Rainbow Six Siege Operation Deadly Omen: Rainbow Six Siege Defender Operator tier list (Y9S1)

The Operator tier list for Rainbow Six Siege defenders has seen a new shift, as Year 9 Season 1 has brought a profound change in the meta with a plethora of weapon and attachment changes in the game. Each defender in Siege holds unique abilities and gadgets that aid the team in stalling time and stopping executions from the attackers. However, some of these gadgets are more useful than the others.

With Operation Deadly Omen here, the new Operator tier list for defenders will evaluate each operative based on their defensive techniques, unique abilities, and gadgets.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

All Rainbow Six Siege defenders ranked in Operator tier list for Operation Deadly Omen (Y9S1)

Rainbow Six Siege defender Operator tier list in Year 9 Season 1 (Image via Ubisoft/Tiermaker)

With 35 defenders on board, this list will categorize the operatives into five tiers: S, A, B, C, and D in the Operator tier list.

S-tier

The S-tier defenders are usually the most played Operators in the meta. Their primary gadgets greatly impact each round, and their effectiveness in games yields much higher results compared to the other Operators.

The S-tier defenders in Rainbow Six Siege are:

Fenrir
Solis
Valkyrie
Tubarao

Fenir is still a solid pick in the meta, even after months of his launch in Dread Factor. He is an excellent trapper who comes with a great weapon to handle multiple enemies at once.

Solis is a close second pick, as she is great at reducing the drone economy for attackers while also being on the lookout for every electronic gadget on the opponent. Her strongest ability is to find the defuser when dropped and stop attackers from planting.

Valkyrie remains the queen of intel, and her three Black Eyes relay a lot of information to her team. While she has a weak gun, her C4 makes up for her solid defense.

Tubarao shines the most out of the list as he comes with an ACOG on defense on his AR 15 DMR. Moreover, his ability to deny hard breaches and many other gadgets keeps him on the edge.

A-tier

The A-tier Operators are slightly less powerful than the S-tier defenders, as their gadgets alone cannot get a lot of work done in a round. However, paired with their weapons and given attachments in the season, their position in the Operator tier list is still pretty high.

The A-tier Operators are:

Aruni
Bandit
Kapkan
Goyo
Kaid
Mute
Smoke
Wamai

Aruni is a great pick for stalling attackers from entering breaches or open holes. While the Surya Gates can be disabled with any throwables, she can still deal with enemies with her ACOG sight on the MK DMR.

Bandit is still a decent defender to pick for tricking certain areas and denying breaches. His MP-7 SMG paired with his C4 gives him an upper hand in many engagements.

Kapkan is a dangerous trapper that can hinder attacker entrances in many ways. His ability to attach multiple traps in doorways is unmatched.

Goyo does not have the best area denial device, as it can also deal damage to teammates. However, he becomes a dangerous enemy when fighting against his Vector SMG with the ACOG sight.

Kaid is considered the best breach denial at the moment due to his flexible gadget and a decent weapon. The TCSG shotgun can be used with an ACOG that can help him win plenty of engagements.

Even after the Year 9 update, Mute's flexible kit keeps him in the A-tier of the Operator tier list, as the British defender is great at making rotates and picking aggressive gunfights, all paired with the C4 charge.

Smoke is a better area and plant denial Operator, who holds the same loadout as Mute, excluding the C4 charge. However, his canisters do a great job of dealing lethal damage.

Wamai has proven himself to be better than Jager when dealing with projectiles in many instances. However, he shines specifically this season as his MP5K now holds the ACOG.

B-tier

All B-tier Operators do not have all the popular attachments, such as the ACOG, in their arsenal. However, they can be highly efficient at laying traps and delaying the attackers from getting into the site.

The B-tier defenders are:

Azami
Ela
Castle
Frost
Jager
Lesion
Melusi
Thorn
Rook

Azami has seen a recent nerf to her kit where the Kiba barriers can now be destroyed with bullets. She still lends some time to her team during intense situations.

Ela's weaponry is not the best for picking ranged gunfights; however, her traps are great for capitalizing on smart kills.

Castle is a bit situational when it comes to denying areas or holding sites. However, with the ACOG on his UMP, he does a pretty good job of pushing back enemies.

Frost's utility shines with her weapons, as she is great at making bomb sites playable with her secondary shotgun and Deployable shield. Her traps are a bit predictable.

Jager is now a much weaker pick for countering projectiles; however, he can aid any breach denial Operators by stacking his ADSs' on windows and doors.

Lesion is a strong pick for a trapper who can divide his presence in various sections of the maps through his GU mines.

Melusi falls short of defending an area for long due to her easily destroyable traps; however, her ACOG MP5 keeps her ready for an aggressive ranged firefight.

Thorn lost her ranged scope with the removal of the 1.5x sight; however, her traps paired with the barbed wires are still great for holding staircases.

Rook has received his ACOG back with the update. With the reworked body armor status, he becomes a great pick for aggressive fights with the self-reve ability.

C-tier

Coming to a weaker part of the Operator tier list in Operation Deadly Omen, the C-tier Operators mostly have great weapons to pick gunfights with; however, their primary abilities are extremely situational, with some not delivering enough to the team.

The C-tier operators in the Operator Tier List are as follows:

Alibi
Doc
Mozzie
Mira
Tachanka
Warden
Maestro

Alibi is great for gathering intel; however, her gadget is predictable in the higher lobbies as players seldom shoot her Prismas.

Doc is a good pick for aiding your teammates; however, Rook is a better choice, as anyone wearing his armor can self-revive.

With no options for ranged optics, Mozzie falls short of being an important pick, as his primary ability to catch drones is overshadowed by Operators like Mute and Valkyrie, who can deny or offer more information.

Mira has always been a situational pick, as her Black Mirror can be only used in certain bomb sites. With no ACOG sight in her arsenal, you may only want to pick her when she is needed the most.

Tachanka now has access to ACOG on his SMG; however, if you're picking him for his versatility, the DP LMG will do a better job at making rotates and dealing damage. His ability is great for denying areas; however, Operators like Smoke are much faster and more efficient.

With the rush and smoke-plant meta rarely used after the current update, Warden has become rather situational. He also does not have access to the ACOG on his MPX. As a result, you will likely go for a more efficient defender.

The LMGs have received a significant movement nerf with Operation Deadly Omen, rendering defenders like Maestro much more difficult to play. While his Evil Eyes can offer sight through smoke and deny plants, it is also easily destroyable.

D-tier

The D-tier list holds the weakest Operators in the current Rainbow Six Siege meta in Year 9 Season 1. With the recent changes made to the weapons and playstyle of each Operator, these defenders are extremely situational and only adhere to specific playstyles.

The D-tier defenders in the Operator tier list are:

Caviera
Echo
Clash
Oryx
Vigil
Pulse
Thunderbird

Caviera's Silent Footsteps may make her inaudible to attackers; however, players have become more aware of her presence as attackers often watch for flanks when trying to counter her.

Echo only has access to 1x scopes on his arsenal. Moreover, his Yokai drones can be spotted easily as they are no longer invisible. This makes him a weak defender in the Operator tier list

Clash's Shield is extremely situational, as when in use, she can use no weapons against her enemies. This always keeps her at a disadvantage when swarmed by attackers.

Aside from breaking through walls at the expense of his health, Oryx does not have any defensive abilities that can aid the team in a round. He also makes a lot of noise while breaking walls, making him not the ideal roamer.

While Vigil is great at cloaking his presence to drones, he still gives away his location with the white noise filter on intel devices. His arsenal also falls short of plant or area-denying abilities.

Pulse can be a decent intel-gathering defender; however, his weak weapon and slow transition to his gun put him way down in the Operator tier list.

Thunderbird is by far the weakest defender in the Operator tier list, as her Kona Stations offer little healing and can also be accessed by the enemies.

Check out more Rainbow Six Siege Year 9 topics here:

Rainbow Six Siege Operation Deadly Omen: Release date, new Operator Deimos, Loadout, and more || Rainbow Six Siege Y9S1 Operation Deadly Omen download sizes for all platforms || Rainbow Six Siege Y9S1 patch notes: What's new in Operation Deadly Omen, Operator balancing, and more