Why the new Tejo nerfs will have a massive impact on Valorant

Riot Games has announced the heavy nerfs Tejo will receive in the new Valorant patch, and while some players are happy and feel the changes are overdue, others feel the changes will have an outsized impact on those who still want to play the agent.

Riot is known to nerf agents if they deem them too powerful in order to make the game more balanced and fair for everyone. The speedy Neon was nerfed in Valorant patch 9.11 after countless requests by players who claimed she was overpowered. The same is now the case with the Colombian initiator Tejo, and many fans have requested Riot decrease his strength.

Riot studio head Anna Donlon recently talked about upcoming Tejo nerfs while announcing the Valorant replay system’s release date. This had many fans excited as Tejo is arguably impossible to fully counter. Riot has now announced the changes the initiator will be going through and fans are divided as to whether the developer did the right thing or has made Tejo near to useless.

Tejo has been significantly overerpowered

Riot has made changes to everything from Tejo’s ultimate to his map range to made him significantly weaker after the agent developed a reputation for being overpowered.

Riot announced how it would change Tejo’s abilities to address complaints that it was too hard to counter the initiator. His ultimate Armageddon will now require nine points to unlock compared to the previous eight. The agent’s Stealth Drone will cost 100 credits more, leaving players having to spend 400 credits to use it. Riot did decrease the cost of Tejo’s Special Delivery by 100, perhaps to compensate for the Stealth Drone. But overall his combined abilities will be more available less often.

One of the bigger changes has been made to Tejo’s Guided Salvo. After Valorant patch 10.09 Tejo will only be allowed to use one rocket per charge, but he will now have two charges. The rockets won’t be recharged after 40 seconds and the first charge will be free. Players will have to spend 150 credits for the second charge if they want to use the rocket again. Tejo’s reach with the Guided Salvo rocket has also decreased from 55m to 45m.

These significant changes are an attempt to make the game better balanced. But they will have a lasting impact as many fans think the initiator agent has become almost useless. The increase in cost to use his abilities is a deal-breaker for many. This is especially the case with pro players, as in pro play even a small increase can change the math significantly.

Tejo mains may opt to use a different agent to circumvent these nerfs. Fans may also see fewer pros using the Colombian agent on the pro Valorant tours. For fans of pro play, this is likely a welcome change, as Tejo has become an almost necessary staple in pro play.