Riot Games has very recently initiated Patch 10.09 for VALORANT and, for an Tejo main, it’s time to brace oneself-it’s only going to hurt. There’s really just big changes for the agent-cuts for the rocket, hike costs for the ultimate, and would-you-know-it? A hole on the drones as well. So what’s real here? Let’s take the lowdown before you get into a queue only to find that your favorite way of playing has been switched up.
Rockets first. Tejo now starts with only one rocket for her signature ability; instead of two, one is just not enough. Want that second? That’ll set you back 150 credits. But on the brighter side, the cooldown is gone, so awkward pauses between firing will no longer occur. And oh, here’s the kicker clear: the distance on the map went from 55 meters to 45-which is very much a big deal regarding long-range engagements, so I think there’s a good chance snipers are breathing a little easier right about now.
Then, let way for the Special Delivery stun to get less-wait for it-To get way, way cheaper-Riot has initiated this because the price is reduced from 300 credits to 200. Eco rounds make a lot of sense to find nowadays. Not fast enough, Tejo’s drone just hiked the price from 300 to 400 credits. That’s some serious price hike, especially for all those deep within the intel-reliant strategies.
And oh-the ultimate. This one, poor Tejo mains are going to feel hard. Upgraded from 8 to 9, that means an extra game round or two of grinding before unleashing the chaos. Knowing how altering the game play can be by Tejo’s ult, this is probably going to shake things up on the meta horizon quite nicely eventually.
So what do each of these bring? Well, about balance of the game keeping things fresh, Riot has historically quite vocal about agents, and Tejo has been doing too well dominating too. So now, these nerfs should disturb the player habits with respect to using one play-style method always.
Will it work? Well, time-or a whole lot of ranked matches-will tell. But one thing is for sure: if you’ve been coasting off the vintage Tejo setup, rethink your playbook. Or, you know, switch agents and pretend like that patch never happened.
In any event, good luck out there. You will need it.
