Valorant Patch 8.0 Best Controllers Tier List

Harbor is a very unique Controller that provides very different utility from the rest of the cast. Sadly, this utility does not function well without... other Controllers. There was a brief time where the strongest combination of characters was Harbor together with Viper, but those days are long gone, and they weren't really the best in ranked either way. The bare minimum you need from a Controller in your matches is the ability to close off different angles and to make it easier to move from one space to another, and Harbor just doesn't cut it when compared to the rest of the roster.

He is a really strong option when he is coupled together with another Controller, but that is too much of an ask in your regular ranked environment. He just fills a niche that is not currently required in the game.

Since her release, Astra has always been a difficult character to place in a tier list. You can't truly appreciate her kit in regular ranked matches, as opposed to the amount of value she can bring to a coordinated team. We are going to be ranking her lower on this tier list as its main goal is to help you find the best option for ranked games, but if you are playing with a couple of friends, she could be bumped up a few spots. The new map changes, as well as the addition of the Outlaw Sniper, don't really affect her too much, so she is going to be as good as she was in the previous season.

She just requires way too much communication and coordination to find her base value, where agents like Brimstone and Omen can be a lot more effective without requiring as much teamplay.

Brimstone is the jack of all trades agent in the Controller role. You can truly pick Brimstone on any map in the game, and you are not going to feel like you are on the back foot. That being said, it's always better when the character you pick is a true specialist in the role you want it to fulfill, so it's no wonder we are placing Brimstone right in the middle of this list. He is not a clear winner on any map, and his comrades Viper and Omen can create a lot more value for their team in specific times, but he is competitive enough with them to be in the same conversation.

Icebox being added in the place of Haven will definitely hit his pickrate a bit, as the map is a lot more open and harder to find value with his smokes, but if you are looking for a stable Controller option for any situation, Brimstone is your guy.

Viper is probably the most map-dependent Controller in the game, but on the right maps, she is by far the most effective agent. Maps like Breeze, Lotus, and Bind can be entirely dominated by a good Viper player, making any movement throughout the game very difficult. The removal of Haven and the addition of Icebox into the new map pool are also going to heavily boost her viability. Controller players, in general, have to be a bit more flexible, being able to play a few different agents for each map or composition, and Viper is one of the biggest reasons for that.

If you truly want to increase your winrate and fly through the ranks while playing as a Controller, learning Viper is an absolute must, as she is one of the most important characters in Valorant on about half of the maps in this season's pool.

At the top of our list is probably the strongest and most versatile Controller in the game - Omen. While he is not as strong as Viper on some of the more open maps, the number of different options he has available to him at any point during the game is much higher. He can be played as your regular smoker, or he can completely take over the game with aggressive plays and different mind-games. He is strong on both defense and offense, and he does not require a ton of maintenance to be effective. The new map changes also favor him, with Icebox being added; he will be able to create a ton of offensive opportunities for himself as well as his team.

If you are looking for a character that ticks all the boxes of what a Controller should do in a game, with the added benefit of a huge skill ceiling that allows for creative plays, then Omen is the pick for you.