The last time VALORANT made balance adjustments to Waylay was in Patch 11.08, and since then, she has had plenty of time to shine bright among Duelists. With Patch 12.06, Riot Games makes a minor but potentially very impactful change to her kit.
In VALORANT Patch 12.06, Riot changes Waylay’s Saturate from Instant to Equip. Previously, when casting Saturate, you’d instantly throw out the stun, allowing you to pick off opponents and continue pushing. Now, when casting the ability, you equip it first and then throw it with an additional button press (similarly to Lightspeed).
While we’re happy that Waylay’s found her role in team compositions, we’ve noticed that Saturate creates situations with little to no counterplay when used with the rest of her kit. In particular, we’re seeing Waylay combo her abilities to safely target players with Saturate for her teammates with almost no risk. We think Duelists play best when they are using their kit with some risk, and when that risk falls primarily on the Duelist themselves.
The additional input makes the ability less reactive. If previously you could use Lightspeed to enter a site and then follow up with Saturate the second you see an enemy, now it requires more coordination and setup. The change also prevents you from instantly using the ability midair, when you either jump or use Lightspeed.
Waylay has been one of the most picked duelists in pro play, alongside Yoru (who already got nerfed) and Neon. She also gets more play in higher Competitive ranks, entering the top five most-picked Duelists at Ascendant and above, according to Tracker.gg.
And while this nerf is unlikely to change Waylay’s position in the meta, it will slow down super-aggressive plays, potentially leaving more room for Neon, as her Relay Bolt remains unchanged. Apart from Waylay changes, Patch 12.06 also makes a few backend changes to Viper’s Pit that should make it more consistent around areas like A Tower on Haven or A Pipes on Icebox.
