Pengu, Beaulo and more explain how Oryx & Iana will shake up R6 meta

Oryx and Iana might have only just hit Rainbow 6’s test servers, but pros are already excited about how the two Operation Void Edge operators will shake up how the game is played.

Operation Void Edge was revealed at the Six Invitational on February 15, and with the new event comes two new operators for players to get their hands on.

Oryx is a defender who can run through walls and jump up through hatches to catch enemies by surprise, while Iana is an attacker who can spawn holograms of herself to gain intel and bait enemies.

While certain operators have done similar jobs on different sides ⁠— with Amaru’s Garra Hook for attack and Alibi’s holograms for defense ⁠— there’s more flexibility in what Oryx and Iana will be able to achieve.

It’s impossible to read what the meta will look like in the weeks from now when Oryx and Iana are finally available for everyone, but pro players are already brainstorming how the duo will shake up the Rainbow 6 meta.

• Read more: Oryx and Iana revealed during Operation Void Edge launch at S.I.

“The first thing I thought about Oryx was: let’s say you skip playing a shotgun on defense and you just make a bunch of rotate holes with his dashes, then you play a Doc to heal him back up,” said G2’s Niclas ‘Pengu’ Moritzen. “You don’t need to play a Smoke just for the shotgun anymore, and you can roam more.”

However, the opinions on Oryx are quite split. Team SoloMid’s star player Jason ‘Beaulo’ Doty said the new defender “isn’t going to be too crazy.”

“He’s going to become an Ash for defense,” he added. “If you don’t need to take any utility, just go for Oryx and jump through some hatches.

Others, like Fnatic’s Etienne ‘Magnet’ Rousseau believe that he is going to become a “game changer” for teams, and completely alter how everyone will have to play the game with Oryx around.

• Read more: R6 Year 5 roadmap includes replay system, map bans, more

“Oryx is going to be a game changer on watching flanks because usually you’d have one guy watching drones, or trapping roamers with claymores,” he said. “Now that he can jump up hatches, you’re going to have to change the way you watch your flanks, and in turn, the entire round.”

Iana is going to give teams a new way of gathering intel, and her power only grows the tighter the clutch. Given at a pro level intel is a key part of the current meta, being able to through out holograms that give you info while disrupting the enemy team is huge.

“If she can have three holograms and two drones to collect information with, that’s huge,” said Pengu.

“Iana is going to be pretty good because she’s going got good nades, good guns, and extra drones [in her gadget],” added Beaulo.

• Read more: Tachanka rework revealed at Six Invitational

But in being meta defining, it’s a bit too hard to call for most. SI 2020 champion Troy ‘Canadian’ Jaroslawski said out of the two new operators coming out, Iana’s could become a “staple” meta pick if teams can afford a flex pick on attack.

“Iana might be able to fit in, but given how utility focused the game is right now it’s hard to fit in someone like Iana,” he said. “She could become a staple for certain teams.”

Oryx and Iana are a part of the newly released Operation Void Edge. The first season of Rainbow 6’s Year 5 featured a rework of fan-favorite map Oregon, as well as changes to Lesion and Twitch.

You can play Oryx and Iana on the Rainbow 6 TTS right now, with the two operators hitting live servers in March. Oryx and Iana won’t be available in pro play until their three month quarantine period is up in June.