Agent Tier List: The Best Agents to Play in 2022
As Valorant becomes more and more popular, players are looking for the best agents to fit their playstyle and win games. We present you with each agent and what Tier they belong in based on how useful they can be in their distinct ways.
Although each agent is enjoyable and Riot has put a lot of effort into balancing the game, players new to the game may not know where to start. This is where the Valorant agent's tier list comes into play. We have taken it upon ourselves to tactically analyze each agent and their abilities and let you know who we feel is the best agent in Valorant, depending on your playstyle.
Source: Riot Games
Tier 1: Best Agents to play
We have four agents in this Tier. These agents are Jett, Astra, Sage, and KAY/0.
Source: Riot Games
Jett
Starting with Jett, who is the fastest agent in Valorant. She has the ability to command the air, enabling her to launch herself forward or upward.
Jett can be very efficient, especially in 1v1 combat, due to how mobile and evasive she can be. This gives her the advantage of being able to flank effectively.
Using Jett involves moving around the map swiftly, and therefore, she can be quickly taken out when used by a player with terrible aim. If not used tactically, her skills can also land her in difficult situations leading her to a swift death.
Astra
Secondly, we have Astra. An agent with the ability to influence every part of the map at almost any point in time. The combination of her abilities can be deadly in both offense and defense, making her one of the strongest agents in the game.
Her only con is that she is heavily reliant on communication, which can make her very difficult to use, especially in solo-queue.
Source: Riot Games
Sage
The third agent in tier 1 of the Valorant agent's tier list is Sage. She is basically one of the best agents when it comes to utility and can fit into any team composition.
She is great for combo skills, and her only con is that she is more of a utility and support character and is not someone for you if you enjoy making aggressive plays and always being at the front of the action.
KAY/O
Lastly, we have KAY/0. A recent addition to Valorant Agents Roster. This is an agent with the perfect mix of utility and aggression. KAY/O's ability to suppress the ability of enemy targets allows him to be an ideal fit in any team Composition.
Tier 2: Great Agents to play
In this Tier, we have Sova, Viper, Killjoy, and Phoenix.
Source: Riot Games
Sova
Sova comes up first in our Valorant agent's tier 2 list because he is one of the best agents for team plays.
Equipped with recon abilities, he is a great agent for gathering information. The major con that puts him in Tier 2 is that most of that collected information is useless if you are solo-queuing.
As a great team player, you are at a disadvantage if all your teammates are just charging in alone.
Viper
Viper is up next, being one of the few agents able to capture a site all by herself if used well. Her abilities allow her to infiltrate, and she can be a severe threat with the right teammates.
Viper is currently a Meta agent, but she can be tricky to play and is not such a good pick in solo-queuing.
Source: Riot Games
Killjoy
We have Killjoy as the third agent on the tier 2 list because she is one of the best agents on defense. Her kit allows her to be very powerful in post-plant situations as she makes retakes very difficult.
Although her nerfs have put her on the bench in this current Meta, her only con is that she needs to stay close to each reactor site to make sure all of her utility is put to good use, which is bad for players who may want to move around aggressively.
Phoenix
Phoenix is the agent at the bottom of our Tier 2 list. He is one of the best agents when it comes to solo-queuing. His abilities allow him to charge in and make aggressive plays due to his healing and ultimate ability.
The only con with Phoenix is that his abilities may fall out in more tactical and team-oriented gameplay.
Tier 3: Average Agents to play
Coming up in our Valorant Agents Tier 3 list are Raze, Breach, Cypher, and Omen.
Source: Riot Games
Raze
Starting with Raze, whose abilities are all focused on damage. She is an agent with the perfect area denial skillset, and this can come in handy. Raze is an agent that comes after Jett and Phoenix when it comes to 1v1 battles, and therefore her pick rate has declined a bit
Breach
We also put Breach in this Tier because he is one of the most complex agents in the game. His abilities allow you to burst through enemy lines gun blazing. Breach is one of the agents whose actions can take a toll on teammates and cause arguments.
This is why his major con is that his kit can be detrimental to his allies. His CC (Crowd-Control) affects all agents, including your allies, and this can be a major deterrent if not used correctly.
Source: Riot Games
Cypher
Cypher comes in third in this Tier. Cypher is an agent equipped with abilities centered on information gathering and is excellent for team plays. The camera ability combined with his entire kit can make a good Cypher valuable to any team.
Sadly, Cypher has gotten seriously nerfed in recent patches, and therefore his pick rate has dropped. This means his major con is his reduced effectiveness due to his nerfs.
Omen
Omen is last in our tier 3 list, being a teleporting agent that is great for disorienting a well-organized team. When playing Omen, being creative and unpredictable is key as he is the master of flanking right after Jett.
Although not as strong as Astra, he can be a defensive powerhouse. The major con in playing Omen is that his abilities can also land you in difficult situations, and when not supported by a good team, using him can be frustrating.
Tier 4: Underperforming Agents to avoid
Coming last in our Valorant Agents tier list, we have Reyna, Skye, Brimstone, and Yoru.
Source: Riot Games
Reyna
First, we have Reyna, who was once a deadly agent in solo play. She has a very high risk, high reward playstyle as two of her abilities require kills to be used. Her kit makes her an unstoppable force if she continuously gets kills and participates in team fights.
Although she has been deeply nerfed, her major con is that she can be pretty useless when she has a bad game compared to other agents.
Skye
Next in this Tier, we have Skye. Skye is essentially a utility-based agent as most of her abilities revolve around healing and information gathering. Although she can be very attractive to players who love support characters, her abilities will be underutilized without adequate communication.
The con of using Skye, apart from not being able to heal yourself, is that her abilities heavily depend on team play.
Source: Riot Games
Brimstone
Brimstone has also been placed in this Tier due to his lack of competition with Controller agents like Astra and Omen. Don't get me wrong. Brimstone can be very useful, especially when it comes to quickly seizing a site.
His abilities are great for denying players from accessing certain areas, which can give you a lot of control in offense or defense. We only put him in this Tier because he doesn't bring much to the table compared to other controllers.
Yoru
Lastly, we have agent Yoru. A duelist with an average kit. Although His abilities can be useful in flanking, his kit is just not as good as the other duelists.
In-game, His overall kit seems lacking when compared to duelists like Phoenix, and therefore he has a low pick rate.
It's all about preference
Although our list considers the pros and cons of each agent, players may still have preferences. This is totally fine as what matters is that you enjoy your gaming experience. Feel free to grab any agent and master them.
As much as every agent has their disadvantages, this can all be avoided by using this information to your advantage. Feel free to check out our Agent guides for that little push you need to become a better Valorant Player.