Are you looking for the best Valorant agents to play in 2021 to climb the rankings fast?
What players love the most about Valorant is the agents with unique abilities that can help you gain an advantage over your opponent and win the game. Currently, there are sixteen agents available for players to use in the game.
If you want to rank up fast in Valorant, you should study the abilities of your agent to maximize his/her full potential. You should also know which agents to pick that would blend in with the other agents on your team.
Today, we will talk about the best Valorant agents to play in 2021 that we think has the most advantage in averaged ranked matches.
This list will be composed of agents that will go well with other characters and not spot-on solo carries like Reyna. While some characters look solid on paper, we opt to include agents that fit well with the game’s current meta and how Valorant is generally played during ranked matches.
We also suggest that you play ranked games with 2-3 friends so you can plan some starts each round and win games easier.
With that on the way, let’s get started with the actual list!
S Tier Agents
1. Jett
We feel like Jett is probably one of the best agents to use on ranked matches. She is the fastest agent on the roster, which can help you travel from one plant site to the other. You can also use her quick movements to catch opponents off guard and secure an easy plant or kill.
Being able to command the air, Jett can also glide when jumping off high places allowing you to land quietly and not give up your position to nearby enemies.
While she doesn’t have teleportation or gravity pulls like Omen and Astra, Jett has been proved to be an effective entry fragger, given that your aim is on point.Â
2. Sage
Sage is an easy character to use even for newbies, which is why we feel that she’s an S-Tier agent. She is also one of the best Valorant agents to play on ranked matches. We can assume that she is a supporting character that can heal other agents on your team or even resurrect them.Â
This can be a great help if your top fragger dies immediately on a crucial round or simply needs extra firepower to secure the win.
However, Sage is not just a plain support agent and can help block crucial entry points on the plant site. The Barrier Orb can surprise the opposing team as players can get on top of the wall as it spawns or forces enemies to give their location by shooting down the wall.
She also has slow orbs that slow down enemies, making it easier for your team to take them down. Some players also use her orb to block the plant site temporarily. While Riot Games released several updates to nerf down her abilities, Sage remains to be one of the best agents on Valorant.Â
3. Raze
If there’s a list for the most annoying agent to play against in Valorant, Raze would be first on that list. She is a character with skills that focus on mines, grenades, and explosions.
Some even complain about Raze’s skills inflicting too much damage, which steps away from Valorant’s principle that guns are the primary way to inflict damage. After all, the game is still an FPS title.
Raze can summon a Boom Bot that travels a straight path and chase enemies until it explodes and inflicts heavy damage. She also excels in chaotic team fights, making her an excellent pick for solo queues where communication among players is not consistent.Â
4. Astra
Astra is one of the latest additions to Valorant agents, and she is slowly changing how the game is played during ranked and normal matches.
She has a unique set of helpful abilities when pushing enemies or protecting the plant site like Gravity Well, which pulls nearby enemies. Nova Pulse that concusses enemies, and Nebula, which smokes a portion of the map.
While Astra is one of the strongest agents on paper, playing her relies on good communication to prevent accidental smokes that can put your team at a disadvantage. If you plan to use her on solo queues, make sure that you communicate with your team well to use her abilities to your advantage.Â
A Tier Agents
1. Sova
Sova is among the best Valorant agents to play if you are queuing ranked matches with your friends. He has recon abilities and does a bit of damage when using his ultimate. Sova’s recon arrows can be tremendously helpful for gathering information about your opponent’s location, given that you know where to place them.Â
Sova can be easily an S Tier agent if you know how to maximize his abilities. However, it may take you some time before getting used to his abilities if you are a new player. He is also not a good solo queue character since the intel you’ve gathered may not be put to good use if your teammates decide to push alone or don’t care at all.
Sova is the best agent for gathering information in Valorant, but using his abilities well may take you some time.Â
2. Viper
Viper has become one of the most used agents in Valorant after receiving several tweaks from the past updates. While picking her is still situational, Viper can easily lock down a plant site within seconds to safely place the spike or prevent the opposing team from planting it.
She fits the game’s current meta, but you’ll need to surround her with an excellent team to enjoy the benefits of her abilities.
While Viper is a great agent for team queues, she might not be the best pick for solo queues unless you know the best lineups.
3. Phoenix
If you plan to go solo, Phoenix is one of the most self-sufficient agents on Valorant. He has unique flame abilities that can be used to win a round all by yourself. Like Viper, Phoenix puts up a wall that blocks enemies’ sight and has a Molotov like Brimstone to stop enemies from pushing in.
His ultimate Run It Back allows him to push a plant site and kill one or two enemies before teleporting back to his initial location with all his health restored. If his ultimate is available, Phoenix can be an excellent entry fragger to know the locations of your enemies without dying.
Phoenix can be teamed up with Sage, and you’ll technically have three lives in the game, given that she can resurrect you.Â
Other Good Agents to Consider
If the list above is not enough, here are other Valorant agents that you can consider picking on solo or team queues:
- Killjoy
- Cypher
- Brimstone
- Reyna
- Breach
- Yoru
- Skye
You Might Ask (FAQs)
Who is the best agent in Valorant 2021?
We think that Jett is currently the best Valorant agent. She has the mobility to rush the opposing team and initiate a force plant with her abilities. She can also glide mid-air making it easier to hide your location when jumping off high places.
Who is the hardest agent in Valorant?
In terms of the learning curve, Sova is probably the most complex agent to use in Valorant. He has a recon ability that can reveal the position of the opposing team, but you’ll need some time before you can get the hang of it.
What agent do pros use Valorant?
Jett is the most picked agent by professional players and has an 83% pick rate on the game. She is heavily picked on maps like Haven (100%), Split (100%), and Icebox (91.67%).
Is Sova good Valorant?
Sova is an excellent agent on Valorant to scout enemies thanks to his abilities that allow him to catch and reveal opponents. However, knowing where to place your recon can be tricky, especially if you are relatively new to the game.
This brings us to the end of our guide for the best Valorant agents to play on solo and team queues. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to answer them.
