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These days, Yoru has a bad reputation for the Valorant community. According to Valorbuff, the go-to website for Valorant statistics, Yoru is the least picked character at 6.5%. Unfortunately, he also has the lowest win rate at 42.6%.
But Yoru is more than these numbers. He is not as underpowered as the stats suggest. In fact, many skilled players know how to take advantage of his unique playstyle.
Yoru doesn’t have a button to instantly win the round. He has to be paired with astute predictions, keen game sense, and calculated preparation in order for his abilities to work. Even when doing that, his powers are primarily used to reposition him and confuse the opposition, which means that you still need to out aim your opponents.
That being said, Yoru is the perfect Agent for those who love a risky playstyle. He has an extremely high skill ceiling, but he will heavily reward players who try to push his limits. He’s also one of the game’s duelists who is excellent on the defense.
You can always expect a talented Yoru player to score the first pick-off. This guide will lay out several tips and tricks on becoming an aggressive Yoru player that the opposition will fear.
Who Is Yoru?
Yoru is a radiant from Tokyo, Japan. He possesses the ability to rip holes through reality to infiltrate enemy lines without being seen. Because of that, he is a tricky Agent to play against, able to enter the site uncontested and flank the enemies. Yoru is the 15th agent to join the Valorant protocol.
Yoru’s personality takes inspiration from how Asian media stereotypically depicts cool and edgy youths. For example, he carries a comb disguised as a butterfly knife, adding to the impression that self-image and personal appearance are essential to his lifestyle.
In his lore, Yoru despises Kingdom for what they’ve done to Split. And he’s determined to find out what they’re hiding.
His ancestors were warriors during the Edo Period of Japan. Before joining the Valorant protocol, Yoru was trying to find his ancestor’s ancient samurai armor. In his frantic search, he created rifts near different Kingdom facilities across the globe, including Russia, Washington, and Turkey.
He finally found his ancestor’s samurai armor in northern Siberia, on the Icebox facility. Unfortunately, he caught the attention of Valorant agents and eyewitnesses with his powers.
In-game, Yoru is a duelist. The duelist class specializes in attacking and infiltrating the site first for their team. As a result, they are often the class to score the first blood or entry frag of the round. By doing so, they create space for their team so that they can enter the site safely.
Riot defined duelists as “self-sufficient fraggers” because they can change the tide of the game by killing enemies while entering the site.
Why Should You Pick Yoru?
Yoru has the most interesting and the most skill-based kit in the game. As mentioned previously, Yoru himself isn’t that bad as he depends on how people play him. It all depends on the player’s skill level to use him to his full potential.
But based on my experience Yoru is one of the best agents to master and play. You can deceive the enemy by using his skills, and you can kill other agents quickly with the help of his flash. Suppose you like playing mental games and confusing enemies, then Yoru is the ideal Agent for that. After all, Valorant is much more than out aiming your opponent; it’s equally important to ruin their coordination and communication.
Yoru’s high skill ceiling does come with a heavy burden and contributes to his low pick rate. If you don’t know how to use his abilities, you will become a nuisance to your teammates.
He doesn’t have powers that will instantly win you the round like Valorant’s best initiator Breach. Instead, he heavily relies on his abilities to put him in the perfect spot to out aim the opposition. Unfortunately, from preparation to execution, many factors can go wrong for Yoru.
That is why people call him the worst Agent in Valorant.
Yoru’s Abilities
Yoru’s skills or abilities are made from dimensional fragments and have various uses. Every Agent has their own skills and abilities; Yoru’s abilities are made to mess with enemies’ heads.
Fakeout
Equip an echo that mimics footsteps when activated. Fire to activate and send the echo forward. Alt fire to place an echo in place. Use the inactive echo to send it forward. It lasts for 10 seconds. Fakeout is a creative skill that plays with one of Valorant’s main gimmicks: detecting and hearing footsteps.
If your team is suppressed by fortified angles, strategically placing Fakeout can allow you to flank an enemy and rotate the action in the direction you want. Try using it to obtain the high ground.
If you’re sneaky and clever, you can use this talent to catch adversaries off by surprise. For example, use Fakeout to cause them to look away from your flank. For further mind games, use the ability, then continue through that entrance anyway. There are infinite ways to trick your opponent’s using these kills.
It’s also worth noting that the ability may be engaged on a timer, which can be helpful for sneakier moves and setting up fake rushes. These fake footsteps completely confuse enemies. If they can’t trust the simple act of identifying footsteps, the enemies will ultimately be off their game.
Gatecrash
Yoru uses Gatecrash to send out a rift tether that allows him to transfer anywhere within a time window.
This ability will mainly be used to sneak far behind enemy lines and get free frags if the enemies don’t know where you placed Gatecrash. You can even use this to fake a push where you put your Gatecrash and Fakeout on a site, then push the other site.
Because adversaries may enter and fire through it, you can use it as a lure – they’ll assume they’ve stumbled upon a path into your backline, but if they approach the rift, you can utilize your entire squad to wipe them out. It’s also useful for getting out of conflicts you know you can’t win.
Blindside
Equip Blindside to rip an unstable dimensional fragment from reality. Fire to throw the fragment, activating a flash that winds up once it collides with a hard surface in the environment. Last for 1 second.
As the name suggests, this ability is a flash to blind the enemy and kill them while they are blinded by your flash. You can use this to outplay enemies or to enter the site while enemies are blinded. This one is very straightforward: it’s essentially a grenade that’s more helpful as a decoy than a lethal projectile.
You’re on the right track if you’re thinking of Call of Duty or CS:GO flashbangs. This is especially beneficial if you’ve managed to sneak up behind an enemy in a fight and blind them so your squad can finish them off. Keep in mind that you’ll have to bounce them off of walls. If you don’t, the flash won’t activate. However, when used correctly, they may equalize the odds in one-on-one situations and win you the losing round.
Blindside is one of the abilities that can make or break a good Yoru. There are many creative angles players can take to get an advantage over the enemy. For example, Yoru players are fond of bouncing Blindside to quickly peek at a dangerous corner.
Dimensional Drift
Equip his Ancestor’s mask with the ability to see between dimensions. Pressing fire will let you travel inside Yoru’s realm, unaffected and invisible to opponents on the outside. It lasts for 9 seconds. Yoru may use the Dimensional Drift to become completely invisible and travel across the area unobserved by adversaries, hiding his visual and audible presence up until you can flank the opponent.
You can simply pass through traps like Sova and Cipher’s devices in this state. With Dimensional Drift, you’re nearly untouchable as you penetrate the enemies’ defenses. Communicate with your squad to determine if you should be deployed as a diversion or as an offensive flanker. This ultimate can reward creative players and shift the round over to your side.
How to Play Yoru
Yoru is not like any other agents who rely on abilities to win. On the contrary, his abilities enable great players by placing them just where they need to be. Because of that, you really need to put more effort in order to justify Yoru’s slot in the team. You will burden your team without sufficient understanding since your abilities are inherently selfish.
But sometimes, even with preparation and planning, your execution will fail. That’s why it is especially crucial for Yoru players to have a good aim. Once you’re in the backline, you have a few precious seconds to take as many enemies out before you go down yourself.
Yoru is a trickster and great for deceiving opponents. So always take advantage of that.
For example, when playing on Icebox, set up your abilities to make the enemy think that you will go B. Now that they have rotated and one will surely overpush your spawn, focus on either the A site’s defender or the cheeky flanker. Doing so will most likely result in a free pick-off, letting your team claim A site uncontested. Then, you can plant and prepare against the retake.
While defending, you can place your Fakeouts to make enemies think you are rotating your team to the other site. But in reality, you’re waiting for them to push, leading to an easy ambush.
Gatecrash and Blindside is your bread and butter and you should always look to combo these two together.
For example, when attacking or defending a site, place your Gatecrash behind enemy lines. But before you teleport to it, throw your Blindside in the general direction of where your Gatecrash orb will land. It is difficult for your enemies to retaliate because they’ll take the blind if they wait for you to teleport. Whether they wait or ignore the gate, it’s always an awkward time for them.
Always save one charge of Fakeout for a one versus one situation. This gives you a winning advantage, especially because enemies will expect you to duel them when they’re defusing the spike. Before you push, use Fakeout to make enemies stop defusing then peak when they least expect it.
Yoru’s abilities need to be played with his team. If not, you’re just setting yourself up for failure. So when you’re playing Yoru, always communicate with your team and tell them what you’re going to do with your abilities so they can take the heat off your entrance.
Yoru relies on the help of his team, unlike Jett or Reyna, who can dash in and out even without their team.
His abilities are powerful when used correctly. He has a lot of many opportunities to outplay, and I expect more players to pick him up when the community understands him more. He has a very distinct role in the game, separating him from the other duelist.
Future Buffs
Yoru will receive many buffs this year, so now is a great time to invest in him. Fakeout will keep the fake footstep mechanic but will now include a clone decoy. Upon taking damage, it will wind up and explode, debuffing and flashing enemies caught by the blast.
Meanwhile, Gatecrash will have a lower range where enemies can see and hear it. But in return, it will also have 20% additional speed. In addition to this, he can now fake teleport using his Gatecrash, giving the same audio cue if enemies heard it.
Then Yoru’s Ultimate Dimensional Drift will allow you to use his other abilities while in the rift. In the hands of a skilled player, Yoru can control the game through deception and confusion. Even more so with his new tools. Keep in mind this rework is all subject to changes.
What are Good/Bad Maps for Yoru
Breeze is the perfect map for him. You can place Gatecrash on the other side of the map then teleport to it without obstacles breaking your line of sight. Generally, big maps like Breeze, Split, Icebox are good maps for Yoru.
In Split, you can put your Fakeouts on sewer to sell a fake rotate to B for the enemy team. Or you can do it the other way around; you can put it in the sewer to fake A rotate on a then go to B. As I said, the potential for mind games is limitless.
While on Icebox, you can put fakes on the other site, then put your Gatecrash on mid. Commit to one place first, then quickly teleport to the middle to catch them from behind.
On Bind, you can put Yoru’s Fakeout on the door; this forces the door to stay open. You can use this to surprise enemies who aren’t expecting an Agent to pass through the door. Yoru’s unique abilities can always set up unfamiliar situations for the enemies.
Who Synergizes/Counters Yoru
Sova is a fantastic teammate for Yoru. Paired with the best info gatherer in the game, Yoru can utilize Sova’s Recon Arrow and Drone to catch lone stragglers off guard. It feels like you’re stalking prey when played to their utmost potential.
Jett and Yoru make an annoying duo to fight against. Jett can dash on-site while Yoru uses Gatecrash to teleport on the opposite side. Enemies won’t know where to look, and they’ll break their necks, flicking from between Jett and Yoru. Jett and Yoru can exploit their indecisiveness and score quick and clean kills. Play fast and hard with these two.
On the enemy side, Cypher is the best Agent to counter Yoru. A well-placed tripwire can catch Yoru lurking on the sides. In addition, Cypher can tag Yoru with her camera before he uses his ultimate. If that happens, he will be highlighted even though he is inside his Dimensional Drift, effectively nullifying the ability.
What Guns Are Good/Bad for Yoru
In my opinion, Phantom is the best gun for Yoru. After teleporting behind enemies, you only have a few moments before they realize you’re behind them, especially with how loud the sound cue is. So Phantom’s first shot accuracy is crucial to getting a pick before they can kill you. Vandal is also an excellent alternative for taking a group of enemies.
On the other hand, don’t buy the Operator. There’s a slight delay before you can fire your gun when teleporting. In the worst-case scenario, the enemy will spot you during this delay. The Operator will not help you survive because you have to have quick reflexes. Just don’t take snipers for duelists in general.
I highly suggest you play rifles because Yoru needs to trade fast and efficiently to lead your team to win. You can use the Vandal for wide maps like Icebox, Breeze, and Phantom for close-range fights like Ascent and Haven.
FAQs
Question: Is Yoru good for Beginners?
Answer: No. You need to have impeccable mechanical and game sense to play Yoru. That is why people don’t pick Yoru on ranked or competitive events like the Valorant Masters. He usually has a 0% pick rate during significant events, unlike Jett, who has a 100% pick rate.
Question: Who is the Best Yoru Player?
Answer: Shroud was a professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player famous for his game presence and incredible shooting abilities. In 2018, the Canadian player left the professional esports scene to pursue a career as a full-time content creator, gaining massive popularity when PUBG was at its peak.
Shroud has served as a beacon for people interested in learning more about first-person shooters. He rapidly rose to become one of Valorant’s greatest, because of his near-perfect accuracy and immaculate understanding of ability utilization.
Players have tuned in to watch Shroud decimate with Yoru ever since he was released. With his inhuman ability to tap heads and his impeccable game sense, Yoru’s abilities enabled Shroud to do what he does best. As a result, Shroud on Yoru is always a fun time.
Ethos, signed by NRG as a streamer, is famous for his Yoru. He is a professional Valorant competitor and a very aggressive Yoru main. He is well-known for his unorthodox and risky play. Ethos never ceases to amaze his fans by almost miraculously surviving to fight another day.
Question: Isn’t Chamber Better than Yoru?
Answer: Chamber’s teleport and utilities are good, but Yoru’s flexibility and higher skill ceiling reward creative players more than Chamber. Yoru is unmatched when selling a fake push and creating space through flanking and fragging.
Yoru Valorant Guide: Conclusion
Remember to play Yoru with your team. Aim for flawless execution during gunfights and make the enemy doubt their own instinct. Yoru reward aggressive and creative players the most, so use all your abilities to catch your foes by surprise. Using this Yoru Valorant guide, raise his pick and win rate because he more than deserves it.