Just like any character-based PVP title, VALORANT puts a heavy emphasis on the way that certain characters synergize with each other in the greater overall context of the game. With that in mind, one of the key fundamentals of VALORANT comes before the game even begins - in character select.

In a similar vein to games like Overwatch and League of Legends, VALORANT places a strong focus on the idea of being able to build team compositions around certain characters and utilize the synergies found within each composition in order to emerge from any given game on the victorious end.

In this guide, we’re going to break down everything it takes to build a strong, successful team composition. From the general archetypes of your average VALORANT team to the specific synergies that make the game what it is, this guide will detail how you can build a strong composition alongside your team in VALORANT - and potentially get the upper hand on your opponents before the game even begins.

Knowing Your Role

Before you can build a team composition and understand what it takes to get five players on the same track, you first need to know where you stand in relation to your teammates. If you’re playing with a premade group of your friends, then you probably already know the strengths and weaknesses of your allies, and conversely, they probably know what characters you’re more likely to excel on, as well. With this in mind, it’s obviously going to be much easier to build a team comp when you have a group of experienced and well-rounded players at your fingertips.

In a game of solo queue, that ideal situation is going to be much harder to encounter. When heading into a game on your own, your best bet is going to be communicating to your team what exactly it is that you’re good at. If you’re strong with initiators and duelists like Phoenix and Raze, let your team know by telling them in voice chat. The sooner you communicate to your team what your strengths are, the quicker they’ll be able to work around the information you’ve given them. Additionally, if you speak up and let your team know which agents you’re comfortable with, your teammates might then be inspired to take action and let you know what they’re comfortable with, as well.

From there, once your team is on the same page and you all feel comfortable with each other’s abilities, you can begin to construct a team composition that not only fits your strengths, but performs well in the overall scheme of things, as well.

Understanding Synergy

Perhaps the most important factor when it comes to building a “strong” team comp doesn’t revolve around picking the strongest characters in the game, or the ones that seem “meta”, but instead, revolves entirely around the concept of picking agents that perform well with each other and bring out the best in each other’s kits.

In a common term, this concept is known as “synergy”, and it’s a pivotal force in what makes a team composition strong in not just VALORANT, but any character-based competitive title.

Once you’re coordinated with your team, building a composition that thrives through diversity should be your main goal. If your team is too “heavy” in one specific area - recon, damage, or utility, for example - you’re going to want to make sure you balance out your team’s toolset before heading into the game.

The ideal team comp should put an equal balance on engage, reconnaissance, utility, and DPS throughput. While there are obviously going to be restrictions and what each comp can do, the endless combinations of team compositions within the game should be enough of a reason to promote strength and opportunity through the power of sheer creativity alone. With countless ways to combine the 11 agents in the game, you’re always going to have a chance to devise up some sort of creative, innovative team comp.

Still, at the end of the day, there’s going to be some characters that work well with others - as well as some who don’t. While it’s going to ultimately be up to you and your teammates to figure out which strategies and combinations work for you, the rule that you should always keep in mind when focusing on synergy is that balance is key. If you overload your team with skirmishers like Phoenix, Jett, and Raze, you’re going to be lacking necessary reinforcements in the utility category. Conversely, if you stack up a surplus of characters like Sage, Cypher, and Viper, who excel predominantly in the areas of utility and recon, the damage you deal through abilities might be too low.

Constructing the Perfect Team

With synergy and balance in mind, the most foundational piece of information you can always keep in the back of your head when building a team comp is going to be to fill up holes in your team where necessary. In VALORANT, once you select a character, you’re married to them. There’s no switching until one team comes out on top. So, in agent selection, you need to have versatility and adaptability throughout your team’s roster.

This, of course, not only applies to the characters on your team, but the players in your lobby as well. In a perfect world, you’re going to want to place an emphasis on overall utility. Abilities that deal damage such as Phoenix’s Hot Hands or Raze’s Paint Shells are great moves, but are relatively weak on their own. Your DPS agents will definitely need some kind of backup in order to make them stronger on the surface.

With this being said, you’re going to want to focus less on one-dimensional, “boom or bust” picks like Raze, and more on well-rounded, utilitarian agents like Sage and Sova. Don’t forget that VALORANT revolves entirely around gunplay. If you’re relying on your abilities to get kills and deal damage, you’re going to want to rethink your strategy and overhaul some portions of your gameplay. Gunplay doesn’t change depending on which character is at the helm, so in a 1v1 gunfight that simply comes down to a few split-seconds of aiming and firing, the heal-centric utility character is just as formidable as the DPS-focused monster.

In most situations, you’re going to want to bring 2 characters that can supply supreme utility, 2 more that can excel in the recon game, and 1 skirmisher/damage dealer for a little bit of extra-added punch. Characters with a ton of different options when it comes to these specific areas - agents like Sage, Sova, and Cypher - are generally more useful than agents who are going to be pigeonholed into one role or job throughout the course of a game.

Below, you’ll find a chart of sample team compositions that focus on synergy and character viability (compositions should be viewed vertically)