With the increasing number of agents being added to Valorant, there are many viable agent compositions that can be played. This article breaks down Valorant’s agents into further sub-types, and the key details that make an agent composition viable.
In Valorant, selecting the perfect agent composition might be more of a headache than the game itself. Picture this: you load into a ranked game, with your teammates having already locked in their agents: Jett, Reyna, Omen, Cypher. You go to hover your favorite agent Raze, just for the team to complain that the team is lacking an Initiator. Unfortunately for you, you’ve never even touched that role of agent (or so you think). You end up playing the game as Sova, feeling extremely foreign and uncomfortable, resulting in an unfortunate defeat.
The truth is, choosing Raze instead of Sova would’ve been an acceptable choice. Ignoring the fact that playing a familiar agent has its own benefits, the team composition was perfectly viable, although that may not immediately be obvious. In this guide, we formalize what the four types of agents really do, how each agent’s abilities are not limited to one of these types, and what to look for when choosing the right bunch of agents for your ranked games.
In Valorant, there are four general types of agents as defined by Riot: Duelist, Initiator, Controller and Sentinel. Generally, most players have a vague idea of what each agent does: duelists take fights, controllers block enemies, initiators lead the team into areas, and sentinels hold down sites. However, it’s a good idea to formalize definitions so that we can accurately classify each agent and ability.
Agent definitions from Riot’s official Valorant Beginner’s Guide
Duelist - We can define the Duelist role as the players who take and win fights for the team. Thus, abilities that place the player in advantageous situations to take fights are duelist-type abilities. Examples are movement abilities, either a dive-type movement that takes quick space in site, or abilities that enable dismissal upon taking an engagement. Another example would be flashes that can be used independently. A final example would be abilities that buff the player, such as heals or increased fire rate.
Controller - The Controller role involves blocking off enemy positions when moving into unclaimed space. This includes abilities that block line of sight, such as smokes, and abilities that prevent enemies from staying in space, like molotov-like abilities. The Controller role focuses on keeping enemies away when taking space, whereas the Sentinel role focuses on holding space that is already controlled.
Initiator - Initiators assist the team by ensuring areas are safe to pass through, by discovering any enemies waiting in the space, or by forcing them out using other abilities. Examples include drone abilities to get information on where enemies are, or abilities that deal pop damage to damage/eliminate anyone in an important angle. We can also consider team-assisting utility, such as heals or buffs, as they encourage the team to take more fights.
Sentinel - Abilities that can be categorized to be Sentinel-like are abilities that assist in holding space that is already controlled by the team. This includes passive utility that can hold flanks and areas, or stalling abilities that slow down enemies. Abilities that enable agents to safely get information themselves can also fall under this category. Additionally, utility that can be pre-placed and activated fit in this category, as they are set up in space that is already owned.
For the majority of abilities in the game, it’s intuitive to determine what category they fall under. However, many abilities have multiple functionalities, and we can identify them by comparing them to the definitions that we have created for each role. In this article, we will only be looking at a few examples, but you can use the same logic and comparison techniques to do the same with any other pieces of utility in the game.
Molotovs: Molotov abilities create a radius that emits damage when enemies step inside. These abilities are typically used to ensure enemies cannot move out from a specific area. Although the most common use is taking space, making it fall under the Controller context, they can also be classified as a Sentinel-type ability, used to prevent the enemy from moving into claimed space. Additionally, they can be lightly considered Initiator-type utility, as they can be used to clear enemies out from specific places.
Setup/Activation Utility: This category of utility involves abilities that are placed, then activated later on using the action key. Examples include Viper’s smokes, Killjoy’s Nanoswarm, and Cypher’s Cyber Cage. The primary function of these utilities is more evident, all falling under the Controller-type. However, the definition of the controller type is to block enemies when moving into new space. Because these smokes and molotov are thrown by the agent themselves, it’s difficult to place them in further areas. Instead, a more common usage is to set them up in space that is controlled, and to activate them later on to stop enemies from moving through. Thus, we can consider them a combination of the Controller and Sentinel-type.
Dismissals/Teleports: We can consider these abilities that enable an agent to safely move away from threats, typically after contact with a group of enemies. These include Jett’s Tailwind, Reyna’s Dismiss and Chamber’s Rendezvous. Although these are Duelist-type abilities, as they enable more fights to be taken, we can also consider them Sentinel-type abilities from an information point-of-view. By positioning yourself risk-free in dangerous areas, you are able to get early information, similar to a Killjoy Turret or Cypher Spycam.
With this in mind, we can revisit the example we gave in the introduction. At this point, you may already have an idea of why Raze’s utility can fit the initiator role. Her Boom Bot is a powerful tool for assisting the team when entering space, as it locates and deals damage to any hidden threats. Additionally, her Paint Shells and Showstopper abilities are effective for forcing enemies out of areas, otherwise eliminating them with the high damage of the abilities. Lastly, her Blast Packs are mostly Duelist-type due to self mobility, but the information that is obtained is extremely useful for the team.
Another factor is the number of Initiator-type abilities the rest of the team has. Omen and Reyna both have effective team-based flashes, and Cypher’s Spycam can situationally function similarly to a drone.
Thus, the takeaway here is that an agent is not limited to their assigned role, and agents may have abilities that vary across the different roles. Ensuring that a team has a diverse pool of abilities among the selected agents is the key to having a balanced team composition. This is usually done by choosing at least one agent from each role, but that isn’t necessarily a requirement, as explained with this example.
Now that a team comp is selected, we can take a further look at the theoretical strengths and weaknesses of a team. By identifying the quantity of abilities in each role, there will be stylistic tendencies due to a limited amount of utility. This type of analysis is useful for deciding how your team plays but is also useful for identifying any holes in the enemy’s play.
If you are not familiar with the concept of map control, you can take a look at this article for a quick lesson. However, you just need to know that taking space is very important in Valorant, and you use abilities to do so. All the abilities in the game take space in different ways, with effectiveness based on different situations. For example, it’s very safe to hold a site entrance by using a slow orb or molotov. However, you can essentially accomplish the same thing by using flashes to fight the opponents off.
Essentially, if your team lacks a certain type of utility, you must utilize your surplus of other types to establish the same level of map control. For example, if your team lacks controllers and Sentinel-type utility on defense, it’s important to use Duelist and Initiator-type utility to fight for map control early. Because you don’t have the tools to stall an enemy push onto site, you have to fight for early control to ensure they don’t get into a situation where they can execute.
Different ways of fighting for lobby control
Likewise, you can use this concept against your enemies. If you notice a team lacks Controllers and Sentinel-type utility, you may consider executing quickly before they are able to stall.
With the way Valorant agents are designed, there are endless combinations of viable agent compositions. This is why we see “off-meta” compositions in professional Valorant, where teams play unorthodox yet effective agents to surprise the opposition. By understanding how each agent has abilities that fall into the different agent roles, you open up more possibilities for the team to play agents that they enjoy. When you load into your next ranked game, consider choosing that favorite agent of yours, and dominate the game all the same.
