Agents are the core of VALORANT. Without the unique kits, the interesting strategies, and all the moxie each agent brings, the game would feel very different. This makes ranking the agents both a difficult and intriguing task. In this article, we explore one possible way of ranking the agents with the data we are given, and what the results of that would be.
With the second year of the VALORANT Champions Tour in full swing, we have seen many new agents arise past the original 10 agents in Valorant’s Beta. With new powerhouses like Astra and Skye, it is not uncommon to see teams forgo the OGs and stroll into matches with the new additions to the agent pool. With all the regional circuits and affiliated tournaments, it begs the question: which agent is the best agent? The result of this question manufactured a fun little experiment that uses readily available data to rank the current agents in the game.
Relatively speaking, any agent can be the best agent depending on your opinion. The term “best” can be associated with lore, design, or kit. We will not be looking at those factors. Simply put, we will be looking at different statistical indicators for each agent to rank which ones are the worst and the best. We will also look at different indicators depending on which class the agent falls into. For example, a Duelist would care more about average damage per round but a Controller would care more about assists. We will also be using data from all VCT matches in 2021, as well as ranked data when it's possible to obtain, from Patch 4.0 onward. All data used in this article is from rib.gg and Valorbuff.
First, let’s consider all the agents together as a group, regardless of specific indicators for each class. The easiest indicators of performance overall are pick rate and win rate. Well, pick rate is a good general metric, incorporating win rate into the mix allows us to look now only at how often something is picked, but how well it is played.
For example, consider Omen during the North America VCT Stage 1 Challengers 2021 Tour. No other smoke agent was used during that. And every match used Omen. Thus, while his pick rate was 100%, his win rate was only 50%. By multiplying pick rate by win rate we get a sort of “effective” winner rate which allows us to compare agents much easier.
After doing so, we get the following rankings.
This should be no surprise to many who are familiar with the ranked ladder as well as VCT. Jett, Sova and Sage are incredibly dependable picks that also have great solo carry potential round-to-round. Reyna and Killjoy are both high picks in ranked, and Viper and Astra are high picks in both ranked and VCT.
Credit to Riot Games
Duelists are known for their high fragging capability and the ability to carry games based solely on their skill. Thus, for a Duelist, metrics like average damage per round and ACS are more important. Overall, four statistics were used to analyze the Duelist class: pick rate, winrate, ACS, and KD ratio. Note that average damage is included in ACS so it would be a bit extraneous to include both. As a result we get the following rankings:
Like with Overall, these ranks should not be super surprising. Jett is, single-handedly, one of the most picked agents, regardless of the map. Even when she is not optimal, many teams try to push her into a slot. Raze and Reyna are map dependent but are also common sights in ranked games and in VCT. The last three are more niche picks, with Yoru’s rework not yet being captured by stats, and Phoenix mainly appearing in ranked.
In practically direct contrast to Duelists, Controllers mainly focused on aiding their team. With smokes to block sites, area of effect abilities to clear out dangerous areas, and massive ultimates to control the flow of battle, Controllers are typically more supportive than any other class. So, when comparing this class, I took ACS and subtracted ADR (since the rest is just kills and non-damaging assists), and used that as a fourth metric. So, overall, I used pick rate, win rate, assists, and the result of the previously mentioned metric. As a result:
Viper out-pacing Astra is interesting. It reflects the constant clash between Omen and Astra. No team would want to run both, however, running one cuts into the other's play rate. Viper sees no competition, as she is the only agent with a round-to-round wall ability. And so, she remains the most consistent Controller main of the class, even though Astra is more present in our minds. Of course, with the recent Astra nerfs and Brimstone buffs, we may see significant shifts here.
Credit to Riot Games
Initiators are in a strange place as of late. Many newer agents of this class, as well as Sova and Breach, have transitioned more into a partial Duelist role. This is mainly due to their kits becoming more privy to entering into sites, similar to how a Duelist would function. Equipped with both flashes and information tools, it is not uncommon for an Initiator player to accumulate both assists as well as a large amount of damage. Thus, for this class, four metrics were used: pick rate, win rate, average damage per round, and average assists per round. As a result, we get the following rankings:
While Sova and Skye are staples as of late, KAY/O has been on the rise as an “anti-meta” choice. With the ability to prevent flashes, counter-flashes, and heavy utility pushes, many teams are starting to see his potential in preventing the norm. However, it cannot be stressed enough how impactful Skye is. It’s just that she has been meta for so long that teams are now looking for ways to counter her. Also, Sova is still king, no questions asked.
Credit to Riot Games
The Sentinel class is probably the hardest to gauge with the current set of statistics. It’s really difficult to analyze the ability to lock down areas simply based on abilities. There is no metric that can properly reflect the impact a Sage Barrier Orb can have. The current system in place does not record things such as damage blocked or enemies blocked. In a similar vein, one cannot gauge the impact of a Trademark or a Cyber Cage, simply because the effects these abilities have are not recorded by Riot’s API. However as time has gone on, Sentinels have started to focus more on their ability to produce consistent damage. And so will be using the same metrics as Controllers, but we will not subtract ADR. That’s result in the following:
The Sentinel class is in a weird state. Chamber is slowly enveloping the space that Cypher previously controlled. In addition, Sage and Killjoy are continuously climbing in pick rate, as there are no new agents to take their place. Think of Viper in the Controller class. No other agents can replicate Killjoy’s Lockdown and Nano-swarms, and similarly, no agents can replicate Sage’s Barrier and Slow Orbs. Thus their uniqueness, along with Chamber’s power, is slowly pushing Cypher down and down.
And so, we end with Jett being the best Duelist, Viper the best Controller, Sova is the best Controller and Killjoy is the best Sentinel. And overall, Jett is the best agent. At least from these metrics. While some of these placings will not be a surprise, I think the lower ordering (Chamber > Cypher or KAY/O > Skye) might be different from other opinions. This is purely one line of thinking, and there are many other ways of looking into comparing the agents. However, at least from this lens, these are the results.
If Riot were to ever update their system with newer metrics such as enemies blocked by smokes or other forms of utility (see my article about the absence of information in VALORANT), it would be interesting to see how these rankings changed. It will also be interesting to see how this will change as the year goes on, and more agents and changes are introduced to VALORANT.
