Valorant Initiators – Best to Worst

Here are the Valorant Initiators ranked from best to worst based on their pick rates on professional matches

Valorant has four roles for its Agents – Duelists, Controller, Sentinel and Initiator. Agents of each role have their own unique set of abilities and their duties. An Initiator’s responsibility is to help their teammates challenge a corner or an area using their utilities. 

For example, Sova’s Recon Bolt (E) reveals the location of the enemies, giving you and your team information on the opponent’s position. This makes taking an area much easier, and that’s why Initiators are crucial on every single map. 

Sova, Breach, Skye, KAY/O, Fade and Gekko – these are the current Initiators in Valorant, and by looking at the recent tournaments and the pick rates of the Agents, we can easily deduct which one of them is the best. Here are the Valorant Initiators ranked from best to worst.

Skye – Best Valorant Initiator

Skye is currently dominating the meta right now. She was picked 94 times in Champions 2023, while Sova, the second-most used Initiator, was used 43 times. Skye is also the most used Initiator in regular Valorant games, with a 23% pick rate. 

While Agents like Sova and Fade have recons as their signature abilities, Skye’s E consists of two powerful flashes, which not only blind enemies but also gives information if an enemy has been blinded by them. As a result, Skye’s Guiding Light (E) – alongside being used for flashing enemies – is also a replacement for other recon abilities, making her kit more powerful than other Agents of her role. 

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When it comes to flashes, Skye’s Blinding Light (E) can be controlled, allowing you to flash wherever you want. In contrast, Breach’s Flashpoint (Q) takes longer to blind, and KAY/O’s FLASH/drive (Q) requires precise line-ups for pop-flashing. This unique ability makes Skye better than other flash Initiators in most maps.

This Agent’s Regrowth (C) is a superior healing ability compared to Sage’s Healing Orb (E) since it can heal multiple teammates at once. Lastly, Skye’s ultimate – Seekers (X) – is excellent for finding the enemy players. Overall, this Initiator’s kit provides a lot of information and allows your team to effectively take map control. 

Sova

During the first year of VCT (Valorant Champions Tour) tournaments, Sova was the most used Initiator and had reigned supreme in pro matches. As more time went by, not only did Sova get nerfed, but other Initiators found their place in the meta. However, the Russian Hunter remains one of the most powerful recon Agents in the game.

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Sova is the best recon Initiator in Valorant, as two out of four of his abilities are dedicated to seeking out enemies. While pro teams use Skye on most maps, Sova proves to be an excellent option on maps like Ascent and even Fracture, where Evil Geniuses paved the way for utilizing the recon Agent effectively. 

Breach

Breach’s utilities perfectly complement the way this game is played, as his tactical loadout allows you to flash opponents, clear corners, and challenge areas with an advantage. This Swedish Initiator, while not being the most-picked in his category, has proved himself useful in many unique compositions. For example, DRX’s Haven composition with Breach paved the way for bringing the Initiator into the meta on certain maps.

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The Fault Line (E) of Breach helps take early control of areas – A main or A long on Haven, for example – and his flashes, although not the strongest, can help contest the enemies. Moreover, this Agent is excellent on Fracture due to the map’s unique design, where his stuns work pretty well compared to other maps. Therefore, if you are trying to pick up Breach, using him on Haven, Fracture and Sunset can provide better results.

KAY/O

While KAY/O is not currently the most powerful Initiator in Valorant, he is a staple pick in certain maps during pro matches. Maps like Ascent, Fracture and Pearl complement KAY/O a lot since you can effectively use pop-flash lineups. On top of that, this Agent is a better replacement compared to Duelist Phoenix as he has a much better molly and ultimate. 

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While KAY/O is not a recon Agent like Sova, his signature ability, ZERO/point (E), helps get information on where the enemies are while also suppressing them, which prevents using any ability. His ultimate also suppresses opponent players, making it a great counter to Chamber, Jett and Raze’s ultimate abilities. One of the primary drawbacks of KAY/O is the skill ceiling on his flashes, as you need to learn good lineups if you are trying to pop flash enemies.

Fade

In 2022, Fade dominated the pro scene as the most-picked Initiator. Since then, this Turkish Agent of Nightmare has received several nerfs and has now become the second-worst character in the game. Fade was used only 22 times during Champions 2023 – a big shift from the previous year. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, Skye dominating the meta is overshadowing other Initiators. Then, the nerfs have made Fade much less powerful than Sova on maps like Ascent.

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Just like other Initiators, Fade’s utility is excellent to counter Operators in Valorant. Not only can you reveal the OPer with her signature ability, but you can challenge an angle with her Prowlers (C). However, her ultimate ability is not as strong as other Initiators. 

Gekko

After Gekko’s arrival, a few pro teams tried him out in several VCT matches. As time passed, rosters started to stop having this Initiator in their composition and went back to their staple Skye and Sova picks. In Champions 2023, Gekko was picked only five times, and when compared to Skye’s 93 picks, it’s clear that this Initiator is heavily underpowered.

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Gekko has some unique abilities that showed potential at first, especially his Wingman (Q) that can plant or defuse the bomb with a right click. However, his Dizzy (E) flash isn’t as powerful as the other Initiators since it can be easily destroyed. Overall, if you are trying to master Initiators, Gekko should be the last pick.

Check out our ranking of Valorant Duelists next.