- A clear meta emerges from the competitive season so far
- This could be very useful data for fans and more casual players
- The top agent dominates pick rates in all the leagues
The 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour season has shown which agents pro players think would give them the best chance of winning.
A Clear Pattern Emerges
Professional esports players have always been looked upon when people want to see the current meta of a game. The most often picked strategies by the pros are often those that work the best, and more casual players tend to emulate what they see on the big stage. VALORANT is no exception to that and the Champions Tour 2023 has been an excellent source for players who want to change up their playstyle.
This is double the case because the VALORANT Champions Tour season is the start of a new era. Many teams from around the globe are competing in three leagues which will culminate in an international tournament at Masters Tokyo, while the most important event of the competitive season, the Champions 2023, will be held in Los Angeles.
Fans will be delighted to see the results of the most picked agents have stayed consistent across all three leagues – the VCT Americas, VCT EMEA, and VCT Pacific. This means that professional players seem to agree on a few meta characters that would give them the best chance for a win. Here are the five most picked VALORANT agents from last to first, according to RIB.gg:
- Omen – most picked in EMEA, fourth most picked in Pacific, fifth most picked agent in the Americas. With a total of 375 picks, he was the primary controller in both EMEA and Pacific and persisted in almost every composition in EMEA. His high pick rate is likely due to his smokes and ability to reach certain angles and mess with his opponents via Shrouded Step.
- Sky – the third most picked agent in the Americas and Pacific and seventh in EMEA. She is very popular among initiator players in both top regions, which is understandable considering the aggressive playstyle that pros from the Americas and Pacific exhibit. Skye was picked a total of 377 times during the VCT 2023 season.
- Viper – fourth most picked agent in Americas and EMEA and sixth in Pacific. Viper’s lineups for her Toxic Screen and Snakebite are vital to any site execute or post-plant scenario. Her Poison Cloud is very useful for deterring lurkers and guarding sites and her Viper’s Pit ultimate is still a round-ending ability, despite the regen nerfs. She was picked a total of 382 times.
- Jett – most picked in Pacific, second most picked in Americas, and third most in EMEA. With a whopping 529 picks, Jett has a significant lead over the rest of the top-five agents so far. This shouldn’t be too surprising as her ability to create space on offense, get kills without getting traded, and provide economic support to a team, are highly valued in the pro community.
- Killjoy – most picked in the Americas and Second most picked agent in Pacific and EMEA. With just a few more picks at 544, Killjoy stands as the most preferred agent in this VTC. By being able to provide information, site anchoring, site retaking, lurk watching, and much more, Killjoy has cemented her spot at the top of the meta.
Of course, these rankings could change if VALORANT receives a massive rebalancing, but it does not seem the case that Riot Games are planning such a thing anytime soon.
