Will the upcoming Astra buff In Patch 7.05 be meta defining?

Since Astra’s launch there’s plenty of murmuring about how useful she’s been. From the flexibility to use her abilities in any part of the map, to being focal in the post plant. Astra has had quite a few new nerfs and buffs since her launch due to her impact on the meta; infamously being used in the double controller meta with Viper and Killjoy to stall the game during the post plant. In patch 7.04 Astra received heavy nerfs and few buffs, but does the upcoming buff in patch 7.05 make her the best controller in the game? Let’s find out.

Patch 7.04 following the end of VCT Champions 2023 was quite the meta-defining patch. Within this patch, Riot acknowledged the significant disparity between the usage of her Gravity Well and Nova Pulse in the game. As such the nerf to her Gravity Well means its start-up time was doubled to 1.25 seconds. The duration of her Gravity Well was also reduced to 2 seconds.

However, the patch also buffed her Nova Pulse, as well as her ultimate Cosmic Divide. In the case of the Nova Pulse, its start-up time was decreased to one second, while her Cosmic Divide can now block out all types of noises. In patch 7.05 they’ve given another form of buff to Astra. In Astral Form, Astra will now be able to hear everything happening around her physical body. This change will certainly make an impact in ranked play, as well as during solo queues.

Is the buff In Patch 7.05 ground breaking?

Until now, if Astra is in her Astral Form, she can’t hear what’s happening around her or even hear her teammates. This could sometimes result in there being a form of communication gap. It’s been seen before while in a solo queue, a player's teammates not protecting the Astra when she’s in her Astral Form, resulting in her being killed while placing her abilities for the post plant. These changes are excellent news for everyone who enjoys playing Astra, having the ability to hear your team as well as your surroundings is going to be crucial in coordinating attacks.

This patch might not be as game-breaking as many believe, but it will have quite a lot of impact. With the change to Cosmic Divide blocking all noise on the map, seeing the increase in the number of times we see Astra playing as the solo flanker in ranked matches will be crucial in determining just how much impact it has.