VALORANT: Clove had other abilities decided upon, initially
It seems Clove's butterfly-themed abilities have stirred up some debate among players, with some labeling them as a potentially overpowered agent in VALORANT. Interestingly, Riot Games explored various options during Clove's development, including the possibility of granting them the ability to deploy flashes even after death. This insight into the agent's creation process offers a glimpse into the meticulous thought and experimentation that went into bringing Clove to life as VALORANT's first non-binary character.
It's intriguing to learn that Riot Games toyed with the idea of giving Clove initiator-like abilities during development. However, they ultimately decided against it due to concerns about fairness for opponents. Dan "penguin" Hardison, a game designer, explained that allowing Clove to flash opponents after death would have been frustrating, while stalling out chokes wouldn't have been very engaging.
While the concept of stalling out chokes might have been acceptable, introducing such a disruptive mechanic could indeed have thrown VALORANT's meta into disarray. It's reassuring to see the developers prioritizing balance and fair gameplay, ensuring a better experience for both players and developers alike.
Balancing agents while considering player sentiment is undoubtedly a challenging task for developers. Riot Games has been adopting a "launch weaker, buff later" approach for recent agent releases, which hasn't always been well-received by players.
Fortunately, with Clove's kit, things don't appear to be overly broken. Their post-death abilities, such as deploying smokes in a limited range from their point of death and self-resurrection, come with reasonable restrictions. While Clove allows for aggressive playstyles and can provide value in certain situations, they may not excel as much as other controllers like Viper, Brimstone, or Astra when it comes to holding down a site. This balanced approach seems to offer players a fair gameplay experience while still introducing new and exciting mechanics to the game.
