After a significant amount of fan discourse within the VALORANT community, Riot has announced nerfs to Tejo. In the eyes of many, the Colombian initiator was one of the most broken agents in the game. In the upcoming Patch 10.09, VALORANT has announced major nerfs to all the abilities of Tejo. In this article, let’s take a look at the impact of the upcoming nerfs on in ranked mode and even in VALORANT Esports.
Tejo To Receive Nerfs In Patch VALORANT 10.09
Image Credits: Riot Games
Since the launch of Tejo, many fans have wanted the agent to be nerfed to the ground. A primary reason for this is that his abilities are some of the most broken ever seen in the game. His guided missiles allowed him the ability to send two damaging missiles anywhere within a radius of 55 meters in-game.
His ultimate is a done strike that will kill any enemy in its path of fire. He did receive a minor nerf during Patch 10.04 alongside Iso.
Recently, VALORANT announced the Patch Notes for Patch 10.08. Within that patch, there was no information on Tejo. This resulted in multiple debates within the VALORANT community questioning Riot Games’ awareness of the game’s state.
To respond to this in a post on X, Studio Head of VALORANT, Anna Donlon, stated the following:
“Tejo is getting nerfed in 10.09! Turns out – rockets – strong right now. And it creates situations where you don’t have effective ways to counter them. So, we’re taking some of the fuel out of his rockets and bringing him more in line with other Initiators.”
Following this, VALORANT released a video talking about the upcoming nerfs to Tejo. Below are some of the key points:
Rockets
- First rocket is free, can purchase a second rocket for 150 credits
- Map range reduced from 55m to 45m
- Rocket cooldown has been removed completely
Drone
- Price increased from 300 to 400 credits
Special Delivery Stun
- ▪️ Price decreased from 300 to 200 credits
Armageddon (Ult)
- Points increased from 8 to 9 ult orbs
This has been one of the harshest nerfs we have ever seen to a VALORANT agent since the last major nerf to Chamber back in 2022. In recent memory, the last time agent got multiple nerfs at once was Neon back in 2024.
Impact on VCT and the Ranked ladder
Image Credits: Riot Games
During V25 Act 2, agents in the competitive ladder who ranked Gold and above had a pick rate of 22.66% and a win rate of 49.13%. These stats are according to vstats.gg. According to the stats, Tejo was the second most picked initiator in the game after Sova. One point to note is that all initiator agents, except Skye, have an ability with a cooldown. This means that after a certain amount of time, players can reuse the ability.
Tejo’s signature ability, Guided Salvo, also used to have a cooldown. However, following Patch 10.09, he will no longer have it. This could mean that we may see Tejo alongside Skye in the pickrate numbers. During V25 ACT 2, Skye had the second-lowest pick rate among initiators, behind Kay/0.
If we examine VALORANT Esports, the script is simply flipped on its head. Below is a list of events that Tejo had the highest pick rate since launch, alongside its pick rate %:
- VALORANT Masters Bangkok: 56%
- VCT CN Stage 1: 70%
- VCT Pacific Stage 1:63%
- VCT Americas Stage 1: 64%
The only VCT League where Tejo was not in first place on agent pick rates was VCT EMEA. Tejo was second only behind Omen. With the ongoing issues at the venue, only time will tell if we will see Tejo take over the pick rate at that event.
Following the nerfs, it won’t be wrong to predict that agents like Breach, Kay/0, and Gekko might see an increase in pick rate. Tejo will now primarily be used as an initiator to delay the defuse during the post plant, somewhat like the all-rounder he currently is. Only time will tell the full impact of the Patch 10.09 nerf on Tejo.