In VALORANT, every agent has unique abilities that can turn the tide of a round if left unchecked. However, there are always ways to deal with them effectively. This guide breaks down how to counter every agent in VALORANT.
Brimstone
Brimstone thrives in post-plant scenarios, as he is equipped with powerful area denial tools and a deadly ultimate.
What makes Brimstone good:
- His ultimate can clear out entire zones or punish defenders on the Spike.
- His molly and smokes make him a strong anchor and post-plant player.
How to counter Brimstone:
- Avoid tight corners: If Brim has ult, don’t play in spots that are easy to punish.
- Body-block his molly: If you’re trying to defuse and know Brim is going to throw a post-plant molly, you can try blocking it so your teammate can defuse safely.
- Force out utility early: Brimstone’s utility doesn’t recharge. Pressure him before he sets up comfortably.
Phoenix
Phoenix is a self-sufficient duelist who thrives in 1v1 situations and quick site hits.
What makes Phoenix good:
- His ultimate gives him a second life, making him a threat for entry fragging.
- He can self-heal with his abilities, sustaining after fights.
How to counter :
- Don’t give him free orbs: Deny his ultimate charges by contesting the orbs.
- Avoid duels during ult: Fighting his ult is often low-reward.
- Hold off-angles during ult: If you don’t want to let Phoenix enter the site for free with his ultimate, consider playing an off-angle to take it down.
Sage
Sage can delay pushes and clutch post-plants with her wall, slows, and healing.
What makes Sage good:
- Her wall blocks entries, buys critical time, or can be used to elevate.
- She can heal allies or herself.
How to counter Sage:
- Break the wall quickly: If Sage walls the same spot every round, make sure to call your team to break it immediately.
- Destroy all wall segments: This prevents your team from getting clumped in tight points.
- Be careful of post-plants: If Sage is interacting with the Spike, she can wall the Spike to plant or defuse behind it. Make sure the team is ready to destroy it.
Sova
Sova is one of the best agents at gathering valuable intel with his recon abilities and can initiate from long range.
What makes Sova good:
- His Recon Dart reveals enemy positions safely.
- His drone and Shock Darts force defenders off angles.
How to counter Sova:
- Wait out recon darts: Don’t peek while it’s active.
- Destroy or block utility: Smoke out darts or shoot them quickly.
- Study his dart spots: If Sova is predictable, pre-aim or pre-fire common dart spots.
Viper
Viper excels at area denial and post-plant setups by using her toxins and ultimate to decay enemies.
What makes Viper good:
- Her Snakebites with Poison Cloud can stall or kill defusers.
- Her Viper’s Pit ultimate gives her a huge advantage in close-quarter fights.
How to counter Viper:
- Play around her Snakebite timing: Tap the spike to bait her lineups, then defuse quickly.
- Flank or pressure her post-plant spot: She often plays very far back to use lineups. Catch her off guard here.
- In her ult, use a Phantom or short-range weapons: Phantoms don’t have tracers, and shotguns like the Shorty are great in close combat.
Cypher
Cypher is an information powerhouse. His Trapwires and Spycam can lock down areas and catch pesky flanks.
What makes Cypher good:
- Trapwires stop pushes and punish flankers.
- Spycam provides constant intel on enemy movements.
How to counter Cypher:
- Destroy Trapwires: Clear them with utility or careful prefiring before committing to the site.
- Shoot or avoid Spycam: Watch the minimap for its location (it shows) and take it out quickly.
- Spread out when attacking: Avoid giving him multiple triggers on a single setup by pinching him.
Reyna
Reyna is a snowball duelist who thrives by getting early kills.
What makes Reyna good:
- Leer can blind multiple enemies at once.
- Dismiss lets her escape or reposition after every kill.
How to counter Reyna:
- Play close angles: This limits Leer’s effectiveness since it can’t blind you directly.
- Double swing or trade: Either trade her immediately or force her to Dismiss instead of healing with Devour.
- Pre-aim off-angles: Reyna tends to play off-angles due to the escape mechanism she has. Be obedient when clearing angles and expect surprises.
Killjoy
Killjoy dominates sites with utility setups and post-plant control using her kit, mainly Turret and Lockdown.
What makes Killjoy good:
- Turret and Alarmbot setup provide early info and chip damage.
- Lockdown forces enemies off sites.
How to counter Killjoy:
- Clear her utility: Use grenades, Shock Darts, or abilities like KAY/O’s kit to destroy her setups.
- Destroy Lockdown: Save utility or ultimates like Sova, Raze, or Breach’s abilities to counter it.
Breach
Breach is an initiator who excels at creating openings with his stun and blinding abilities.
What makes Breach good:
- Fault Line and Flashpoint are great for clearing angles.
- Rolling Thunder is one of the strongest site-taking tools.
How to counter Breach:
- Play anti-flash: Turn away quickly when you hear his audio cue, and predict common flash spots.
- Expect a follow-up: His utility is almost always paired with a teammate’s push right after.
Omen
Omen is great at misdirection, using smokes, blinds, and teleports to create confusion and opportunities.
What makes Omen good:
- Shrouded Step lets him reposition and catch people off guard.
- Paranoia blinds large areas and sets up entries.
How to counter Omen:
- Listen for teleport sounds: Pre-aim likely spots he might appear.
- Play close range when Paranoia comes: If you’re pinched in a corner and get nearsighted, get as close as possible so you can still see.
Jett
Jett is a hyper-mobile duelist who thrives on creating chaos and winning aggressive duels.
What makes Jett good:
- Tailwind lets her take quick fights and escape.
- Bladestorm is deadly with pinpoint accuracy while moving.
How to counter Jett:
- Play passive angles: Force her to overextend and isolate fights.
- Expect Operator plays: You’ll often see Jett with an Operator, so make sure to jiggle peek before committing.
- Read her executes: If she has the same pattern of setups, hold for her dash entry.
Raze
Raze is explosive, using her mobility and damage-heavy kit to flush enemies out of positions.
What makes Raze good:
- Blast Pack mobility lets her scale into sites.
- Showstopper can clear corners or force defenders off-site.
How to counter Raze:
- Play safer angles: Raze will often enter the site ahead of the team; take this opportunity to have an isolated 1v1 with her.
- Spread out during her ultimate: Either run away from her completely, or avoid giving multi-kill opportunities.
Skye
Skye is an initiator who can gather information and blind multiple enemies at once.
What makes Skye good:
- Guiding Light provides long-range blinding power and information.
- Trailblazer clears angles safely for her team.
How to counter Skye:
- Shoot her flashes: Pre-aim and destroy Guiding Light before it pops to deny info.
- Break the dog ASAP: Take out the Trailblazer when it’s exposed to deny info.
Yoru
Yoru uses deception and teleportation to flank and confuse opponents.
What makes Yoru good:
- Gatecrash allows fast repositioning or surprise flanks.
- Dimensional Drift lets him gather intel and set up flashes.
How to counter Yoru:
- Rotate carefully: Expect Yoru to have a teleport in your team’s spawn, so be careful when rotating.
- Dodge flashes during ult: Looking down at the ground is the best way to reduce blind time when he gets out of his ultimate.
Astra
Astra is potent at controlling the map with her stars, forcing enemies into disadvantageous fights.
What makes Astra good:
- Gravity Well and Nova Pulse disrupt pushes.
- Cosmic Divide splits sites for easier retakes or executes.
How to counter Astra:
- Avoid standing in stars: Move away from stars to dodge potential stuns or pulls.
- Tap the Spike early in post-plants: Force her to use stars inefficiently.
- Block the pull: Try blocking your defusing teammate from the pull, so the defuse doesn’t get interrupted.
KAY/O
KAY/O disables enemy abilities and leads aggressive site takes with his suppression and utility.
What makes KAY/O good:
- ZERO/point reveals and suppresses enemies in its radius.
- NULL/cmd turns him into a frontline duelist while disabling abilities.
How to counter KAY/O:
- Shoot or avoid ZERO/point: Deny him early information, or intentionally step into it to give him false info.
- Contest ultimate orbs: If he’s close to an ult, fight for the orb to prevent him from charging it.
- Time your utility: Use abilities before his knife lands.
Chamber
Chamber controls space with traps, fast repositioning, and lethal weapons.
What makes Chamber good:
- Trademark watches flanks and slows enemies.
- Rendezvous lets him escape instantly.
How to counter Chamber:
- Smoke or destroy traps: Ask your controller to smoke off the Trademark so you can walk past it, or destroy it.
- Expect off-angles: Chamber thrives by holding unexpected positions since he can get out.
Neon
Neon’s speed and stuns make her difficult to deal with and deadly in close-range fights.
What makes Neon good:
- Relay Bolt bounces off walls to clear corners.
- Overdrive turns her into a fast-moving threat.
How to counter Neon:
- Avoid hard corners: Her stun can easily bounce and catch you.
- Stay calm vs. Overdrive: Aim for a clean headshot instead of panic spraying.
- Keep distance: Her ultimate loses impact in long-range duels, so maintain range.
Fade
Fade is great at revealing hidden players and clearing angles with her Prowlers.
What makes Fade good:
- Haunt scans large areas for information.
- Prowlers force enemies out of strong positions.
How to counter Fade:
- Destroy Haunt quickly: Pre-aim likely spots or flick quickly to deny any scans.
- Play positions with escape routes: Don’t get trapped by Prowlers and her other abilities.
- Force early utility: Since Fade’s abilities do not refresh, fake presence makes her waste them.
Harbor
Harbor uses water walls and his ultimate to control large areas and sightlines.
What makes Harbor good:
- Cascade and High Tide block vision, allowing for flexible pushes.
- Reckoning concusses enemies and forces them to reposition.
How to counter Harbor:
- Hold off-angles: Wait for his walls to drop instead of pushing blindly.
- Play safe positions vs. ultimate: Avoid being trapped when Reckoning triggers. Play in positions where you have multiple areas to fall back to.
Gekko
Gekko’s utility allows him to plant, defuse, and take map control safely.
What makes Gekko good:
- Wingman can plant or defuse the Spike.
- Ability recycling lets him reuse his pets for multiple plays.
How to counter Gekko:
- Save grenades or mollies: Use them to instantly kill Wingman once you hear a plant/defuse.
- Punish retrieval: Gekko must expose himself to pick up abilities. Try catching him during retrieval.
Deadlock
Deadlock thrives in locking down tight angles and slowing pushes with her barriers and traps.
What makes Deadlock good:
- Barrier Mesh creates a wall that’s tough to break through.
- GravNet can immobilize players, setting up for easy kills.
How to counter Deadlock:
- Focus on the barrier: Break it fast so her team can’t hold angles confidently.
- Break traps early: Clear out her traps to have an easier time taking fights.
- Force rotations: Make her utility less useful by switching to other bomb sites.
Iso
Iso is best at taking 1v1 duels and snowball fights if his shield is active.
What makes Iso good:
- Contingency protects him in duels by absorbing a shot.
- Double Tap allows him to isolate and win consecutive 1v1 fights.
How to counter Iso:
- Double swing him: Avoid giving him the 1v1 fights he thrives at.
- Phantom over Vandal: Phantoms have higher fire rates compared to the Vandal. Shooting that extra bullet can deal with Iso’s shield more reliably.
Clove
Clove can provide smokes even after death, and can revive for a second life with her ultimate.
What makes Clove good:
- Post-death smokes let her assist the team after falling.
- Ultimate gives her another chance to fight.
How to counter Clove:
- Track her death spot: She can only smoke around that area – play elsewhere.
- Avoid fighting her ultimate head-on: Stalling until the timer ends is better than risking a high-risk fight.
Vyse
Vyse controls engagements with her walls and forces enemies to burn utility early.
What makes Vyse good:
- Wall blocks significant sightlines and chokepoints, and can trap opponents.
- Abilities can stall pushes and force enemies to take uncomfortable fights.
How to counter Vyse:
- Jump peek walls: Force the walls prematurely.
- Break utility before pushing: Deny her control over chokepoints and key areas.
Tejo
Tejo relies on high-damage missiles and early ability usage to pressure opponents.
What makes Tejo good:
- Missiles are strong for area control and post-plants.
- Burst damage can punish grouped players.
How to counter Tejo:
- Force early utility: Tejo’s abilities no longer refresh. Bait them out early into rounds.
- Spread out: Avoid clumping where his explosives can deal heavy damage and hit multiple players.
Waylay
Waylay dives into sites aggressively but lacks defensive utility once committed.
What makes Waylay good:
- High mobility lets her go in and disrupt defenders.
- Fast entries can catch teams off guard if they are unprepared.
How to counter Waylay:
- Track her movement: Focus on where Waylay will land, and immediately start firing. She doesn’t have the protection like Jett does with Cloudburst.
- Hold crossfires: Don’t let her isolate fights during entries. She will typically be ahead of her team.
