On May 1, Riot Games released a video detailing upcoming changes to the agent Tejo, which will take effect in patch 10.09. The long-awaited nerf of the agent has become a hot topic of discussion. The community is divided: some are pleased, while others are puzzled by the developers' goals. In this article, we will thoroughly examine the upcoming changes, share our own opinions, and discuss the reactions of pro players.

Tejo Changes

Let's start with some general information about the agent. Tejo is an initiator agent, whose primary role is to detect opponents and put them in an uncomfortable position. Below is a brief description of his abilities and the changes:

Stealth Drone (C) — Tejo deploys an invisible drone that, upon final activation, detects opponents, marks them on the map, highlights them, and applies a disabling effect on abilities for 4 seconds.

• Cost increased from 300 to 400.

Special Delivery (Q) — Tejo fires a bomb that stuns opponents if they are within the blast radius. Using alternate fire allows the bomb to bounce off surfaces.

• Cost reduced from 300 to 200.

Guided Salvo (E) — Tejo launches up to two rockets that create a pulse damage radius for 4 ticks.

• 1 rocket per charge, with a total of 2 charges.
• The first charge is free, and the second charge costs 150.
• Range reduced from 55m to 45m.
• Rocket reload removed.

Armageddon (X) — A bombardment moving along a set trajectory, inflicting massive damage.

• Cost increased from 8 to 9.

The Need for Tejo's Nerf

The nerf to Tejo was absolutely necessary, and Riot Games responded to the community's requests quite swiftly. But what was wrong with the agent?

With Tejo's release in patch 10.00, VALORANT faced an escalating problem of "ability overload." This refers to a situation where abilities provide too much advantage over gunplay, allowing teams to completely push opponents off positions, rendering one of the game's core elements — shooting — meaningless. Consequently, the tactical shooter gameplay began to resemble Overwatch.

Tejo's introduction only exacerbated this trend. His Guided Salvo ability, in particular, was frustrating, as it allowed two molotovs to be launched every 40 seconds from a significant distance. This led to the agent being picked on all maps, giving teams a substantial advantage.

Opinion on Tejo's Nerf

The weakening of Tejo was not unexpected — on the contrary, it was a much-needed and timely change. However, alongside the joy, the community questioned why such a strong agent was released only to be hit with a major nerf immediately after.

This approach seems unusual, as developers previously preferred to nerf agents gradually, unlike in this situation.

Tejo's strength lay in the endless spam of Guided Salvo. The changes coming in the next patch significantly weaken the hero, as his entire concept revolved around this ability. The other changes only further "buried him."

In our view, this nerf is excessive. A more gentle approach should have been taken, monitoring gameplay trends. Initially, it would have been enough to remove the rocket reload and increase the points required for the ultimate ability — the other changes seem unnecessary.

What Do Pro Players Think?

As mentioned earlier, the community is divided on whether such a strong weakening of the agent was truly necessary. Judging by the reactions of pro players, there are two positions: some approached the changes with a cool head and noted that the nerf was excessive — as if the hero was removed from the game entirely. Others, on the contrary, were simply pleased with the upcoming patch, without delving into the details.

Aspas from MIBR jokingly mentioned in his X profile about his newfound "freedom" and celebrated his "return."

Regarding this Tejo nerf, I can only say one thing: I am free... I'm back.

Heretics player Wo0t shared a simple and short message.

Tejo is dead, I am insanely happy!

MAGNUM from BBL Esports briefly commented on the developers' actions.

It's funny, they made everyone play Tejo, and now they've made everyone stop playing him. Although I'm still glad, this character shouldn't have been added in the first place.

Former professional player TenZ gave a more detailed reaction in his profile and was completely happy with the change.

Simply great, I really like these changes. Now you really have to think about how to use the rockets, rather than just throwing them around blindly for anything. This also solves the post-plant situation problem; now you have to choose: spend rockets on entering the plant or save them for post-plant, not both. Plus, it's much more enjoyable to bait his rockets now. Great job, Riot, the changes are awesome!

Despite many positive comments about the nerf, some pro players expressed doubts about its appropriateness. For instance, NAVI player ANGE1 noted that, in his opinion, this nerf seems absurd.

They do realize that now no one will even consider playing him, right? What kind of balancing is this? It's not like we have hundreds of agents to just write one off the game.

Boaster simply bid farewell to the agent from El Salvador in his post.

After this change, in my opinion, there's only one map left where he's still somewhat playable — and that's Fracture... which is also being removed. Goodbye, Tejo.

Content creator for DRX and analyst LotharHS expressed dissatisfaction with the upcoming changes.

These changes to Tejo essentially kill him.

If the team doesn't manage to prepare a completely new strategy for the map where they used to play with Tejo, I think he won't be used at the professional level anymore.

He was a dominant pick in the pro scene due to his versatility. Now that versatility is gone, and everything has become more expensive to use. In my opinion, these changes are too harsh.

My hot take — we won't see him picked at the Masters at all. Oh, and about the ranking: yeah, good luck playing him there, haha.

Strategic coach for G2 Esports Anderzz first mocked the developers' actions, calling it "Classic Riot meta cycle" and shared his idea for nerfing Tejo.

Here's how I would change Tejo, considering the direction the development team is heading:

All current changes

Increase rocket radius by about 30%, while keeping the inner radius for damage calculation unchanged

Same damage, but distributed over 2 pulses instead of 3
This would allow Tejo to still threaten an area of control over a reasonable space but reduce the window during which this threat is active.

He would win less time in post-plant due to the reduced number of pulses and shorter overall duration, and the opportunities for "checkmate" positions would require more precise execution for the same reason.

Conclusion

The nerf to Tejo has sparked widespread discussion among both players and the professional community. Whether the agent will remain in the meta — only time will tell. In the meantime, stay tuned for updates and read our other materials to ensure you don't miss anything important. You can do so by following this link.