Phoenix, Brimstone, and Chamber: Top Performers in VALORANT Ranked, but Overlooked in Pro Play
According to the latest data from Blitz, Phoenix, Brimstone, and Chamber have been dominating the Radiant rank in VALORANT’s Episode Six Act One. However, these agents are not seeing the same success in professional play. VLR.gg’s statistics reveal that they are not among the top picks in the three VCT leagues.
Phoenix boasts an impressive 54.8 percent win rate in the Radiant rank, followed closely by Brimstone (54 percent) and Chamber (53.2 percent). Surprisingly, Phoenix has only been selected twice in the VCT Americas league, specifically by Cloud9 on Pearl. Paper Rex also picked Phoenix twice in the VCT Pacific league, again on Pearl, while Team Heretics chose Phoenix twice in the VCT EMEA league, this time on Ascent.
Brimstone, on the other hand, is considered a niche pick by the pros, particularly on the Fracture map. At VCT Americas, Sentinels, 100 Thieves, KRÜ Esports, C9, and Evil Geniuses have all played with Brimstone. VCT EMEA saw Vitality, KOI, and BBL Esports utilize Brimstone, while Asian teams like Team Secret, T1, Paper Rex, DetonatioN FocusMe, Talon Esports, and Rex Regum Qeon picked Brimstone on the Fracture map during VCT Pacific.
Chamber, the sentinel who had a major impact on the meta in 2022, has only been played in one league so far. FURIA is the only team in VCT Americas to have included Chamber in their lineup, specifically on Split in matches against LOUD and KRÜ. Chamber has yet to be picked in both VCT EMEA and VCT Pacific.
Why the Disparity in Pro Play?
The reason behind the success of Phoenix, Brimstone, and Chamber in casual Ranked play compared to their underutilization in pro play is that professional players see more value in other agents. Controllers like Omen and Viper, sentinels like Killjoy, and duelists like Jett are prioritized by the pros.
For instance, Killjoy boasts the highest pick rate in VCT Americas (78 percent), the second-highest in VCT Pacific (71 percent), and the second-highest in VCT EMEA (55 percent). This is due to the utility she brings to the team.
Addressing the Challenge for VALORANT Developers
VALORANT developers face a dilemma when it comes to balancing Phoenix, Brimstone, and Chamber. Buffing these agents could catapult them to popularity among professionals, potentially leading to an overpowered meta similar to Chamber’s dominance in 2022. However, considering that these agents are performing well in ranked matches, the developers might choose to leave them untouched.
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VALORANT agents, VALORANT professional play, VCT leagues, ranked tier list, pros’ agent preferences, VALORANT developers, buffing agents, overpowered meta