How to play Yoru like TenZ in VALORANT

Top-tier professional VALORANT is all about set plays and discipline, with VCT teams preferring to take well-thought, foolproof approaches. Naturally, when Sentinels’ Tyson “TenZ” Ngo chose to go with Yoru in the decider map of their high-stakes LCQ series against 100 Thieves on July 16, I was a bit shocked—so was everyone in the audience.

That being said, my smile only got bigger with every round that TenZ massacred 100 Thieves with Yoru’s entertaining kit. The underrated duelist is sensitive to team coordination, something which Sentinels have managed to master with their composition on the Bind map.

It has always bugged me that Yoru isn’t picked enough in the professional scene. The Japanese trickster has a lot to offer with his versatile teleports, sharp flashes, and reactive decoy. Still, he isn’t easy to master and find value with, which is why most teams steer clear of him.

An aspiring Yoru main can learn tremendously from TenZ’s phenomenal performance and Sentinels’ perfect execution revolving around his moves. I am here to break down some of those impressive strategies you can adopt for your VALORANT games.

Learn how to win with Yoru like TenZ in VALORANT

Let’s begin with some ground rules that TenZ and other successful Yoru mains have. Coordination is important when it comes to playing Yoru. So, fix your broken microphone before you instalock him.

If you have a working microphone, make sure to hold down the V key (Team Voice) and share your idea before the round begins. The last thing your team needs is for you to teleport into a site with no support and die to an enemy stationed near your Gatecrash’s portal.

Remember that you’ll teleport way before your teammates can reach to help. If you’re looking for support, you must time the Gatecrash according to the team’s movement. Also, try not to team flash; it’s annoying and detrimental to the round outcome.

Related: How to fix VALORANT voice chat not working

Now that you know the basics, let’s check out some of TenZ’s Yoru tricks in detail.

How TenZ managed to destroy 100 Thieves with VALORANT’s most ignored duelist

On the series’ third and deciding map, Bind, Sentinels chose to go with a risky, aggressive team composition, featuring Yoru, Raze, Skye, Viper, and Brimstone. TenZ wasn’t the only one with a surprise Yoru pick, however. 100 Thieves’ Asuna picked Yoru too, but in a solo duelist composition, featuring him, Skye, Harbor, Brimstone, and Chamber.

Now, Yoru isn’t the best choice for a solo duelist composition; let 100 Thieves’ first mistake be a lesson for you. He is a pseudo-duelist and more effective as a secondary entry fragger.

Raze is a great duelist to pair with him, and so is Jett. Just make sure you have a space-creating duelist on your team for support when you undertake a few risks by engaging in opening fights.

During Sentinels’ attack on Bind, TenZ was majorly seen seeking to take control of Bind’s Showers area. But first, he sent in a Gatecrash portal toward B Lobby before the round starts to escape if things get messy. It’s important to avoid giving the enemy an opening with your death, and Yoru’s Gatecrash is designed to help you escape: Use it.

If you’re someone who likes to lurk as a duelist despite your team’s protests, Yoru is the agent for you.

Not only did Sentinels’ star player manage to win gun fights, he quickly returned to join the team whenever they needed him. When on Bind, taking control of Showers is important for a successful attack execution on A Site, and TenZ helped Sentinels achieve that with Yoru, whenever needed.

Asuna couldn’t do the same; communication and well-crafted strategies were evidently missing on 100 Thieves’ side. In other words, not only did TenZ “diff” Asuna quite hard, but it was a total team “diff,” to be precise.

Despite being a “duelist,” TenZ offered immense support with Yoru’s very flexible Blindside, allowing his teammates to peek off his flashes and secure frags.

In one instance, during defense, TenZ threw a Blindside from the defender spawn entrance which hit the Radianite boxes in A Site to flash 100 Thieves’ Derrek holding default plant. Marved, who was positioned in A Bath, took the opportunity to peek and secure Derrek’s kill.

In another instance, TenZ and Sacy (Skye) grouped up in B Long to play double pop flash off Marved’s Brimstone smoke and managed to pick 100 Thieves’ Stellar with their play.

Double flashes may seem wasteful, but when used properly, it’s difficult to dodge two flashes one after the other. You can use Skye’s hawk for the information and then pop Yoru’s Blindside to take your enemies by surprise.

Initiator flashes are slightly easier to dodge than that of duelists like Yoru and Phoenix. Yoru’s Blindside is particularly difficult to avoid as its projectile can be bent off objects. You can use this mechanic to craft nasty pop flashes. Sentinels made sure to capitalize on this advantage with incredibly coordinated plays. TenZ even had lineups for Blindside, something you can also learn if you seek to become the best.

Lastly, let’s talk about Yoru’s ultimate, Dimensional Drift; it’s hands down one of the most powerful ultimates in VALORANT and TenZ managed to use it perfectly against 100 Thieves.

Dimensional Drift is great for scouting the site and tightly-spaced zones, and hence, is a god’s send for Bind’s A Lamps and B Hookah. It’s like Sova’s Owl Drone, but it’s indestructible and lasts longer, making Yoru a great intel gatherer in the absence of initiator agents.

Whenever his ultimate was online, TenZ wasted no opportunity clearing critical map spaces and offering valuable information to his team. If you’re going to do the same, make sure to keep a Gatecrash portal at a safe spot, so if you’re unable to exit the ultimate safely or secure a kill in the midst of nowhere, you can teleport back.

As you may have noticed from the game, it all boils down to communicating your moves clearly with the team. TenZ managed to calculate every single aspect beforehand, helping his team by creating space and securing major blood. His synergy with Zekken on Raze was astonishing, enough to counter 100 Thieves’ lackluster defense.

Related: The factor separating VALORANT’s best from the rest—but even Fnatic haven’t perfected it

That being said, TenZ also took a few independent, risky fights, where he used his Fakeout (clone) incredibly well. If you do decide to venture alone with a motive to secure sneaky frags, don’t hesitate to use the clone as a defense mechanism.

You can put down Fakeout on the ground and then deploy it later to trick enemies of your positioning—an important mechanic to keep in mind for your VALORANT games.