



While some pro teams are starting to break out the Yoru pick in officials, unless you’re going for TikTok clips or your in-game name is PRX f0rsakeN, WhoFramedMe or Eggster, it’s hard to justify locking in Yoru in general. Lastly, in C Tier are Agents you just almost never see in competitive Valorant settings. Astra has really fallen from grace, but is still useful on certain maps since she can smoke and delay from anywhere on the map. Neon was somewhat questionably nerfed despite already being a rare pick. A sign of the seemingly struggling state of Sentinels at the moment, Killjoy and Cypher are pretty niche picks as it takes some sturdy setups to still get good value from picking them. There four Agents in B Tier are still viable, but have clear alternatives that most teams could prioritize. Lastly, Sage remains to be nearly a must-pick for Icebox. KAY/O on Breeze and Ascent, Skye on Bind and Haven, Breach on Fracture, and Raze on Bind and Split). In general, it’s a great time for flex/Initiator players as KAY/O, Skye, Breach and Raze have all become necessities for certain maps (e.g. Post nerf, the high-skill-ceiling Russian archer Sova has certainly dropped in popularity a bit, but still remains best in class on Breeze and Icebox. Viper and Omen certainly feel as though they are the only smoke Agents you need, outside of Brimstone for Fracture and Bind. Just keep in mind that she isn’t as great at higher levels of play. Being that in about 95% of competitive games (Platinum rank and below), Reyna players continue to wreak havoc off of sheer gunplay, it’s hard to keep her out of A Tier. Fade has debuted pretty successfully both in pubs and pro play, being an irritant for aggressive defenders playing off-angles. In A Tier are 11 Agents that all have clear uses for certain maps.

Their utility and devastating ultimate abilities define rounds and how teams have to play. Despite the hits that Chamber took in Patch 4.09, as well as those that Jett got in Patch 4.08, they are still the base ingredients for dropping high-frag games. Kicking off the list are the two Agents that remain no-brainer, consistently useful picks in almost all formats.
