Operation Shattered Web has introduced a number of great skin collections, including the entirely new Agent skins. Agents are effectively player model skins with a bit of a background text. Since these skins are new and change a significant amount of your character, I’m going to be ranking each from worst to best. My primary metrics are style and potential for stealth. The latter is important for getting the most out of what you paid for, and the former is important because what’s the point of winning if you don’t look good doing it?
22. Slingshot - Phoenix Connection
Slingshot is an “Exceptional Agent” for the Terrorist team.
Slingshot here emphasizes everything we’re not looking for in an agent. He’s a blatant recolor that provides a questionable “style” and also blankets the model in RED. He does nothing to break up the standard character outline and worse he provides a solid white phoenix icon and a white stripe along his face to give your opponents a better idea of where to shoot. My final note is just a personal peeve, the concept for his name is great but they somehow managed to botch the flavor text by saying “recovered weapons” instead of “improvised weapons” unless the name simply refers to him “bouncing back” after losing the HQ. Either way, the name is messy, the character is messy, and feels like an excuse to call him “totally not a recolor”.
Score: 30 /100
21. Soldier - Phoenix Connection
Another terrorist recolor, and with red! The Soldier is marginally better than Slingshot.
Just as bright and bullet-attracting as Slingshot but a little less egregious in his “style”. The black pants also help in making this Agent easier to look at than Slingshot.
Score: 35/100
20. Enforcer - Phoenix Connection
Another Phoenix Connection skin this high on the list, the Phoenix Connection agents, in general, seem to be very relaxed.
The Enforcer is another Phoenix Connection recolor, but who hasn’t wanted a murdered out option for their player model? Luckily for game balance, the Enforcer’s grey pants prevent him from blending in completely with the shadows. That being said, a crouched Enforcer can be unreasonably hard to spot in some circ*mstances.
Score: 45/100
19. Ground Rebel - Elite Crew
Simple, but a T-side agent with some semblance of style.
Ground Rebel, while very simple, actually has some design. He may be solid yellow with a few minor red highlights but he’s much easier to look at than the Phoenix Connection Agents and certainly blends in better on Dust 2 and Mirage.
Score: 45/100
18. Operator - FBI SWAT
The Operator here is a “Distinguished Agent” in rarity and is probably the least appealing of all the Counter-Terrorist agents.
A blacked out head and olive drab from the shoulder’s down. The FBI Operator may be boring, but boy is he useful. It may not be the best color for every map, but the muted green helps the Operator blend into a number of maps and dark hiding spots.
Score: 45/100
17. Markus Delrow - FBI HRT
There are a number of recolored skins in the pool of agents, and this is a blatant recolor of the Operator agent. But Markus Delrow is a blanket improvement of a recolor.
His colors are much less bothersome to look at and blend in with more environments. Bonus points for not having multiple neon yellow FBI labels.
Score: 60/100
16. Osiris - Elite Crew
Osiris doesn’t blend in well anywhere, but he doesn’t stand out horribly, and he looks half decent.
Black and dim red, with probably the only modestly sized drop holster in the whole collection. While his mask and shirt express a bit of character in their tiger motif, the execution just comes off very cheesy. Overall, a neat design and mildly useful for stealth.
Score: 60/100
15.Prof. Shahmat - Elite Crew
An interesting backstory for sure.
Some added character, but overall not very useful. The Professor here stands out like a thumb on most maps and is another blatant recycling of the armband Osiris and Ground Rebel have.
Score: 60/100
14. Buckshot - NSWC SEAL
Another bulky CT agent.
His backpack is fairly low profile, but a pair of handles stick up over his shoulders and his chest rig is absolutely huge. The bulk wraps all the way around to his sides and is going to expose him around corners a lot more than you might expect. Not really sure why this is
Score: 65/100
13. Seal Team 6 Soldier - NSWC SEAL
And here we start with the truly effective, albeit uninteresting Counter-Terrorist Agents.
Unlike the generic terrorist agents, this CT agent starts to break up the standard silhouette when not looked at head-on and looks kind of cool to boot. Unfortunately, this man’s massive number of extra magazines is quite bulky and makes his physical appearance much wider than normal.
Score: 70/100
12. B Squadron Officer - SAS
Another middling
The “B Squadron Officer” of the SAS has both an uninspired name and an uninspired appearance. But, if it weren’t for the beige pocket on his rig he’d be dressed completely in a muted green. This is super useful for hiding in the dark and against foliage, especially when combined with his relatively slim-lined silhouette
Score: 70/100
11. Maximus - Sabre
A clean and simple look for a T-side agent.
If it weren’t for the bright red cap on his head, Maximus would blend in on Dust 2 and Mirage. As it is, he still does, but boy wouldn’t it be nice if he could just cover up that hat.
Score: 70/100
10. Dragomir - Sabre
Simple, stylistic, and practical. Also with a less red hat!
Dragomir may just be Maximus with a hood. But he offers a fairly useful color palette without sacrificing his aesthetic or adding any real bulk. Especially on maps like Dust2, a crouching Dragomir can really disappear.
Score: 75/100
9. Michael Syfers - FBI Sniper
I was joking about a murdered out character model, but it’s pretty good.
Full black and fairly low profile. The colors (or lack thereof) are a blessing and a curse. Syfers’ all-black get up helps him disappear when overshadowed, but it also makes him stand out when in the open. But this isn’t much of a penalty considering how much CTs already stand out.
Score: /100
8. Rezan The Ready - Sabre
Rezan is this far down the list primarily because of style.
No part of Rezan’s outfit lends itself to stealth, but it’s the first of the T-side agents that genuinely looks great. It’s not much, just a burgundy jacket with some leather mag pouches and no annoyingly large drop holster to mess things up.
Score: 75/100
7. Lt. Commander Ricksaw - NSWC SEAL
A big, intimidating CT agent. Looks great, but isn’t super practical.
Big and bulky, more so than others. Ricksaw here is one of a few agents that genuinely have an issue with the bulkiness of his backpack. His rig looks big but doesn’t actually stick out that much, and his colors are perfect for hiding both in the dark and in the open. Alas, his hat is bright blue and that’s his only style piece.
Score: 75/100
6. The Elite Mr. Muhlik
And we finally get proper character expressed in the skins.
Sure he looks a little out of Farcry 3, and sure Mr. Muhlik would blend in a lot better without the red scarf that covers the entirety of his chest, but he’s still a notch above Rezan in stealth without completely sacrificing his character.
Score: 80/100
5. Blackwolf - Sabre
Still more style, but now it’s practical.
Dark brown web gear and a black jacket. Blackwolf is rocking a bandolier throwing knives that don’t get too distracting or give him away when he has an AK across his chest. The jacket does come across a bit cluttered but it’s more than most of the T-side agents have given us to work with.
Score: 80/100
4. “The Doctor” Romanov - Sabre
Surprisingly unique, The Doctor gives me a feel of what the other T-side agents really should have been.
Aside from the brown jacket, The Doctor is oddly unique among his peers. He manages to stand out a lot, and blend in pretty well with most of the environments available. Romanov also manages to provide a genuinely interesting, if not short, background text.
Score: 85/100
3. “Two Times” McCoy - USAF TACP
Low profile gear and dark colors, McCoy also has the luxury of not carrying a massive backpack.
McCoy’s outfit is super low profile, and blends in super well with most maps. Not too dark, and the only thing giving him away is mostly covered up when you’re holding an M4. The general blue highlights along his kit add a nice touch to the general monotony of the CT agents.
Score: 85/100
2. Special Agent Ava - FBI
High speed, low drag, and our only female agent.
Deep blues and a greyed-brown rig with a very light amount of gear to clutter things up. If Special Agent Ava had been given more depth of character than a few strands of grey hair, she’d be a solid 10.
Score: 90/100
1. 3rd Commando Company - KSK
Possibly a controversial pick for the top agent, especially given his rarity, but solid nonetheless.
The 3rd Commando Company agent is pretty plain in name and may not look very unique. But he’s a lower profile and stealthier version of the Steal Team 6 Soldier. His color scheme, slimmer side profile, and much less uniform silhouette all serve to make him very tactically useful. His effectiveness is really emphasized by the price tag he’s managed to pull, actually managing to compete with much rarer agents.
Score: 90/100
You may also be interested in:
- [Top 10] CSGO Best Knife Skins That Are Freakin Awesome!
- The Best CS:GO Tips - How to Become a Killing Spree Machine
- [Top 10] CS:GO Twitch Streamers
- The 10 Best Riflers In CS:GO
- [Top 15] CSGO Best Aimers
