Patch 11.08, the latest patch in Valorant, might also be its most consequential for the future of VCT. The stated goal from Riot revolves around “a healthier balance between gunplay and abilities,” but one coach is anxious to see how these changes will affect the game. Anderzz , who cut his teeth on FNATIC FNATIC Europe Rank #1 crashies Austin Roberts Boaster Jake Howlett kaajak Kajetan Haremski Veqaj Sylvain Pattyn Alfajer Emir Ali Beder and VersionX VersionX Inactive , most recently served as a strategic coach for G2 Esports G2 Esports North America Rank #2 jawgemo Alexander Mor BABYBAY Andrej Francisty trent Trent Cairns valyn Jacob Batio leaf Nathan Orf in 2025, has some thoughts about that new focus from Riot heading into VCT 2026.

G2 huddle Champions 2025 Anderzz and G2 Esports huddle before a match at Valorant Champions 2025.

“The dev team's stated intent with this patch is trying to push Valorant toward a more gunplay-first game,” Anderzz said. “But, we still need to ask what that Valorant gunplay is and should be. In my opinion, when people talk about gunplay, it's rifle duels. However, with these changes, I don't believe we'll be getting more rifle duels; instead, more Judges and Operators.”

For those who missed the patch notes for 11.08, they highlight a significant number of Agent utility nerfs across the board, but the largest ones went to Controllers and Initiators. Anderzz was less worried about the changes themselves, instead mentioning the complete lack of gun changes.

“In retrospect, we should've seen more gun changes, especially to Operators and Judges,” Anderzz continued. “These changes will lead to harder-to-clear Op lines and will make it tougher to play around shotguns. If we are going to double down on a gunplay-first focus, we need to determine what that gunplay is and make sure it is something enjoyable to both play and watch.”

When discussing the Odin, he was more confident that the gun itself wasn't the issue; it was instead more of a map-specific problem. It's hard not to think of the Odin with how Valorant Champions 2025 went, as the Odin was a highlight on maps like Corrode and Lotus. Effectively, map rotations alone might change the perspective on the machine gun.

Anderzz posted his own updated Agent tier list for Patch 11.08, going in-depth for all Agents and how they work alongside each other. The main reasons he gave for the rise of Agents like Astra and Fade, and the fall of Sage and Deadlock, revolved around how these utility changes make reconnaissance harder and reward the amount of utility an Agent possesses.

Anderzz Patch 11.08 tier list Anderzz' Agent competitive tier list for Patch 11.08 in Valorant.

"You can think about Agents and utility in the game as one big team power budget, who has more and who has less," Anderzz said. "Astra and Fade, for example, even with the nerfs, have a bigger backpack of utility than the others. If you have more spending power than your opponent, that will always be an advantage, and having Agents with that sort of resource superiority is a superpower."

From a coaching perspective, the direction the game is heading might make coaching more important. The lack of utility could lead to more gunfights, yet it also makes these set executes have more value.

“For me, the egotistical answer is that it will make coaching easier for the good coaches,” Anderzz said. "Strategists in this game rely on adaptation and innovation for their edge. The longer-lived and more solved a meta gets, the harder it is to find that edge. So, regardless of whether my own thoughts on the patch are right or wrong, I'm happy with the magnitude of it because it leaves plenty of room for people like me to provide value as the meta is forced to evolve.”

Teams are already having to adjust on a short timeframe, with coaches having to apply their understanding with only a month of practice. Looking at the schedule for 2025, there are still major competitions like the Game Changers Championship in late November. These teams will have no more than 39 days to practice on Patch 11.08, not including the practice-less travel time to Seoul. Anderzz is a coach with experience in the GC scene and understands the issue from both the Riot perspective and the team perspective.

"It's very difficult to get a patch of this scale out at a good time, and I think this is the time of year it has to come out," Anderzz said. "The only way to really get it out at a better time would've required an overall year restructuring. It's important to remember that Valorant is a game first and esport second, and unfortunately, that means balancing the game's development cycle and the competitive ecosystem isn't always perfect."

As Riot continues to try and improve the game, these specific patch worries might be short-lived. There could be a big patch between now and the start of VCT 2026, but all involved in VCT can only work with what they have. Instead, Anderzz hopes the competitions between October 14 and the start of VCT 2026 in January give the team enough information to create the competitive game both fans and players want.

“Riot wants to see how teams adapt to this,” Anderzz said, “and we'll likely get a refinement patch before VCT 2026 begins based on how the next couple of months go. Amongst other things, I hope we see those gun nerfs by that time, since we'll have data and evidence on how the game has shifted.”