One of my VALORANT teammates had a plan as we loaded up in Breeze's attacker spawn. Their plan was simple: if you see Cypher, rotate. And they weren't entirely wrong.
Before Patch 7.09, Cypher wasn't a popular pick in VALORANT. Players would prefer to face Cypher rather than a Killjoy or Chamber in the enemy team. His setups could easily be broken through with a Skye dog or Yoru clone. Additionally, his ultimate was underwhelming as it only revealed enemies once.
However, Patch 7.09 changed everything. Cypher received buffs to his ultimate in previous patches, but this particular patch gave him a new personality and incredible power. He became an essential choice on most maps in the current rotation.
The patch made it harder for enemies to detect and destroy Cypher's traps. Scouts and clones can no longer destroy the traps, and the hitboxes of Skye's Trailblazer and Fade's Prowlers were changed to make it even more difficult to detect them. To break the traps, you now have to use damaging utility or shoot at their source.
The only fair counter to Cypher right now is KAY/O's ZERO/point, but even that can be dodged or broken. Breaking a trap after triggering it is incredibly difficult and often results in death.
Cypher's traps now stun faster and for a longer time, making it crucial for the enemy to react quickly. If the trap isn't broken or if the player dies after getting stunned, the trap rearms itself. This is arguably the strongest agent buff in VALORANT.
With Cypher on your team, you can easily lock down sites on defense, manage flanks without worrying about range, and provide valuable intel to your team. His pick rate shot up after the patch dropped, establishing him among the top five agents.
A skilled Cypher can change the odds of a seemingly unwinnable match on defense. On attack, he can lurk and offer crucial intel in ways no other sentinel can. However, not all Cypher players are skilled or adaptable. Some refuse to control the flank or learn from their mistakes.
While there are ways to bypass Cypher's abilities, a good Cypher player will know exactly where their enemies are and what they are capable of.
