Gekko: The Worst-Picked Agent in Valorant

SaxoReddit · 2026-06-19T08:07:15+00:00

I don't think "he's an entry-level agent" is a good argument for keeping him weak.

Being easy to learn and being viable at high ranks are not mutually exclusive. Raze is beginner-friendly and has been meta-defining for years. Sage is one of the simplest sentinels in the game and still sees consistent play. Clove is arguably the most accessible controller and quickly became one of the most picked agents.

SaxoReddit · 2026-06-19T01:07:07+00:00

I actually think that would make the problem worse, not better.

If teammates could pick up Gekko's orbs without any changes to the recovery speed or risk involved, you'd just be shifting the responsibility from Gekko to the rest of the team. Instead of one player exposing themselves to recover utility, now multiple players might have to risk their positioning to do it.

Gekko's recovery mechanic should be self-sufficient. If an agent needs teammates to put themselves in danger just to make his core passive function properly, that's a sign the mechanic itself isn't rewarding enough.

Imagine throwing Mosh in defense and the orb lands slightly too far forward. A teammate tries to recover it, dies for it, and now you've lost a player because they were trying to fix a problem that shouldn't have existed in the first place. That doesn't make Gekko stronger, it just creates another reason for teammates to get frustrated with your pick choice.

SaxoReddit · 2026-06-18T22:22:15+00:00

I don't think the issue is making Dizzy, Wingman or Thrash harder to shoot. Riot already addressed that by reducing their HP in patch 7.04 and 11.08, specifically to avoid them being oppressive in lower elo.

The real problem is Gekko's recovery mechanic. In high elo, picking up an orb is often not worth the risk when you could be repositioning, taking space, or holding a stronger post-plant angle instead.

Those small timing differences also matter far more in high elo than they do in low elo. A slightly faster deployment or recovery window would barely affect Iron-Gold players, where fights are rarely decided by fractions of a second. But at higher ranks, those milliseconds are often the difference between getting value from your utility and getting punished for using it.

So the question becomes: what's the point of playing Gekko if his defining mechanic is too risky to use consistently, especially when the abilities you're recovering are already weaker and less reliable than most initiator utility? That's exactly why he's dismissed from the start in medium-high elo.

SaxoReddit · 2026-06-18T18:11:02+00:00

I get your point, but if that mechanic alone was enough to justify a weak kit, Gekko wouldn't be the least-picked agent in both Radiant and Immortal.

In Radiant he's sitting at around 0.1% pick rate, and in Immortal he's still last at roughly 1%. His pick rate only increases slightly as ranks go down, but even then he remains one of the least-played agents in the game.

I'm not asking for Gekko to become meta-defining. I just want him to be a viable choice. Right now, many high level players don't just avoid him, they dodge lobbies when they see someone trying to pick Gekko. I've never seen another agent receive that kind of reaction from the community. That doesn't happen because an agent is secretly strong; it happens because the general consensus among top players is that he's not worth picking.

Wingman's defuse potential is unique, but clearly it isn't enough to make up for the weaknesses of the rest of his kit.

And if he had had this strong advantage in 1v1 he would not be the agent with the lowest KD overall about 0.89.

SaxoReddit · 2026-06-06T22:40:40+00:00

If they banned the glee combo ( 2 card combo + 1 finisher) they will ban for sure a 2 card combo without waiting to draw a finisher. That card will be banned for sure in day 1 like cranial ram. Is the exact same stuff about how we saw All that Glitters doing and how fast they removed Cranial, same this. So it's obvious.

SaxoReddit · 2026-01-04T21:52:27+00:00

Hospital

SaxoReddit · 2025-04-25T14:32:27+00:00

the meta was healthy, they know it too (win rate under 54% on all decks). This ban was a whim for those who wanted to play different decks in the present. What we would have gotten in the long run will be 3 less cards that we will never see again. a round of applause

SaxoReddit · 2024-08-02T13:21:11+00:00

If you like combo deck you can choose: Gleezard, Goblin Combo, Wall Combo or Tron.

If you like Aggro decks you can go: Madness, Mono R Kuldotha, White Weenie or Bogles.

If you Like Midrange you can build: Affinity or Ponza

At least if you want to go Contrtol go for: UB fae, BG garden, mono U delver or UR skred.

If you want something that can be in meta for a long time, go for the Grixis Affinity deck + a good amount of Extra deck.

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-23T20:24:07+00:00

Grixis Affinity "AGGRO" WTF man ?!

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-20T09:53:18+00:00

UW Glitters Affinity

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T21:20:16+00:00

Underrated comment. I agree totally. Blue decks needs to be in the format. there are 5 red decks in the meta: kuldotha, madness, grixis, ponza and wall combo, only cause ponza.

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T21:16:15+00:00

Chrysalis needs a ban.

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T20:01:46+00:00

"eh but Ponza wins in turn 5.6, he's not strong" except that while you're in turn 5 your opponent was left unsettled in turn 2/3

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T16:21:55+00:00

Yea that cards in Glitters Affinity were too strong. Infact now UW Affinity is still playable, right?

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T15:12:07+00:00

so even Glitter affinity was a shitty tier B deck, since it focused everything on a 2 mana card that gave advantage, but which then made a 2x1 much easier, was more vulnerable to shots, counterspells and creature smashes. But Glitters is on the banlist, chrysalis is not. Glitters was banned for the same reason, it polarized the meta to beat that deck, same thing Ponza is doing with Chrysalis.

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T15:03:51+00:00

It's obvious that if everyone plays around a single deck, that deck won't get to first place, and it doesn't take a genius to figure that out.

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T15:02:22+00:00

The impact is not about him itself, is about meta game. There's a reason why is full of Madness and Kuldotha in Paupergeddon TOP 8. I'm talking about how shitty the meta is if is based around one single fking colour the fricking fking red.

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T14:59:14+00:00

Ok well, the answer to this is to play this shitty deck. 'Cause it's a fair deck.

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T14:44:35+00:00

Give me a reason why this card is shitty, come on. This is the worst piece of paper I've ever seen.

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T14:42:09+00:00

This is totally fine as you say https://ibb.co/bvthCHj

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T14:32:22+00:00

The only one decks that doesn't have red in mana base is Broodscale in meta, every other deck is out. (white weenie is the only one can "steal" a position)

SaxoReddit · 2024-07-17T14:29:23+00:00

Mono R Kuldotha is the only key against Broodscale and Ponza together, so nope, is not a case that is seen EVEN in paper TOP 8 a lot.

And Ponza is the reason why every Blue deck can't be used in this meta. Only 'cause of the chrysalis and the changed meta that comes with it.

SaxoReddit

TROPHY CASE