Patch 4.08: Agent Tier List

Riot Games kicked off Episode 4: Act III with the new 4.08 patch. The patch highlights are the introduction of the new initiator, Fade, alongside some big changes to some of the most popular agents, Sova and Jett. Is the era of their domination in both ranked and pro play over, or will Jett still get istalocked next time you queue up? Keep reading to find out.

Before we dive in, let's quickly go through the criteria for determining which tier an agent belongs to.
The tier list is a balance between Agents' performance in both pro play and ranked, with a touch of our personal opinion. An agent's raw power is met with its position in the meta and then compared to other agents that fulfill the same or similar role inside a team composition.

Without further ado, let's dive into the Valorant patch 4.08 Agent tier list.

S+ tier: Chamber

Chamber was already an elite Sentinel and a go-to Operator user. Although he didn't receive any changes in this patch, the nerfs to Jett and her mobility pushed Chamber into the clear-cut best sniper option. He is a great option in pretty much all scenarios, no matter the team comp and on all maps. That's why he deserves to get a tier for himself as the sole best Agent in Valorant right now.

S tier: Jett and Viper

The initial reaction to Jett's nerfs seemed to be a bit of an overreaction. While she loses her "get out of jail free card," she is still a premiere duelist option. Jett can still do Jett things on both attack and defense; however, she does require a bit more coordination and activating her dash at the right time. She stays in the S tier for now, though we will keep a close eye on her performance as Jett mains get used to her changes.

Although Viper isn't a "must pick every game" kind of agent nowadays, she is still irreplaceable on maps like Breeze, Icebox, and Fracture. Despite the nerfs, her utility is still great when used correctly. Her ultimate still has very little counter-play, and she excels in the post-plant scenarios.

A tier: Sova, KAY/O, Omen, Raze and Fade

For the first time in a while, Sova is no more an S tier Agent. The nerfs to his drone require him to push further up in order to gather information, while lowered damage on his Shock darts make Sova a bit less prominent on post plants. He is still amazing on many maps, especially larger and more open ones such and Fracture. That is why we don't expect Sova to completely fall out of meta, despite the nerfs and the new competition in the form of Fade.

KAY/O's unique ability to reliably turn off the enemy's entire setup is extremely valuable and enables plays no other agent can. His disruptive playstyle is becoming increasingly better with more abilities added to the game, and his position in the meta is very solid.

Omen and Raze are both decent options in their respective roles on this patch. Each in their way, Raze and Omen are amazing on some maps, while there are better options on others. We expect them to be solid performers on the patch in both competitive and ranked.

With only a couple of days of being live it is still too early to confidently tell how strong Fade is. Releases of new Agents such as KAY/O, Chamber, and Neon have shown that it takes some time for players to fully understand an agent's kit and how to use it properly. We expect Fade to be really strong; however, we need to wait a bit more to be sure.

Also, be sure to check out our Fade Agent Guide before you test her out yourself.

B-tier: Killjoy, Brimstone, Breach, Sage, Skye, Yoru, and Neon

All Agents in the B tier are still decently strong and very much playable; however, they are either niche picks, and there are better options in numerous scenarios.

Killjoy and Sage used to be staple meta picks in many cases for most of 2021. While they are still viable in certain scenarios, Chamber appears to be the better option for the sentinel position most of the time.

Breach and Skye have their position in the meta in some cases. For example, Breach is a must-pick on Fracture but lackluster on some others. With the introduction of the new Initiator Fade, we expect them to take a hit in their play rate and remain good but not great options.

In the theme of B tier, Brimstone is a pretty good controller, but Viper and Omen provide more in most cases. However, you don't need to hesitate too much to lock in Brimstone, especially on maps like Bind and Fracture. Also, if Fade proves to be a strong meta pick, Brimstone looks like a great combo for fast executes, and his stocks may rise for that reason.

Neon and Yoru are both really good and the reason for them not ranking higher on this list is because almost all other duelists are in the great spot right now. Yoru is super annoying to deal with when entering the site, and after being really bad for a long time, he seems to be in a healthy spot.

When it comes to Neon, Team OpTic showed during the VCT Masters Reykjavík how strong she is when played properly. She is also getting buffed in this patch, so don't shy away from picking her yourself.

C tier: Cypher and Astra

Cypher and Astra are not in a really good spot right now. Cypher is simply outclassed by Chamber and even Killjoy or Sage, and there are barely any spots where he feels good in this meta. On the other hand, nerfs to Astra were just too impactful on her reliability, and she can't compete with other smokers in the game.


If you feel confident playing Cypher or Astra, this doesn't have to completely "pull you away" from playing them. Their kit can still be useful and tough to deal with, especially in the mid to lower tier of play, where players aren't as skilled and coordinated.

F tier: Phoenix

We are skipping the D tier and jumping straight to F. The F tier stands for: "For the love of God Riot, please help Phoenix" because he really feels underwhelming to play right now. His kit is outdated and all of his abilities are straight-up worse than the rest of the pack. Hopefully, we will see Phoenix reworked or seriously buffed in not too distant future and bring him back in a healthy spot in Valorant.

? tier: Reyna

The data on Reyna is so confusing that we couldn't decide where to place her. That's why she is getting her own tier and excluded from grading on this patch.

The reason is pretty simple. Reyna is doing extremely well in ranked, while she is nowhere to be seen in competitive.
The duelist role is stacked, and pros feel she is not worth picking, but she is proving to be really powerful in all soloq ranks. It just didn't feel right to place her in any tier so let's keep an eye on her going forward.

What do you guys think about this tier list? Do you think Fade is really broken? How big were Sova and Jett nerfs, in your opinion? Where would you place Reyna?

Let us know what you think on social media, and stay tuned for more Valorant content on Gamercraft.