“Waylay won’t be as effective as Tejo”: Zellsis on the current VALORANT meta

Just two months after releasing Tejo, Riot has introduced a brand-new duelist, Waylay, to the VALORANT agent roster. Many pros and coaches have openly discussed the rapid meta shifts, making it difficult to adapt—especially with back-to-back events lined up—leading to highly unpredictable results.

“If agents keep coming out and they are this strong, and with two maps changing for Stage 1 alongside the addition of a new agent at the same time, fatigue is going to hit really hard,” Sentinels head coach Adam ‘kaplan’ Kaplan expressed his frustration during a post-match press conference at Masters Bangkok.

Now that Waylay is playable and will be allowed in VCT Stage 1, Esports Insider asked Jordan ‘Zellsis‘ Montemurro for his thoughts on the current VALORANT meta, given Waylay’s aggressive playstyle.

“I think Waylay is good, but right now, so many duelists are overtuned that it’s hard for her to fit in,” Zellsis said during the interview. “I just don’t think she’ll be game-breaking like Tejo was.”

While Tejo was a meta-defining agent, Zellsis doesn’t see Waylay having the same impact. Comparing her to other duelists, she is similar to Yoru, Raze, and Neon; however, Zellsis would prefer an overtuned Yoru or Raze in her place.

“I just don’t think she’s good enough to replace an overtuned Yoru or even a Raze if you need her nade or something like that,” he added.

Beyond the frequent meta shifts, players have also voiced concerns over the VALORANT’s utility-heavy nature.

“VALORANT promised gunfights will decide, but recently I just feel so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of utility. During the Chamber meta, at least people got to aim and play like a traditional shooter—now, good luck even seeing your screen some rounds,” Team Vitality’s IGL Saif ‘Sayf’ Jibraeel tweeted.

Adding to the discussion, Tyson ‘TenZ’ Ngo jokingly mentioned that sometimes with so many colors and effects from abilities on his screen makes him feel like his color blindness is momentarily cured.

Zellsis shared similar sentiments with ESI: “With the way new agents are coming out, I think teams are shifting away from default compositions. The game is getting to a point where you have to keep countering the comp of your opponent, and at that point, it just becomes a comp war.”

Alex Wheeler, Principal UX Designer at Riot Games, has acknowledged the issue and assured players that the team is actively looking into it and working on improvements.

Despite these challenges, Sentinels remain confident heading into Stage 1. It’ll be interesting to see if they have something cooked up with Tejo and Waylay.

The org will open in VCT Americas Stage 1 against 100 Thieves on March 24th and fans will be able to catch the action live on VCT Americas’ official Twitch and YouTube channels.