VALORANT patch .49 brought some major changes to a few agents along with ranked mode for the first time. People are already starting to reach the top rank of VALORANT and major tournaments like the T1 Invitational are starting to take place. Between these tournaments and ranked, a meta is starting to be established along with a more defined tier list. With a week of patch .49 under people’s belts here is the current VALORANT Agent tier list for this patch.
[Related: Previous VALORANT Agent Tier List]
Tier 1
Sage
There is no doubt that Sage is currently the best Agent in the game. If anyone says differently then they are just wrong. She was the only agent to appear in every game during the T1 Invitational and in ranked if she is not played then the team is probably just throwing. Even with her wall and slow receiving some balance changes, she can still solo hold major points and her revive is the most game-changing ability currently in the game. Not having a Sage on one’s team is a big mistake.
Breach
Moving his way up from the last tier list is an Agent who many suspected was better than originally thought. Breach lives up to his name as he is likely the best Agent in the game at breaching a point. This is especially true in the current meta as it is much more defensive and passive. Breach also is extremely good on defense and can stall out attempts to get onto the point for quite some time while the rest of his team rotates. If used correctly, Breach can single-handily change rounds and thus he is in Tier 1.
Cypher
Players are starting to find some incredible spots for Cypher’s camera which makes it tough for people to find while the Cypher’s team is able to see everything. Truthfully Cypher is barely in Tier 1 because offensively he is a little below average. But his ability to solo hold points not just with vision but with a plethora of crowd-control makes him the best defensive Agent in the game. In a defensive meta Cypher becomes a must-have in any game.
Tier 2
Brimstone
Smokes, smokes and more smokes. Whether defending or attacking Brimstone is the best Agent in the game at making sure opponents can’t see what he or his team are doing. Because of this, he is pretty high on the tier list. Normally he is picked in just about every game. The only reason he is not Tier 1 is because of the Agent listed below him also being able to smoke extremely well. Brimstone gets the nod above because he can place his smokes exactly where he wants, they last for quite a while and his ultimate can dish out some serious damage.
[Related: 3 Brimstone Smoke Locations for Attacking on Split]
Omen
From bottom tier to near the top, Omen is starting to get noticed. He had a nice buff to his ultimate which makes it so he is not heard from as far away. This makes it much easier for him to tp wherever he wants on the map without being found out from what felt like halfway across the map. As stated above when talking about Brimstone, Omen’s smokes provide some good utility for both attacking and defending. His blind still leaves something to be desired but being able to move around the map so easily and without fear of instantly being found out if his ult is placed well makes Omen a solid choice when grinding the ladder.
Sova
Vision has been and will always be key in VALORANT. Sova provides that in a big way but not as much as Cypher which is why he lands here. People are starting to find unique ways to position his vision arrows and that flexibility to hit in obscure places does allow for some decent vision. The problem is still that it is extremely easy to hide from which means that teams cannot get a full report on an area. Luckily his ultimate continues to ravage teams. Whether it is trying to take a site or defend it Sova’s ultimate can ruin an entire round for a team. Because of his usefulness on both attack and defense, Sova makes his way up from the last tier list.
Raze
Raze mains wept as Riot nerfed her grenades in a big way. While she still starts with one, she can’t buy the second instead, having to get two kills first. While many people were calling for nerfs to her ultimate, it seems like the grenade nerfs were enough to make Raze a solid but not overpowered Agent. She can still frag out with the best of them but that is all she really can do right now. Her Boombot provides some vision to a certain degree and her Blastpacks help her get into good positions but other Agents provide more utility for the team as a whole which is why Raze is not higher on this list.
Viper
There are a lot of different opinions on Viper right now. Some believe that she has the worst kit in the game while others think the utility she offers makes her a must pick. While both opinions are right in some ways, they are also wrong in others putting Viper in the middle tier. Her ability to help control zones makes Viper very strong both on attack and defense as she can use all of her toxins to put herself in advantageous positions and zone out the enemy. The problem is that she also zones out her teammates making it tough to play around her. With a well-coordinated team, Viper can hold points on defense and once they are taken on offense. This makes her a solid pick for higher ranks but near the bottom tiers people may want to refrain from picking her too often.
Phoenix
The entry frag extraordinaire is in a tough spot in this defensive meta. Currently his flash and ultimate make him viable but his Molotov and wall aren’t as good of zoning tools as they should be. With teams able to play way back on defense and able to support each other through a flash on offense, Phoenix is currently near the bottom of the Agent tier list. With some buffs to his damage or his flash lasting a bit longer, Phoenix would make his way up the tier list quickly. Until he receives some sort of buff he will continue to be a solid Agent for new players and that’s about it.
Tier 3
Jett
Sure Jett can make plenty of highlight plays in the right hands. But even in the right hands, if their opponent is good at getting dinks then Jett falls off big time. As stated many times previously, this meta is much more defensive. Not only because of the Agents but also the maps. Weirdly even Haven feels defense favored to some degree. Because of this Jett has a hard time entering a point as her dash normally leaves her in the open and most of her teammates cannot follow up quickly enough. Even though Jett is currently the worst Agent in the game, she is still playable, she just isn’t as good of a choice as everyone else.
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