Valorant tier list: Best Agents to play in Episode 7 Act 1

Valorant's 7th episode was released on June 27, 2023, and saw the arrival of a new Agent, Deadlock, as well as a fresh game mode called Team Deathmatch. With this new episode came a new patch that introduced its first act. The meta in this title has not drastically changed from the past few acts, with some of the strongest units still reigning supreme.

That said, certain Agents have taken a hit and have seen a reduction in their power levels. The re-addition of Bind and the removal of Icebox has also affected some Agents' strengths. This article will rank Valorant's current roster in a detailed tier list.

---

All Valorant Agents ranked from best to worst in Episode 7 Act 1

Valorant Episode 7 Act 1 Agent tier list (Image via Sportskeeda)

Valorant currently consists of 22 Agents, with Deadlock being the latest addition. The placement of units on this tier list is based on three factors:

• Viability across all maps in Valorant
• Their strength when compared to other Agents in the role
• Reliability in various situations

The Agents are divided into five different tiers:

1. S-tier
2. A-tier
3. B-tier
4. C-tier
5. D-tier

Here, S is the highest tier, whereas D is the lowest.

---

S-tier

This S-tier comprises the absolute best Agents currently in Valorant's meta. These units have the tools to dictate the momentum of a round and can create favorable situations quite often. The S-tier Agents in Episode 7 Act 1 are:

• Skye
• Raze
• Jett
• Killjoy

Skye is currently the best initiator in Valorant. No other unit can match her in terms of overall impact and relevance across all maps. All of Skye's abilities are extremely powerful, serving various purposes such as scouting enemies, setting up site executes, and healing allies.

Raze is one of the best Duelist Agents players can try out in Valorant at the moment. Her explosive utility, along with exceptional mobility, makes her a terrifying presence and a must-pick on maps such as Bind and Split.

Jett has consistently held her title as the Queen of Valorant. The South Korean Agent is extremely popular across all ranks and has retained her spot at the top of Valorant. Jett's unmatched mobility and powerful entry potential make her a great choice on any map.

Killjoy is currently the most versatile Sentinel and can be played on almost any map to a decent degree. The information and stall potential she offers with her inventions are absolutely invaluable and allow teams to fight for areas with Killjoy providing them intel.

---

A-tier

The Agents in A-tier are quite strong and can sometimes rival those in S. However, their effectiveness on certain maps is lower in comparison. The Agents in A-tier of Episode 7 Act 1 are:

• KAY/O
• Sova
• Fade
• Omen
• Brimstone
• Breach

KAY/O is a fantastic Initiator in the right hands. This killer robot is the quintessential Agent for setting up creative set-plays and can acquire a lot of map control in an instant. KAY/O is one of the few Agents that have the potential to completely take over a game and function as a pseudo-duelist

Sova and Fade are the best Initiators when it comes to collecting information and opening up areas of a map for their teams to explore. They also have the tools to enable Duelists to pick enemies off and make entering sites an easier task.

Omen and Brimstone are currently the best solo Controllers players can pilot in Valorant. These two Agents are reliable on almost any map. Omen is an Agent who rewards a more aggressive and upfront playstyle, while Brimstone is great for gamers looking to support their team from the backline.

Breach is a powerful character and is an optimal Initiator for players looking to provide the maximum support to their team through stuns and flashes. The Swede is also the perfect unit for highly aggressive set-plays and brute-forcing into any map's sites.

---

B-tier

B-tier Agents shine in certain situations, but they generally tend to get outclassed by other Agents in their role quite often. Units in this category in Valorant Episode 7 Act 1 are:

• Gekko
• Neon
• Cypher
• Viper
• Harbor

Gekko is the latest Initiator in Valorant. The Angeleno's creatures are extremely powerful in the right scenarios. However, this unit's main weakness is his reduced capabilities on the defense side of any map.

Neon is a strong Duelist when she's supported well by her team. But this is where her problem lies. Neon is an Agent who's way too dependent on her team to be an effective entry fragger, unlike Raze or Jett. Her effective map pool is also very small.

Cypher is the best Sentinel in this game for covering flanks. However, his setups are easily broken by powerful Agents higher up on this tier list. Cypher still has certain maps and cheeky setups that can be utilized to gain maximum value.

Viper and Harbor, as a Controller duo, have been quite popular over the past few months. Individually, these units tend to shine way less than they are unable to smoke off chokepoints easily from anywhere. This makes them poor candidates for a team composition with only one Controller.

---

C-tier

The Agents in C-tier only tend to fulfill a particular niche and are very unreliable in most cases. The characters in Episode 7 Act 1 that fall in this category are:

• Phoenix
• Sage
• Deadlock
• Chamber
• Astra

Phoenix's current state in the meta is quite poor. Other Duelists tend to do the things that this unit shines at better, making him a secondary choice. Phoenix's flashes are also one of the weakest. The only saving grace is his ultimate, which is extremely strong.

Sage and Deadlock are two situational Agents. These two Sentinels are primarily geared to halt fast site executes while blocking off certain angles. The former can keep her allies healthy, while Deadlock can try for some aggressive set-plays.

The main weakness of both these Agents is their one-dimensional playstyle, which can be easily countered. Characters such as Killjoy and Cypher do a similar job as them but also provide way more information to the team, making them better choices.

Chamber recently got buffed, which has given him a slightly better spot in the current meta. That said, this French Sentinel still has a long way to go before reaching his former glory, with him being not able to lock down sites effectively and also being weak as a pseudo-duelist.

Astra is the vulnerable Controller in the current meta. The former best Agent in this game has been unable to find her footing ever since she was nerfed, which increased the cooldown of her stars. Astra requires extreme game knowledge and does not provide anything spectacular to warrant a spot over other Controllers.

---

D-tier

The Agents in the D-tier are the worst choices in this title's current meta and desperately need buffs. Players should generally stay away from them to maximize their chances of winning. The Agents in the D-Tier of Valorant Episode 7 Act 1 are:

• Yoru
• Reyna

Yoru is arguably the worst Duelist in this game right now. This unit's speciality lies in lurking. This, however, is typically not what you want to see from a Duelist. His flashes are also quite weak, with his abilities requiring a lot of mastery for inconsistent outcomes.

Reyna is an Agent who provides no value to a team outside of getting kills. Her blind is easily the worst in this game. If a Reyna is not set up for success, she becomes absolutely useless as her entire kit revolves around getting kills. This unit can be easily countered by good utility usage employed by stronger Agents.

---

The Valorant meta continues to evolve from time to time. In the future, certain underpowered Agents will have the chance to make it up in the tier list. Some of the strongest units right now could also receive some nerfs in the future to ensure a balanced playing field.