On Thursday, Riot Games announced that
Neon has been temporarily disabled on PC due to a graphics exploit with her Fast Lane ability. However, this news triggered strong reactions among Tier 2 and VCT Game Changers teams. The impact on the player will indeed not be the same at every level of competition.
Online tournaments, including several T2 and GC competitions, are directly affected because they usually rely on the live client and must comply with Riot’s active restrictions. LAN events such as VCT EMEA, VCT Americas, VCT Pacific, and VCT China are expected to continue allowing Neon, as they are played in controlled tournament environments where Riot can manage competitive conditions separately.
“This lack of respect is unacceptable”
Affected by this decision, some Tier 2 coaches and players consider that the announcement of Neon’s suspension came at a bad time. SK Nebula coach Thibaut “menegh” Brognard expressed his frustration, explaining that his staff had spent a significant amount of time preparing for their Thursday’s match against Gentle Mates with this agent.
“The staff must have spent a good part of the night telling us, four hours before the match, that we wouldn't be able to play with an agent we usually use. This lack of respect is unacceptable; I've never seen anything like it in six years of playing VALORANT.” Neon’s high pick rate makes the disable even more disruptive
Neon’s pick rate helps explain why the reaction has been so intense in Tier 2 and Game Changers. The agent has become one of the most contested and frequently played Duelists in the current meta, with more than 80% pick rate in the four VCT regions, largely because of the value she brings with very little downtime. Her ability to slide into fights while remaining difficult to track, combined with the pressure her ultimate creates, has made her one of the most frustrating agents to face.
Many Tier 2 teams, therefore, also built strategies around Neon. French caster Matthis "Mephisto" echoed the sentiment that teams outside the top tier suffer most from sudden changes, and they need to find a solution not only for Tier 1 compétition.
Leo Faria’s response highlights relief from some in the community and Riot after months of complaints about Neon’s strength.
Beyond her temporary suspension due to the bug, Neon is being criticized for being far too strong, and because she often forces opponents into uncomfortable duels where traditional crosshair placement and timing are much harder to rely on. Team Heretics’ captain
Ričardas "Boo" Lukaševičius explained it to Sheep Esports: “
For me, Neon breaks the game.[…] That's not how FPS shooters should be played, in my opinion. It just throws away the fundamentals of the game.” Patch 12.09, which will go live next week, will allow the agent to return to the battlefield… with a nerf aimed at rebalancing her.
