Agents by map

The matrix sits at the bottom of this page: jump to the table. Each row is an agent, each column a map, and every cell has a rating: none is empty. Click a cell to read the reason. Every rating says three things:

• how well the agent fits that map: strong, good, niche or limited;
• why: the reason, tied to how the map is built (chokes, sites, mid, long lines) and to what the agent does;
• when it was checked: maps and agents change with patches, and an old reason may no longer hold.

If you want to get straight to the point, skip to the matrix and come back here to learn how to read it.

A matrix reason is short and concrete: it says which map problem the agent solves and with which ability. For example, for a controller with a long wall on a map with wide sites: "the wall cuts the site in two, letting you enter or delay without smoking every angle". No lines like "strong this patch": we do not write a rating without a concrete reason.

The levels have a precise meaning (you will find them in the legend above the table):

• strong: the map poses a problem the agent solves better than almost anyone (for example a long wall on a map with wide sites, or info from range on sites with many angles);
• good: the agent is a solid pick, but other agents in the same role do the same job;
• niche: the agent makes sense with a certain composition or plan, but is not the default choice;
• limited: the map takes value away from what the agent does best (for example an agent that lives on close duels on a map of long lines). It does not mean "do not play it": it means the agent will work uphill there and the team has to make up for it.

No level means "best in the patch". The matrix says why an agent works on a map; if that reason does not apply to your team (for example, another player already does that job), the right pick may be a different one.

Three practical ways to use the matrix:

• before the match, once you know the map: see which agents in your pool fit it best, and read the reason;
• to widen your pool: if a map comes up often and none of your agents fit it, the matrix tells you which one to learn;
• to understand a map: the reasons gathered in one column describe, in a few lines, the map's main problems.

If you have set your agents in My agent, the matrix highlights them.

Every rating comes from two questions:

1. what problems does the map pose? The ten questions from the chapter on how to study a map: does mid matter? are the chokes narrow? does it need very precise smokes? is the retake strong? and so on;
2. which of these problems does the agent solve? Their abilities, not their popularity.

The reasons are then checked against what you see in high-level matches and in guides from people who have played the map for years. If a reason does not stand up to that check, we rewrite it or lower the level. When a piece of information cannot be verified, we prefer not to write it at all: a generic reason is worse than a cautious one.

Imagine you mostly play a sentinel and want to be ready on every map in the competitive pool. Looking at your agent's row in the matrix, you see which maps it is strong on, which good, which only niche and which limited.

For the uncovered maps, look at the columns: which other sentinels fit there, and why? If the same sentinel shows up in several uncovered columns, it is the natural candidate for your alternative. That way, with two agents in the same role and one in another, you cover almost every map with a reason for each.

The same logic works for every role: the matrix does not tell you who is best, it tells you where each agent solves a problem.

The matrix is useful, but it has limits worth remembering:

• it does not know how well you play an agent: a "good" agent you know inside out is worth more than a "strong" one you have never played;
• it does not know what your teammates picked: if the job the matrix suggests is already covered, cover what is missing instead;
• it does not know the team's plan: some compositions completely change what a map needs.

Use it as a starting point for thinking, not as the answer.

The table with the levels is free for everyone. The reasons for each cell are part of the in-depth map pages and are reserved for Premium (they stay free on the free map): without them you still see the cell with its level and a link to the map page, where the free part explains the map's problem and win condition anyway.

Every reason carries the date it was checked and the game version. When a patch changes an agent or a map (a modified ability, a redesigned site), the affected cells are checked again and the date is updated.

If you find a reason that no longer seems true, you can report it with the button at the bottom of every page: reports reach the people who look after Academy.

Remember the principle of this whole part: an agent is an answer to a problem. The matrix helps you see the problem; the choice is still yours, and also depends on your team and on what you play well.