Valorant Agent Tier List – Meta Insights
Published: Apr 22, 2024 - Last Updated: Jun 24, 2024
Our VALORANT Agent Tier List looks to answer the eternal question – which VALORANT Agents are the best? While every agent has its role, strengths and weaknesses, some agents rise above others as clearly being a tier above. Let’s take a closer look.
Valorant Agents & Roles
Useful for anyone, whether or not you’re interested in VALORANT betting, here’s a list of all of the VALORANT agents in the game right now, as of patch 8.05.
We’re dividing them according to the roles of Duelist, Initiator, Controller and Sentinel:
| VALORANT Agent Roles | Agents |
|---|---|
| Duelist | Raze, Jett, Reyna, Neon, Yoru, Iso, Phoenix |
| Initiator | Sova, Breach, Skye, Gekko, Fade, KAY/O |
| Controller | Brimstone, Viper, Omen, Astra, Harbor, Clove |
| Sentinel | Sage, Cypher, Killjoy, Chamber, Deadlock |
Our tier list is split into particular roles, ranking the best agents in the current state of the game. Factors for this tier list include competitive pick rates, meta changes and the current VALORANT competitive map pool.
Duelists
Diving into sites, making space and taking the first blood, the duelist meta is very clear in the current VALORANT Agent Tier List.
Right now, the majority of VALORANT teams run with either Raze or Jett, maybe sometimes picking Yoru. Usually, esports betting MVPs typically use these agents.
Here are some insights into each agent and their pick rates at the most recent international tournament VCT Madrid 2024:
- Raze – 52% – head and shoulders above the rest, Raze is in a tier of her own for maps with close spaces needing clearing thanks to her utility. In addition, she’s the mainstay on Lotus and Split, with a 90% pick rate – maybe she needs a nerf?
- Jett – 43% – forever near the top, recent nerfs have pulled Jett down, but she is currently the 100% favourite on Breeze and Icebox, maps where Raze isn’t a viable option.
- Yoru – 11% – considering his past pick rate, 11% is impressive for Yoru, who is perhaps the most difficult duelist to play thanks to his interesting teleport mechanics and decoy potential, especially on Breeze.
- Phoenix – 7% – this flaming duelist is lethal around corners with his flash and ultimate, without offering much else.
- Neon – 4% – an agent with her own strengths, this map pool currently does not favour her speed and stunning potential such as on the map Fracture which is out of the rotation.
- Reyna – 3% – sure she’s a ranked demon, but she is barely picked in competitive play due to her lack of team play
- Iso – 0% – brings very little to the table for his team, nobody dared pick the new agent at the most recent tournament
Initiators – VALORANT Agent Tier List
Moving onto the Initiators, we have the most balanced pool of agents in the current VALORANT Agent Tier List. Typically respected as some of the strongest agents in VALORANT, we have no S-Tier agents who are above the rest, but several solid picks across multiple maps.
Here’s how the best teams in the world, against the esports odds, have been picking these agents in 2024:
- KAY/O – 36% – as the best combination of flashing, information gathering, a grenade and strong ultimate ability, KAY/O can be played on any map and fits into many team picks. His best maps are Ascent and Sunset.
- Sova – 33% – thanks to the return of Breeze, Sova has returned to popularity with a 100% pick rate on the large map. In addition, his classic utility kit offers some of the best information-gathering abilities in the entire game.
- Skye – 27% – despite Riot Games nerfing the agent into the ground, teams still pick her on Split and Bind. Although only having two flashes, her Dog and Ultimate are massively influential.
- Gekko – 24% – following some buffs from Riot Games, Gekko has debuted in the competitive scene now that competitive VALORANT teams have finally learned how to use him. Allowing teams to plant with Wingman, he’s single-handedly shaken up the stale Icebox meta.
- Fade – 17% – in the current meta, Fade slumps behind Sova and Gekko when it comes to clearing corners and playing for the team. Filling a niche on Lotus, she doesn’t find much play on other maps.
- Breach – 12% – considering how easy it is to dodge his flashes, and the fact that his stuns don’t always guarantee a frag, Breach hasn’t been picked too often recently.
Controllers
Viper – VALORANT currently has a problem with this broken agent. Currently pushing an 80% pick rate in the VALORANT Champions Tour, she needs a nerf in the coming year to keep things balanced.
Let’s see how her pick rate compares to other Controller agents, whose job is to cut up the map and give their team the advantage:
- Viper – 78% – played on every single map, Viper is strong due to her ability to perform on any map, securing multiple sites for minutes on end with her replenishing utility. It’s unlikely that Clove can make a dent in her pick rate.
- Omen – 68% – having a 100% pick rate on three maps, Omen’s teleporting ability together with his one-way potential helps him lock down the map. Moreover, his Paranoia is the best blind in the entire game.
- Astra – 9% – the Astra-meta was a long time ago. Although Riot Games tried buffing the agent recently, the only viable map for her right now is Breeze.
- Harbor – 7% – only played on Bind and Icebox, this walling agent was made to compete with Viper but is clearly not keeping up with the challenge.
- Brimstone – 7% – with a 75% pick rate on Bind, his ability to put down three smokes at once is the only reason for being picked on this map.
- Clove – TBD – newest agent – we don’t know where she ranks right now, we’ll leave her at the bottom for the time being.
Sentinels
If you’d like to play Sentinel in the current VALORANT Agent Tier List, it’s a choice between Cypher and Killjoy.
A few months ago, Killjoy was the clearcut better choice, but a recent nerf has modified the pick rates at the highest level of competition:
- Killjoy – 29%- featuring an impressive kit only restricted by range, her Nanoswarms deal loads of damage while her bots watch the flank. On maps such as Icebox, her utility single-handedly keeps the middle of the map locked down. Meanwhile, her ultimate is simply insane.
- Cypher – 26%- making a comeback in the current map pool, Cypher is a nuisance on Sunset and Breeze. His buff to trip wires makes him more deadly – you don’t want to run into a Cypher on site.
- Sage – 6%- as one of the oldest agents, her ability to resurrect teammates is overrated in the current meta, with her wall not finding much value.
- Chamber – 2% – once the best agent in the game, his limited utility and teamplay just aren’t useful at the highest level
- Deadlock – 0%- as always, the newest agent in the game has found no play as teams are still figuring her out.
If you’re using esports betting sites, we recommend staying up to date with this changing meta.
