Sage may have just been handed a huge boost thanks to VALORANT Patch 6.11 changes that targeted the shooter’s spray and pray meta via ammunition reductions—by limiting the amount of ammo in Vandals and Phantoms, the Chinese Sentinel’s signature wall ability will only become more game-changing.
The June 6 changes mean any Sage walls placed on vital chokepoints like Icebox’s tube will now require a larger percentage of a player’s ammunition to destroy.
Sage’s Wall could even become a much stronger last-second push-stopping ability. While other methods can be used to bypass the wall, in certain situations, it could be the round-ending move that boosts the healer’s pick rate on lane-heavy maps.
Sage’s pick rate is already quite high in VALORANT ranked matches, sitting at 54.2 percent in the last six months, according to stats tracking website ValorBuff.
That said, the Sentinel’s abilities have been called into question by higher-ranked players and pros recently, mainly due to other agent picks showcasing a more diverse and deep catalog of signature moves. Throughout the VCT: EMEA League, Sage was only picked 13 percent of the time. This change could see Sage make a resurgence in the pro scene if her rotation-stopping wall becomes an even stronger more situational play.
The patch in question, Update 6.11, is tailored to minimize spray-and-pray gameplay. With the changes, Riot is hoping to make spamming through smokes a thing of the past as VALORANT players learn to accommodate for a new lack of ammo.
It will take time for gamers to adapt, meaning Sage’s Wall will at least be indirectly buffed significantly by this patch initially. However, as time goes on, there’s always a possibility that players figure out a way to navigate the newly-created ammo issue, whether it be by buying more Odins and Ares or a change in strategic meta.
Either way, this week’s VALORANT update has only just been let loose. We’ll have to wait to see exactly what its full effect on Sage and the wider meta really is.
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