Yesterday's conclusion of VCT 2024: EMEA Kickoff marked a sudden rise in the popularity of the character Yoru in the world of professional Valorant. According to tournament data, the peak frequency of this agent, previously remaining in the shadows, reached an astonishing 21%.

Yoru, a character from Japan and first added to Valorant in January 2021, had long not attracted the attention of professional players. His peak frequency at the Champions 2023 tournament was only 4%, and in the regional leagues EMEA and PACIFIC, it did not exceed 4% and 1% respectively. In the Americas league, he didn't even appear.

However, this time the situation has changed. During the VCT 2024: EMEA Kickoff, Yoru suddenly became the object of increased interest. His peak frequency in PACIFIC reached 13%, and in the Americas it was 9%, significantly exceeding previous figures.

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Yoru's rise in popularity is associated with changes in the game's meta. In particular, the popularity of the agent Brimstone is growing, thanks to his teleportation through "Gate Crush" and improvements to "Cypher Wire" traps. The combination has also become in demand, considering the effective combination of "Toxic Screen" and "Blind Side" by Viper. Currently, 4 out of 11 EMEA teams and 6 out of 11 PACIFIC teams include Yoru in their lineups, making him an integral part of the current meta.

In conclusion, the VCT 2024: EMEA Kickoff tournament not only showed a sharp increase in interest in Yoru but also paved the way for new strategies and team compositions.