The VALORANT Masters Santiago showmatch showed off the new agent, Miks, and the new Knockout game mode—all going live on March 18.
The VALORANT Masters Santiago Grand Finals kicked off with a bang, beginning with a showmatch between Team BUNT and Team Megan of KATSEYE. During this match, Riot Games and VALORANT were proud to reveal their latest Controller Agent: Miks—along with the new Knockout game mode. Additionally, the Blackthorn Collection and a new Battlepass are coming, featuring items such as the Soulburst Bandit, Dragon Gate Phantom, Flick of the Wrist Card and more. This is a packed Act, and all of this will all go live in-game on Tuesday, March 18, 2026.
Upon first glance, I found Agent 30, Miks, to be another case of a busted character in the VALORANT Agent pool. Then, I took another in-depth look at how his abilities worked, and it still sounded busted. This is most likely because of Miks’ Ultimate Ability, Bassquake, which can knock back, Deafen, and Slow players. Yeesh! Here is a look at Miks’ full Ability kit, with some videos showing them off:
Harmonize (Q)
- EQUIP Harmonize. Target an ally and FIRE to activate a Combat Stim on yourself and the ally that refreshes with each kill. ALT-FIRE to grant Combat Stim to yourself.
M-pulse (C)
- EQUIP M-pulse. ALT-FIRE to toggle between Concuss and Healing outputs. FIRE to throw the device. Upon landing, M-pulse sends out sound waves, either Concussing or Healing players.
Waveform (E)
- PC: EQUIP a Map Targeter. FIRE to set locations. ALT-FIRE to spawn Smokes at selected locations.
- Console: EQUIP a Map Targeter. ALT-FIRE to set locations. FIRE to spawn Smokes at selected locations.
Bassquake (X)
- EQUIP Bassquake. FIRE to build up and unleash Sonic Radiance forward, knocking back, Deafening, and Slowing players.
Hailing from Croatia, Miks is meant to bring high levels of sound and kinetic energy to VALORANT. The new cinematic proves that, featuring “Clarity (VALORANT x BUNT. Remix),” a fresh spin on Zedd’s iconic track by rising DJ and producer BUNT. “I’ve loved games my whole life, and VALORANT has been one of those worlds I kept coming back to. Making music for it is a real honour,” shares BUNT.
“With Miks, we wanted to lean into his vibrant sonic identity and build something that matches his presence in-game. His upbeat energy and natural ability to create and manipulate sound made a remix the perfect direction, especially with a track like ‘Clarity’ that already carries such a powerful aura and undeniable energy. BUNT was able to reimagine it in a way that feels both nostalgic and distinctly VALORANT, while amplifying the spirit Miks brings to the game,” said Lead Music Supervisor at Riot Games, Jonny Altepeter.
Once I saw the kit in action and understood Miks’ vibes, I immediately thought of Lucio from Overwatch. The main thing was the M-pulse Ability, offering both a Concuss and Heal option in combat. While Lucio provided a damage buff to his teammates, the Concuss will certainly be as much of a game-changer. Game Designer Keven Meier discussed Miks’ gameplay philosophy: “Mik’s gameplay is teamplay first. From dropping smokes, to healing, and providing a combat stim—players will often be focusing on their allies when making decisions. He’s able to change the tempo as a round progresses based on what his team needs.”
As Clove was the last Controller added to the game, I found they had dual roles for being good with their smokes and pushing and getting kills for the team. With Miks, I can still see some push-and-kill tactics—almost in a Battle-Sage way. However, Miks’ abilities are more fruitful when used on teammates, which makes sense for their whole kit. I fear the Ult is too powerful because a lot of other Agent Abilities can Concuss and Slow, but rarely do they additionally apply a third debuff like Deafening.
Overall, Miks has a stylish yellow and purple fashion look to him. The contouring lines make it seem like music staffs are draped across his body, from head to toe. I do not know how I feel about the geometric-shaped hoodie and shoulder piece. It looked like the designers wanted to add some 3D elements to make his clothing stand out, but it almost feels like he has sound dampeners on his clothes. It is on brand for his character, but visually looks strange.
As for the new Knockout game mode, it is described as an evolution of Team Deathmatch (TDM). VALORANT describes it as “round-based elimination where kills resurrect fallen teammates. Teams stage at a center-line wall and coordinate pushes across multiple weapon stages to wipe each other out. Built for the trading fantasy and coordinated teamplay at high frequency.” It sounds a little confusing on paper, but it makes sense when you jump in.
This new game mode brings a unique game mode for once, not something similar to special game modes in League of Legends. It almost feels like this could be a niche game mode for those who want to play with VALORANT mechanics, but not the traditional match style the game intends to run in Unrated or Competitive. The devs predict matches should range from 8-15 minute sessions, so nothing as high-stakes as a classic game.
The new Blackthorn bundle looks to be very thorny, bringing a heavy silver and red lineup of weapon skins to the Shop. So far, they have not shown the animations for the guns and melee. The same could be said about the new Battlepass. The price of the Battlepass will remain at 1,000 VP. The highlighted items include:
- Free Track
- Soulburst Bandit (has chromas)
- The Cost Card
- Student TactiBear Buddy
- Paintbrush Tactics Card
- Paid Track
- Paceline’s Edge (Melee)
- Paceline Vandal
- Dragon Gate Phantom
- Soulburst Spectre
- Dragon Gate Flex
- Flick of the Wrist Card
- Perfect View Card
- Baited Card
- Barrier Boost Spray
Be sure to check the official VALORANT page to see all the updates coming to this latest update!
