Valorant Agent Tier List: Patch 5.01
Patch 5.01 brought some important changes for the development of Valorant's meta. Alongside KAY/O and Yoru buffs, it brought long-awaited and very needed Phoenix changes. How will they impact the meta? Find out in our Agent tier list.
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.
S+ tier: Chamber
Chamber continues to be an irreplaceable piece of almost every team comp, on pretty much every map. He holds great power as a Sentinel/Duelist hybrid. He is the best Operator user in the game while having a "get out of jail free card" with his teleport. Until Chamber gets some significant nerfs, we expect him to continue dominating solo queue and pro play.
S tier: Fade, KAY/O, and Jett
Fade and KAY/O have proven to take the lead in a very competitive Initiator role. Fade has a powerful kit, and her synergy with other meta agents makes her S tier. KAY/O was already a very strong pick in the meta, and buffs he received on the new patch pushed him to S tier.
Jett is still in the S tier, despite having a slight drop-off in popularity. It is more due to other Duelists getting attention lately and Chamber still being a number one Operator option. However, Jett is still a great Agent despite having tougher competition.
A tier: Raze, Neon, Yoru, Viper, Omen, Sova, and Skye
Raze, Neon, and Yoru are getting more attention as the best alternatives for Jett. They all fulfill a primary Duelist role in a team comp slightly differently. Yoru's buffs push him even more in priority as he has seen a lot of play lately, especially in high elo, while Raze and Neon continue to be great entry Agents with a lot to offer.
Sova used to be an irreplaceable recon Agent in the game; however, nerfs and the introduction of Fade hurt his position in the meta. Both Sova and Skye still provide a lot of utility to the team, though. They just fulfill a more niche role depending on a map or a team composition nowadays.
The Controller role seems to be fairly balanced at the moment, with all Agents being viable. However, Viper and Omen provide a bit more in most cases, depending on the situation. Viper Controller/Sentinel role is unmatched on maps like Breeze and Icebox, while Omen has more mobility and playmaking capabilities.
B tier: Brimstone, Breach, Sage, Killjoy, and Phoenix
Brimstone is still an excellent overall Controller falling just behind Viper and Omen. He thrives on Fracture and Bind, but the lack of versatility compared to Viper and Omen cost him a spot in the A tier.
Breach used to be a Fracture only Agent; however, he is rising in popularity across the board. Yet, the Initiator role is extremely competitive, so he stays in the B tier for now.
Sage and Killjoy keep being victims of Chamber being insanely strong. They both bring tremendous value to the team, but there aren't many spots where double Sentinel comps give more value than, for example, double Initiator comp in today's meta. In any case, don't shy away from picking them in your games, especially if you don't feel comfortable playing Chamber.
After a long time of being absolute F tier, buffs to Phoenix on 5.01 finally make him playable. His main problem remains that other Duelists just provide more, and his kit feels outdated. However, he should be in a much better spot now and seen more often.
C tier: Cypher, Astra, and Reyna
C tier Agents are all sharing similar problems. Their kits don't provide nearly enough compared to other Agents in their classes.
Astra is the only one showing signs of life, but she still didn't recover from heavy nerfs earlier this year. Cypher and Reyna just feel outdated and are prime candidates for reworks.
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