VALORANT might kill Tejo with upcoming Patch 10.09 nerfs

1 May

Ganesh Jadhav

Launched at the start of 2025, Tejo quickly cemented himself as one of VALORANT’s most dominant agent releases in recent memory. At Masters Bangkok 2025, Tejo boasted a staggering 56% pick rate while proving to be viable on every single map.

With his overpowering ability to flush out areas with ease, community calls for a nerf grew louder — and now it seems Riot Games has finally listened. With the upcoming Patch 10.09, Tejo will receive significant nerfs to his kit.

Let’s look at the nerfs and whether or not they appear appropriate.

VALORANT Patch 10.09 Tejo Nerfs

According to Ryan “Rycou” Cousart, Balance Designer for VALORANT, Tejo’s ability to deploy salvos repeatedly throughout a round felt unhealthy. The lack of counterplay — especially when used from safe distances — made him frustrating to face. These nerfs are designed to directly address that.

Armageddon (Ultimate Ability)

- - Ult points required: 7 >>> 8

Stealth Drone (Basic Ability)

- - Cost: 300 >>> 400

Special Delivery (Basic Ability)

- - Cost: 300 >>> 200

Guided Salvo (Signature Ability)

- Rockets per charge: 2 >>> 1
- Total charges: 2 (1 free, second costs 150 credits)
- No recharge

Will the Nerfs Kill Tejo?

The nerfs undeniably curb the oppressive nature of Guided Salvo. Previously, Tejo could effortlessly force entries and control post-plants — flushing defenders out of positions without the need for direct confrontation.

Now, players must choose their angles carefully and deploy Salvos more thoughtfully. The days of spamming the ability without consequence are over.

However, the nerf feels heavy-handed, particularly toward Guided Salvo. Removing the recharge and limiting Tejo’s signature to just two rockets per round strips away much of what made him unique.

On defense especially, the agent’s value diminishes considerably, forcing players to rely purely on mechanical skill. Agents like Sova and KAY/O, who provide consistent value on both attack and defense, are likely to reclaim their place in the meta.

While reducing the rockets per charge was a fair adjustment, completely removing the recharge leaves Tejo lacking a clear identity compared to other initiators.

A more balanced adjustment might have been increasing the cooldown between rockets and reducing their total damage. This would have curbed spammability while introducing some much needed counterplay.

Hopefully, Riot will re-evaluate these changes before Patch 10.09 goes live. As it stands, these nerfs risk pushing Tejo out of viability entirely moving forward.

Featured Image Credits: Riot Games // VALORANT