Phoenix is reportedly about to lose one of the best things going for him in VALORANT, and it comes down to a single number.
In brief:
- A leak from VALORANT insider account @valohabercisi claims Phoenix’s ultimate, Run It Back, is going from 6 ultimate points to 7 in the next patch
- Phoenix currently sits among the strongest agents at Platinum and above with a 51.4 percent win rate, which likely triggered the balance pass
- Riot has not confirmed the change yet, so treat everything here as unofficial until patch notes drop
- The last update was Patch 13.01 on July 14, putting the next one right on schedule for late July
The leaked Phoenix nerf changes in VALORANT
Run It Back, Phoenix’s ultimate, would move from 6 ultimate points to 7. That is it. No changes to Curveball, Blaze, or Hot Hands were listed in the post, though separate community discussion earlier this year floated a much heavier package that included duration cuts and a flash price hike. Nothing from that longer wishlist appears in this particular leak.
One extra orb sounds minor on paper. In practice, it is the difference between having your ultimate ready on round five and having it ready on round seven. Especially for an agent whose entire identity is throwing himself into a site knowing he gets a free rewind, delaying that safety net by a round or two matters a lot more than the number suggests.
Phoenix has quietly been one of the most efficient agents in the game. Recent tracking has him at a 51.2 percent win rate, which puts him near the top of the duelist pool alongside Neon. He does that while asking almost nothing of the player. Free entry, free heal, free reset. Compared to Jett or Raze, the skill floor is generous.
Riot has used ultimate point increases as a soft nerf before. Jett’s Bladestorm and Killjoy’s Lockdown both got the same treatment in past patches, and it worked without gutting the agent. So, basically this looks like the same tool being pulled off the shelf.
If this goes through, Phoenix players will need to be far more deliberate about orb pickups and spike plants. Ult economy becomes an actual consideration instead of an afterthought. Expect fewer rounds where Phoenix walks into a site with a guaranteed second life, and expect his value to lean harder on the flash and molly.
Full VALORANT 13.02 Patch Notes:
ALL PLATFORMS
AGENTS UPDATES
Phoenix
- Overall we are happy with the state of Phoenix’s balance. This is a small touch to address the frequency with which he is able to cast his ultimate to be more in line with other characters.
- Ultimate points increased from 6 to 7.
MODES UPDATES
RETAKE
- Split, Corrode, and Lotus are being added to the map pool for RETAKE.
AROS: Replication
- All Random One Site: Replication will no longer be released in this update. We don’t take these decisions lightly as we know a lot of you were looking forward to this mode. We are still targeting a future release date and will let you know when we have more to share.
BUG FIXES
- Agents
Omen
- Fixed an issue where the Shrouded Step‘s obstructed placement indicator is missing.
KAY/O
- Fixed an issue where NULL/cmd’s visual and death audio effects would not play when his downed timer expired.
- Fixed an issue where NULL/cmd’s death animation played incorrectly after being revived.
Cypher
- Fixed an issue where Cyber Cage displayed incorrect visual effects when cast.
- Fixed a rare issue where Cypher disconnected while casting Neural Theft.
Gekko
- Fixed an issue where the incorrect voiceover could play when Wingman planted the Spike.
- Fixed an issue where Wingman could unexpectedly die while planting or defusing the Spike under very low frame rate conditions.
Miks
- Fixed an issue where the M Pulse ability icon and tooltip could be in the wrong place or missing on certain screens.
Reyna
- Fixed an issue where the Dismiss icon remained grayed out after eliminating an enemy.
Chamber
- Fixed an issue where Rendezvous could fail to teleport Chamber back to his anchor.
Waylay
- Fixed an issue on Icebox where Lightspeed and Refract could allow Waylay to clip into the walls of B Tube.
Jett
- Fixed an issue where Tailwind and Updraft could experience an unintended delay after using Cloudburst.
Raze
- Fixed an issue where Boom Bot could briefly travel through solid geometry while locking onto airborne enemies.
Deadlock
- Fixed an issue where Annihilation could incorrectly capture Omen while he was using From the Shadows, resulting in unintended damage of 900100 damage.
Vyse
- Fixed an issue where Razorvine could become indestructible if it was deployed at the same moment Vyse was suppressed.
Maps
- Summit
- Fixed an issue where Agent utility could sometimes be crushed by the door when it was already closed.
PC ONLY
BUG FIXES
- General
- Fixed a cosmetic issue where Packets Received/Sent Rate graphs showed incorrect values when the game is running at extremely high framerates.
CONSOLE ONLY
BUG FIXES
- Agent
Chamber
- Fixed an issue where Tour de Force missed haptic feedback when equipped and fired.
Yoru
- Fixed an issue where Fakeout was missing aim assistance functionality.
Waylay
- Fixed an issue where using Lightspeed and immediately equipping the Spike or a Flex item could grant unintended dash speed and distance.
Gameplay Systems
- Fixed an issue in game modes with no abilities where selecting Agent Info from the Settings menu could close the menu instead of displaying ability information.
When the VALORANT Phoenix nerf goes live?
Patch 13.01 landed on July 14, so the next update falls in line with VALORANT’s usual two-week cadence. The leak claims the change ships with that patch. Riot has not published the notes, so the number could still shift before release.
