Valorant: the most picked agents at Champions 2026

Which agents should you be playing in Valorant right now? Rather than add yet another opinion, this guide looks at what the world’s best teams are picking at Champions 2026, which runs in Shanghai until 18 October. We counted the agents in all 122 team compositions logged by the stats site VLR.gg as of 2 October. Three agents stand clearly above the rest, and some ranked favourites barely feature at all. Bear in mind that a pro team plays on comms with a prepared strategy, which changes a lot for anyone queuing alone.

At a glance

How this Valorant tier list was built

Valorant Champions 2026 got under way on 24 September in Shanghai, with a $2.25m prize pool according to VLR.gg’s agent stats page for the event. The site logs every map played and the five agents each team locks in. By 2 October, it listed 122 compositions across seven maps: Summit, Lotus, Ascent, Split, Sunset, Haven and Abyss.

For each agent, we worked out the share of compositions they appear in. A pick rate of 80% means eight teams out of ten chose that agent, map by map. The tiers follow simple thresholds: above 45% for S tier, 30 to 44% for A, 15 to 29% for B, 8 to 14% for C, and anything lower for D.

Keep in mind this is a snapshot of top-level competitive play. The tournament began two days after patch 13.06, released by Riot Games on 22 September, which mainly added the Warden rifle and new Ranked rules. We covered everything patch 13.06 brought when it landed.

Valorant’s S tier: Omen, Fade and Neon

Omen is miles ahead. Picked in 97 of 122 compositions, or 80%, the smoke-and-teleport controller is close to an automatic choice. His versatility explains it: he cuts sightlines, sets up entries and repositions the team, all from one kit.

Fade comes second at 53%. The initiator reveals hidden enemies and sets up site takes, which makes her the go-to source of information for teams at Champions. Neon follows on 48%, making her the most picked duelist of the event, as her speed lets a team burst onto a site before the defence has settled.

• S tier: Omen (80%), Fade (53%), Neon (48%)
• A tier: Chamber (43%), Yoru (37%), Cypher (31%), Sova (31%), Viper (30%)
• B tier: Raze (22%), Sage (20%), Phoenix (19%), Waylay (17%)
• C tier: Skye (14%), Harbor (13%), Jett (11%), Astra (11%), Vyse (8%)
• D tier: Tejo (3%), KAY/O, Brimstone, Veto, Breach, Deadlock and Killjoy (2% each)

A and B tiers, strong on the right maps

Just behind, Chamber (43%) and Yoru (37%) make an interesting pair. Chamber is a sentinel built around long-range gunplay, while Yoru is a duelist who wrong-foots opponents with decoys and teleports. Cypher and Sova, on 31% each, and Viper, on 30%, complete A tier. These agents are heavily played on certain maps and much less on others, which keeps their overall rates lower.

In B tier, Raze (22%), Sage (20%), Phoenix (19%) and Waylay (17%) remain regular picks. Raze holds her spot thanks to explosives that clear out corners, while Sage brings healing and a resurrection no other agent offers.

The missing agents, and what it means for your Valorant

The most striking part is who has been left out. Clove, Reyna, Iso, Gekko and Miks don’t appear in any of the 122 logged compositions. Killjoy drops to 2%, alongside Brimstone and Breach, and Jett doesn’t get past 11%.

For your own games, treat this ranking as a trend rather than a rulebook. A pro team talks constantly and prepares every map, whereas you’ll often be playing with strangers. An agent missing from Champions can still pull their weight in Ranked, where coordination matters less. That said, if you’re looking for a controller to learn, Omen is the one the top teams are trusting most right now.

These numbers will shift before the final on 18 October, and again with Riot’s next patches. As for Ranked, the publisher is also tightening its grip on cheating, as shown by its mass bans on accounts that skewed the ladder. We’ll revisit this Valorant tier list once the tournament is over.