Rainbow Six Siege Y9S1 Defender Tier List: Ranked Worst to Best

Thunderbird has fallen off a lot in the current season. Her weapons are not as strong anymore, and her ability is just worse than Doc’s. She doesn’t have a C4 anymore. Enemies can also receive her healing.

PROS:

• Can provide healing after she’s dead

CONS:

• Enemies can benefit from her ability
• Has bad guns
• Got nerfed a lot

Oryx does not provide much utility for the team. He can be quite fun to play, especially against shield operators. He is quite fast and can get out of sticky situations a lot.

PROS:

• Counters shield users
• Fun to play

CONS:

• Doesn’t provide utility
• Situational pick

Warden has had a major fall off, as he lost his speed and scope. His ability isn’t as useful anymore as it requires great reactions. He doesn’t provide much utility.

PROS:

• Can see through smokes and flashes
• Has a C4

CONS:

• Lost his ACOG scope
• Is very slow

Ela is not the strongest trapper. Her utility is okay but you have better operators for her role. Her guns are very unstable so she is not great in the current meta.

PROS:

• She has a nice safety net
• Good secondary weapon

CONS:

• Her ability has been nerfed a lot
• Guns are unstable
• No ACOG scopes

Thorn’s traps are rather weak in the current meta. Her setups with barbed wire can provide a lot of information but rarely get kills for the team. There are definitely better picks for her role.

PROS:

• Has good guns
• Can occasionally get trap kills

CONS:

• Easy to counter
• Doesn’t provide much utility

Caveira can be very high-risk and is definitely a situational pick. She’s very good against enemy teams who don’t play together all the time. If enemies are not droning she can be a great pick.

PROS:

• Can single-handedly win games thanks to the interrogations
• Amazing in low ranks if played well

CONS:

• Weapons are not great
• Requires map knowledge 
• Shouldn’t play every round

Alibi is very weak right now. Her utility is not great and her only saving grace is her weapons, but she still doesn’t have an ACOG scope. She’s very dependent on the map she’s played on and a situational pick.

PROS:

• Has decent weapons
• Can be good with great utility placement and game knowledge

CONS:

• Can be useless if you don’t know where to place her ability
• Doesn’t have an ACOG Scope
• Has weak secondary utility

Rook is similar to Doc but a bit worse. He provides a bit of extra health but is useless against players with good aim. He can be useful in certain situations, where your teammates are getting downed a lot.

PROS:

• Provides a health boost
• Has decent weapons

CONS:

• Ability is situational
• Doesn’t provide much utility

Clash is good on a select few maps. She can be vulnerable in a lot of sites. Clash has one of the worst win statistics in the game. It’s important to know when exactly to use her so she can be effective.

PROS:

• Ability can be very useful to deny enemies
• Her shield can protect her back when taken off
• Good in low ranks

CONS:

• Hard to master
• Weapons are not great
• Very dependent on the map you play

Tachanka doesn't have a good ability but has a great weapon. His ability doesn't do much damage, but can still fool new players into not rushing through it. His gun can be used in lots of versatile ways, as it breaks soft walls, does a ton of damage, and can kill multiple enemies easily.

PROS:

• Weapon provides a lot of versatility
• Can be a good time waster in low ranks

CONS:

• Ability is on the weak side
• Doesn't provide much utility

Pulse is great at vertical play, but he’s neither a good nor a bad pick. His ability can provide decent information to the team but he is a bit underwhelming in the current meta.

PROS:

• Has a great gun with an ACOG scope
• Good at vertical play

CONS:

• The range of his ability is rather short
• There are better picks

Mozzie is a worse version of mute, as his ability is lacking a bit in power. He has a decent loadout but the drones he steals don’t provide as much utility to the team as other operators. He’s great for countering drone attackers.

PROS:

• Has two good weapons with ACOG scopes
• Decent at denying information

CONS:

• Overshadowed by other operators
• Ability is a bit lackluster

Vigil can be a great operator to counter abilities that provide information. He’s amazing against Deimos for example. There are better picks than him, however, he has a good loadout.

PROS:

• Denies information
• Has good weapons with good attachments

CONS:

• Doesn’t provide much for the team
• Doesn’t have much utility

Castle can be hard to use in solo play. He has an amazing weapon with an ACOG scope, but he lacks a bit in utility. Castle thrives in team play and specific compositions.

PROS:

• Amazing weapons with an ACOG
• Good at wasting enemy utility

CONS:

• Requires good game and character knowledge to be played well
• Can be slow to set up the site

Frost has been falling off this season after the nerfs. She can still be a solid pick because of her gun. The self-revive from her traps has had a huge impact on her viability.

PROS:

• Good gun with an ACOG scope
• Decent utility
• Great secondary weapon

CONS:

• Nerfs have hurt her a lot
• Deployable shields are not as useful anymore

As long as you’re not getting shot in the head a lot with Doc he’s amazing. He has amazing sustain and great guns with an ACOG scope. He doesn’t provide much utility besides his ability.

PROS:

• Has great guns with ACOG scopes
• Provides great sustain for the team

CONS:

• Doesn’t have much utility
• Bad when against players with great aim

Bandit is a decent pick as one of the two wall-denial characters. His MP7 and C4 bump his rating a lot. Depending on the enemy team and site you are on, you might not need him.

PROS:

• His secondary utility is good
• Provides wall-denial

CONS:

• Situational pick
• Doesn’t have an ACOG scope

Mira is still a great character despite having a lot more counters now. She can be very strong on some sites and not as great on others. She has a secondary shotgun which is great for making rotation holes.

PROS:

• Vektor is one of the best weapons
• Can get some easy kills with one-sided peeks
• Has decent utility

CONS:

• Can be countered by a lot more Operators now
• Not great on all maps

Echo’s drones are very strong. He provides a ton of information for his team and brings decent utility. He can deny planting. Echo has good weapons and can waste a ton of time for the attackers.

PROS:

• Good with a coordinated team
• Great at slowing down enemies
• Has decent weapons

CONS:

• Requires you to stay on cams

Maestro is quite strong this season. His cameras can destroy a ton of enemy utility including drones. You’ll need to learn good places to place his cameras at. His playstyle needs a bit of getting used to.

PROS:

• Good weapons
• Good secondary utility
• Can deny defuser plant and attackers in general

CONS:

• Brava is often picked to counter him

Valkyrie is amazing in team play, as she can provide loads of information for the team. She lacks utility but allows a lot of intelligent play-making. Valkyrie can be great at vertical play too.

PROS:

• Has a decent loadout
• Can make a lot of plays with her
• Provides a lot of information

CONS:

• Doesn’t provide much utility
• Relies on team play

Jäger can be quite strong in the current meta because there are a lot of projectiles his ADS can stop. It’s important to know where to place his ability, but once you set it somewhere you can just walk around the map.

PROS:

• Has a good primary gun
• Can deny a lot of enemy utility

CONS:

• Secondary utility is not as great
• Not great against players who don’t use utility

Kaid is a better version of Bandit. He can avoid EMP grenades a lot easier. He brings a lot of safety to defense and has a great loadout.

PROS:

• Provides great wall-denial
• Ability is very flexible

CONS:

• Thatcher counters him very well
• Dependent on the site you’re playing on

Goyo is a great operator for entry denial. You can put his traps on barricades and doors and stow for a lot of time that way. His weapons are great and have ACOG scopes. Sometimes his gadgets are not as effective but he’s still a good pick because of the Vektor.

PROS:

• Amazing weapon with an ACOG scope
• Great entry denial
• Good again teams that rush

CONS:

• Ability can be situational

Aruni has seen some great buffs this season. Thanks to her DMR receiving an ACOG scope she’s a monster on defense. Her gates are great for stopping and wasting attacker utility. And her fist is an amazing relocating tool.

PROS:

• Amazing DMR with an ACOG scope
• Good utility
• Great for spawn peeking

CONS:

• Brava counters her gates

Kapkan is really strong this season, especially with the 3-2 trap strategy. You put 3 traps on one door and 2 on another and it almost always guarantees a kill. You’ll need to strategize when playing him and have great map knowledge.

PROS:

• Traps can insta-kill
• Weapons are great 
• Has a C4

CONS:

• Not as good against players who drone a lot

Smoke is quite an underrated operator, but you need a lot of practice to master him. He can single-handedly shut down whole teams. If you manage to master him, he’s a great solo queue operator

PROS:

• Can deny whole areas
• Great at wasting time
• Has a high skill ceiling 

CONS:

• Hard to master

Wamai can provide a lot of safety for site setups. He can be amazing at team play and he has an amazing loadout. He’s great at countering attackers that rely on projectiles.

PROS:

• He has an MP5 with an ACOG scope
• Great at denying attacker utility
• Has good utility himself

CONS:

• Depending on where you place his ability it can burden the team

Melusi’s traps are some of the best utility in the game. She can deny rushes and waste a lot of time for the attackers. On top of that, she has a great loadout and lots of play-making abilities thanks to it.

PROS:

• Has great guns
• Provides a ton of utility
• Good at denying rushes and wasting time

CONS:

• Traps can be destroyed easily if not placed correctly

Tubarao is still one of the best defenders in the game. He can waste a ton of time for attackers and deny pushes. He can counter any kind of wall-breach strategy. He has an amazing loadout

PROS:

• He has a DMR with an ACOG scope
• He can waste a ton of time
• Has great utility

CONS:

• Ability freezes ally utility as well

Solis is one of the best defenders in the game right now. She has amazing vertical plays and can deny plants. She can gather tons of information with her ability and can catch attackers off guard.

PROS:

• Provides a lot of utility
• Great at vertical play
• Provides a lot of information

CONS:

• Not as great against teams who don’t use utility

Even after the nerf she received this season, Azami is still an overpowered Operator. The shotgun is great for solo play so you can make a lot of rotates. You can use her barrier to make one-ways which are very effective. You can also block off or slow down attackers.

PROS:

• Her ability is still great for a ton of different situations
• The more creative you are, the better she is
• Has good weapons

CONS:

• Can now shoot her Kibas to break them

Mute counters almost every attacker in the game. He has 4 jammers that can stop breachers as well as other enemy utility. His loadout is also amazing, but he can be a bit slow at setting up the site.

PROS:

• Can counter most enemies in the game
• Great at denying information
• Has the best weapons in the game

CONS:

• He’s a one-speed operator