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Valorant’s Episode 2 Act 2 is well on its way, but it doesn’t seem that Yoru is doing all that well in the new Act, especially after Astra’s release.
Though Yoru sees a decent pick rate in the lower competitive ranks, he hardly ever sees the light of day in the upper echelons of the ladder.
According to Blitz.gg, Yoru has a 0% pick rate in the Radiant rank, making it even worse than Viper’s, who has been holding on to the mantle of “the least popular Agent” for so long.
Previously (soon after his release during Episode 2 Act 1), there was a discussion about how the Valorant pros did not feel that Yoru’s kit synergizes well with the other Agents. He had a terrible pick rate on some of the biggest competitive stages, and his unfavorable condition transcended to the Radiant ranks as well, as he did not get a single pick in the new Act.
During the recent Valorant Champions Tour games, Yoru had a 0.8% pick rate with a win rate of 40.4%. It would seem that the buff he received during patch 2.03 did not help enough to make him a favorable choice for professional players.
On the other hand, Viper had a surprising 2.1% pick rate, making her significantly more popular on the competitive stage than what she used to be.
Problems with Valorant’s Yoru
When Yoru was first introduced in the game, Riot made it a point to sell him as an Agent who could replace some existing meta duelists like Phoenix and Reyna, in both pro-play and traditional matchmaking.
Yoru came with utility, a teleport, and the ability to outplay the opponent by faking footsteps. The Valorant devs have given his kit enough power to make him a potent replacement or even a counter to the other meta duelists, or at least that was the case in theory.
In practice, however, Yoru did do the job of many agents, but he did not do it that well. His flash is relatively weak compared to Phoenix and Skye, and his Fakeout footsteps hardly ever fool the enemies, especially when up against those who have a lot of Valorant game time.
These are some of the reasons why Yoru feels so underwhelming in the higher competitive tiers. To an experienced player, this kit is filled with nothing but party tricks that shock and awe the “hardstucks” in Bronze and Iron.
To make Yoru relevant in the higher elos, Riot will need to make some serious upgrades to significant parts of his kit. Making the flash stronger and providing Fakeout with more quality of life upgrades might just do the trick.
However, it's hard to tell if a straight-up buff will help Yoru, or if the Valorant devs need to rework a part of his kit.
