5 Valorant agents that need buffs in 2022

Valorant is one of the fastest-growing FPS titles that experiences a constant shift in the meta.

Developers have brought in new agents and tweaked through updates to keep most of them on par with the meta. However, a few agents are still not regularly picked up by the players. Thus, a balance among the agents is required in Valorant.

They have also promised to bring agent balance to their latest "State of the Agents" blog, posted in December 2021. Episode 4 Act 1 has just arrived in the game with the Filipino duelist, Neon.

However, Patch 4.0 didn't bring any changes to it. Valorant community expects the developers to bring some major modifications to the agents in future patch updates.

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5 Valorant agents that could use buffs in 2022

5) Breach

Breach, the Swedish initiator agent. (Image via Riot Games)

Breach is one of the least picked initiators in Valorant, as its ability toolkit is not as versatile as other agents. The Swedish agent's mechanical arms are capable of stunning and flashing, which works out depending on the situation.

Like other initiators including Sova, Skye and KAY/O, Breach isn't capable of gathering much intel in the game.

This makes his pick rate low as well, coming down to 2% in Episode 3 Act 3, as per Blitz.gg. So his flash and stun game needs to be made stronger in the game, to improve his pick rate.

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4) Omen

Omen, the controller had a poor pick rate in Champions. (Image via Riot Games)

Even though Omen has a decent pick rate, when it comes to competitive scenes, the agent doesn't get much love. Among the entire controller clan, Viper and Astra are the two agents that are often picked in the tournaments.

In the Valorant Champions 2021, Omen was only picked twice on Split by Acend and Team Secret. No other teams were spotted picking the agent from any other map.

Previously there were rumors about the agent receiving a major buff but there seems to be no possibility of it happening soon. However, Omen still requires some major changes to become a valuable pick in competitive plays.

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3) Phoenix

The Afro-British duelist agent, Pheonix. (Image via Riot Games)

After Yoru, Pheonix was the only agent to have a zero pick rate in the Valorant Champions 2021. The duelist class is mostly dominated by Jett, Reyna and Raze. However, the changes in the meta and lack of potential to take aggressive fights make them lag behind.

Even though Riot Games has announced a rework for Yoru, there are no official announcements about Phoenix buffs yet. The agent requires changes to keep up with other duelist agents, especially focusing on his ultimate ability. His Run It Back ability often becomes risky and depends on the situation.

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2) Brimstone

Brimstone, the controller agent. (Image via Riot Games)

Brimstone has been there since beta. However, due to the constant shift in the beta, Viper and Astra have been dominating the controller clan. This has caused the agent's pick rate to drop gradually. Currently, his pick rate stands at 2.8% in Episode 3 Act 3, as per Blitz.gg.

Brimstone can only drop smoke nearby, which restricts him. Whereas, in competitive plays, Viper and Astra can locate smoke and control a site from a distance with ease. Thus, the agent requires some major buffs in 2022 to get adjusted to the current meta.

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1) Yoru

The Japansese duelist agent, Yoru. (Image via Riot Games)

Yoru's buffs are one of the most heavily demanded agent changes by the community. The Valorant duelist has had a non-viable pick rate since his release. Many believe he's not a perfect fit for the duelist role, as his abilities don't allow him to take on aggressive fights like others.

Rather, Yoru is effective when it comes to collecting intel, which is done by the initiator agents.

Many players have criticized Yoru's Fakeout (C) and Gatecrash (E) abilities. Thus, in one of their November 2021's "State of the Agents" blog posts, developers mentioned bringing changes to these abilities. The community is excited for the agent changes.