Tejo’s rise and fall: Analyzing the agent’s pick rate from Bangkok to Toronto

At VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Bangkok 2025, Tejo wasn’t just a popular pick, he was the centerpiece of the tournament meta. With a staggering 45.19% pick rate across 16 matches, Tejo emerged as the single most-picked agent, edging out longtime staples like Omen (43.27%) and Yoru (37.50%). Tejo’s dominance wasn’t just about his frequency of selection; it was about how successfully he was integrated into top-tier team compositions.

The standout lineup - Breach, Omen, Viper, Yoru, Tejo - was run 7 times and won 6 of those, a testament to its balance of map control, initiation power, and kill pressure. In fact, 6 of the top 7 most used compositions in Bangkok featured Tejo, often paired with Breach or other secondary initiators like Fade and Skye.

His utility, particularly his powerful recon Stealth Drone) and area-denial Guided Salvo, allowed him to both initiate engagements and stall defenses with brutal efficiency. This flexibility proved irresistible for pro teams and problematic for game balance.

Riot’s Response: The Patch That Broke the Meta

Recognizing the meta-warping presence Tejo had become, Riot intervened with a sweeping nerf in Patch 10.09 ahead of VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025.

Most notably, his Guided Salvo received a drastic overhaul: the ability was made more expensive and limited by a new charge-based system, losing its cooldown mechanic entirely.

In addition, the Stealth Drone and Special Delivery saw cost adjustments, while his ultimate, Armageddon, became more expensive at 9 ult points instead of 8.

These changes weren’t small tuning tweaks, they were systemic overhauls that altered how Tejo could be used on both attack and defense. No longer a plug-and-play option for almost any composition, he became a high-risk, niche agent requiring more deliberate planning.

From Top Pick to Fringe Pick: Toronto’s Tejo Drought

At Masters Toronto, the effect of the nerfs was immediate and devastating. Tejo’s pick rate nosedived to just 3.29%, a fall from grace that left him virtually absent from the tournament meta.

Out of 24 total matches, Tejo appeared only five times, and only three teams - Gen.G Esports, G2 Esports, and Sentinels - attempted to incorporate him. Of those three, only G2 found any success, managing to win a single map with Tejo in the lineup.

The results painted a stark picture: while still theoretically viable, Tejo was no longer competitive enough to justify his place in most compositions. While G2’s IGL Jacob "valyn" Batio suggested that “he still has the best drone in the game by far,” even that praise wasn’t enough to spark a revival. His once-feared toolkit had lost its versatility, and teams weren’t willing to gamble on him when other initiators offered proven consistency.

A Return to Familiar Ground

With Tejo effectively out of the meta, the vacuum he left behind was quickly filled by more traditional options. Omen reclaimed the top spot with a dominant 63.82% pick rate, while Viper surged into second at 49.34%. The initiator role itself underwent a philosophical shift: from the double-Initiator comps that defined Bangkok’s chaos to single-Initiator setups focused on precision and predictability.

Sova (40.79%) and Fade (30.92%) saw increased usage, highlighting a return to fundamentals. These agents didn’t need overwhelming utility to shine; they just worked. Team comps like Raze, Omen, Viper, Killjoy, Fade and Omen, Viper, Sova, Jett, Killjoy became the norm, favoring balance and tactical diversity over brute-force initiator spam.

Conclusion

Tejo’s dramatic rise and fall across VALORANT’s last two Masters events underscores the delicate balance between innovation and stability in competitive play. From meta-defining powerhouse to fringe specialist, Tejo’s story is a reminder that strong agents need constraints, and the health of the game often demands tough decisions. While his drone still holds promise, the meta has moved on for now.

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Featured Image Source: Riot Games