it can activate when you are in a duel after throwing the flash.
The second change to Guiding Light is what will severely hurt Skye. She is now the only Initiator without an ability that recharges. Skye gets two flashes, and once they are used, they are gone. This hurts her ability to continuously gain information throughout the round. It is very common for a Skye to flash at the start of the round to get information about a default. This is though to justify as it only limits Skye to one flash for the rest of the round.
Is Skye Still Viable?
Before 8.01 Skye was the only agent in her class who could play as a solo Initiator on almost all of the maps. She was a jack-of-all-trades who was able to continuously get information, disrupt enemies, and had an AoE heal on top of that. Now her ability to do that continuously through a round is severely hamstrung. She was able to serve the purpose of Initiators who gain info such as Sova and Fade as well as Initiators who disrupt enemies such as Breach all in one.
Skye’s ability to be the only Initiator in a composition is no longer viable. She is too limited in her amount of utility now that her flash doesn’t recharge. The flash provided both information and a means of gaining ground, and this ability having limited charges prevents Skye from being able to support multiple purposes throughout the entirety of rounds. She can definitely be a viable option in a composition with two Initiators, but she has stiff competition as part of a double Initiator composition due to the ability to cover multiple roles through two Initiators. Something Skye once did on her own.
Skye will most definitely see a reduced pick rate because of her nerfs, but will still be a potential option because of her synergy with Viper. Viper is very strong still, and having flashes that work well with Toxic Screen, a strong drone in Trailblazer, and the best heal in the game are things that will keep Skye as a potential option. She will by no means be a must-pick across the vast majority of maps, or even close to that level going forward.
The Meta Moving Forward
Skye’s main allure was that she was able to operate as a solo Initiator and that she synergized very well with Viper. From Champions 2023 their pick rates were very similar across maps outside of Lotus. This in tandem opened up the ability to run a single Iniator with double Controller. Now that Skye isn’t as capable of being the only Initiator, there are going to be a few changes to the meta.
Initiator Meta
Running solo Initiator will be far less common. Out of the current agents in the roster, only Gekko is the Initiator who can do this somewhat reliably. Between his recent buffs and the nerfs to Skye, Gekko is looking like a strong agent moving forward. His ability to continuously throw out, recover, and recharge utility will allow him to play the role alone throughout entire rounds. His utility is less reliable than Skye’s, so he will not become meta-defining and directly take her place. But in compositions that run double Controller and one Initiator, Gekko will most likely be the guy.
The rest of the Initiators are getting an indirect buff and will most likely see more playtime. Double Initiator will become far more common now that there isn’t an agent who can cover what two Initiators can. All of the other Initiators are viable, they just had lower pick rates due to the strength of Skye. Preference may be a guiding factor of the best Initiators to pick going forward. Sova and Gekko do stick out as the two who will get the biggest boost out of the roster. Gekko does because he may be able to step in as a solo Initiator option. Meanwhile, Sova has always been strong but has been boxed out by Skye. The current map rotation is also favourable towards Sova with the return of Icebox and Breeze. The final aspect that makes Sova a good option is the rise of Cypher. He can destroy Cypher traps better than any other agent.
Controller Meta
Gekko won’t be as strong as Skye was in a double Controller composition, which is why this is an indirect nerf to Viper. Viper became a good to must-pick agent on every map but Ascent. With Skye becoming weaker, the team compositions that allowed for a secondary controller beside Viper will no longer be as strong. Viper will still be a top-tier agent, she will most likely become less prevalent across all of the maps, and more so confined to maps where she can be the only Controller or running a solo Initiator is feasible.
Example Team Compositions
Here are examples of team compositions to try for each map in rotation without the use of Skye.
Ascent
- Jett
- Sova
- Kay/O
- Omen
- Killjoy
Bind
- Raze
- Viper
- Brimstone
- Gekko
- Cypher
Breeze
- Jett
- Viper
- Sova
- Cypher
- Kay/O
Icebox
- Raze
- Sova
- Viper
- Omen
- Killjoy
Lotus
- Raze
- Omen
- Chamber
- Viper
- Gekko
Split
- Raze
- Omen
- Cypher
- Breach
- Gekko
Sunset
- Raze
- Omen
- Fade
- Cypher
- Breach
In Conclusion
There will be a huge meta-shakeup with these changes. A change to just one agent will affect the play rate of many due to Skye’s synergies and presence across almost all maps. With VCT coming soon we will get a better idea of which agents will rise and fall. Check back in for the best team compositions and strategies once the meta is clearer.
