AGENT SELECT FOR DUMMIES

A Platinum Players Take on Agent Select:
RULE 1a.
DO NOT INSTALOCK. What is "instalock"? To select an agent as soon as you are able to.
1b. IF YOU IGNORE 1a., You do not get to complain about your team composition. If there is a role missing, it is your fault for instalocking.

2. This is a brand new game. No matter how tilted, well you played, or poorly you played, this is a new game. Your teammates are (usually) brand new people, and so are your enemies. Do not bring any bad vibes into the new game.
3. Girls are people too. Just because their voice is lighter does not permit you to be toxic.
4. Talk! It is way easier to initiate conversation early and confirm everyone has mics than to wait for mid-game.

"My teammate instalocked my main, what do I do?"
Have multiple agents you are comfortable playing. Some agents play very similar to other ones. If you lose your Jett, its not the end of the world.

"We already have [role] what should I play?"
Most games, no matter what, have an instalocker, usally Jett or Reyna. How do you pick around them?

Scenario 1:
Duelist taken
Most games there are an instant 2 duelists.
Play initiator! You have lots of util you can use to start and end a gun fight.

Scenario 2:
Initiator and Duelist taken
Unfortunately, someone took your KAY/O. Now what?
Play Sentinel! As opposed to playing smokes and being reduced to pure support, as a sentinel, your setups can give you free kills. If you play Sage or Chamber, you can still use your abilities to isolate fights.

Scenario 3:
Sentinel, Initiator, and Duelist taken
You NEED to play smokes. While it won't be fun, it is nearly impossible to win a game without smokes.

Scenario 4:
3/4 instalocks
This is a situation in which you need to judge 1. your team comp, and 2. how petty you are
If your team instalocked a good comp, then you're fine! It just means they think they are the best fit for their agent, and confidence is key for valorant
If they instalocked something less than ideal, it is up to you to judge how badly you want to win. If you really need the RR, fill. If you are okay with a loss, pick a duelist and play for yourself.

Agent efficiency is heavily dependent on the map. Here is my favorite comp for each map:

ASCENT:
Jett
KAY/O
Sova
Omen/Astra
Killjoy

BIND:
Raze
Skye
KAY/O
Brimstone
Cypher

HAVEN:
Jett
Sova
Breach
Astra
Killjoy

LOTUS:
Jett
Raze
Skye
Astra
Killjoy

SPLIT:
Jett
Raze
Skye
(Any Controller)
Cypher/Killjoy

PEARL:
Jett
KAY/O
Gekko
Astra
Killjoy

FRACTURE:
Jett
Raze
Breach
Brimstone
Killjoy

ICEBOX (for now):
Jett
Sova
Viper
Killjoy
Sage

In an average ranked game, you will NOT get these team comps, this is just to show which is the optimal pick depending on who your team has selected.
I might have missed some, please tell me.
If you say "aint reading allat" or any alternate way of saying it, I am reporting your account.

W zidmz

you're plat who cares about instalocking in plat

instalocking duelist is literally how you get out of plat

ok but actually reading with this list as an immortal 3 player
I agree with pretty much everything

Cypher is useless on bind in ranked, you constantly play vs raze+fade and kayo or raze+kayo and sova, the only util left on him is a camera on def.

wing_0001 [#2]

W zidmz

W wing_0001

no and no

every map

phoenix is required

Itsover [#4]

Cypher is useless on bind in ranked, you constantly play vs raze+fade and kayo or raze+kayo and sova, the only util left on him is a camera on def.

in that case the only useful senti on bind would be sage

vetements [#6]

no and no

every map

phoenix is required

Im so stupid how can i forget goatnix

fourlvalorant [#3]

you're plat who cares about instalocking in plat

instalocking duelist is literally how you get out of plat

ok but actually reading with this list as an immortal 3 player
I agree with pretty much everything

bro read and was enlightened

zidmz [#7]

in that case the only useful senti on bind would be sage

Nope, kj is good too, you just need to dodge kayo ult from time to time.

fourlvalorant [#3]

you're plat who cares about instalocking in plat

instalocking duelist is literally how you get out of plat

ok but actually reading with this list as an immortal 3 player
I agree with pretty much everything

same

I hate sage

CristanchOx [#12]

I hate sage

Sage is good for icebox because of how easy it is to kill the planter. Sage wall gives an extra layer of protection

Itsover [#4]

Cypher is useless on bind in ranked, you constantly play vs raze+fade and kayo or raze+kayo and sova, the only util left on him is a camera on def.

Cypher is God on Bind, also really fun
-me, a cypher main

SAMPV6 [#14]

Cypher is God on Bind, also really fun
-me, a cypher main

There's a reason why pro teams don't pick cyph on bind

Itsover [#15]

There's a reason why pro teams don't pick cyph on bind

you're playing ranked buddy, it's got nothing to do

SAMPV6 [#16]

you're playing ranked buddy, it's got nothing to do

I'm playing immo 3 ranked where people use util sometimes, and 2 fade prowlers+nade and boombot is too much for cypher.

Most of the times, I play with instalockers just to laugh at them when they make mistakes

Itsover [#17]

I'm playing immo 3 ranked where people use util sometimes, and 2 fade prowlers+nade and boombot is too much for cypher.

yeah I can't argue with that really, that fade-raze combo really fucks my setups up.

sadge

i aint reading it allat

Itsover [#15]

There's a reason why pro teams don't pick cyph on bind

because its a different environment. in ranked people run reyna all the time, but rarely in pro scene. in pro scene there's different set plays and scenarios and their problem solving is more fluid than a pug with randos on both teams without a playbook or stats to back up their playstyle.

Girls are people too. Just because their voice is lighter does not permit you to be toxic.

what does this have to do with the rest of your post?

ain't reading allat but agreed