Riot Games’ new competitive FPS shooter, Valorant, features Agents with their own distinct abilities, or kits. Because of that, there is quite a difference in choosing characters based on whether you’re solo queuing or playing with a 5-man premade team. The advantage of having a 5-man premade is that you can effectively communicate with your team to have a perfect composition of Agents. Naturally, some Agents will be a must in a premade team, while others could be overlooked as they don’t add much to a team-focused play. Of course, one’s aim is still the most important factor in winning those rounds, but having a perfect team composition certainly helps. Check out our Agent tier list for solo queuing, if you don’t usually play with a premade team.
S-tier: Most recommended
- Sage: Pretty much the most useful Agent on any team at the moment. Sage’s healing and resurrection abilities can turn the tides of battle. Her wall and Slow Orb abilities can block, or slow down, any orchestrated rush or push from the enemy team, as well as cut off certain paths in defending a planted spike. Basically, Sage is a must for any team.
- Breach: We have seen Breach being extremely effective at multiple Valorant tournaments recently. When mastered, this Agent can be a complete nuisance for the enemy team. His Flashpoint ability is the best flash in the game. When paired with his Fault Line and Aftershock, an effective Breach player should be able to remove defenders from their positions without even seeing them beforehand. Rolling Thunder ultimate can decimate an oncoming enemy rush through certain areas on the map. This character is also a must, but players must be acquainted well with his kit.
- Sova: The bow-wielding Agent can be a fantastic asset for each premade team. Sova’s Recon Bolt especially will reveal enemy Agents’ positioning while defending bombsites or, alternatively, show an oncoming push. Hunter’s Fury ultimate can be fired through walls to clear obvious hiding spots or tight corridors, or when enemies are revealed with his Recon Bolt. Add to this a Shock Bolt that deals damage or the Owl Drone that scours enemies ahead, and you’ve got the ultimate character for getting that precious information on enemy positioning. While extremely useful, similarly to Breach, the players must take some time to learn when and how to use his abilities effectively.
A-tier: Solid picks
- Brimstone: The first A-tier Agent is a very solid pick, mostly for his remote smoking ability via Sky Smoke. His Incendiary is also useful for cutting off certain pathways when defending planted spikes. However, his Stim Beacon that increases rate of fire is not mandatory, and his ultimate, Orbital Strike, may be one of the weakest ultimates currently due to its being useful only in very specific scenarios. Additionally, upon releasing smokes on bombsites as the attackers, a rush may be easily countered by characters such as Sage that are able to stop a push almost immediately. Nevertheless, in a well-coordinated team, Brimstone still remains one of the better picks.
- Cypher: Be it solo or a premade, Cypher remains an excellent Agent for gathering that precious information on enemy positioning. His Trapwire can reveal enemy backstabs and pushes, also catching them off-guard. Cyber Cage can not only be used as smokes, but also as lurking spots for friendly Agents. His Spycam is very useful on the defense by not putting himself in dangerous positions while gathering intel. The Neural Theft ultimate reveals all enemy Agents on the map, once again making him a fantastic asset. Cypher, however, can be read easily if his trap and camera placements are repeated throughout; therefore, witty enemies should be able to learn his patterns throughout a match. His abilities also don’t deal damage, making him solely useful for information.
- Viper: The infamous Viper has the Valorant community very divided on how useful she is in-game. In an organized team, she can be very annoying for the enemies as her skills speak for themselves. Her Poison Cloud and Toxic Screen can effectively be placed to cut off enemy vision and turned off or on throughout the round. Snakebite damages enemies that try to enter the poison field, making it a good zoning ability. Her Viper’s Pit ultimate, however, is extremely situational and may be one of the weakest currently. Its use is mostly limited to defending a planted spike in an unfavorable situation or when attempting to defuse a spike.
- Phoenix: While mostly focused on solo play, Phoenix is a very powerful Agent that can be also utilized in a premade team. His Blaze and Hot Hands, apart from being able to heal himself, can cut off certain choke points and be used to take over bombsites as they deal damage to enemies and cut off vision. Curveball flash, while not as good as Breach’s, can still be used to surprise peak unsuspecting enemies. Finally, his ultimate, Run It Back, is phenomenal, as it can be used to open up bombsites and gather info for one’s team. Again, Phoenix’s abilities may appear as “selfish” at first glance, but when understood, this Valorant Agent can be a great asset for a premade team.
B-tier: Decent, but can be skipped
- Omen: The recently revamped Omen is a good pick, but the player must know what he or she is doing in order to be effective in a premade team. His From the Shadows ultimate enables a team to gather info via backstabbing on potential bombsites or rushes. Dark Cover smoke is fantastic on reducing enemy vision in certain areas, while Paranoia can be used to confuse hiding defenders as it can pass through walls. Nevertheless, Omen is mostly solo play-focused and is more of a lurking-type Agent.
C-tier: Not as useful for premades
- Jett: While Jett is a great solo character, her abilities don’t add much to the team. Her Cloudburst smokes last for a very short time, and all her other abilities are self-focused. This Agent should be only used for entry fragging and causing chaos on the battlefield, thus making her one of the least useful Agents on this tier list.
- Raze: Probably the most infamous Agent in Valorant due to her purely destructive abilities. Her fragging capabilities are undeniable; however, similarly to Jett, she adds very little to a premade squad. Her Boom Bot is the only thing that can be used to gather information on enemy Agent positioning ahead. All her abilities can cause significant damage or propel her into the air using Blast Pack. But anyway, who doesn’t want to blast themselves into the air with the Showstopper ultimate on and get those Reddit-worthy shots of destroying her opponents?
What do you think of our tier list for Riot Games’ Valorant? Let us know in the comments. Follow Daily Esports for all your Valorant news and guides.
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