Valorant: Controller Agents, Ranked

Valorant is one of the most popular tactical shooters in the world. What sets the game apart from the competition is the fact that each playable character, known as an agent, has their own unique abilities that can make a huge impact on the battlefield.

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Valorant is filled with great characters, but mastering the role of Controller allows you to take complete control of a match. Control agents are all about using their abilities to tilt the battle in their favor and are a must for any team in both competitive and ranked matches. These are all the control agents in Valorant, ranked from least effective to most effective.

Updated November 25, 2024 by Maria Antiporda: This list has been updated to include new agents and to accommodate changes in agent abilities, which affect the overall ranking.

6 Port: The Commander Of The Sea

Harbor is an agent who can manipulate water and use it as a tool to deny enemies their vision and stop their movement.

His Cove can be useful for protecting those who plant and disarm the spike, and enemies passing through his walls will be slowed. That said, he's the least useful of all the Controller agents because the others have smokes that simply work better in most cases.

Harbor can be a good choice if you pair him with another Controller agent in your team composition.

Abilities
Cascade	Send a wall of water forward that will block vision for a short period and slow down enemies that pass through it.
Cove	Throw a water cove that can block bullets until it breaks.
High tide	Equip a wall of water that you can send out and guide with your crosshairs to form a vision-blocking wall of your own design. Enemies that pass through it will be slowed.
Calculation	Summon a geyser pool that covers a large area. Enemies within the radius will be tracked and will be concussed if caught.

Harbor's Cove is what sets his kit apart from the rest, giving your team some protection. The fact that it can be easily broken, and that someone can simply walk into the bay, makes it only useful in certain situations.

5 Viper: The American Chemist

The American Chemist Viper means business in Valorant and has been part of the Agent lineup since day one. Viper has tons of poison devices and she's not afraid to use them. There's a lot you need to know about Viper, including her passive abilities. All of her abilities use fuel and her abilities that apply Toxin will instantly reduce the maximum health of enemies.

Viper's Pit can allow the team to take control of a large area, making her very useful on certain maps.

With Viper's smokes, however, you have to be committed to where you place them, because while they can be picked up again, they can't be moved to another location. This makes her best paired with a second Controller agent.

Abilities
Snakebite	This is a deterrent ability. Viper shoots a canister that detonates on contact with the floor, creating a small pool of acid. Players who step into this pool will not only take damage, but become vulnerable.
Poison cloud	This is a gas emitter that can be thrown onto a surface and activated at a later time to emit a sphere of poisonous gas that blocks vision and reduces the health of enemies that touch it.
Toxic screen	Shoot a long line of gas emitters that can be activated at any time. If you do, it will emit a long smokescreen of toxic gas that will deplete the health of enemies that pass through it. The wall can be raised again when you have enough fuel.
Viper's Pit	Using this ability creates a poisonous cloud around her that reduces the range of vision of enemies and the maximum health of enemies inside it. The cloud will remain as long as you are inside it and will lose privacy if you leave it. Enemies entering the cloud will be marked red and easy to spot.

4 Brimstone: The Big Man

Brimstone, from the US, is one of the original agents of Valorant and if there's one thing the big man loves, it's fire. He's a boots-on-the-ground agent who isn't blessed with any magical powers like some others, but that doesn't necessarily limit his effectiveness. Brimstone will deal tons of fire damage to the opposing team.

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VALORANT: Brimstone Character Breakdown

VALORANT's American agent Brimstone can help teammates with Stim Beacon, or deal damage from above with Orbital Strike.

Abilities
Exciting	Throw a grenade that detonates when it rests on the floor. Upon detonation, it creates a zone of fire that will damage players walking on it.
Stim Beacon	Throw a beacon on the floor that gives players inside the zone Combat Stim and a Speed Boost.
Sky Smoke	Prepare a tactical map and choose precise locations to place your smoke clouds. Upon confirmation, clouds will fall from the sky and block all visibility through it.
Orbital Strike	Fire a high-damage attack at a selected location, dealing heavy damage to anyone trapped. It's a great ability to use when the opposing team is grouped.

While Brimstone's smokes are the best in the game, his kit offers less creativity compared to other controls. That said, he's a good choice if you want a no-nonsense smoking agent or if you plan to pair him with another Controller. For example, he is a good complement to Viper on Bind.

3 Astra: The Astral Radiant

Hailing from Ghana, Astra was added to Valorant during Act 2 of Episode 2. She is a master of the cosmos, capable of using stars to both attack and defend. Her kit can effectively block enemy vision and take control of an area using awesome and draw abilities.

Abilities
Gravity Well	Activate a star you've thrown to create a Gravity Well, which traps players and leaves them vulnerable.
Nova Pulse	By targeting a star you've placed, Astra can bring enemies into its vicinity.
Nebula/disappear	By targeting a star you have placed, you can create a cloud of smoke. You can then dispel it and move the star elsewhere.
Cosmic division	Create a beautiful starlight barrier that blocks bullets and greatly dampens sound. The barrier can be passed through, but you have no idea what's on the other side.

Astra's kit makes her an important pick for Pearl and, for the most part, Abyss.

The only thing the Astra lacks is a real offensive ability, but you can leave that up to the duelists. To use her properly, you need to be strategic in placing stars on the map to help your duelists take advantage of their effects. This also makes her lean towards the sentinel role when it comes to defending a website.

2 Omen: The Shadow Hunter

The Omen is the unknown enigma in Valorant that has been playable since launch. No one knows who he is or where he's from, but he's one of the most fun agents to play in the game. He does all his work in the shadows, focusing on movement, vision blocking and glare.

Abilities
Covered Step	Allows you to teleport a short distance. Keep in mind that your enemies will hear a sound when you do this.
Paranoia	A blinding ability where you throw a blinding orb that can pass through walls. Players hit by the orb are myopic and defeated. They will be able to see you if you get too close.
Dark cover	Enter a facade world to place smoke in an area within range. Smoke dropped from above will fall until it hits any surface a player can stand on.
From The Shadows	Allows you to teleport to any location on the map. Once you have confirmed your target destination, you have a short period of time during which you can cancel your teleportation. This can be used to trick enemies, scout an area quickly, or other tactics limited only by your creativity.

If you're looking for a Controller with some sort of mobility that allows them to take on fights, the Omen is one of the best choices. His kit can help perform executions that will tear down an enemy's defenses and trap them from a distance.

1 Clove: The Scottish Troublemaker

Clove is a powerful Controller that uses aggression as a way to take control of an area. Unlike other controllers, it's rewarding to use them when taking fights and dealing damage. This makes them the most popular controller choice, especially among those who want to play a little naughty.

What makes Clove a good agent to pick, especially in ranked Valorant, is that you are less dependent on other agents to get your frags. You can do your job and theirs too if you need to.

Abilities
pick me up	Temporarily restore your health and gain a Speed Boost after absorbing the life force of a fallen enemy you injured or killed.
Occupy yourself	Fire a fragment that explodes and decays any players caught in the explosion.
Trick	Place sight-blocking clouds on a selected location on the map. You can use this ability even after you die, but only within a certain radius around your body.
Not dead yet	You can use this ability to come back to life after being killed. You will have a short amount of time to get a kill or an assist to keep your life alive.

While Clove is a great choice, if you're not that good at being aggressive, you should go for a control that's more focused on simply placing smoke and deterrent abilities like Astra and Brimstone.