Riot's agent design for its popular game, Valorant, has always been top tier... ba-dum tshhh. However, with the increasing number of agents in the game, knowing who to play can become a little tricky.
Many new Valorant players may look to professional players for inspiration on who to play. However, this can become an obstacle for them as they choose an agent with a high skill level.
That is why this article shows each agent in a tier list of their popularity as of right now. Although there has been little sway over what is played in professional Valorant.
Without further ado, let's get into it.
The Valorant Agents tier list
Omen (S)
Recent buffs to Omen, and nerfs to other controlers, have made him bump right up into the S space again. His ability to smoke contact points, and set up teammates with his blind, makes him a very valuable agent to have on your team.
His smokes are a little bit harder to place than the ones of Brimstone or Viper, especially when you are in a fast-paced execution. But the fact his smokes are rechargeable makes him a much bigger threat in mid and late-round situations.
Furthermore, Omen is a viable controller in every map of the game and excels in maps such as Ascent, Bind, and Lotus.
Viper (S)
Despite the nerfs Viper underwent in patch 7.04, she is still one of the best controllers in the game. She is very strong on the defensive side, being able to lock down a bombsite alone.
In offence, she can be played as a lurker, using her walls to block the enemy line of sight and take control of advanced areas of the map. She is also incredibly useful in post-plant situations, especially because of her snake bites.
Viper shares the throne of the best controller agent in patch 1.09 with Omen, as they are by far the two best agents in their role currently.
Cypher (S)
After being forgotten for a long time, Cypher is finally back, after receiving some big buffs in patch 1.09. The changes to his Trapwire were enough to catapult him from the B to the S tier and make him an elite Sentinel once again.
Cypher is quite an easy agent to play, especially on the defensive side. He can lock down a bombsite by himself, and provide a lot of crucial information to his team.
On the attacking side, Cypher is perhaps the best lurker in the game, always finding ways to backstab opponents, gain valuable information, and also take map control.
Fade (A)
Fade is the epitome of an initiator with all the crowd control abilities she possesses. Additionally, her lockdowns and initiation abilities mean that she is a great addition to the team.
Her unique kit makes her extremely valuable in retake situations. Fade abilities are also great to help allies clear hard angles, and get information on the opponent's whereabouts.
She is not a very hard agent to play, making it perfect for casual players to pick her up.
Astra (A)
One of the best-designed agents in the game. Astra is a complete controller, that is great at setting up teammates. There are endless plays you can run with Astra. She doesn't only block the vision of enemies, as she can also concuss them, or pull them.
When these two abilities are combined with other agents' abilities, such as Raze Nade, they can be devastating. You can play her on pretty much every map, and she is arguably the third-best controller in the game.
However, Astra is a much harder agent to master than Viper and Omen, who are relatively easy agents to pick up and play. That's the main reason she isn't on the S tier.
Raze (B)
For quite some time, Raze dominated competitive play and ranked, being the best Duelist in the game for a substantial margin. However, the character was hit by some massive nerfs in patch 7.09, which removed her from the top of the Duelist mountain.
Raze grenade does substantially less damage, and its explosion radius was also decreased. Furthermore, her Satchel arm time increased to 1.5 seconds, which is a huge change and takes away a lot of her explosiveness.
It's a sad time for Raze mains, as their agent is no longer the dominant Duelist they knew and loved.
Kay/O (B)
Despite the arrival of a new patch to Valorant, Kay/O stays in the same tier. The war machine is not on the same level as Initiators such as Breah, Fade, or Skye, but it's still a very useful agent.
Kay/O is one of those agents who can be very difficult to pick up. The skill required to play him can be off-putting for lower-level players. Furthermore, agents such as Skye, Fade, and Breach, are easier to play and have a better all-around kit.
His flashes also pale in comparison with the ones of Skye and Breach. They are easier to dodge, flash for a smaller duration, and aren't as easy to set up.
Deadlock (B)
Since its arrival in Valorant, Deadlock has had some problems in establishing herself as a dominant sentinel. She has a unique kit, that forces players to adapt their playstyle. This makes her a harder champion to master than other sentinels and explains why she is the second-least-picked agent in the game right now.
With Killjoy being by far the best sentinel in the game, and Chyper's recent buffs making him viable once again, there weren't many reasons to pick Deadlock. That's why Riot Games decided it was time to show the agent some love and on Patch 7.10 buffed her GravNet ability.
Now, players caught on Deadlock GravNet will be debuffed until they remove it and will have their mobility reduced. Furthermore, the GravNet removal time was increased to 1.5 seconds, and its radius increased to eight meters.
These changes don't make her better than Killjoy, but make her a much better agent than previously. Deadlock is now a useful agent in most of the active maps, instead of being a situational pick.
Iso (C)
Iso is the latest agent to arrive at Valorant, so it's still hard to asses how strong he is. The new Duelist agent has a unique kit and can be a great anchor, helping teammates stop enemy executes or forcing enemies to push through his shield, which creates a lot of 1v1 duels.
However, Iso lacks an entry mechanic, as he doesn't have a gap closer such as Raze or Jett do. This means players will probably play him more like Reyna, so we think a place in the C tier is appropriate, for now.
Neon (C)
Neon's fun in the game would class her as an S tier. Unfortunately, this list is about the agents who are doing well at the moment. Neon is in a good state but not in a great one.
On maps like Lotus or even Sunset, Neon can be game-changing. However, she isn't an easy agent to master. On top of that, players find more value in agents such as Raze or Jett in the current meta.
Yoru (D)
Despite the arrival of a new patch, Yoru remains in the D tier, as the agent is pretty weak when compared to other duelists. Furthermore, he is more of a situational agent, since most maps don't suit his playstyle.
Yoru requires a little fine-tuning to get back to being a viable agent in all maps. As a duelist, he just doesn't quite make it up there to the S or A category as most of his abilities can be avoided.
Players also prioritize other agents instead of Yoru, and he isn't an easy agent to master. However, in a map such as Bind, you can still find a lot of value in him.