Riot Games' tactical shooter Valorant distinguishes itself with its diverse agents and unique abilities. While it's a team-based game, elite Cypher players consistently shine through their superior game sense and strategic setups.
Cypher, the Moroccan information broker, acts as a one-man surveillance network, tracking enemy movements with precision. Ideal for intel-focused players, his kit includes traps that reveal foes and a deployable camera for remote scouting.
(C) Trapwire: Equip a tripwire. Fire to place a hidden, destructible line between the anchor point and the opposite wall. Enemies crossing it get tethered, revealed, and stunned if not destroyed quickly. Retrievable if untriggered; destroyable with one shot. Reveals on death.
(Q) Cypher Cage: Launch a cage forward. Activate remotely to create a temporary vision-blocking zone.
(E) Signature Ability — Spycam: Equip a spycam. Fire to place it. Reactivate to view through it and fire a tracking dart that reveals hit enemies periodically. Dart and cam are destructible; reveals on death.
(X) Ultimate — Neural Theft: Target a fresh enemy corpse to link Cypher's bioptic hat. After a delay, reveals all enemy positions once.
Here are the top 5 Cypher players who dominated Valorant competitive scenes in 2021, based on their tournament performances:
Alexis "aproto" Protopapas (born June 15, 1999) is an American pro with Luminosity Gaming. He's among the pioneers who popularized Cypher in high-level play.
Vladyslav "Kiles" Shvets (born August 26, 1997) is a Ukrainian talent on Acend. In the passive EMEA meta, his Cypher setups effectively stalled aggressive enemy pushes.
Pujan "FNS" Mehta (born March 19, 1992), a Canadian ex-CS:GO pro with Team Envy, showcased Cypher's potential at Stage 3 Masters, proving his strategic prowess.
Michael "dapr" Gulino (born January 1, 1999), an American ex-CS:GO player on Sentinels, excelled as Cypher, helping secure Sentinels' wins including the inaugural Valorant Champions Tour Stage 2 Masters.
Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin (born July 1, 2002), a Russian ex-CS:GO pro with Gambit Esports, redefined Cypher as a top-fragger. Gambit made him their star Cypher, earning MVPs despite the agent's utility focus.
Related: Top 5 Best IGLs in Valorant – The Strategic Minds Behind Champion Teams.
