New map Breeze to be played at Masters Reykjavik

Riot Games have announced that the newest VALORANT map, Breeze, will be debuted in pro play at Masters in Reykjavik.

The decision has met with criticism, as participating teams will only have around a month to practice on the new map. Combine that with travel schedules and likely quarantine and it sure seems Breeze is being forced in prematurely for VALORANT’s biggest event ever. There are some pros - it’s nice from a viewer’s perspective, for instance. But in general the decision seems hasty.

While Breeze isn’t yet available in-game, content creators have already had access to it. The map seems very large, with an interesting second floor the likes of which VALORANT hasn’t seen before and a chute that drops the player into mid. The layout seems well thought out as well, with multiple paths to sites for the attackers, especially A.

Along with this announcement, Riot say that a new “map veto + selection process” will be implemented. As there will be 6 maps in play, it will be a difficult situation to sort out.

What are your thoughts on this decision? Is ~a month enough time for teams to be able to play it to a sufficient level? Is the benefit for viewers worth the trade-off for pros? Let us know!