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Developers at Riot Games continue to roll out regular updates when it comes to Agents in Valorant. They often keep a keen eye and collect user data on each of them.
If some Agents are performing way better than they were expected to and thereby dominating most team compositions, their abilities are nerfed to bring balance to the game. In a similar way, Agents that are not being picked at all and not performing as expected are given buffs to boost their position in the meta.
This list will take a look at the five Agents that need buffs to become viable in the Valorant meta in 2023.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer
Harbor, Cypher and three other Valorant Agents that need buffs going into 2023
1) Harbor
Harbor, the Indian Agent, was the last to join the ranks in Valorant. As the fifth Controller class agent to be added to the game, his entire kit is centered around line-of-sight (LoS) denial.
The Valorant community had hoped he would be an alternative to Viper on the maps she is dominant on, given he is the only other Controller with line smokes, but they were disappointed.
Although his kit is well-suited for fast site takes and retakes, he suffers heavily when it comes to anchoring sites. This is exceptionally disadvantageous because all other Agents in this class have either excellent crowd control or damaging abilities.
Despite getting slight buffs since his release, Harbor is not always the first choice for players when they need an Agent who is suitable for solo runs on any map. He will need at least a handful of relevant upgrades in order to be more useful in 2023.
2) Cypher
The buffs Cypher received in 2022, along with the nerfs to Chamber, puts him in a better position currently than this time last year when he was at the absolute bottom of most Valorant Agent tier lists.
However, the element of surprise brought back to his kit by the longer Trap Wires can only be milked for so long. Sooner or later, opponents will deduce where the traps are usually placed and start hard-countering the Moroccan Agent.
To be viable in the long run, Cypher will need some fundamental changes to keep up with his fellow Sentinels, especially Killjoy. The latter is powerful on all the current maps except Breeze, where Cypher still has a chance to truimph over her. However, Breeze and Bind are leaving the map pool soon.
Perhaps bringing back the slow effect his Cage previously delivered when enemies intruded through in some form, could be a viable option going into 2023.
3) Skye
In her present state, Skye is not weak by any means. She is just out-classed by other Initiators in Valorant, who can do what she does but better.
Granted, her kit can be used to gather information, but it is quite vague and not always reliable. What this means is that the sound cue generated when she flashes someone indicates them being blinded but, in no way, discloses the affected enemy’s proximity.
A tweak that could buff Skye greatly is the speeding up of her Jellyfish, not unlike Fade's Prowlers when the opponents they are tailing come into their Lines of Sight. This would make it much more difficult to outrun or break.
4) Reyna
Reynas that dominate ranked games in Valorant do not necessarily do so because the Agent is strong. It could also be that the player has superb mechanical skills, is having an excellent day, or is smurfing.
The Mexican Valorant Agent adds nothing to the team outside of two breakable flashes. This is the biggest reason behind her comparatively lower pick rates in higher Elo and next-to-zero pick rates in professional matches.
To make her suitable in higher lobbies, she needs some reworking on her kit that will allow her to help her team in other ways than simply depending on dropping 30+ kills in a match.
5) Yoru
Ever since Yoru was released, it has been the dream of every Yoru main not to see the Japanese Agent on one of these lists asking him to be reworked or buffed.
That dream came true temporarily after the long-awaited Yoru reworks came out. However, with time, he has receded right back because the community has figured out pretty much every pocket strat Yoru mains pull.
The same applies to professional play, where a Yoru pick out of nowhere can shock the opponent into losing or being put on the back foot, but with some adjustments and smart calling from their IGL, things can start to look dire for the team with Yoru as soon as he starts getting hard-countered.
Being a Duelist that needs his entire team to play in very specific ways and around him, Yoru has low pick rates everywhere and needs some more buffs to make him viable.
Riot Games has shipped out Agent changes consistently since the release of the game, buffing and nerfing them as per balancing needs. None of the Agents listed here need major changes. Even slight buffs to their kits will not only make them strong forces in the game but also improve user experience.
