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What Is The Best Valorant Agent To Play In Ranked & Unrated?

In Valorant, there are currently 11 different agents that you can play in ranked and unrated matches.

 

Each of these agents is perfectly tailored around a particular playstyle and they're all incredibly viable in either game mode. However, it's undeniable that some agents just have a higher standing than others do.

 

When you're about to jump into a game, locking in an agent can be tricky. After all, there are so many factors to consider.

 

How well do they synergize with your team? Do you know how their mechanics interact with other agents? Are there any map advantages to keep in mind?

 

At the end of the day, one small mistake in choosing your agent can create for a significant disadvantage given equal player skill levels.

 

And that's why to help you alleviate the headache - we've put together this all-in-one guide to picking out the best valorant agent for both ranked and unrated games.

 

Let's dive right in!

 

What Types Of Agents Are There In Valorant?

First and foremost, let's talk about the different types of agents that you'll find in the game.

 

When it comes to categorizing all of the available agents, you can safely put them into four different play-style groups - the Duelist, Initiator, Sentinel, and lastly, the Controller.

 

Each of these classes plays a specific role in a given match and corresponds directly to a particular playstyle. This means they've all got their unique advantages if the agent you pick is played according to their strengths.

 

Here are the advantages associated with each class:

1.    The Controller - these agents are fantastic at gaining and maintaining control over a particular area of the map. They can slice up the area to turn all-out brawls into duels and provide support to their teammates with crowd control skills like slows, smokes, walls, and vision blocks.

2.    The Initiator - as the name might imply, these guys are the openers that can help set their team up in order to enter a particular area. They do this by either having powerful entry-frag abilities or information-control abilities.

3.    The Duelist - Duelists are pure-bred fraggers. They seek out fights and help their team take control of engagements with powerful damage-dealing abilities that allow them to pick off multiple enemies in one go.

4.    The Sentinel - these agents are fantastic at locking down and defending the areas you capture. They can watch your team's flank once you push a site or come back around to hold it down from enemies trying to diffuse the bomb.

 

As you can see - each of these roles is necessary for a given team composition. It's always a good idea to have a solid grasp on how to play at least one agent in each category, in case you have to fill the gaps when your team picks out its agents.

 

What's The Difference Between Ranked & Unrated Games?

The very first difference to keep in mind is the fact that one is ranked while the other isn't.

 

As such, due to the lack of any risk, most Valorant players tend to play a lot more aggressively in Unrated games as opposed to Ranked matches. In addition to this, when it comes to Ranked play - most people stick with the agents they know well enough rather than exploring new ground. By comparison, in Unrated matches, people tend to play the "party favor" or whatever they feel like.

 

This means that when we look at the raw data, both game modes bolster a fairly different list of agents that see a good deal of success, as they differ in playstyle, mindset, and player approach.

 

The Best Agents To Play In Unrated Matches

Now that we've covered the different categories of agents you'll find in Valorant and the differences between the two available game modes - let's talk about the top Valorant agents to play for each agent class in Unrated games according to the data from Blitz.gg.

 

1. Reyna - Duelist

It doesn't take a genius to understand that frags equal easier rounds. This is why duelists see a lot of love in the Unrated scene. And among duelists, it's really hard to top Reyna and her crazy ability kit. At the moment, she holds the highest KDA ratios by a landslide.

 

2. Viper - Controller

Sure, Viper might look pretty badass, but she's also a fantastic controller. At the moment, she enjoys a hefty 51.1% win rate on the Unranked leaderboards.

 

3. Breach - Initiator

Breach is a great pick on practically any map thanks to his incredibly versatile kit. He boasts a 51.1% win rate across over 3.3 Million matches played.

 

4. Sage - Sentinel

As one of the easiest agents to play in Valorant, Sage enjoys a lot of popularity in both Ranked and Unrated matches. This is thanks to her amazingly powerful kit that can keep her allies safe no matter the trouble.

 

The Best Agents To Use In Ranked Valorant Matches

Jumping over to ranked play, it's easy to see that Duelists are still topping the boards when it comes to the average score thanks to the frag-dependant nature of their role. However, they lose out in terms of win-rate, with the average win-rate hovering around 49%.

 

On the other hand, Controllers, Initiators, and Sentinels enjoy a far higher win-rate with the average win rate being above 52%.

 

1. Breach - Initiator

Surprisingly, in Ranked play, Breach enjoys a 62.2% average win rate at higher ranks. This is due to his versatility and the high utility of his kit.

 

2. Sage - Sentinel

While Sage is definitely underutilized in Unrated matches, in ranked play she kicks some serious ass with a 52.5% win rate.

 

3. Brimstone - Controller

While Viper dominated the Unrated leaderboards, she only has a meager 36.7% win rate (the lowest among all agents) in ranked. Instead, Brimstone is the party favor thanks to his powerful kit and high damage output.

 

4. Raze - Duelist

While Reyna is only marginally behind her, Raze dominated the Duelist stats in ranked matches thanks to her lethality and how well she plays alongside a stacked Breach, Brimstone, and Sage core composition.

 

Closing Thoughts

Picking out the perfect agent for a ranked or unrated game of Valorant isn't always an entirely straightforward decision.

 

And if you want to win more games - the game's stats are your best tool to stay up to date with what agents dominate the leaderboards for each mode.

 

In today's article, we covered the most essential agents for each role in both ranked and Unrated matches. We hope that you were able to get some insights and maybe even pen out a new champion to learn to fill out your roster.

 

With that, we wish you the best of luck in your games. And if you ever get stuck, come back for more Valorant guides to improve your skills and work your way up to the coveted Radiant rank in Valorant.