Riot Games has released the official patch notes for VALORANT update 12.05, and the headline addition is Miks, a brand-new controller agent who made his debut reveal at the VALORANT Masters Santiago tournament. Alongside his arrival, the patch delivers notable nerfs to Yoru, Clove, and Skye, three agents who have dominated pick rates in recent months.
Meet Miks: The New Controller
Miks brings a genuinely distinct toolkit to the controller role. His kit includes:
- A grenade that can either heal teammates or concuss enemies caught in its area of effect
- A smoke for standard vision denial
- A combat stim he can distribute to teammates
- An ultimate that launches a massive sound wave forward, knocking back, deafening, and slowing any enemies it hits
The combination of a reliable smoke, team healing, and a crowd-control ultimate makes Miks look like a strong pick across all skill levels. The flexibility of his grenade alone sets him apart from existing controllers, and his arrival is expected to shake up the controller meta considerably once the patch goes live.
info
Miks was first revealed during the VALORANT Masters Santiago showmatch, where the new Knockout game mode also made its debut appearance.The Big Nerfs: Yoru, Clove, and Skye
Yoru
Yoru has been the dominant flash initiator in VALORANT for some time, and Riot is hitting him hard in 12.05:
- Gatecrash beacon duration reduced from 30 seconds to 15 seconds
- Blindside max charges reduced from 2 to 1
These changes cut his round utility significantly. Losing a Blindside charge and halving the Gatecrash window means Yoru players will need to be far more deliberate with their resources, and he should fall out of the must-pick tier as a result.
Clove
Clove has remained strong for an extended stretch, and Riot's goal with these nerfs is specifically to reduce her effectiveness while dead:
- Ruse duration when cast after death reduced from 14 seconds to 6 seconds
- Meddle area of effect reduced from 6 meters to 4 meters
The Ruse change is particularly impactful. Cutting that post-death window by more than half dramatically limits how much Clove can contribute from beyond the grave, which was the core of her strength.
Clove's Ruse duration nerfed
Skye
Skye receives a lighter but still meaningful adjustment:
- Guiding Light cooldown increased from 45 seconds to 60 seconds
The extra 15 seconds between uses should reduce the frequency of low-risk round-start scouting, which had made Skye a reliable and relatively low-commitment pick.
Additional Changes in Patch 12.05
Beyond agent updates, 12.05 includes several other noteworthy additions:
- Sage's heal UI has been updated for clarity
- Assist banners have been added to acknowledge kills that get stolen from teammates
- The new Knockout game mode is now officially available, following its confusing debut at Masters Santiago
- Map pool update: Lotus and Fracture return to the competitive rotation, while Abyss and Corrode are removed
warning
Players who have been running Abyss or Corrode-specific strategies in ranked will need to adjust, as both maps exit the competitive pool with this patch.
Why These Changes Matter
The arrival of Miks gives controller players a genuinely new option with a versatile kit that rewards creative play. At the same time, the nerfs to Yoru, Clove, and Skye signal that Riot is actively working to prevent any single agent from becoming an automatic inclusion. What most players miss in patches like this is how interconnected the meta shifts are. Weakening the best flash initiator and the strongest post-death controller simultaneously opens the door for other agents to step up, and Miks arriving at exactly this moment could accelerate that reshuffling considerably.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What role does Miks play in VALORANT?
Miks is a controller agent. His kit includes a dual-purpose grenade that heals allies or concusses enemies, a smoke ability, a combat stim for teammates, and an ultimate that sends out a forward-traveling sound wave to knock back, deafen, and slow opponents.
What are the Yoru nerfs in patch 12.05?
Yoru's Gatecrash beacon duration is cut from 30 seconds to 15 seconds, and his Blindside ability is reduced from two maximum charges to one.
What changed for Clove in VALORANT 12.05?
Clove's Ruse duration when cast after death drops from 14 seconds to 6 seconds, and the Meddle ability's area of effect shrinks from 6 meters to 4 meters.
Which maps are in the VALORANT competitive pool after patch 12.05?
Lotus and Fracture return to the competitive rotation with this patch, while Abyss and Corrode are removed.
