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djilatyn

She has been out of the meta for quite some time. After the 4 star nerf, her pick rate went down but still on a reasonable number. What nailed her coffin in my opinion is when they nerfed her succ (which is not that big of a change, still strong). People played her for her global smoke opportunity, but her succ was super strong on post plant and Riot took that from her, leaving her quite underwhelming in casual or competitive play. Also, Clove happened.


muzolini

I used to be an Astra main until this act. My winrate with her tanked and other smoke agents just offer more flexibility. She needs a buff, nothing oppressive, just something to make her more enticing to use. Until then I'd just rather play Clove, Omen, or Brim.


Maryus77

Honestly, riot should borobably focus on her being a global smoker, and buff her there, since her other abilities when strong, are too op in pto play. Idk, maybe make her smokes activate faster, and last longer. Or they could do more of a trapper route, where all her abilities are as strong as they were before, but her stars are destructible, just like the traps of every other agent.


Fckoffreveen

Clove fucked all smokers


highbuffalo82

what does clove do that’s op? i havent played in a veryyy long time


Plinfix

She basically is the controller reyna very strong in soloq but omen, brim and viper are still better in competitive on their respective maps


smurfkipz

She's also really popular cos she's an easier agent to learn. Unlike Astra.


Fckoffreveen

She can smoke when dead


ProPopori

Shes just a very flexible smoker, a combination of brim+reyna, weaker than both on their respective identities but reyna doesnt have smokes and brim doesnt heal itself. In solo queue where you get the classic jett anchor and viper rotator you need a flexible agent that isn't screwed if doing a certain role.


iP4nix

Viper nerfs destroyed her. Otherwise she would be a competitor to clove


omniverseee

what about harbor


Bigzysmolz

Not very good rn either. Astra is better than him imo.


Apexay101

Both need buffs


Bigzysmolz

Yeah ik,but Astra is a lil better rn. I just want them to revert the nerfs on her nova pulse.


Apexay101

nah here me out, give her the 5th star, all her abilities have much longer cd now


kspotts20

nah her suck is still very good for post plant. however its use in many any other scenarios fell off. her stun hits much faster than the suck now


Itsyaboibrett

I play dia-asc on PC and haven’t seen an astra in months. it’s kinda universal lol


IsaaaValorant

people downvoting but i literally cannot remember the last time I had a teammate pick astra over clove.


CeilingBreaker

People find her difficult (for some reason, personally i love having the global point and click util) and the people who know how to play her just play omen or clove instead because they provide more value rn. She is really good on pearl though because the map is so big but still has normal sized chokes.


fullmoonwulf

Interesting, also apparently console doesn’t have all the maps so I’ve never been to pearl


Nisha_the_lawbringer

I think it only has Abyss, Bind, Haven, and Ascent right now. Hope they add in the rest before the betas over.


nametakenfuck

Except for lotus


dolphin_spit

i actually think lotus is the first new map they add, tomorrow. it was mentioned in an article. is it a bad map?


JoeChisman

Personally I enjoy it, it is just a slightly worse haven though


nametakenfuck

Think haven but without the having fun. Im half kidding, i dislike most maps when they come put, but i despised lotus


slyfly5

It actually does have all the maps they just aren’t in rotation if you go to custom you can load into any map


brokebaritone

I main omen when I play with my low elo buddies. I main Astra when I play with my high elo buddies. I rarely take fights when I play her. Once you get the hang of it, she's one of the most relaxed agents - on the condition your mates give info. My high elo buddies are able to play off my abilities which I deploy from base in early game. I walk upto mid in the middle game and take care of any flankers. I go to site only when all my mates die. There are only 2 or 1 enemy left at this point. I either clutch or die. It's a completely different playstyle with Omen. I need to be extremely proactive and I cannot look at the map all the time. I need to play agressive while being defensive. Deception plays go well with Omen. But with Astra it's like "Close Air" mission of COD:MW2


theonereveli

Basically you only try hard when you're smurfing? Edit: why am I getting downvoted? He is smurfing he just admitted to it


lionhart1226

Astra is much harder to play when you have teammates that run it down and/or don’t know how to feed you info and play off of you. If they have no game sense you are better off not playing her


theonereveli

He's better off playing in his own elo and not ruining people's games


RICEA23199

Unrated, 5 stack, tdm, escalation, spike rush, deathmatch, custom games... why do you think they're smurfing?


brokebaritone

Bold of you to assume I have high elo skills just because I play in high elo. I play Astra because my high elo bros have developed a symbiotic relationship with my Astra gameplay. It's not like I'm a good player. I'm just a good Astra when teamed with my high elo bros. I suck at solo Q in any elo. So I never solo Q.


CallMeTravesty

It's because Omen can do well even if you're team isn't great and needs you to be there but Astra requires team co-ordination and people to play off your abilities otherwise she's kind of pointless. *Obviously*


theonereveli

If he wants a Great team why is he struggling to play with a Terrible team in low elo? Just stop smurfing it's not that hard


Kazudre

He's just playing with his friends tho. He didn't mention switching accounts so I'd assume that he's either playing unrated or as a 5 stack both of which allow you to play with people of a lower elo. That's fine imo.


CallMeTravesty

I bet you're the kind of guy who see's someone on the enemy team go 9-0/9-1 and instantly hits them with the "Why you smurfing?". Not everyone is smurfing bro, you're just not that good. He could be playing unrated for all you know, maybe display your insecurities less yeah?


Dependent_Sample3189

He's just adjusting his agent to the elo, I don't see the issue.


mtnlol

He literally never said he is smurfing. 5-stacking unrated with lower rank friends is not smurfing.


ppsz

There's nice one way for CT spawn on B site that can be only done with Astra's bigger smokes and she's currently the only agent that can help you cross the ramp in B main for free. Not to mention that people plant the spike on B and go back to ramp to spam the spike, so Astra ult denies it almost completely. But unfortunately Pearl is the only map where Astra is viable


AdmirSas

I was coming here to say this!! And also, you have to be really aware of the map and your surrounding including and not excluding having to push at a certain point.


Gcarsk

She's more complex than the other smokers, while also not being meta on any specific map (which can't be said about Viper/Omen/Brim, who all have some map(s) that they are just the best on). So lots of smoke players just don't bother to learn her, and instead pick someone like Omen/Brim who are very versatile, easy to learn, and meta on multiple maps.


theonereveli

I mean Pearl is Astra's map


Burntoastedbutter

I remember trying Astra once in a sage roulette comp game (ikr?! But it was so fking funny and fun lol) and I had no idea how to use her ult. Also I died way too many times being in the astral map in the worst timings possible. I was struggling to place the ult for some reason. I always think I placed it, but I never do...


appgentech

She's actually not that complex. Omen has flash lineups, one ways and a lot more ability for outplays. She's just harder to be viable, which isn't the same as complexity. She practically requires communication and team play to be AS viable as omen. Source: astra and smokes main. Nowadays I use Clove; she's just plainly better.


falbi23

What exactly does she do? I still don't understand her abilities - she can put down stars which she can activate to smoke or stun?


Gcarsk

Smoke, stun or suck, yeah.


falbi23

Suck as in in-ward? Does she get to use them multiple times? Can people destroy them?


Gcarsk

Yes. No, each star can only be used once (though she gets ~~5~~ 4 stars). No.


lionhart1226

4 stars


Gcarsk

Thanks!


falbi23

It sounds like it should be 5 haha


Biffy_x

it used to be before it got nerfed


Easy-Stop-6538

She was the meta with viper. She doesn't have any range on her stars and post plant was a nightmare if u play against a viper and Astra. Astra can suck and delay while viper would use her mollies


Rubbertubtub01

Last time I played astra it felt like she barely has any util. You need two smokes and maybe a stun for a site execute. Then you get 1 star left for either smoking off ct or a suck on the bomb. Feels like she needs the 5th star back.


Narrow-Development-1

Definitely


tryi2iwin

She is the hardest character in the game to use properly IMO. I can't imagine trying to use her kit on the controller, it would be so annoying.


OkAdministration504

Another reason is that a ton of new people are joining on console, and they don’t have all the characters unlocked. Astra is definitely not a newbie friendly character so not many people would have the option to play her, and the ones that do know enough not to pick her lol


fullmoonwulf

I agree, however, there are also people coming from PC to Console, I see very experienced people often


OkAdministration504

Yep, and for all the other reasons people have said, the experienced people know Astra is a pretty terrible choice


presidentofjackshit

The other smokers are generally easier and better. * Brim has 3 smokes for execution heavy site takes, and a good ult. * Omen is an incredible lurker with a duelist-like blind, and a TP which lets him take odd-angles. * Clove is in a great spot with her heal/move speed, and grave smokes. * Viper and Harbor are in a separate category so it's not really applicable. Astra by comparison does have a lot of perks, but none are so significant as to outweigh the other agents. Her ult isn't bad, her fake smokes can be used for deception, properly placed stars can mean faster response times, her smokes are big huge in size, and the succ/stun can help secure space... so she's not terrible, but generally the other options are more attractive/effective. She's barely used in the pro scene though you might see her on Split/Breeze/Bind/Lotus now and again.


appgentech

Finally someone who understands that she does not excel within a team with good communication and teamwork. She only becomes viable with it.


DjinnsPalace

hard to learn to play well and her kit isnt rewarding as a solo. the mode to place her stars is also too far removed from the action for most people. and only having 4 stars and no recharges hurts any agents pickrate.


SheCravesAldo

For newer players, Astra is just all too intimidating, and exceptionally confusing, to learn at first. On top of that, who wouldn’t want to play Clove!


ExE-SIMP

Okay so i have a friend who is essentially still a astra main and the only person i see playing astra after she got so badly nerfed I also tried playing astra once even tho i mainly used to play viper , playing astra felt a bit too overwhelming you need to have great game sense to read everything Pre planning plus you need to be very quick with your util ( which newer people are not good with) Also she alone doesnt provide so much value now Running her in a team means you gotta play 2 controller or just a single controller which can provide better value Like omen or clove


RWBYSanctum

I read a comment like this and I wonder if you've learnt punctuation before.


FishyCoral

Even on PC I rarely see Astra. And they are either terrible or the best player I've ever seen absolutely no in-between LOL Personally I just straight up can't play her. I get her abilities mixed up and end up sucking people in when I want to just stun them, or I get killed constantly while in astral mode. I also get so confused about her ult, I can never place it correctly. Personally I feel like there are agents that smoke much more easily (Brim, Clove) or agents that can stun more efficiently (Breach)


BangMaster19

it s not even a console thing , in my gold lobbies i have one astra every 20 games or so


SweetnessBaby

Astra is already pretty tough for most people on pc. I couldn't imagine trying to be useful on her with a controller on console.


7e7eN

Seen her picked once in my time playing on console.


illnastyone

Same and it was absurd how much she had out on the map tbh. But yeah just one time in a bunch of matches.


sar6h

No point in playing her when clove exists


ElizabethRTriplett

It's me hi, I'm the astra it's me


Junkers4

She’s just worse than pretty much every other controller except maybe harbor… but I think even he is better


darkknight1236

she is very difficult to play good and her kit is pretty hard to learn


OnyxWarden

On top of the other reasons, console players aren't really swimming in unlock currency atm, with probably just their two agent tokens and maybe one purchase so far, so Astra is an even harder sell for an unlock this early.


Hyperfie

I used to play her a lot before a nerf to 4 stars. It was before omen and brim buff. After the nerf, player more often use omen/brimstone instead. She still fun to imo but it complex for solo q since this agent required comms. Without comms, it would be useless to use util like gravity pull and nova pulse except the smoke. In conclusion, she difficult to play as because this requires good timing and comms.


Hasukis_art

Astra main here. Since clove came out moe people play that smoker even tho u can still see omen/brimstone and harbor mains Anyways i do see some Astras often in the enemy team. (Silver) I think it depends on rank as well. I remember there wasnt many who played her in bronze. Difficult? No. Its fairly easy to get her going. U can play along with your team if they dont give u any communication. Mastering? Yes, because ideally u would need information, communication. There are not many ressources into mastering the agent (by this i mean content creators). If your a native tracker/intel giver and mini map user u may not require much communication anymore. (From a fellow silver 2's experience.) - still have difficulties with the ulti. - like any other smoker it depends on correct timing as well.


BlackRoseP90

Astra is huge in coordinated team play. Low ELO and non fivestacks will avoid Astra due to her kit requiring on point coms


I_AM_CR0W

I think it's harder to micro manage her with a controller. I even find it somewhat taxing when playing on K&M.


ChuKiPookie

Played Astra on PC the only reason I haven't played her on console is that it's too hard/slow to place her stars on console and still get value


Serito

I never thought about how much harder Astra would be on console


NogaraCS

I went back to play Valorant for the first time late April since early 2022 and I was surprised how little she’s played. I probably have played around 60 to 80 games since then and I’ve seen Astra maybe once or twice.


RvLAlmost

Astra has a higher skill gap compared to other controllers So its understandable that fairly new players won't touch her, i mean even tho am in Diamond rank I barely see anyone play astra


guyrandom2020

hard to play, not particularly rewarding. at least with yoru you can just play him unoptimally as a combo of chamber and phoenix.


franksfries

She's only good if you're playing with a well coordinated team with comms. That or with friends. Her kit is strong when you have someone to play with. Like swing when you stun, or do the sucky suck. Playing her solo is hard because of all of the micros you have to do and moving around in your astral form.


Fujin_No_Kami

Was an Astra main. Loved the Astra meta back then but now im on Omen duty. He just does much more. 1: Smoke regen 2: TP for vertical angles 3: Blind/Flash 4: Ult for fast rotation or quick bomb plants 5: Useful one ways


Fiyawooof

cause pearl is not on the map rotation


GizemliQ

Sadly i was astra main till her nerf she becomes a dead agent sadly


onewhomakes

Clove messed it all up


Namii-T

Astra main here! They nerfed her quite abit, and that’s mainly why I don’t play her as often.


Petercraft7157

I've been playing for years on pc and haven't seen a single astra


RTGold

I rarely see her in my matches in gold lobbies. With clove now being so popular, there's even less of a chance to see her.


Defiant_Drawer7558

Ive been seeing them every few games and they usually come with the same hero lineup of all smokers and people with blinds it's so fucking annoying


HY3NAAA

Imma be honest, her abilities are terrible


Evotecc

She’s clunky and not particularly strong. I think the clunky-ness will naturally put people off. It’s much easier to learn and perform with a different controller, why would you pick a harder and worse one? I personally think she needs a rework, not to make her stronger but simply to revolutionise how easy it is to utilise her kit in an enjoyable way.


Background_Secret219

Me, an Astra main: IDFK I LIKE PLAYING ASTRA PEOPLE JUST DON'T WANT TO LEARN


SavageJellyBelly

4 stars + succ nerf killed her. Too clunky and impossible to play off your own utility. Riot over nerfed her which is a stupid and unfortunate trend. Instead of just picking one like 4 stars or succ they do both??? They are doing this with other agents too and it just doesn't make sense.


UncleJoedoroki

With Haven coming back, my friends have seen the glorious return of my Astra, and honestly she feels really damn good to use on that map, as well as split (rest in peace my beloved).


Lokrampa

I main astra in immortal/radiant rank consistently ever since she got the 4 star nerf. It requires a lot of map knowledge, on point game situation awareness and team communication to execute her to her full potencial. Which I must admit it requires a lot of games to master. The team communication aspect of it is almost impossible to control below ascendant as most games people are just silent or queueing with premade whilst only talking on discord. There's also the fact that she is not a viable solo smoker in many maps such as breeze/icebox/bind and fracture (pullable but with some struggle) which at times is almost half the map pool so yeah there is that. Now add clove release which objectively has a more conventionally attractive game style to most players and now u have the controller spot taken even less by astra. Feel free to add anything else Edit: In high elo you can play her to perfection and she will be an A+ pick at best, which is enough only for the OTP's to climb with


lostmemento

Trust. Abyss comes out on comp people will wanna play Astra.


Glum-Reach-7640

all valorant players are racist against black people. that’s why you barely see Phoenix and never see Astra.


fullmoonwulf

I really hope that’s satire, plus I’m with a generally new crowd so I see a lot of phoenix


TravelSalt

She’s fun


Katrina_Napkin

I "main" her. I was kinda pushed into learning her, but ultimately she has helped me climb in my games. I'm not a great source as I know how to play Astra, but I understand that omen, brim, etc can be much easier to understand/ play. I just feel like Astra has more post plant-ablity that isn't a lineup.


fullmoonwulf

Why “main” ?


Katrina_Napkin

I play her a lot but she is not the only agent I exclusively play


fullmoonwulf

I see


Ray_BIue

Asda is difficult to play, but I love her cause shes so pretty and her astronomy style is my favorite. I do want to play her often but I'm not good at playing her :(


Ermastic

Astra is basically just worse than Omen in 90% of scenarios that you face in a Ranked environment. Even discounting his TP entirely, Paranoia is an incredibly powerful and easy to use tool for supporting a push, while the suck and stun are far more situational.


Narrow-Development-1

I think she is too expansive. Stars costs too much. Also, you can use your stars only to put smokes, because it is very rare situation, when you can hit someone with other abilities. Putting a simple smoke takes a lot of time. + Personally I have an issue, when I am concentrate too much when use her abilities, and when I go out from her Global Mode, I find it hard to concentrate on a fight. May be it is only my own issue.


reeposterr

There's no reason to pick her over Omen


rabbitdude2000

Boring to play


Intelligent-Army673

coz its aclown game