The 5 Best VALORANT Agents On Abyss
VALORANT's new map Abyss has the community excited after Riot Games revealed its no-boundaries precarious design. The map will have an Unrated queue for a week so players can become accustomed to it before transitioning into the Competitive rotation in the next patch. With plenty of long corridors and dangerous jumps, Abyss is a playground for Controllers and Duelists with movement skills, but the specific agents that excel on this map might surprise you. Let's walk through the top five VALORANT agents to play on Abyss, and what makes them perfect for the map!
1. Omen
Abyss' design plays to all of Omen's strengths. The map is large, which enables his powerful lurk playstyle. In addition, its sites necessitate flexible, precise smokes — this means Omen has an advantage over other Controllers who can't place exact one-ways or smoke quickly. Omen's Shadowed Step teleport will help him access angles inaccessible to other Agents and safely traverse the precarious map in unexpected ways. His ultimate can also help him rotate quickly or shift into the enemy's backline.
One final draw in Omen's kit is his Paranoia blind. Players will note that Abyss is full of extremely narrow corridors. These corridors also tend to be long and linear. This means they are perfect for Omen's Paranoia to strike. Especially in the mid-map area, it will be nearly impossible for Omen's enemies to dodge the ability, and they may even lose their footing and fall off the map while blinded (hey, an Omen main can dream!).
2. Viper
Viper's wall will dominate on Abyss' Defender Side, where it can cut off all of mid and either site's entrance from the beginning of the round. If she rotates fast enough, she may even be able to place her Poison Cloud orb at the other site's choke point to create an impenetrable wall of smoke. This wall is equally useful on the attack to deny defender info on Abyss' sites and cut off rotates. Viper's lack of range restriction means she can activate her smokes from anywhere — as Abyss is one of VALORANT's largest maps yet, this is a crucial aspect that makes her a useful lurker.
While Viper's toxin mollies aren't useful on Abyss' long-range lines of sight, they serve a unique purpose. Her Snake Bite molly can help clear rat corners and Abyss' endless parkour off-angles. They are also strong for post-plant scenarios, which will be meta since teams must maintain so much map control on Abyss to succeed. Viper is self-sufficient and confident on this map, and mains will easily devise strategic lineups to complement her play.
3. Breach
Breach's kit offers plenty of advantages to a team looking to dominate on Abyss. Breach's Flashpoint is harder to dodge than other flashes and enemies cannot destroy it, so it is perfect for brutal site entries and contesting Abyss' long-range angles, especially mid-map. If players combine it with Breach's Concuss, retakes and entries will overpower opponents easily (a great advantage on a retake-heavy and postplant-heavy map).
The key draw in Breach's utility is his unique Rolling Thunder ult — it gives him an edge above other Initiators as he can easily knock enemies holding corners off the map. His Aftershock will also seriously damage enemies clinging to the map's edge or sitting in rat angles.
4. Harbor
Harbor has struggled to find footing in the VALORANT meta, but Abyss is one map where he will shine. His flexible High Tide wall will be perfect for entries onto sites and can achieve unique shapes that can cut the team off completely from dangerous off-angles. His Cascade is also vital for taking valuable mid-map space and playing aggressively. Abyss' sites are incredibly open — this is great news for Harbor mains as your teammates will thank you for protecting them with Cove while they plant. Finally, Harbor's Reckoning ult will be strong to slow site entries (buying time for teammates to rotate) or heavily retake on the Defender side, and Harbor can combine it with Cascade and High Tide on attack for a deadly push. A double Controller comp combining Harbor's aggression with precise defensive smokes will rise in Abyss' meta.
5. Raze
Raze has recently faced Riot Games' wrath in a nerf reducing her Blast Pack satchel speed and effectiveness and expanding ability audio cue distance. However, she is still one of the best space-taking duelists and has abilities perfectly suited to Abyss' design. Raze's Blast Pack lets her parkour across Abyss easily, but it has another unexpected draw — when placed and activated carefully, it can send enemies flying off the map! Raze's Paint Shells grenade is also difficult to avoid in Abyss' extremely narrow corridors. Enemies will face the same issue when attempting to dodge her Showstopper ultimate and even her friendly Boom Bot.
If one thing's for certain, Abyss will be a Controller-heavy map. It completely differs from Riot Games' previous designs and fosters unique compositions. It won't be uncommon to see no-Duelist teams on this map or even triple-Controller setups. Abyss can be a creative playground or a thrower's paradise — like with all VALORANT maps, the experience is what you make of it. Enjoy experimenting with unique Abyss compositions, and stay tuned for future VALORANT updates!
GABBY DESENA