Best Agents in Valorant ranked – Episode 9 Act 1 tier list

Valorant Episode 9 Act 1 is in full swing, with the main highlight being the Abyss map. Aside from this, the latest Act brought significant balancing changes to Agents, resulting in a shift in the meta.

On that note, check out the best Agents in Episode 9 Act 1.

Valorant Agent tier list: Best Agents to play in Episode 9 Act 1

Tier	Agent
S	Jett, Reyna, Iso
A	Sova, Neon, Clove, Raze
B	Gekko, Cypher, Killjoy, Phoenix, Omen
C	Viper, Sage, Fade, Astra, Deadlock, Chamber, Breach
D	Skye, KAY/O, Brimstone, Harbor

Reyna and Jett continue to reign atop the best Agents tier list in Valorant, although they now make room for Iso.

S-tier Agents

Reyna

Reyna was the recipient of some interesting balancing tweaks in patch 8.11. While her Ult was given a buff, the healing she receives through Devour was downgraded. To compensate for these changes, her Dismiss ability has been made faster, which players are sure to notice immediately.

The use of Leer to blind all enemies and Dismiss to become invulnerable for a few seconds makes Reyna an excellent Duelist. In addition, she can be nearly unstoppable if she’s consistently getting or participating in kills, especially with her ultimate Empress, which no longer has a timer.

Jett

Despite several nerfs to Jett’s abilities in patch 8.08, especially the dash, the Agent dominates Valorant ranked matches. Her unique mobility abilities allow her to quickly charge onto an area or Updraft onto an elevated platform.

Besides this, Jett can also use her Cloudburst smokes to quickly cut off vision, albeit for a short time. So, if you’re looking to make aggressive plays, Jett is one of the best Agents in Valorant to do so.

Iso

Iso climbed many ranks following the 8.11 update. The Chinese Duelist received significant buffs to his abilities, placing him among the top Agents in Valorant.

Double Tap ability is now key for Iso. Although he now has one less charge, players who manage to get two kills in a single round can reset the ability and use it again. Despite getting a slight nerf in Patch 9.00, the ability remains quite strong.

On the other hand, the Contingency wall becomes a great asset for Iso and his team as it can block all enemy projectiles while advancing to a site.

A-tier Agents

Neon

Neon saw some excellent buffs in Patch 8.11, upping her status on our Agent tier list. The tweaks make it easier to take advantage of her insane speed, especially with the removal of all weapon movement errors while sliding in High Gear.

Her wall ability, Fast Lane, now drops more intuitively, reducing visual noise and making it easier to spot enemies across the other side. Through these buffs, Neon has been turned into a solid mobile Duelist who can now be more useful to the team.

Raze

Despite the mobility nerfs in Update 8.11, Raze remains a solid option across all ranks. The Duelist has a comprehensive ability set that can force opponents out of any hiding spot, with Boombot and Paint Shells being especially effective for this.

Once you accumulate the necessary points for her Ultimate, the best strategy is to use the Blast Pack-Showstopper combo to eliminate nearby enemies.

Clove

On Valorant’s small maps like Bind and Split, the Agent Clove has proven to be very useful. However, they’re less effective on those with long rotations such as Ascent, Icebox, or Sunset. With that said Clove has been handed some nerfs in the new patch, namely to Pick-Me-Up and her Ult. Both changes tone down her strengths, which is why she’s fallen to A-tier in our list.

Being a Controller, Clove can keep enemies at bay thanks to Meddle and Ruse. However, many compositions see Clove as a secondary Duelist to take advantage of the other two abilities, Pick-Me-Up and Not Dead Yet.

Sova

Sova has remained a consistent pick since Valorant’s launch in 2020. This Initiator Agent equips you with a Recon Bolt that scans and reveals enemies in an area. Sova is an incredible pick for players who can put in the time to learn his Recon and Shock Bolt lineups to help provide a ton of info and space for their teammates.

B-tier Agents

Cypher

Part of the original pool of Agents at launch, Cypher is a Sentinel that can hold sites on his own. Equipped with Trapwires, Cyber Cages, and a Spycam, Cypher can easily stop enemies from pushing or flanking.

If you use Cypher’s traps paired with the cages, you can get one or two kills every round on unsuspecting enemies with ease.

Omen

Omen is an easy and reliable Controller choice as his utility kit contains rechargeable smokes, allowing you to use up to 5 smokes in a single round. Additionally, he can use his ultimate to teleport anywhere on the entire map, along with the Paranoia to drastically reduce enemies’ vision for a few seconds.

Phoenix

Phoenix is one of the easiest Agents to master in Valorant. If you or your team use the British Duelist, you’ll have abilities that can help you during site entry like Curveball, clearing corners with Hot Hands, or creating a wall with Blaze to plant or defuse the spike without enemies seeing through.

Lastly, the ultimate Run It Back will give you a second chance, but remember to be well-positioned before casting it because if you get caught reviving, you’ll be in serious trouble.

Gekko

As Valorant’s latest Initiator, Gekko has a unique ability kit that allows you to plant or defuse using Wingman. Additionally, he can blind enemies with Dizzy and damage all enemies standing in his Mosh Pit grenade.

After patch 7.12, you can reequip Gekko’s abilities (ball) in just one second. While this buff by itself is quite massive, his Dizzy shoots are significantly faster as well, giving enemies very little time to react and dodge.

Killjoy

Killjoy’s position has changed a lot since her release in August 2020 due to the multiple nerfs and buffs she has received. Nowadays, she is a solid option for maps with small sites like Ascent or Haven, as her skill set allows you to defend a site solo using Turret and Alarmbot.

Lastly, if you are sure that the opposing team will end up at a site, you can use Lockdown, to delay their entry even further and wait for your team to rotate and assist you.

C-tier Agents

Valorant’s C-tier Agents, Viper, Sage, Fade, Astra, Deadlock, Chamber, and Breach, are picks that work in certain situations, albeit you need to be good with these Agents’ utility kits to perform well. While some of these Agents have received multiple nerfs, some have been underwhelming ever since their release.

D-tier Agents

Skye, KAY/O, Brimstone, and Harbor remain the worst Agents in the game. The current options in their respective roles of Support, Controller, and Duelist are stronger and better suited to almost any situation and map. To see these Agents back in the most popular tiers, we’ll have to wait for new patches from Riot.

Strongest Agents

Jett and Reyna are the strongest Agents in Valorant for solo queue, however, Clove, Iso, and Neon proved to have very useful skill sets for 1v1 or 1v2 encounters.

Easiest Agents

Omen, Phoenix, and Reyna are some of the easiest Agents in the title. While Omen can smoke all parts of the map from his position, Phoenix and Reyna are beginner-friendly thanks to their self-healing abilities, allowing you to survive longer and get multiple kills.

Best agents for beginners in the Valorant console beta

If you’re a first-time Valorant player trying out the console beta, we recommend starting with Omen, Reyna, or Sage. All three Agents are fairly simple to operate and give you a taste of three different playstyles.

Using Omen, you can gain a solid understanding of playing as a Controller. You’ll also get familiar with smoke spots on various maps, plus his Teleport ability is easy and fun to use.

For those looking to top the fragging charts, look no further than Reyna. Her abilities are simple to understand but tricky to master, a challenge that’ll keep making her your main pick. Sage is best for those who enjoy playing a support role. You’ll operate as the defensive backbone of your team, setting up walls in crucial spots and coming to your fellow Agents’ aid whenever required.

That concludes our Valorant Agent tier list. Picking the best Agents isn’t the only way to up your game, so make sure to check out best crosshair codes and our best weapons tier list.