While they may not be the most popular agent in either the competitive or professional VALORANT meta, one of the game’s most overlooked characters might be the most equipped to deal with the abilities of the newest agent, Deadlock. Sadly, though, one of their tricks might be getting removed from the playbook.
It’s no secret that Yoru has failed to maintain any consistent relevancy as a staple of competitive VALORANT, with the duelist serving more as a fun niche pick rather than a major focal point of any legitimate composition. Still, if you’re expecting to see Deadlock on the other side of your upcoming matches, maybe he’s worth a shot.
One of the latest finds from the VALORANT community shows how Yoru can instantly destroy the annoying obstacle that is Deadlock’s Barrier Mesh. YouTuber Rem shared a clip today showing that jumping and placing the anchor for Yoru’s Fakeout clone will glitch the anchor into the very center of Barrier Mesh, and activating the clone will destroy the shield arrangement in one moment. On top of being able to take down the barrier without spending an entire ammo clip, the Yoru clone continues forward and provides its traditional value.
There are a couple of catches, though. First, Rem notes that sometimes the clone will just get stuck in the center of Barrier Mesh and won’t even detonate its flashbang effect if it’s destroyed by the other team. But more importantly, even if the trick works, it’s probably not going to work for too long since a gameplay producer at Riot has already noted the bug. It could be gone by the time the next patch is released, which should be in mid-July.
Still, even if this trick gets patched out, Yoru is a strong counter-pick to Deadlock. Sending the Fakeout clone is a useful trick for clearing out her Sonic Sensor since it will detonate when the clone loudly passes through. Yoru can also use his teleport to get out of harm’s way if he’s caught in a GravNet grenade or if he’s actively trying to take down a Barrier Mesh orb.
And as many people have pointed out already, Yoru can quickly equip and activate his Fakeout clone and sacrifice the clone to Deadlock’s Annihilation tether. His teleport is also useful for dodging Annihilation.
Related: VALORANT analyst claims fans ‘ignore facts’ about Deadlock’s viability
While Yoru will still likely not end up being a focal point of the competitive meta until he gets a significant buff, he at least provides you an additional option for countering players who have already mastered Deadlock.
