All eyes are on the newest agent to arrive in Valorant, Clove, who made a dazzling debut during the grand finals of Valorant Masters Madrid.
When a round’s victory hinges on the number of teammates alive, the ability to revive is a powerful tool in Valorant, essentially giving your team a second chance. However, akin to Phoenix, who must eventually return to his ultimate's starting point, Clove's ultimate ability, "Not Dead Yet," comes with its own set of conditions.
Clove can self-revive, but with a twist!
Sporting a vibrant street-style outfit with playful pink and purple motifs, Clove is not only a welcome pop of colour in Valorant’s typically darker colour scheme, but they also boast a host of unique abilities that are sure to spice up the meta.
Dubbed a Controller that “plays like a Duelist,” Clove is all about making aggressive plays and taking the fight to their opponents. Their ultimate, “Not Dead Yet,” allows Clove to self-resurrect upon activation. This resurrection process takes about two seconds, during which you are invulnerable and can move around, giving you a short window to reposition.
The catch is, once resurrected, Clove must earn a kill or a damaging assist within 12 seconds, or they will die, again. Playing into the “immortal” theme, Clove will also be able to deploy smokes after death.
Overall, it seems that Clove’s abilities encourage players not to fear death. Even when down, Clove has the chance to swing the round in their team's favour.
According to Agent Gameplay Designer Dan Hardison, optimal Clove gameplay revolves around taking risks and “playing with fire”. To neutralise enemy utility and remove them from the round, trading your life can be advantageous. Unlike other Controllers, Clove's raw execution power might be lower, but their post-death contributions encourage a more aggressive playstyle.
In some situations, running into danger and trading kills is the ideal play to make, as long as your death is traded by an ally. To truly master Clove, you must not “cower from your opponents”, but instead, be prepared to sacrifice yourself for the “greater good”.
Clove injects a much-needed dose of excitement into the stagnant Controller role. As Dan Hardison noted, other than Omen, most Controllers haven't offered much room for aggressive plays or solo carry potential. In contrast, most other roles boast agents that excel in these areas: Skye, Kay/o, and Breach for Initiators; Chamber for Sentinels. Clove's arrival not only expands the roster of Controllers, but also offers a distinct playstyle compared to existing options.
As the first agent of the year and the sixth Controller, Clove will not only expand the roster to 25 (following the arrivals of Gekko, Deadlock, and Iso in 2023) but also bring a welcome touch of diversity to the game, following the recent reveal of their non-binary identity.
Interested in learning more about Clove? We've got you covered! Check out our guide on everything you need to know about Agent 25, including their abilities, release window, and more!
If you’re interested in learning more about Valorant, feel free to dive into what Episode 8 Act 2 has to offer in our comprehensive guide, detailing its release date, Battle Pass, and more! On top of that, learn all about the five new skins leaked for the Sovereign 2.0 skinline, and the upcoming underground map, here.
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