Best Controllers Agents In Valorant | Ranked Worst to Best

Being a nuisance to the enemy team is one of the best and most effective ways to gain a leg up in a game of Valorant and the controller class of agents are by far the best way to do just so. With controller agents specialising in smokes, slows and visual impairment, picking up a controller is sure to invigorate your opposition!

Best Controllers in Valorant

Brimstone

Brimstone used to be the top dog when it came to smokes, especially in the beta of Valorant. But times change and the game has changed with it. Brimstone is always going to be a solid pick-up for newer, less experienced players, His Sky Smokes (E) and Incendiary (Q), are perfect for zoning and limiting enemy movement and vision around the map, especially with his relative safeness he has whilst using them.

He has a very shallow skill curve, with it being incredibly difficult to punish a good Brimstone player at lower ranks. Controlling areas of the map and turning them into strongholds is what Brimstone excels at. He can enhance his team with his Stim Beacon (C) and force enemies to rotate, especially on defence with his ultimate ability, Orbital Strike (X).

This is where Brimstone’s strengths are limited, due to the fact that he is somewhat predictable and lacks the aggression and flexibility of other controller agents that can potentially be picked up ahead of him. His Stim Beacon (C) is somewhat situational and if not used in the right place, can be a huge waste. His abilities are best used on enemies clustered together in chokepoints and entryways, but this leaves him and his team vulnerable to flanks.

Omen

Arguably the king of smokes, Omen comes in third place on this tier list. Omen has a higher skill requirement to be played effectively than Brimstone does, but is a much better pick for players at the higher end of the ranked ladder.

Omen is your dream agent if your playstyle is to flank aggressively and always be pushing for kills and intel. With his Shrouded Step (C) meaning that he is one of the few agents with the unique ability to appear from anywhere, enemy players always have to be on guard when facing an Omen. His ultimate, From The Shadows (X) is a beefed up version of this, where Omen can teleport to anywhere on the map and appear as a Shade, which enemies can kill. This allows Omen to gain intel, regardless of if he teleports or not.

Omen not only can flank and surprise enemies, he is also one of the most effective agents for a traditional controller playstyle too. With his Paranoia (Q) and Dark Cover (E) allowing him to reduce vision and awareness of enemies, especially with Dark Cover (E) allowing him to see the whole map and place where he puts his smokes.

It is this flexibility in playstyle that places Omen above Brimstone in this list, but with the complex skill level Omen requires, more often than not, inexperienced Omen players find themselves teleporting straight into a five-man enemy team.

Viper

Just missing out on the top spot, is our resident chemist, Viper. Viper’s passive Toxin being instant damage and damage over time on all of her abilities is one of the most dangerous and biggest zoning tools out of any controller agent. This is something Viper has available to her that other controller agents do not- which is damage in her zoning. Brimstone’s smokes are just that; smokes, whereas with Viper’s abilities causing constant damage overtime, the enemy players are at risk of being at a disadvantage if they do come across an agent on the Viper’s team.

Viper’s Snake Bite (Q), much like all controllers, allows her to zone off entryways and forces enemy teams to change their approach, and more often than not rotate.She launches a chemical canister which creates an area of effect zone. The vital part of this ability is that any enemy agent who walks in the zone, gets the Vulnerable debuff. This means they take double damage from any damage sources for two seconds.

Her Poison Cloud (Q) and Toxic Screen (E) both prohibit vision, with lineups being vital to learn to become an effective Viper player. Her Toxic Screen (E) can block vision in multiple areas of the map and multiple entryways at once.

Her ultimate ability, Viper’s Pit (X), is arguably the best zoning tool in the game. A giant chemical cloud expands around Viper, afflicting enemies with her passive, Toxin. This is best used when attempting to take or protect a bomb site, and can comfortably be the winning factor for any round it is available in- when used properly.

The problem that Viper faces however, is that all her abilities (bar her ultimate), require the use of fuel- the other half of her passive. Incorrect or poor fuel management can leave Viper exposed in situations, with enemies being able to pass through entryways that would be otherwise blocked. Enemies can also wait out Viper’s Poison Cloud (Q) and Toxic Screen (E) until she either brings the wall down, or runs out of fuel.

Her ability to block off sites, when attacking or defending can force a rotate or a switch in strategy from the enemy, but if her fuel runs out, players using Viper can often find themselves left high and dry, with no abilities to help them. Inexperienced Viper players also tend to get lured into a false sense of security and overextend as they think their Poison Cloud (Q),Toxic Screen (E) and Viper’s Pit (X) completely negates the enemy. This is often utilised by enemy agents and players alike to catch out Viper players.

Astra

Last but not least, we have Astra- our cosmic controller. Astra is currently seen as the best agent in the game at the moment. With her ability to block off and prevent enemy pushes with her ultimate Astral Form/ Cosmic Divide (X).

Astra is a control freak by nature and using her Astral Form (X) to place her Nova Pulses (Q), her Nebulas (E) and her Gravity Wells (C), she can control the map from a safe distance- something in which she excels at doing. Similarly to Brimstone, she can place smokes - her Nebulas (E) wherever she wants on the map, blocking off certain entryways and stopping enemy pushes. These can be placed ahead of a player’s team push to support them from afar.

Her Gravity Well (C) allows her to excel when the enemy team and players are grouped up as it pulls all enemies caught inside to the middle. This then makes them Vulnerable, similar to Viper’s Toxin passive, which allows allied players to deal increasing damage. This in combination with her Nova Pulses (Q), when set up properly, allows her to deplete enemy agents’ health bars significantly.

Her ultimate ability Cosmic Divide (X) is a more beefed up version of Viper’s Toxic Screen (E) as it can block bullets as well as blocking off entryways into sites. As Cosmic Divide (X) can block off potentially multiple sites, attacking enemies are often forced into making a play out of fear of running out of time.

This is what Astra excels at- forcing enemies to make mistakes, therefore increasing the chances of you winning the round. Astra also has an incredibly high skill ceiling, due to the fact that there is more to placing her stars than just learning lineups. Astra players need to be able to adapt and place stars quickly on the go, without hesitation.

The main issue with Astra is the difficulty level. Whilst she can do what the rest of the controller agents can do all in one, and somewhat better, she requires a higher degree of skill to be able to play her at a proficient level. This is why you see her ever-present and dominating at higher ranks, but often at the bottom of the scoreboard and somewhat irrelevant at the lower ranks.

What are Controllers?

Controllers are shepherds, best used by players who enjoy controlling what their enemies are doing and forcing them into making mistakes. As a controller, you tend to know what is going on in the whole game, not just around you. The best controllers know what the enemy is going to do before they do it themselves.

Brimstone, Omen, Viper and Astra excel at this, but be careful, you can get exposed to a flank more often than not if you are playing behind your team. You might not have time to Omen Shrouded Step (C) away and out of danger, or you might get caught in Astral Form (X) as Astra and die helplessly because of it.