Best Initiator Agents in VALORANT 2024

Initiators are Duelists in disguise, built to serve a more serious purpose in VALORANT. If you prefer occasional chaos and like to play a little bit on the backfoot, then Initiator agents should be your primary pick.

Unlike the Duelists, there are six Initiators in VALORANT. Almost every team has one or two dedicated Initiators in their compositions. Whether it’s North America or APAC, the undeniable importance of initiator agents is the same in every region. However, learning to play all six Initiator agents isn’t a viable idea. Instead, we have to settle with one or two agents.

Riot’s intention with VALORANT is sometimes difficult to predict. However, the game is now a far cry from what it used to be in 2020. VALORANT is beginning to take a new shape, thanks to the continuous updates coming from the developers. Similarly, Initiator agents now have more roles to play than before, and many teams now consider the Initiators as backup Duelists.

Read More: Best Sentinel Agents in VALORANT

Best Initiator Agents Ranked

Initiators will help your team to set up plays.Here, we will rank the best initiator agents in VALORANT. Note that, this ranking is completely subjective. Every initiator agent possesses a different set of abilities, therefore, there function is unique as well. So, it is hard to compare them. However, we will rank the initiators based on their pick rate and impact on the current meta.

6.KAY/O

First introduced in Patch 3.0, KAY/O’s journey hasn’t been smooth across the year. Players had mixed feelings about KAY/O’s debut since his abilities presented an entirely new way of playing the game. Initially, multiple teams tried out KAY/O as it was the new meta back then. At best, the results were underwhelming, and teams were more hesitant to have KAY/O in their lineups.

Even on the casual side of the game, players dropped their interest in KAY/O due to his abilities not being ideal for solo games. Due to these reasons, the KAY/O remains last on our list.

5.Fade

Fade is a versatile agent. She can find out enemy like Sova, can also seek and blind enemy just like Skye. Fade’s signature ability, Haunt, is the only one that shows enemy positions, after Sova’s Recon Dirt. Her power covers a small area but can be used as Skye’s Trailblazer to seek out the enemy. Although Fade’s ultimate Nightmare might not be as effective as other initiators, it covers a large space, just like Breach’s Rolling Thunder. In some situations, it can also be useful.

Fade can do many things, but master of none. There are agents that can do what Fade does, being more efficient. That doesn’s mean Fade is incapable by any means. She is still fun to play and on the right hand, can do wonder.

4.Breach

Breach allows Initiator players to be aggressive and fast. His Flashpoint ability is still one of the best entry-pathing tools to allow the team to gain access anywhere. Even though it has seen changes a few time, Flashpoint still offers some unique attributes that are not comparable to other flashes available in VALORANT.

Additionally, Breach’s Aftershock is lethal and effective. Even his Ultimate Rolling Thunder is a devastating ultimate on some maps and proved extremely advantageous in retakes. However, his superiority depends on map; Breach is not suitable for open maps like Breeze. Also Breach’s utility is more effective to set plays rather than using for own. However, with duelists like Raze and ISO rising on the pick rate with their destructive abilities, Breach is also seeing the same being a perfect support.

3.Skye

Skye had her ups and downs throughout multiple patches. Her serving as a second duelist days are long gone. Even after all those nerf Skye stood strong as an effective initiator agent. After all, she is the only one of her kind who can heal and flash at the same time. However, Riot didn’t stop coming with nerfs for this Australian radiant. With recent patch 8.01, Skye got nerfed for both Guiding Light and Seekers. Even though the nerfs are comparatively minor, still plays a role to change how she was played before. Therefore, her pick rate is decreasing now a days.

Skye requires a specific playstyle. Her ability to heal as the only initiator agent always gives her an upper hand. Mastering her ability and learning how to properly play her can be very intimidating and efficient in team compositions.

2.Gekko

Gekko is the last addition to VALORANT’s initiator list. The Agent from the United States was added to the game in the 6.04 patch. What makes Gekko most important is his Wingman and Dizzy. Gekko’s Dizzy unleashes plasma blasts at enemies in line of sight. Enemies hit by her plasma are blinded. On the other hand, Gekko’s Wingman can plant or defuse Spike on its own with a simple command. So, Gekko or his team don’t have to put their lives on the line.

Gekko is different from other agents. He is so colorful and all of his buddies are useful as utilities. He also adds value in different team compositions. Right now, Gekko is probably one of the most fun agents to learn. With the recent buffs, Gekko is now also more effective than before.

1.Sova

Sova is the only initiator agent players get their hands on. However, that doesn’t mean he is less competent by any means. rather the opposite. Sova’s primary ability is the Recon Bolt, which can reveal almost anything within its visible range. Combined with the Shock Bolt, Sova can easily neutralize pre-positioned enemies from common locations. His Owl Drone is also a way of gathering information from long distances.

With some updated patches, Sova has been nerfed quite a bit. His Owl Drone and Recon Dirt both only scan for two ticks. Additionally, his Shock Dirt now does less damage. Despite all these, Sova still holds his throne in the initiator role. If you care to learn some lineups and basic mechanics, Sova is an incredible agent who will surely help you win matches.

There you go! That is our initiator rank list for VALORANT.

VALORANT’s gameplay is bound to shift with the release of each update. So, keeping up with emerging meta’s is a crucial & time-consuming task. No matter what Initiator agent you choose, adaptability is the most important skill you’ll need in VALORANT.

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