Hiko shares VALORANT agent tier list for pro play, puts Sage and Cypher at the top

With VALORANT’s competitive mode and professional scene budding, players will want to know who the best agents in the game are. And Hiko’s got the answer.

The 100 Thieves captain shared his agent tier list for “high-level pro gameplay” during his Twitch broadcast today. Hiko started it off yesterday but had to delay it when his “internet fully died.”

“We’re not talking about comp, we’re not talking about solo queue rated, we’re not talking about unrated, we’re not talking about fun level,” Hiko explained yesterday. “We’re talking about usefulness in high-level team-based pro gameplay.”

As expected, Sage was the first S-tier agent added to the list. Hiko claims she’s “probably the best agent in the game,” despite some teams trying to run comps without the healer. But having a Sage who can get a lot of kills will allow her to resurrect often, a game-changing ability that can easily turn the tides in your favor. And her slows can put a stop to any rushes immediately.

Hiko also put Cypher in the S tier, an agent who was picked by almost every team in the T1 x Nerd Street Gamers VALORANT tournament last weekend. The former CS:GO pro argues that Cypher is “invaluable” and is the best agent for holding and stopping flanks.

Brimstone also made it to S-tier status despite being “the most boring agent.” Hiko explained that he has the “best smokes in the game” and he can waste time by using a molly and ultimate on a point when defending a planted Spike.

Omen made it into the A tier because his smokes are good for countering double AWPs and can be thrown from across the map. Hiko also said Omen is played frequently on every map besides Bind. Sova joins Omen in the A tier because his arrows counter a lot of pesky agents, like Viper and Cypher. And his ultimate can kill multiple players.

Despite some fans thinking Raze is bad because she offers no utility, Hiko put her in the A tier.

“But her abilities actually hold spots so easily,” Hiko said. “Your Raze is almost always your top fragger, your Raze almost always counters Cypher… your Raze can hold the choke point herself for so long.”

While Breach “almost made A tier,” Hiko put him in B because the agent is usually dropped for Omen or Sova. His flashes can be hard to hit in a heavy AWP meta, according to the 100 Thieves captain. Jett was also put in the B tier because she can play around utility and is great at AWPing but isn’t the best for the current meta. Hiko put Phoenix in the B tier as well because he’s good but “not as useful” as other agents.

Viper and Reyna are the two lowest-ranked agents in the C tier, according to Hiko. While the pro claims Reyna’s flashes are the “best in the game,” three of her skills require her to get kills. In high pro play, you can’t guarantee that Reyna will be the one getting the kills. But in lower ranks, Reyna can excel and is great in one-vs-one scenarios.