Best Agents to Play on VALORANT's Newest Map Abyss

Abyss is the eleventh map to be added to the VALORANT map pool. The map brings a fresh new look to VALORANT, with its long mid, open sites and ability for creative utilization of movement and abilities.

VALORANT currently has 23 agents and some of them play much better on the map than others. We have compiled a subjective list of how well these agents will fare on Abyss. Ranked from the most bang for the buck to the agents that probably won’t get as much value off the bat.

Agents to play on Abyss:

S-tier

Jett

Jett has become the face of VALORANT and she is not going anywhere. With Abyss’s verticality and long pathways, Jett might just be the duelist of choice.

Being synonymous with the entry role, Jett’s ability to dive with a Cloudburst particularly shines when isolating angles on both the sides of the map.

Multifaceted in her utility and potential, Jett is most certainly an S-class agent on Abyss.

Omen

Similar to Jett, the highly mobile and staple controller of VALORANT will shine on Abyss. A rechargeable Dark Cover, the wide-reaching Paranoia and the ever-tricky and useful Shrouded Step makes Omen a complete package on the map.

His kit allows for creative plays, catching people off guard and securing important parts of the map effectively with swift one-ways.

Moreover, the agent's ability to effectively switch between offense and defense, makes Omen an S-tier agent for Abyss.

KAY/O

KAY/O is already a great agent on multiple maps. Despite being overshadowed by Skye the whole of last year, KAY/O is now once again finding his way back into the meta. With a flash that can be lined up or insta-popped, he is easily an amazing addition to Abyss.

Whilst Skye and KAY/O both are equally effective, the ZERO/POINT and FRAG/MENT yield far greater value on a map like Abyss, where the open highways make it difficult for abilities such as Trailblazer or Wingman etc to get ample and consistent value.

Additionally, KAY/O’s NULL/CMD always yields amazing value for taking/retaking sites.

The overall kit utilization and options makes KAY/O a clear S-tier choice for Abyss.

Deadlock

Coming in as a niche pick on the map, Deadlock will be a great Sentinel to play on the new map.

With her ability to block off points on the map, she can funnel opponents to undesired spaces, creating unfair duels and retaining control of the map sites.

During post-plants, her abilities help with cutting off angles to watch, especially with the sites being as open as they are. With her prowess for control map and funnelling opponents, Deadlock will be an S-class agent on Abyss.

Sage

Similar to Deadlock, Sage’s abilities shine bright with her ability to isolate and close off angles. Her use-case for Abyss relies on the creative use of her abilities, helping you secure easy early picks.

All her abilities retain their value on a larger map. Moreover, her Slow Orb will greatly oppose the entry, making her a S-tier site anchor for Abyss.

A-tier

Raze

Similar to Jett and Omen, the vertical mobility of Raze will shine on Abyss, but the Boom Bot and Paint Shells are less likely to get enough value due to the wide pathways of the map.

Harbor

Harbor’s abilities, especially Cascade, will garner amazing value on the long and wide pathways of the map. But as a solo controller, harbor will struggle to control both sites especially on Defense.

Viper

Similar to Harbor, Viper’s Toxic Screen can help isolate angles. Unfortunately it won’t be enough to control both sides on defense, making her only solid as a secondary controller.

Skye

Skye flashes are S-tier on Abyss, but Trailblazer's inability to get maximum value pushes Skye down to A-tier.

Fade

Fade similarly would not get maximum value from the Haunt because of the large area and defenders having ample space/angles to avoid it.

Cypher

Cypher's trips are a huge asset to anchor sites and counter flanks on the map. Unfortunately, his trips are also very predictable and easy to counter.

Astra

Astra, similar to Omen, will have amazing value as a controller. Unfortunately the agent’s high skill ceiling and overreliance on teamwork makes her an inferior ranked choice over Omen.

Chamber

Chambers' only value on the map comes from the agent’s prowess as an Operator-wielder, especially on mid. With the long hallways, the value of his kit is much higher on Abyss than other maps.

B-tier

Neon

The lack of verticality on Neon is why the agent is sub-par on Abyss. Despite the recent buffs, the player most likely will not yield special value just because Neon is played.

Yoru

Similar to Neon, while Yoru is a great agent right now, the flashes won’t be as efficient and the teleports as effective, making him a niche choice as best.

Breach

Breach shines on maps where the site anchors play close to entry, but Abyss' design doesn’t help, especially with the two sites having extended entries, Breach will be less effective at setting up picks. However, he does have the bonus delight of being able to fling enemies off the map.

Sova

Similar to Fade, Sova’s signature Recon Bolt does not find great value on attack, the Owl Drone can be easily countered and the Shock Darts can be dodged, making him a poor choice.

Brimstone

The only downfall for Brimstone is the lack of rechargeable smokes. The agent will definitely be a good choice on double-controller set-ups, but doesn’t really stand on his own in terms of personal value on Abyss.

Gekko

Gekko's struggles are similar to Skye’s Trailblazer; where the long and wide pathways make it easy to counter the abilities. Both Wingman and Dizzy struggle to find incredible value on entries with odd pathways, but make no mistake, Abyss is a postplant map, and Gekko will always shine to a degree on those types of maps.

Iso

Despite the recent buffs, Iso won’t see a lot of value on a map like Abyss that has a lot of angles despite the use of smokes. The longer travel time to sites also increases the risk of him losing his Double Tap prior to taking straight duels.

C-tier

Clove

The size of Abyss makes it so that Clove can only play on one site. Thus, her efficiency as a solo controller falls off immensely in the support capacity. Additionally, her kit already provides far less compared to other agents in the controller pool.

Reyna

Reyna runs into the same problem as Iso, where the agent can be easily countered through skill difference. No obvious benefit is delivered from picking Reyna.

Killjoy

Likely the biggest surprise, Killjoy’s best ability, her ultimate Lockdown, does not provide any value on Abyss, making her the worst choice for Sentinel on this map from that perspective. Her typical strength of locking down a site is also fairly neutralized given the map's many entryways into the sites.

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With this, we conclude our list for agents to play on Abyss, it is a subjective list and made with agent ability utilization in mind. A list of agents that get the best value for their abilities.

Do you agree with our list? Did we cook? Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credits: VALORANT / Riot Games