A post on the official Valorant subreddit states that Phoenix has more in common with Controllers than Duelists... are they wrong?
As new Agents are introduced, some of the original Valorant playable characters seem to be getting outdated. After all, why would you play a duelist like Phoenix when Controllers like Skye or KAY/O exist.
It's no secret that the fiery British Agent sits at the bottom of most people's tier lists, with its only advantage being simple to pick up and play and a perfect introductory Agent for new Valorant players. But as you're looking to climb the ranked ladder, you'll soon enough find that Phoenix just isn't going to cut it.
If you think about his toolkit, it just seems rather outdated compared to other duelists. Think about their primary role which is to entry frag and, if possible, get out safely without being traded. Characters like Neon, Jett, Reyna, and Yoru all have mobility-based abilities to help them do so. Even Chamber, a Controller, can fill in this role thanks to his infamous teleporter.
As a result, a post on the official Valorant subreddit has gained some traction, stating that Phoenix feels more like a Controller in 2022 than a duelist, putting the likes of Skye, KAY/O, and Viper/Harbor as examples. User keencow616 stated:
This may be a stupid idea but Phoenix is literally the only duelist with zero mobility abilities. Two of his abilities so far are controller like (wall that blocks vision and a molly to flush people out of corners). I honestly wouldn’t mind if the game reworked Phoenix’s abilities completely so he can really embrace a controller.
The post then ultimately reveals its jokey nature, making a direct comparison to all of Viper's abilities, explaining that if Phoenix is to be reworked, they should use the American Agent as a template.
While yes, the initial comment might be a meme, we couldn't help but wonder... what if? Reworking characters requires a ton of commitment, and at the moment, we don't feel Valorant is in a place in which they need to do so.
But there have been examples of role swapping in other FPS. Take for instance Doomfist in Overwatch, who went from being a highly mobile DPS with one-shot capabilities to a proper tank in Overwatch 2.
All we're trying to say is: you never know!
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