Valorant Agent tier list for Patch 9.11 (December 2024)
Our Valorant Agent tier list for December 2024 provides you with the best Agents that you can pick right now across the roles of Sentinel, Duelist, Initiator, and Controller. Patch 9.11 is currently active in-game, with Abyss, Ascent, Bind, Haven, Pearl, Sunset, and Split active in the competitive map pool.
In our rankings, we have considered all Valorant Agents, their impact on a match, and how likely they are to end up on the winning side in the hands of a skilled player. The current tier list is updated for Patch 9.11.
Editor's Notes: 9.11 is here and Neon nerfs galore!
Valorant Agents tier list for December 2024 across each role (Patch 9.11)
S-tier: Agents that you currently need to master
When considering map impact and the amount of annoyance caused to enemies, Cypher is currently dominating in the Valorant meta. The major changes to his Trapwire that took place back in v7.09 and the fact that his abilities are not limited by range remain one of the biggest reasons we see the Moroccan intelligence gatherer a mainstay in picks. Our advice is to learn where to plant the Trapwires, Spycam, and Cyber Cages for the current map pool.
With Patch 9.10's 0.5-second windup to Trapwire, Cypher's solo site-hold potential is impacted, especially in higher elo. Nevertheless, he remains a force to be reckoned with in the current meta.
The option to reclaim and reuse abilities, even the ultimate, makes Gekko a pretty good Agent in any match. What makes it S-tier is the ease of using his kit and what it provides a player and their team with - a blind that throws a projectile you can follow, a molly with a large AOE, a penguin that can plant/defuse bomb and concuss enemies, and an ultimate that details caught enemies. What's not to like, right?
And finally, Clove. We will admit that we had a difficult time with which Controller is S-tier - them or Omen. The reason we put Clove over the "phantom of a memory" is simplicity and impact.
With them, you have the ability to get temporary health and haste after killing an enemy, decay targets with a molly, throw out smokes both before and after death, and resurrect yourself after your own death as an ultimate and stay the same if you get a kill afterward.
A-tier: Good in their own rights
A-tier Valorant Agents are quite good in most matches and can even be great in the hands of a skilled player and in a solid team composition. Sova provides information through his recon dart (plus points for players who know lineups) and drone, can do chip damage, and his ultimate can be excellent depending on the situation.
For Duelists, Neon, Iso, Raze, and Phoenix are solid choices that will yield dividends in most matches. Iso and Phoenix are relatively easier to master when compared to Raze (Blast Pack mechanics) or Jett. Each of them has their own advantages and we suggest getting used to the Agent's ability kit before using them in ranked matches.
While Neon getting a nerf in Patch 9.11, the recent weapon and concussion updates see her downrank from S-tier to A. While she is still extremely potent, especially in the right hands, we no longer feel she's unbalanced or, the more prevalent term, broken.
In general, Neon's ease of movement in the hands of a skilled player is a nightmare to deal with. This is further compounded if she has a well-versed team backing her up. On top of that, her ultimate is a nuisance that your enemies will have to contend with more than a few times during the match.
With Phoenix's 9.10 changes, he does seem more lucrative. The Blaze tweak and the potential of an extra blind will sound lucrative to any Valorant duelist player. While we don't think this bumps him to S-tier yet, we will keep a keen eye on how he performs as time goes on.
While the Sentinels mentioned in this tier can provide different edges when picked, we find all of them to be robust choices in the current meta.
We prefer Sage and Deadlock's ability to stop a push or seal off a pathway. Sage's slow orb received a buff against dashing enemies in Patch 9.10. Her Self Heal numbers have also been increased to 50, along with a reduction in ult cost to 7. Killjoy's ability to hunker down and hold a site on defense can be excellent too.
Coming to Controllers, Brimstone's ease of play makes picking it an easy choice for most players. Apart from smokes, it has a molly to play around with. Its ultimate can also be an excellent source of damage.
Seeing Omen in A-tier instead of S-tier might make the mains upset but we feel that the amount of skills and teamplay required to pull his abilities off properly and to an advantage is higher. In Patch 9.10, Omen's ability to give one-way smoke was significantly reduced, with Dark Cover now always falling to "level geometry where players can stand."
Also Read: 5 tips to rank up quickly in Valorant in 2024
B-tier and C-tier: Who'd want to pick them?
Let's not be too harsh here. Most of the Agents in the B-tier see a decent pick rate. Some of them require a high skill level from players and good teamplay, like Jett, Astra, and Yoru. Reyna is great for solo skirmishes but other than her Leer she lacks abilities that positively impact the team's chances. KAY/O can be decent to counter Cypher and Neon.
C-tier Valorant Agents are best to be avoided currently, especially in the competitive mode. They may pop off in specific maps or team compositions (like Viper on Split and in a double Controller setup) but the Agents in the other tiers simply provide better return on investments.
Also Read: 10 ways to instantly improve in Valorant
In compiling our tier list, we have evaluated based on how viable the Agents are, the level of skill required to master them, their impact and reliability in team play, and whether better alternatives are available.