Sova is the 6th Agent to join the VALORANT Protocol. Hailing from Russia, he uses his archery and hunting skills to gain the upper hand.
Born from the eternal winter of Russia's tundra, Sova tracks, finds, and eliminates enemies with ruthless efficiency and precision. His custom bow and incredible scouting abilities ensure that even if you run, you cannot hide.
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Lore[]
Sova, hailing from the cold tundra of Russia, combines his unmatched archery skills with Radianite technology to defeat his enemies.
Sova has a very calm and level-headed personality. Although he is incredibly dedicated and ruthless towards the enemies, he is warm towards his teammates, always encouraging and complimenting them. He believes in himself and he believes in his team to win. His steadiness and tirelessness on the field is most likely an asset to the morale of the team. He is here to protect his Earth; one can only assume that his experience with the rifts drives this desire.
Not too much is known of his background before joining the PROTOCOL, although he has survived a great deal. It is implied from the Through the Looking Glass card (see below) that he had had some sort of encounter with a rift in his home country[1], and he has also met his Omega Counterpart in the past. It is implied that he has a military background. Brimstone comments that he has "already lost an eye" for them, an event that may have happened on one of these encounters.
Dossier[]
Before joining the VALORANT Protocol, Agent Fade released a dossier about Sova as a part of her Blackmailing of the VALORANT PROTOCOL.
The focal point of Sova's dossier is his incredible legacy of being a perfect archer - 'the Man who never missed a shot'. This legacy has been built over many, many years of hard work, effort, and outstanding performance. Even before the days of the PROTOCOL, he was famed for his impeccable accuracy. Sova's skill comes as a double-edged sword, though - his aim is now considered to always be perfect, no matter what. He is expected to be reliable, to be dependable, to always to be able to hit the most extreme of shots. That is Sova's legacy. According to his dossier, though, that legacy is a lie. Apparently, sometime long in the past, Sova did miss his shot. Not much is described about this event, but the mere fact that it happened at all is enough. It shows, to Sova more than anyone, that he isn't perfect - that, just like everyone, he is capable of missing; that, just like everyone, he will miss an important shot again.
And thereby lies Sova's greatest weakness. The role of a perfect archer is something that he cannot give up now. He will always be entrusted with the hardest challenges, and when he fails, it will come with the greatest consequences. The ramifications of that single miss will be insurmountable, and the grand legacy he has built will come crashing down on him. This, according to Fade, is Sova's utmost flaw.
In his dossier, we also learn that Sova had a reputation for himself way before he joined the VALORANT Protocol, with which he earned himself the title of 'Filin, Brother of Steel and String'. The latter half of this title is a simple yet elaborate reference to his archery skills and his compound bow. However, the first part is of more interest: 'Filin' is a Russian word, translating to 'Eagle-Owl' (a large species of owl, commonly found across Eurasia). Similarly, his PROTOCOL callsign, Sova, is a romanization of the Russian сова, which also translates to 'Owl'.
Appearance[]
Sova wears a fur-lined coat, suited for the cold weather of his home, along with a dark blue cape that has a white leaf-shaped symbol on the left shoulder and a X-shape on the back. He wears archery leather gloves, with his owl drone rests against his left forearm. His bow is slung across his back in an easy-to-reach position. His boots take on the appearance of owls. His quiver of shock darts is located on the side of his right thigh and he has a hunting knife strapped against his left calf.
His hair is whitish-blond, with one of his eyes replaced for a prosthetic one.
Abilities[]
Sova's abilities are most likely linked to his prosthetic eye, granting him the sight of a hunter. All of his abilities are based on radianite-enhanced technology. Sova also has an Owl Drone, connected to his eye, which he can send to scout ahead and reveal enemies in its Line of Sight. His primary weapon is a collapsible bow, that can be fit with various arrows. In-game, he uses multiple kinds: a Recon Bolt, which attaches itself to a surface and reveals any enemies in its line of sight, and Shock Darts that do damage on contact. When he utilizes Hunter's Fury, he equips his bow with a different kind of arrows that seem to be made from pure energy. These arrows can penetrate through walls, to do heavy damage and reveal struck targets.
Relationships[]
Sova and his Double have met in the past, though very little information is known about their encounter. Sova mentions he spared him when they met, implying that they fought, and α-Sova won.
Sova and Brimstone share a caring friendship and camaraderie between them. Sova is happy to follow Brimstone's lead, calling him "captain." Brimstone also tells Sova to look after himself, as he's "already lost one eye for us."
Sova has a disapproval of Viper's methods, frightened by her violent nature and her need for vengeance. However, he also has sympathy for her troubled and bitter state. He believes it to be a mercy to kill her. Viper's relationship with Sova is comparatively mild. She praises Sova at times, recognizing his capabilities as a hunter.
Omen and Sova have a good relationship. Sova has a very wholesome attitude towards Omen, reminding him of his humanity. Sova reassures Omen that he shall not have to suffer the way he does forever, that he has friends working to find his a solution. Omen, in turn, has a great respect for Sova, noticing a burning fury inside of him.
Sova has a great disapproval of Cypher. Quoted from a Reddit AMA with the Riot Devs, "Honesty and openness are important to Sova. But Cypher has many secrets he keeps from his fellow Agents. That makes trust... difficult". Sova takes it upon himself to uncover Cypher's secrets when he gets the chance. Cypher, however, has nothing against Sova, calling him "my measured friend", and musing at how well they can reveal the enemy together
Sova respects Phoenix's power and enthusiasm often referring to him as his friend. Sova also teaches Phoenix to learn patience before they advance with a strategy.
Sova respects Sage's healing skill and power, and is amazed that she can fight so well despite being a healer
Sova is aware of Reyna's near-unopposable strength while Empress is active, and advises the team to kill her before she attains that state. Reyna admires Sova's skills and control in a dangerous situation
Sova has a disdain for Breach's aggressive and impatient actions, claiming that they will amount to nothing because he doesn't wait up for the rest of the team. Sova advises his team to use Breach's overaggressive trait against him. Breach has a contempt for Sova's belief that he can be stopped with just arrows.
Cards[]
The VALORANT Sova card is a generic portrait of Sova.
The Through The Looking Glass card shows Sova standing on a snowy mountain and facing a Rift in the sky.
The VERSUS // Sova + Cypher card displays the rivalry between the information broker and Sova.
Voicelines[]
Find all of Sova's voicelines here
Notes[]
- Sova's working name in the files is 'Hunter'.
- During some stage in the development process, Agent Julia 'Joules' Faraday had Sova's Recon bolt. She was later scrapped and her ability was transferred to Sova[2] [3].
- Sova was a female during some stage in the development of VALORANT, with the name Andressa 'Hunter' Dias[4].
- Literally translated, Sova, or сова, means owl. Owls are silently but deadly predators; Sova is a hunter who stops at nothing.
- As with every other Agent, Sova has a Spotify playlist:
Sources[]
References[]
- ↑ Sova's Past - Discord QnA Go
- ↑ Joules is scrapped, some of her abilities have been given to Sova and Jett - Reddit Go
- ↑ https://i.postimg.cc/G25twymt/Joules-Body-DF.png
- ↑ https://i.postimg.cc/CKt59811/Hunter.png