A popular map has made its long-awaited return as of the start of VALORANT Episode Six. Split is back in the active queue for both unrated and competitive after many months away.
Upon Split’s return, players immediately took notice of the new improvements and features. But the core layout remains the same: close and compact with tons of hiding spots, a short mid corridor that’s essentially vital to map control, and different levels of elevation around the map.
The most recent changes primarily help attackers, with a handful of some of the more annoying defender hiding spots and angles removed, such as the A Rafters corner where defenders could be at one of two different heights and the B Tower garbage can spot. While it feels like forever since Split has been active, only one new agent in the water-bending controller Harbor joined the roster during its time off duty.
After exploring the new map and trying out some old favorites, here’s our list of some of the most ideal agents to run on Split.
Best agents to play on Split in VALORANT
Raze
While Raze isn’t the only good choice when it comes to selecting a duelist on Split, she is the most effective. Even after the updates to Split, there are lots of corners and cubbies to clear out on executes and retakes, which her Boom Bot and Paint Shells are perfect for. And for highly skilled players who have mastered the Blast Pack boosts, Split is your playground as you can soar over opponents’ heads.
Jett
Jett is a very viable choice on Split as well. The short and narrow corridors are a great spot for her to use her Tailwind dash and Cloudburst smokes. And similar to Raze with her Blast Packs, Jett’s ability to enter quickly to draw attention away from entryways is a useful tool for executes. Jett can use her Updraft to quickly reach one of the numerous elevated angles as well.
Sage
With Mid control being such a focal point to both the attack and defensive sides of Split, having Sage is a necessity, especially on defense. Deploying her Barrier in mid to stop any fast aggression, or at least slow it down, is key to preventing the attacking side from gaining control. On attack, her Barrier is a commonly used and reliable method of getting onto B site safely, and there are loads of ideal post-plant spots for it on either site. And with a recent buff to her ally healing ability, any Raze or Jett who’s frequently entry-ing will be happy to have Sage with them.
Omen
Omen is the most optimal controller choice for Split. The size of his smokes is a huge factor in his ability to choke off angles during attack-side executes and slow down opposing executes while he’s on defense. Given that the map is more compact, his ultimate becomes more viable on attack when he’s used as a post-plant lurker. Finally, his basic teleport is great for getting onto the numerous elevated angles.
Brimstone, given how precise his smokes are and how much of a site he can cover with his ultimate, is also a good choice.
Killjoy
Around the same time as Split’s return, Killjoy received a buff to her abilities via a health increase and allied damage immunity for her Nanoswarm and Lockdown. All the hiding spots on Split sites offer numerous cheeky spots for turret placement, the narrow entries to sites are easy to choke off with Nanoswarm, and the sites are small enough for Lockdown to clear them out with ease.
With a setup on either site, a Killjoy can lock down the main entry to a site while watching the other ways in.
Skye
Fade, KAY/O, Breach, and Skye are all very good choices when it comes to the initiator role on Split, but Skye gets the edge. While all the ultimates are valuable, hers is the most useful because of its information-gathering aspect, which is more valuable on a map like Split with so many hiding spots. Her team healing factor is also a huge boon to any composition.
