Mateo Armendáriz De la Fuente, known to us as Gekko, is Valorant’s 6th Initiator to join the fray. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, California, the trendy young gun is joined by 3 goo-like animals that represent certain functions of his abilities. Gekko has a flash, a grenade, a concuss, and a lockdown ultimate. Gekko is a flex Initiator that fills the roles of information gatherer and push initiator. He can do a little bit of everything, akin to KAY/O. Let’s take a look at his abilities so we can find his strengths in a team’s composition.

Gekko’s Abilities

Gekko’s abilities come in the form of globules which transform into animal creatures. Once used, they return to a globule state that can be reclaimed and used once more after a short cooldown. Players have 20 seconds to pick up these orbs until they dissipate.

Dizzy

Dizzy is Gekko’s signature ability. This globule transforms into an armadillo-like creature that releases a plasma blast in the enemy’s point-of-view, blinding them for 1 second. These plasma blasts have tracers so that enemies’ positions become known. These tracers are a great visual cue that can be used to clear areas and gain information.

Unlike a traditional flash, this disorienting ability is similar to Blooper’s ink blinding ability in the Mario Kart series. Because of this, and its measly 20 HP, it is best used in combination with a traditional flash. The traditional flash can blind enemies and stop them from 1-tapping Dizzy, while Dizzy will point out the evil people trying to hurt him (and you).

Since Dizzy can be reclaimed to use twice in the round, it is best to throw Dizzy close as his blind reaches about 45 meters in game. Being able to safely pick him up gives you two flashes in the round instead of one.

Mosh Pit

Mosh Pit is a little globule with eyes and is the only one to not resemble a specific animal. This throwable can be thrown overhand with a left click or underhand with a right click. Although it looks like a molly, specifically Viper’s Snake Bite, Mosh Pit works more like a grenade.

Mosh Pit is a deadly grenade as it does 150 damage in .2 seconds in the large inner radius. The outer radius, defined by a slim dark green edge around the pit, does 75 damage in .2 seconds. Once thrown, it gives enemies 3 seconds to evacuate the area of damage.

This grenade is great at stopping pushes, clearing common corners, and trapping enemies for instant kills. Combining this with a Fade Seize or a Cypher Tripwire can result in guaranteed kills. It is important to note that Mosh Pit cannot be picked up and reused like his other two globule abilities and ultimate.

Wingman

Wingman is Gekko’s most hyped ability as this cute little Pangolin-looking guy can do a number of tasks when needed in a pinch. Wingman’s main ability is used similarly to Raze’s Boombot. Send him forward and he will seek enemies bouncing off of walls like a Boombot. Once in his sight, he will rush toward enemies, jump, and concuss them, alerting you as to where they are located.

However, when Gekko holds the Spike, it can be handed off to Wingman and using right click, Wingman can plant the Spike on Attack or defuse the spike on Defense. This ultimately adds a 6th man to the team as you can now plant a Spike while having your gun out.

Wingman searches for enemies for 5 seconds before he returns to his globule form. When planting or defusing, Wingman will return to his globule form once the task at hand is completed or if he gets killed. Having 100 HP, it takes a couple of shots to kill him.

Wingman is great at clearing areas like Raze’s Boombot. Wingman should not be used as the primary Spike planter for a team since his death can leave the Spike in a precarious position, but if your team is at a numbers disadvantage he can theoretically add another player to your team for a short amount of time by interacting with the Spike. Like Dizzy, Wingman can be picked up and used for a second time in the round.

Thrash

Thrash, a shark-like globule, is Gekko’s ultimate ability. He works similarly to Skye’s Trailblazer ability with the functionality of a mini Killjoy ultimate. Guide him through enemy territory and activate a lunge to detain enemies in a small radius.

Thrash takes 7 Ultimate Points, can be guided for 6 seconds, has 200 HP and can detain enemies for 6 seconds compared to Killjoy’s detain which lasts 8 seconds. Thrash moves expeditiously and glides through areas with determination and ease thanks to his ability to bunny hop (B-Hop). With 200 HP, he cannot be dealt with quickly unless multiple enemies land shots on him. Like Dizzy and Wingman, Thrash can be used twice in a round if Gekko can reclaim his globule.

Since Thrash can be used twice, he can be used once to recon, come back to Gekko and used again to stop any enemy action. Enemies will forcibly cease defusing, planting, or shooting thanks to Thrash. This unique ultimate can be very flexible depending on the situation.

Is Gekko Any Good in a Team Composition?

Gekko is actually pretty great and pretty well balanced upon release. He can be viable in all levels of play. He is great at defaulting since his abilities are solid at clearing areas and gaining some map control on his own. And since they are reusable, he can clear space on one site and then work towards gaining map control in contested areas like Mid. Being an Initiator, he is also a great option for 2nd Entry. He would pair well with an aggressive Duelist such as Jett or Raze that can take space using the help of his globules. He can even be 1st entry if the team composition consists of double Initiator, combining his Dizzy ability with a traditional flash ability. Gekko’s release will see already popular double Initiator compositions become even more of a mainstay in all levels.

Conclusion

Gekko is a powerful agent that is usable right out of the gate. He offers great flex potential in a team and is a great alternative to KAY/O. We will probably see some nerfs in the near future, based on globule pick-up time and perhaps Mosh Pit damage, but I believe he is pretty well balanced on release. It should be interesting how the community and pros use Gekko in their next team compositions.