Yamato is one of the hardest Deadlock characters. She is melee range assassin with great mobility. This character has one one the highest DPS. If you master her, she will be the best 1vs9 character. 

In this guide for Yamato, we will cover the following aspects:

• Strengths and weaknesses of the hero
• Current build and ability upgrades
  
• Best synergies
  

How to Play Yamato

Yamato is a really great farm character. Push lane, get souls and rotate to farm jungle camps. You have to purchase your core items as fast as possible. When you already have the items, you can look for different targets, doesn't matter tank or squishy character. Your goal in mid and late game is annihilating enemy carries as assassin. Yamato is very aggressive, so you have to always look for some plays. You have to always dominate by gold lead (4000+). In late game you easily get objectives and force fights. But in the first 10-20 games it would be hard to play in team fights, it’s not bad, Yamato is really hard character to play. 

Strengths:

1. One of the strongest duelist
2. High mobility, great potential to chase enemies
3. One of the highest DPS
   
4. Mastering her is high-rewarding
   

Weaknesses:

1. Close-range combat character
2. Requires much space to be strong
   
3. She is easy to kill
   

Yamato’s Abilities

Build and Ability Progression

Early Game:

• Hollow Point Ward
• Mystic Burst
•  Mystic Shot
  
• Extra Health
  
• Melee Lifesteal
  
• Spirit Strike
  
• Sprint Boots
  
• High-Velocity Mag
  

Mid-Game:

• Torment Pulse
• Mystic Vulnerability
  
• Kinetic Dash
  
• Soul Shredder Bullets
  
• Enduring Speed
  
• Improved Burst
  
• Cold Front
  
• Refresher
  

Late Game:

• Warp Stone
• Point Blank
  
• Superior Cooldown
  
• Healing Booster
  
• Mystic Reverb
  
• Surge of Power
  

This is the optimal build for more spirit power. Remember, you can change your items depending on the situation.

Best Hero Combinations:

Characters like Kalvin are good supports, so they are good with hyper carry like Yamato. Warden is close-range as well, but he has insane AOE control. Each teammate with CC is good for Yamato, her DPS allows to kill targets during CC effect. 

Counters:

1. Kelvin
2. Haze
   
3. Warden
   

Kelvin is the best counter for sure. His abilities are too strong against Yamato. Other characters like Haze or Warden can punish her during ultimate casting.

Example of a Game on Yamato

You can watch this game to get a clear idea of how the hero works and pick up useful tips. You'll also see how to play your laning phase, press keys, farm and rotate.

Conclusion

Yamato is a high-risk, high-reward character designed for players who enjoy mastering complex, aggressive playstyles. With her incredible mobility and powerful damage potential, she can dominate enemies, especially in 1v1 situations. However, her reliance on being in close-range combat and needing space to thrive makes her difficult to play effectively, especially in early games. Mastering Yamato requires patience, learning her abilities, and optimizing her build. Once mastered, she becomes a lethal force, capable of carrying games by quickly assassinating key targets and capitalizing on her high DPS. With the right synergies and timing, she can lead teams to victory, though counter-picks like Kelvin pose a significant threat. Keep practicing, focus on her strengths, and Yamato will become an unstoppable force in your arsenal.