Best VALORANT agents for playing Team Deathmatch

VALORANT is shaking up its game mode rotation with a five-vs-five, multi-stage Team Deathmatch (TDM) mode where players choose their loadouts and use their abilities to race to 100 kills first across three custom maps. For players trying it out for the first time, they’ll quickly realize that unlike in traditional deathmatch, what agent you select is actually important.

Within just a day of TDM being released via early access, several pro players and VALORANT community members already began expressing how much they loved the new mode. As someone who was lucky enough to play it myself in early access, let me make this clear: it might be the best new addition to VALORANT ever. It is that fun.

Related: VALORANT’s Team Deathmatch features custom maps, loadouts, and weapon spawns

With some early time spent in the new mode, and the privilege of getting to talk to some pro players and full-time streamers about it, I got a good sense of what agents are really optimal for TDM. Here are some suggestions for agents to pick when playing Team Deathmatch in VALORANT.

Best agents for VALORANT Team Deathmatch

Reyna

No surprise here, but the agent that can throw a quick flash to pull away crosshairs, and one that can either Dismiss to safety or Devour to heal up is a great choice for TDM. As Reyna is designed for taking fights sustainably and being aggressive in standard play, she’s an easy choice for anyone feeling themselves with their aim.

Skye

Reyna may be the best individual agent selection for TDM, but Skye has a case to be considered the best agent for any team player. While in cover, Skye can send out her Guiding Light and Trailblazer to harass opponents, allowing her aggressive allies to clean up the kills. And with how tight the corridors are in TDM, her area-of-effect healing Regrowth is even more viable here than in standard play.

Viper

Controllers as a whole feel a little less valuable in TDM compared to standard modes of play, but Viper is still a fun pick. There are plenty of objects and clutter in the new maps for Viper to place one way smokes on, and her Toxic Screen and Snakebite abilities are superb for limiting the areas the other team can freely push. Also charging and deploying her Viper’s Pit ultimate is a game changer on such a small map.

Breach

TDM maps are a playground for Breach. His flash might be the most overpowered in the game; it works wonders on the custom maps in TDM, and his ability kit is tailor made for stunning and frustrating the enemy team. As with Viper, his ultimate is one of the most proficient and powerful on the smaller maps.

Yoru

Finally, a time and place for Yoru to shine! One of the most overlooked duelists is a fun and capable pick on TDM. Opposing players appear more likely to fall for the decoy and get flashed for shooting it, and sending his teleport anchor to the far side of the map to camp the enemy spawn is always a treat. Alternatively, place the anchor in spawn and then fight your way forward, teleporting back to base before you are overwhelmed.