Valorant Agent tier list: The best Agents to win with
#News
Valorant’s patch 4.0 sees a new agent added to the roster as well as a new act.
Valorant has been one of the biggest games of 2021. With Riot's backing, its esports scene has seen significant growth and expansion over the past few months. Esports.gg is bringing you the ultimate Valorant Agent Tier List. Players will receive detailed explanations as to why these agents are currently strong and if your elo should be using them.
Valorant Agent Tier 1
Image via Riot Games
Jett:
Abilities:
- C - Cloud burst: Cost 200
- Q - Updraft: Cost 150
- E - Tailwind: Cost 0
- X - Blade storm - 7 ultimate points
A prominent figure since the release of Valorant, Jett once again remains in tier one for patch 4.0. It seems almost impossible for Riot to nerf Jett. Although, to be honest, why should they? Jett is without question the most popular agent in the game and offers so much for both the casual scene as well as the competitive scene. Readers should expect Jett to be a mainstay on the Valorant agent tier list for many, many months.
Jett's versatility is what sets her apart from the competition. Her ability to pull off flashy plays while also having an escape is a fraggers dream. Maps such as Breeze and Icebox are where Jett gets the most love. Being able to reach unthinkable vantage points with an Operator while also having an escape tool is what makes her so deadly.
Across VCT Champions, Jett was by far the most played Agent with an 82% pick rate. As Jett is an offensive agent, there is no surprise that she has an above 50% win rate on every map bar Split and Ascent for offence.
Sova:
Abilities:
- Owl drone (C): Cost 400.
- Shock bolt(Q): Cost 150.
- Recon bolt(E): Cost 0.
- Hunter's Fury(X): 8 ultimate points.
Another agent that has stood the test of time, Sova is another popular agent within Valorant that has only improved as the game evolves. Players have figured out more advanced arrow lineups and have become one of the most effective agents in the game. As seen in the table above, Sova was the second-most-picked agent at VCT Champions Berlin 2021 and had great success across a variety of maps.
Astra:
Abilities:
- Gravity well(C): Cost 150.
- Nova Pulse(Q): Cost 150.
- Nebula / Dissipate(E): Cost 150.
- Astral Form / Cosmic Divide(X): 8 ultimate points.
Astra has grown from strength to strength since her introduction in 2021. While she is an extremely difficult agent to use for newer players, in pro play, she is one of the strongest. Her rechargeable smokes make her a much smarter pick over a Brimstone who doesn't have the same luxury. Astra is the ultimate macro Agent, both sets of teams are forced to come up with strategies to play around Astra's abilities.
Skye:
Abilities:
- Regrowth(C): Cost 200.
- Trailblazer(Q): Cost 250.
- Guiding light(E): Cost 250.
- Seekers(X): 7 ultimate points.
One of the strongest agents in the game, there is no surprise Skye ends up in Tier 1 of our Valorant Agent tier list. Having a great initiator in any mode, whether that be competitive or in a casual game, you are going to have a greater chance of winning. Skyes rise to popularity came following her buffs in ACT 3. These changes saw a reduced weapon re-equip time as well as greater visibility and greater stun duration on "
Viper:
Abilities:
- Snake bite(C): Cost 200.
- Poison cloud(Q): Cost 200.
- Toxic screen(E): Cost 0.
- Vipers pit(X): 7 ultimate points.
Viper is one of the best control champions in the game and is a worthy entrant in the top tier. Viper can do it all, she has excellent slaying potential as well as controlling a site on her own. If you get the lineups correctly, there should be no way of an enemy either planting or defusing the spike. Viper was amongst the most used agents at the VCT Champs event with a 58% pick rate.
Cypher:
Abilities:
- Trapwire(C): Cost 200.
- Cyber cage(Q): Cost 100.
- Spycam(E): Cost 0.
- Neural theft(X): 6 ultimate points.
The final entrant into tier one of this Valorant Agent tier list is Cypher. Cypher is a unique agent in which he can essentially control the entirety of the map with his abilities. His Spycam is a great tool for gathering information while his cage and tripwire mean he can be at another site. While his presence was not consistent at VCT Champs, he was heavily picked on Icebox and Fracture.
Valorant Agent Tier 2
image credit: playvalorant.com
Breach:
Abilities:
- Aftershock(C): Cost 200
- Flashpoint(Q): Cost 250
- Fault line(E): Cost 0
- Rolling thunder(X): 7 ultimate points
Breach has been seeing some love over the past few months heading into 2022. Specifically, in the competitive scene, Breach is being played far more frequently on maps like Split and Haven. One of the main advantages to using Breach since his buffs in Act 3 is his ability to be an initiator for the team. His stuns and flashes makes him a great Skye alternative and can hold down a site well on his own. Buffs to his ultimate have made it harder for players to escape the concussive blow, making him a deadly agent in the right hands.
Raze:
Abilities:
- Boom bot(C): Cost 300.
- Blast pack(Q): Cost 200.
- Paint shells(E): Cost 0.
- Showstopper(X): 8 ultimate points.
Raze is an agent that is falling out of favor in the competitive scene. Raze players thrive when the map is in a chaotic state. However, given how controlled professional games are, it is very hard for Raze to get any joy. This is evident by her 20% pick rate at VCT champs. The reason Raze remains in tier two is because she is still one of the better agents to use for online ranked games. Coordination is a myth in ranked play and this allows for Raze to wreak havoc.
Killjoy:
Abilities:
- Nanoswarm(C): Cost 200.
- Alarmbot(Q): Cost 200.
- Turret(E): Cost 0.
- Lockdown(X): 7 ultimate points.
Killjoy has always been a rock for most teams both in competitive and online play. Her ability to hold sites on her own as well as retake a site is why she is so deadly. She was amongst the most picked agents at VCT Champs and saw a lot of love on maps such as Haven and Ascent. If a Killjoy is on-site, then the enemy team must play around the agent otherwise they will be in trouble. Killjoy's swarm grenade is a deadly ability that can both be used offensively and defensively.
Chamber:
Abilities:
- Trademark(C): Cost 150.
- Headhunter(Q): Cost 100.
- Rendezvous(E): Cost 0.
- Tour de Force(X): 7 ultimate points.
Instead of nerfing Jett into the ground, it seems Riot has found a way to counter Jett, by making a duplicate. While Chamber is in tier two, over time he will quickly rise the ranks and join Jett in a class of their own. Before Chamber, there was not an agent that could effectively deal with Jett's evasive maneuvers with the operator. It seems Jett has finally met her match as Chamber can offer just as much, if not more. Fans should expect Chamber to be a frequently picked agent throughout the 2022 season.
Neon:
Neon is a high risk, high reward agent and straight off the bat is going to see a lot of action in both online play and competitive once she is live on the pro patch. Neon's kills work similarly to other high variance duelists, once you are in, you are in. As with most duelists, Neon excels against agents who are hindered by their lack of mobility. The only problem that Neon players in competitive could run into is her ability to break down heavy defences. This is a similar problem to Raze, where she may be fun in ranked play, but in a controlled environment, it will be tough for her.
Sage:
Abilities:
- Fast Lane(C): Cost 300.
- Relay Bolt(Q): Cost 200.
- High Gear(E): Cost 0.
- Overdrive(X): 7 ultimate points.
Sage is one of the most commonly used agents in ranked play. Her ultimate allows for players who have been killed to be revived and come back into the fight. Although as many Sage players will tell you, the phrase "Sage heal" is words that will be ringing in your ears for hours after play. As for competitive, with the game ever-evolving, players are finding ways to counteract Sage. Sage had a 28% pick rate at champs, not the worst but certainly not near the top.
Reyna:
Abilities:
- Leer(C): Cost 250.
- Devour(Q): Cost 200.
- Dismiss(E): Cost 200.
- Empress(X): 6 ultimate points.
Reyna is an agent that is still considered to be one of the strongest in the game. Although she does not get that much love in the pro scene, she is a staple pick in ranked play. Reynas slaying potential is one of the best in the game, and her ability to duck and weave in 1:1 gunfights makes her extremely deadly. Circling back to pro play, Reyna is not completely left in the dark. Reyna saw a lot of love on Icebox and had a 23% pick rate at Champs concluding Tier 2 of the Valorant Agent Tier list.
Valorant Agent Tier 3
image credit: playvalorant.com
Omen:
Abilities:
- Shrouded Step(C): Cost 150.
- Paranoia(Q): Cost 300.
- Dark Cover(E): Cost 100.
- From the Shadows(X): 7 ultimate points.
Omen is on the brink of moving down to a tier four just based on how little he is used in competitive alone. At Riot's biggest Valorant event of the year, the Controller had just escaped being in the Yoru and Phoenix club, two agents that were not picked once during the event. While Omen is not the hardest agent in the game to learn, for new players it may be a struggle. This means Omen is not viable in competition and not a champion new players should be picking up.
Brimstone:
Abilities:
- C - Stim Beacon(C): Cost 100.
- Q - Incendiary(Q): Cost 250.
- E - Sky Smoke(E): Cost 100.
- X - Orbital Strike(X): 7 ultimate points.
Brimstone unfortunately will always stay in and around the second to third-tier based on how he stacks up against other controllers. There are simply better agents for the kit of Brimstone. Agents like Astra and Breach have a much easier time getting onto sites with abilities that overpower Brimstone. Where Brimstone is useful is being the starting point for new players wanting to learn controllers. Brim's kit is easy to use and is a great starting point for any new player who wants to play a more controlled type of game.
KAY/O:
Abilities:
- C - FRAG/MENT(C): Cost 200.
- Q - FLASH/DRIVE(Q): Cost 250.
- E - ZERO/POINT(E): Cost 0.
- X - NULL/CMD(X): 7 ultimate points.
KAY/O can be described as the best of a bad bunch, he isn't completely unplayable like other agents in this list, but is also never going to be the first choice for many players. KAY/O did see some action at VCT Champs with an 18% pick rate. If used right, KAY/O can be a problem for teams. His ultimate disables a lot of powerful abilities, an example being a Viper ultimate on a site.
Valorant Agent Tier 4
Yoru:
Abilities:
- Bait(C): Cost 100.
- Stun(Q): Cost 200.
- Uninvited Guest(E): Cost 0 - resets after 2 kills.
- Spatial Drift(X): 7 ultimate points.
Will Yoru ever see the light of day? no one knows. Yoru right now is one of the worst agents in the game both from a competitive standpoint and online. Yoru was not picked a single time throughout the VCT Champs tournament and is unlikely to have any presence in the 2022 pro scene.
Phoenix:
Abilities:
- BlazeL(C): Cost 200.
- Curveball(Q): Cost 250.
- Hot Hands(E): Cost 0.
- Run it Back(X): 6 ultimate points.
Fans of Phoenix should probably look away now. Competitively Phoenix is at its lowest point in the agent's cycle. At VCT Champs, Phoenix was one of two agents in the game to not be picked a single time. Although Phoenix does have a very useful ultimate in ranked play, there are much better duelists in the game that can perform the same tasks at a better rate.
This concludes the tier list for Valorant agents. As Riot updates the game and adds new agents, players should expect movement across the various tiers. However, picking an agent depends on your team composition,
Stay tuned to Esports.gg for the latest Valorant news and updates.
Jordan Marney
Editor | Twitter @MarnMedia
Jordan "Marn" Marney is an esports journalist from across the pond. Marn specialises in telling stories about League of Legends and Call of Duty. Marn has been a passionate esports fan since 2014 and has written for publications Unikrn, Esports Network, ESTNN and The United Stand.