By Nina Castelli Fact-checked by Desmond Ayodele Published
Clove shows up in roughly one in four Platinum+ ranked games, yet no team picked them on any of the 86 maps played at VCT Champions 2026. Here you’ll find who Clove is, how each ability works after the 13.09 nerfs and how to win with the current kit. It also covers the extras people search for, including voice lines, nails and official merch.
Key takeaways
- Clove is a Scottish, non-binary (they/them) Controller who can smoke after dying.
- Smokes last 14 seconds when cast alive but only 6 when cast dead, with one charge max.
- Patch 13.09 cut Pick-me-up haste to 10% and made killing a resurrected Clove pay the killer.
- Clove dominates solo queue but is absent from top-level pro play.
- To play Clove well now, take smart early fights near where the round will end.
Clove at a glance (November 2026)
Clove is VALORANT’s 25th agent, a Controller that Riot Games released on March 26, 2024. Riot has nerfed them repeatedly, and they are still one of the most-picked agents in ranked.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Role | Controller |
| Agent number | 25th |
| Release date | March 26, 2024 |
| Origin | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Pronouns | They/them (non-binary) |
| Age | Not stated by Riot (a young immortal) |
| Voice actor | Isla Campbell |
| Latest balance change | Patch 13.09 (Oct 27, 2026), nerfed |
| Ranked (Plat+, patch 13.10) | 24.6% pick, 52.4% win |
Who is Clove? Lore, origin and identity
Clove is an immortal from Edinburgh, Scotland. In VALORANT’s lore, Omen found them in a library while he was searching for a journal tied to the Scions of Hourglass, and he brought them into the VALORANT Protocol. Riot’s launch tagline, “Death is only the beginning,” sums up the character: Clove has already died many times and keeps coming back.
Is Clove male or female?
Neither. Riot introduced Clove as non-binary, and the character uses they/them pronouns in every release and agent update. Guides that call Clove “he,” “she” or “it” are wrong.
Is Clove LGBTQ?
Yes. Non-binary identity sits within the LGBTQ+ umbrella, and Riot confirmed Clove as non-binary at launch. Riot has not given Clove a sexual orientation, so anything beyond their gender identity is fan speculation.
How old is Clove?
Riot has not given Clove a specific age. The character is presented as a young immortal, so any exact number you see online is a guess.
Clove’s ethnicity and nationality
Clove is Scottish and was born in Edinburgh. Their voice lines use Scottish slang and a strong Edinburgh accent, and Riot kept that dialect intact in the game.
Clove’s voice actor: Isla Campbell
Isla Campbell voices Clove. Dexerto describes Campbell as an Edinburgh-born actor who uses they/them pronouns and is known for playing Theo in the BBC series Float. Sportskeeda reports that Clove was Campbell’s first video game voice role. Campbell announced the role on the day Clove launched.
Personality
Clove is mischievous, fearless and quick with a joke, and that energy rests on centuries of dying and coming back. In Riot’s launch material, the developers said they set out to build the character around “surprising contrasts”: playful visuals sitting on top of a dark immortality theme. Inside the Protocol, that makes Clove the light-hearted counterweight to Omen’s brooding. Clove even runs the team’s tabletop sessions as Dungeon Master.
Appearance
Clove’s look is Gen-Z streetwear: bold, expressive and a little rebellious. Their hair fades from black roots to pinkish-purple ends, matching the pink-and-purple palette Riot settled on for the whole character. According to Sportskeeda’s coverage of the design process, the team chose iridescent butterflies as Clove’s main motif. Butterflies stand for rebirth, which fits an agent who resurrects. The motif shows up in Clove’s player cards, concept art and ability effects, so the kit’s purple smokes and soul visuals follow the same visual language as the outfit.
Clove’s abilities explained (current values)
Clove has two smokes they can cast alive or dead, a decay orb, a soul-absorb buff and a resurrection ultimate. Two terms often get misused. Meddle applies decay, which is not damage, and Pick-me-up absorbs a soul, which is not a heal.
| Ability | Key | What it does | Alive | After death | Last changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meddle | Q | Thrown orb that decays enemies in the area | 4m radius | Not usable | 12.05 |
| Ruse | E | Signature smokes placed from a map | 14s smokes, 40s recharge | 1 charge max, 6s, near your body | 12.05 |
| Pick-me-up | C | Absorbs a recent victim’s soul for overheal and haste | 50 HP overheal, 10% haste | Not usable | 13.09 |
| Not Dead Yet | X | Resurrect after death, must earn a kill or assist | 8 ult points | Cast shortly after dying | 13.09 |
Meddle (Q): a 4m decay orb
Meddle is a fragment of essence you throw. After a short windup it bursts and applies decay to every enemy inside. Decay temporarily lowers health, so one body shot can finish a target that would normally survive it.
Since patch 12.05 the radius has been 4m instead of 6m. You now aim Meddle at one angle or doorway, not at a general area.
Ruse (E): 14s alive, 6s dead
Ruse opens a map view where you place smoke clouds, much like Brimstone’s Sky Smoke. Cast alive, each smoke lasts 14 seconds. Charges come back on a 40-second cooldown.
Clove’s signature trick is smoking after death. Since patch 11.10 you can use only one Ruse charge while dead. Since 12.05 that smoke lasts only 6 seconds, and you can place it only within a limited radius of your body.
Pick-me-up (C): overheal plus 10% haste
Pick-me-up absorbs the soul of an enemy you recently killed or damaged. You get temporary overheal and a movement speed boost. It does nothing if no fresh soul is available, so it cannot surprise anyone from full health.
Patch 11.10 halved the overheal from 100 HP to 50 HP. Patch 9.04 cut the bonus speed from 15% to 10%. The boost now appears as a standard Haste buff, and the old timer bar is gone.
Not Dead Yet (X): the resurrection
After you die, you can cast Not Dead Yet within a short window. Clove resurrects, and you then have about 10 seconds to get a kill or a damaging assist. If you fail, you die again.
Patch 13.09 added a cost to failing. A player who kills Clove after Not Dead Yet is cast now gets an ultimate point and a signature refresh point.
Every Clove nerf, patch by patch
Yes, Riot has nerfed Clove repeatedly. The table covers the major balance passes since March 2025. Each one targeted the “die and still matter” loop that made Clove so strong.
| Patch | Date | Change | Before | After | Riot’s reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.04 | March 2025 | Ruse cooldown | 30s | 40s | Reduce smoke uptime |
| 10.04 | March 2025 | Pick-me-up haste duration | 8s | 3s | Limit snowballing |
| 11.10 | Nov 11, 2025 | Ruse charges while dead | 2 | 1 max | Rein in post-death value |
| 11.10 | Nov 11, 2025 | Pick-me-up overheal | 100 HP | 50 HP | Curb snowballing |
| 12.05 | March 2026 | Ruse duration when cast dead | 14s | 6s | Stop near risk-free defuses |
| 12.05 | March 2026 | Meddle area of effect | 6m | 4m | Reduce decay coverage |
| 13.09 | Oct 27, 2026 | Pick-me-up bonus speed | 15% | 10% | Higher than similar abilities |
| 13.09 | Oct 27, 2026 | Killing a resurrected Clove | No reward | 1 ult point plus signature refresh | Punish failed resurrects |
Patch 10.04 (March 2025)
Riot’s first serious pass went after uptime. The 40-second Ruse cooldown from Patch 9.04 meant fewer smokes per round, and the shorter haste took away Pick-me-up’s long escape window.
Patch 11.10 (November 2025)
This update halved Pick-me-up’s overheal.
Patch 12.05 (March 2026)
The biggest Clove change so far landed in the same update that added the Controller Miks and nerfed Yoru and Skye. As Forbes reported, Riot cut post-death smokes to 6 seconds so players could no longer defuse the spike inside a dead Clove’s smoke with almost no risk. The update also made ability map targeters visible to observers, spectators and replays, covering Clove’s Ruse, Brimstone’s Sky Smoke and Tejo’s Guided Salvo.
Patch 9.04 (August 2024)
The haste dropped to 10%, and a failed Not Dead Yet now feeds the enemy. Hotspawn also notes a bug fix: enemies standing below Clove could previously see the Ruse ability map.
So is Clove dead after the 13.09 nerf? No. Ranked data from patch 13.10 still shows a 52.4% win rate in Platinum+.
Why is Clove so popular? The ranked vs. pro paradox
Clove is popular because they let one player do two jobs in uncoordinated games. They smoke like a Controller and take duels like a Duelist. Solo queue rewards that self-sufficiency. Pro teams don’t need it.
Clove in ranked by the numbers
| Source | Scope | Patch/date | Pick rate | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| valorant-spind.de | Ranked, Platinum+ | 13.10, Nov 11, 2026 | 24.6% | 52.4% |
| valking.gg | Ranked | 13.09, Nov 1, 2026 | 23.1% | 52.6% |
| turbosmurfs.gg | Haven only | 2026 | 15.3% | n/a |
| valorant-spind.de | VCT Champions 2026 | 86 maps | 0% | n/a |
Even after 13.09, the win rate stayed above 52%. That is a strong number for an agent picked this often, because high pick rates usually drag win rates toward 50% as weaker players pile in.
Why pros don’t play Clove
Pro teams plan their utility. A coordinated team wants long, reliable smokes from a Controller who stays alive. Clove’s smokes are weaker when cast dead, and their value depends on fighting first. Pros also punish a failed Not Dead Yet with clean trades, and after 13.09 that failure hands them ult and signature value.
The players asking “Is Clove even a real controller or just a duelist with smokes?” have a point. In pro play, the second half of that description makes Clove the worse choice.
Why ranked stats sites disagree
Sites calculate pick rate in different ways. Some report the share of matches with a Clove in them. Others report the share of all agent picks, and with 10 picks per match that number naturally sits far lower. Rank filters matter too, since a Platinum+ sample looks different from an all-ranks sample. Check the rank filter, the patch window and the formula before you compare numbers.
How to play Clove after the 13.09 nerfs
Play Clove as a Controller who fights early, not a Duelist who smokes late. Use your alive smokes first, take duels near where the round will end, and treat the ult as a trade tool, not a free life.
What you need before you start:
- Clove unlocked through agent recruitment (XP or Kingdom Credits)
- A team that will trade your entry, or at least a Duelist who swings with you
- A Valorant crosshair you trust, because Clove lives or dies on early duels
- Basic site smoke setups for your map pool
Quick steps: a standard Clove attack round
- Smoke the key site angles alive before anyone commits.
- Throw Meddle into the angle your entry will swing.
- Take your fight close to the site where the round will end.
- If you die, save your one 6s smoke for the plant or retake.
- Use Not Dead Yet only if a trade or low enemy is available.
Positioning: fight near where the round will end
You can only place your post-death smoke within a radius of your body. Dying on the far side of the map leaves that smoke useless. Take early duels on or near the site your team will play.
Shotcaller's note
Spend your second alive smoke before you duel. Since 11.10 you get only one charge after death, so a held charge is partly wasted if you go down.
Post-death smokes: what 6 seconds can and can’t do
How long do Clove smokes last after death now? Six seconds. A full defuse takes 7 seconds, so “die, then smoke for the defuse” no longer works. Six seconds is still enough to block a plant, cut a retake crossfire or buy time for a teammate’s rotation.
Since 12.05 the Ruse map shows up in replays, so you can review exactly where your dead-smoke placements landed.
Meddle setups with your duelist
Meddle works best right before a teammate peeks. With a 4m radius, aim it at one specific spot, such as a common default position or a headglitch. Decayed enemies die to fewer bullets, which makes your entry’s first duel easier.
Not Dead Yet: when it’s worth it now
Should you use Clove’s ult or save it for the next round? After 13.09, use it only when your odds are good. That means a teammate is close enough to trade, or the enemy who killed you is low or decayed. A desperate 1v3 resurrect usually just feeds the enemy an ult point and a smoke or flash refresh.
So does killing a Clove who ulted give you anything? Yes: one ultimate point and a signature refresh point.
Heads up
Values reflect patches 13.09 and 13.10. Riot has changed Clove repeatedly, including in Patch 9.04 (August 2024), so check new patch notes for further changes.
Common mistakes
- Never smoking. Players ask “Why does my Clove never smoke and just entry frag?” Often that Clove is saving smokes for after death. Smoke first.
- Dying far from site. Your post-death smoke can’t reach the fight.
- Smoking a defuse while dead. Six seconds won’t cover seven.
- Using Pick-me-up as a heal. It needs a fresh soul to absorb.
- Ulting into stacked enemies. Since 9.04, every failed resurrect gives the killer value.
Get these right and your site always has smokes, your entries get easier, and your deaths still matter for 6 seconds afterwards.
Best maps and team comps for Clove
Clove works on most maps because their smokes don’t need line of sight. Haven is a useful benchmark. Turbosmurfs puts Clove’s Haven pick rate at 15.3% in ranked, with a 0% pro pick rate. Three sites spread defenders out, and Clove’s ranged smokes help cover those rotations.
Clove pairs best with a second Controller or a strong Initiator, because the team needs backup utility when Clove dies early. Brimstone or Miks can hold long smokes while Clove plays forward. If you want to compare every Valorant agent before you build a comp, look at who adds flashes or recon to set up Clove’s duels.
Duo with your entry
Call your Meddle before the entry swings. A 4m decay on the exact angle they will clear turns a coin-flip duel into a favourable one.
Clove cosmetics, voice lines and extras
Clove’s extras come in two kinds. In-game rewards come from the agent contract, while voice lines carry most of the character’s personality. Outside the game, Clove also inspires nail art and apparel.
Agent contract and cosmetics
You unlock Clove through agent recruitment, which you can complete with XP or Kingdom Credits. Like other agents, Clove has contract rewards such as sprays, player cards and a title, and many of them use the butterfly motif.
Clove voice lines
Clove’s voice lines mix Scottish slang with gallows humour about death, and the Omen interactions are the standouts. These lines are confirmed on the official VALORANT Wiki and in Dot Esports’ ultimate voice line roundup:
| Line | Who says it | When it plays |
|---|---|---|
| “So like, those blue things on their Omen’s face are eyes, right?” | Clove | Match start against an enemy Omen |
| “Boo!” | Clove | Clove gets the last kill on an enemy Omen |
| “Their Clove is fearless in the face of death.” | Omen | Omen comments on an enemy Clove |
| “Back like I never left!” | Clove | An allied Clove casts Not Dead Yet |
| “You had your fun, my turn!” | Clove | An enemy Clove casts Not Dead Yet |
The Omen pair shows the dynamic. Clove pokes fun at the agent who recruited them, and Omen answers with grudging respect. Lore fans also point to two deeper lines. In one, Clove asks about an empty locker back at base with a scratched-out 8, which Sportskeeda read as a hint about a missing eighth agent. In the other, Clove offers to help cure Reyna’s younger sister, Lucia.
Did you know?
According to the VALORANT Wiki, Clove’s English voice set runs to 462 quote files once unused and removed lines are counted.
Clove’s nails
Riot has not released an official Clove nail design or nail-art collaboration. Riot’s launch material and design commentary focus on Clove’s gradient hair, pink-and-purple palette and iridescent butterflies. If you want Clove-themed nails, those three elements are what make a design read as Clove: a black-to-pink or purple gradient, a pearly or iridescent finish, and a small butterfly accent.
Clove merch: official vs. fan-made
Official Clove merch exists, but only in small, event-tied drops. For the VALORANT Game Changers Championship 2025 in Seoul, Riot made a Clove tee with Clove doodles on the front and a large Clove butterfly design on the back. It was sold only at LoL PARK to fans attending the event. The championship crewneck from the same collection went out globally through the Riot Merch store. For anything currently on sale, Riot’s official merch store is the only reliable source. Most Clove hoodies, pins and keychains on marketplaces are fan-made and not licensed by Riot.
Clove FAQ
Is Clove male or female, and are they LGBTQ?
Clove is non-binary (they/them), which places them under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Riot has not stated an orientation.
How old is Clove in Valorant?
Riot gives no age. Clove is presented as a young immortal.
Who voices Clove, and where are they from?
Isla Campbell voices Clove. In the lore, Clove is from Edinburgh, Scotland.
Why is Clove so popular?
Clove smokes and fights at the same time, which suits uncoordinated solo queue. They still win about 52% of Platinum+ ranked games.
Did they nerf Clove?
Yes, in patches 10.04, 11.10, 12.05 and 13.09. The latest, on October 27, 2026, cut Pick-me-up haste to 10% and added a reward for killing a resurrected Clove.
What are Clove’s abilities in Valorant?
Meddle (Q), Ruse (E), Pick-me-up (C) and Not Dead Yet (X).
When was Clove released in Valorant?
March 26, 2024, as the 25th agent.
Can Clove smoke after dying?
Yes, but with one Ruse charge only. That smoke lasts 6 seconds and must be placed near your body.
How does Clove’s ultimate work?
Cast it after dying to resurrect. You then have about 10 seconds to get a kill or damaging assist, or you die again. Since 13.09, dying again gives the killer an ult point and a signature refresh.
What does Clove say to Omen?
At match start against an enemy Omen, Clove asks whether “those blue things” on Omen’s face are eyes. Getting the last kill on an Omen earns a simple “Boo!”
Is there official Clove merch?
Yes, but only in limited drops, such as the Clove tee sold at LoL PARK during the Game Changers Championship 2025. Most other Clove items are fan-made.
Clove smokes still feel too strong for solo queue. Will Riot nerf them again?
Riot has not announced further Clove changes as of November 13, 2026. Ranked win rates above 52% in Platinum+ suggest Clove will stay under watch.
Final takeaway
The Clove that won games in 2024 is gone. The one that wins now smokes early, fights near the site and ults only when a trade is coming. Play those three habits for ten ranked games and check your first-death rate. If it drops while your rounds won climb, you are playing the 13.10 version of Clove correctly.
Article details
- Fact-checked by Desmond Ayodele against the sources listed below before publication.
- Published
How this article was checked
- Researched from 8 sources, listed below.
- Every claim is checked by Desmond Ayodele; anything we cannot confirm is corrected, labelled or removed.
Sources (8)
- Valorant 13.09 patch notes - Dot Esports (dotesports.com)
- Valorant patch 13.09 introduces new agent Hush and nerfs Clove - Sheep Esports (sheepesports.com)
- Valorant patch notes 13.09 - Hotspawn (hotspawn.com)
- VALORANT Patch Notes 13.09: Hush Arrives, Warden Gets Buffed, and Clove Takes a Nerf (gameriv.com)
- Patch 13.09 - Liquipedia (liquipedia.net)
- Valorant patch notes 13.09 - patched.gg (patched.gg)
- VALORANT Patch Notes 12.05 (playvalorant.com)
- Valorant patch 12.05 Clove nerfs explained - games.gg (games.gg)