Duelists are your bog standard damage dealing agents in Valorant and are the best agents to play if you want to top the leaderboards! Jett and Raze ultimates can be game changing abilities if used right and there is no better feeling than getting an ace and looking like an absolute boss!
Yoru
Yoru is at the bottom of the duelist tier list and although his ultimate Dimensional Rift (X) is one of the craziest on the list, the rest of his kit is somewhat underwhelming.
Yoru’s Blindside (Q) and Fakeout (C), are basic utility abilities, being a 1.5 second blind and an audio mimic of footsteps respectively. These somewhat struggle to be utilised at lower ranks, especially Fakeout (C), which is left relatively untouched by less experienced Yoru players.
His Gatecrash (E) is more utilisable, as it is a safe way to cross entryways and danger zones. He sends out a rift tether, which slides across the floor to a targeted point. The problem lies with the fact that the enemy can see the tether moving and it takes over a second to cast the teleport.
Yoru’s ultimate Dimensional Rift (X) allows him to essentially go invisible and infiltrate the enemy backline without them knowing. He cannot fire instantly after coming out of Yoru’s dimension, as well as an audio cue playing. This is the struggle for Yoru with his ultimate, as experienced players will use this ability perfectly, whereas newer Yoru players will ultimate into a full enemy team.
Yoru is at the bottom of this list due to his weaker kit than other agents, but without the tradeoff of a shallow skill curve. Playing Yoru is more often than not a chore and might not be worth putting the hours into such an average agent.
Phoenix
Phoenix is the U.K/s shining light in Valorant, who can help out in any role. His versatile kit allows him to be effective in any team composition. He is a very good pick for any player trying to get into duelists as he is relatively safe with his ultimate Run It Back (X) as he can’t be killed for the duration.
Curveball (Q) is Phoenix’s blind ability, in which he can curve to the left or right. This is best used to blind peeking enemies from the safety of around a corner- something other duelists don’t have. Blaze (C), is best thought of as a smaller version of Viper’s Toxic Screen (E) as well as it healing Phoenix when he passes through.
His Hot Hands (E), is similar to Sage’s Slow Orb (Q), as it creates an area of effect fire circle for four seconds. The difference being that instead of slowing, it damages enemies. The ability also heals Phoenix, so this can be used offensively or defensively.
Phoenix is a very good pick for newer players because his kit is designed to minimise punishment for poor plays. He comes at a lower ranking on this list however, due to his all round effectiveness being the reason he struggles to excel as a true duelist.
Neon
Just missing out on a podium place finish in this tier list is Valorant’s newest agent, Neon. She comes this low partially due to the fact that she is new and people haven’t adjusted to her high risk playstyle and can be useless in the wrong hands.
She is very good offensively when played well, especially with her Relay Bolt (Q) and High Gear (E). The former is an incredibly fast bouncing energy bolt which can concuss multiple enemies in multiple positions. The ability takes a bit of getting used to with the bounces but with practice, can provide some montage moments!
The latter increases her speed drastically and allows her to slide forward whilst moving. This is best used as follow up to crowd control and utility, from Neon herself or her teammates. The problem being that although this ability is really good to force a push and distract enemies, she can only slide forwards and it cannot be cast when stationary.
Fast Lane (C), places two damaging walls either side of Neon. This ability is very high risk as you have to be able to see the target point to use the ability. This means you have to peek corners before using the ability- which exposes you.
Neon’s ultimate ability Overdrive (X) increases her speed and she fires electric beams out of her fingers. The ultimate’s duration is reset every time Neon gets a kill. The damage and time to kill on this ability is very lacklustre and has nothing on something like a Jett ultimate, Blade Storm (X).
Overall, although Neon is a very fun agent to play and could potentially be one of the most effective duelists, her lack of utility for defensive rounds and high risk ability kit means she is a struggle to pick up for a lot of players. You would be better off picking up Jett, Raze or Phoenix if you want to run in and 1v5.
Reyna
Coming in third place is Reyna, the self-sustaining soul consumer. Reyna’s ability to rapidly heal herself with Devour (Q) is one of the strongest sustain tools in the game. She thrives on fighting when she wants to. With her Dismiss (E) making her intangible for two seconds, players using Reyna can take a breather mid-fight and figure out their next move.
Reyna, similarly to other duelists, has a blinding ability in the form of her Leer (C). The issue with this is that it can be destroyed, a problem other duelists don’t face.
Reyna’s ultimate Empress (X) is where she really shines as it enhances her other abilities too. She is sent into a 30 second frenzy, in which she buffs herself with increased fire, equip and reload speeds. She also turns enemies in her line of sight red, to make her more of a killing machine.
Her Devour (Q) is automatically cast when her Empress (X) is active, meaning she will automatically heal after killing an enemy. If Empress (X) is active when she uses Dismiss (E), she will become invisible as well as intangible. This is a vital tool which experienced Reyna players will use to reposition and surprise their enemies mid-fight.
Reyna is an agent with an incredibly steep learning curve and is harsh on newer players due to the fact she has no damaging abilities- something rare in duelists. Once the fundamentals are locked down however, players can focus on the macro, such as repositioning with her empowered Dismiss (E) and when to heal mid-fight with her Devour (Q).
Reyna can always play aggressive with her sustain, but do not get drawn into thinking you are immortal and dying without getting a soul orb to heal off first.
Raze
The runner up for best duelist goes to Raze. Raze is the perfect pick if you need bucket loads of raw damage. She is a very good duelist agent for beginner and newer players, due to her abilities meaning Raze players don’t need to have excellent aim. She excels at getting around the map with her Blast Pack (Q), boosting her to unorthodox angles.
The Blast Pack (Q) is a displacement and damage ability, which sticks to surfaces. It is primarily used by good Raze players to boost themselves around the map faster to surprise enemies. This is best used in conjunction with her ultimate Showstopper (X); a rocket launcher that does massive area of effect damage whilst blasting Raze backwards.
Her Boom Bot (C) is a small robot she deploys in a straight line that bounces off any surface it hits. It can also lock onto enemies and is ideal for pushing angles and entryways. Enemies either have to shoot it or run away to avoid the damage.
Paint Shells (E) is an area of effect grenade which then explodes into four smaller grenades after the initial explosion. This is very good for clearing out angles.
Raze is superb at clearing out angles and doing damage to clusters of enemies due to her area of effect based kit. She is incredibly effective as a duelist when lineups for her Boom Bot (C) and Paint Shells (E) are mastered, as well as learning how to double satchel jump smoothly.
Jett
Topping the tier list is none other than Jett herself. Her mobility is simply unmatched. Something that other duelists have but at the price of a solid damage output. Jett has a crazy amount of both. Jett is one of few agents who have multiple movement abilities, being her Updraft (Q) and Tailwind (E).
These propel her straight upwards and straight forwards respectively and can be used by good Jett players to get to unique angles and help Jett evade enemy fire. Used in combination with her ultimate Blade Storm (X), she can rapidly burst enemies from angles they would never expect- leaving them helpless and unable to do anything.
Blade Storm (X) gives her a collection of throwing knives, which she can throw individually at enemies or throw all five at once in burst fire. Elite Jett players will be able to differentiate between when to use the single fire and burst fire, as burst fire doesn’t recharge on kills and is less accurate.
Her Cloudburst (C), is a smoke in contrast to a blind, like many other duelist agents have in their locker. She can curve the ability to get her smokes into tight corners and exactly where she wants them.
Jett tops this list due to the incredible versatility in her kit, as she can pop out from unexpected angles, one shot someone, then disappear before anyone even knows where she came from. Good Jett players take gameplay to the next level, more often than not topping the scoreboards and snowballing immensely. Jett thrives on good mechanics and gameplay, which is why the more time you put into her, the more deadly you will be.
