Valorant, the game that everyone thought of as ‘just a CS clone‘, is still going strong. While it is not exactly topping the popularity charts right now, Riot has made sure the game is consistent with fixes and new awesome skins.
As of the latest patch, that is 1.04, Valorant has gone through a few noticeable changes especially to its agents. This list of agents will mostly stay the same for quite some time.
S Tier Agents
The absolute best of the best. These agents will give an unmatched boost to the team.
Sage
She was the top pick since the beginning and nothing is slowing her down now either. Sage possesses a unique set of abilities, all of which are a game-changer. With her wall and 2 slow orbs, she is more than capable of defending a site on her own. The only option enemies have is to destroy the wall but that would blow their cover. Her heals and revives are equally strong to date.
You could argue Cypher as being the best agent but Sage is strong while attacking and defending whereas Cypher leans more towards defense.
Cypher
The Moroccan hitman/mafioso/assassin is next on our list for his unmatched info and defense based capabilities. Not only can he hold a site by himself just like Sage but Cypher will let you know the enemy whereabouts too. Cypher can secure any corner of the map which is insanely valuable in any shooter game. Just throw in your trap-wires and cages that give an audio cue when an enemy passes through. You can also now pick up his cage if not triggered. Furthermore, his camera, if placed well, can go unnoticed by enemies while you are watching their every move.
With no changes made by Riot yet, Cypher remains in the S tier.
A Tier Agents
Pretty strong picks that are comparable to Sage and Cypher in certain cases.
Sova
Sova, the Slavic hunter, probably has the highest skill cap out of all agents. Three out of four of his abilities revolve around his bow & arrow, all of which are big-play material. While Sova’s impact varies from map to map, you can still pull off crazy trick-shots if you learn the map well. When it comes to pure info gathering, Sova is the best agent in Valorant. It takes just one well-placed recon arrow to expose an entire team. Furthermore, Sova can couple his recon with his ult that goes through walls, meaning, Sova doesn’t even need to directly fight you.
Brimstone
Smokes are extremely useful in Valorant. And what’s better than an agent who can deploy 3 of them at once? Though his ult now requires an additional point (7 instead of 6), his smokes and molotov abilities are the strongest in Valorant. Not to mention Riot slightly changed his combat stim to no longer buff enemies nor show them its radius.
Omen
Coming up from the depths of Hell is Omen, arguably the strongest of the Controller class agents. His free and recurring smokes coupled with his blinding ability can create space for your entire team. If you feel aggressive, you could always teleport or ult into unexpected spots.
Jett
There’s nothing better than killing an enemy just in time to dash out before reinforcements arrive all the while you’re thinking, “I’m fast af boi!”. With Jett, you can do that over and over until you’ve speed-blitzed the entire enemy team or you can die within the first 2 seconds of the round. Jett can throw 3 smokes to cover blind spots, swing in the air with her ult equipped and basically snipe enemies repeatedly.
She’s probably the best Duelist in Valorant.
B Tier Agents
They are good but only work with certain team comps and situations.
Raze
Sure, Raze has 3 abilities that can one-shot anyone but at the same time she is getting predictable. Raze is the most overpowered agent but you have seen her so many times now that you know her explosions are coming before she throws ’em. Similar to Brimstone, Raze will now require 7 points for her ultimate.
Breach
Breach is of the Initiator class like Sova, which means he can set-up fights better than most. While Breach has the ult that literally causes an earthquake and has one of the best flashes in Valorant, he still falls short overall. Compared to Sova and a few others, Breach is overly dependent on walls to trigger his abilities and he can’t do that well when defending a site.
Phoenix
Phoenix is another Duelist who is rather hit-or-miss. His ultimate, Run It Back, allows him to respawn to where he initiated his ult should he die or run out of time during his ult. It is a great ultimate and can clear an area for the team, though his other abilities just aren’t that good. His flame wall and fire grenade often get used for self-healing and his flash is not as impactful as that of Breach.
Viper
Viper has gone through the most changes this patch but to what result? Well, she isn’t C tier now, at least. Her ult, Viper’s Pit, now lasts for 12 seconds if she leaves the area and her other abilities have better damage and sustain. Even then, Viper can’t be compared to other Controllers. Omen and Brimstone still contribute more than Viper.
Viper remains the lowest picked agent in pro matches to date.
C Tier Agent
Just not optimal for Valorant.
Reyna
Reyna has amazing sustain, escape, and blind abilities. Her ult, Empress, buffs her to the extent that one-on-one fights are basically a death sentence for the enemy. Why is she in the bottom? The reason being, all her abilities are completely solo. Valorant, essentially, is a team game and Reyna lacks everything in that regard.
The only way she can be picked is if your team has an almost unbeatable fragger. If that is the case then go ahead and pick her cause she has an unparalleled carry capacity. In most cases though, other agents are simply more useful.
You can catch up on Valorant here.
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