Honestly, the Valorant meta just got a massive kick in the teeth. If you’ve been living under a rock, Riot recently dropped Agent 27, Tejo, and he’s not exactly the "Sova-lite" everyone expected. Hailing from Colombia, this veteran intelligence consultant has basically turned the Initiator role upside down by trading traditional flashes for raw, explosive pressure.
He’s a man of action. Literally.
The most jarring thing about Tejo isn’t just his Colombian flair or his well-dressed aesthetic; it’s how much he forces you to play "guns down." Unlike a Breach who can flash and swing instantly, Tejo is more of a puppet master. You’re looking at a map, you’re guiding drones, and you’re calling in literal airstrikes. It’s a cerebral way to play a tactical shooter, and quite frankly, it’s frustrating a lot of Duelist mains who just want to hold W.
What Most People Get Wrong About Tejo
Everyone is trying to play Tejo like he’s Skye or Gekko. He isn't. If you’re throwing his utility just to get a "hit" or a reveal, you’re wasting half the kit.
His kit is designed for displacement. It’s about making the enemy move or die. Period.
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Take his signature, Guided Salvo. You pull up an AR targeting system and pick two spots on the map. Rockets fly in and pulse for damage—70 damage per tick, actually. If an enemy stays in a corner, they’re dead in two pulses. The goal isn't necessarily to get the kill; it's to force the enemy out of a powerful angle so your Neon or Jett can clean them up while they're running for their lives.
The Stealth Drone is a Game Changer
Let’s talk about the Stealth Drone. This thing is fascinating. It’s invisible at long range, which is a massive middle finger to anyone holding a long angle with an Outlaw or Operator.
- It’s not just a recon tool. While it does reveal, the real power is the suppression pulse.
- Neutralizing Sentinels: If you time it right, you can suppress a Killjoy or a Cypher right as your team hits the site, turning their expensive utility into paperweights.
- Information is secondary: As Riot developer Ryan Cousart mentioned during development, the suppression is the "why" for this drone. The info is just a nice bonus.
The "Let's Fight" Button: Special Delivery
If the rest of his kit feels a bit slow, Special Delivery is the exception. It’s a sticky grenade. You throw it, it sticks to a wall (or a person, if you're feeling spicy), and it concusses anyone in the blast.
It’s his only "reactive" tool. If someone is pushing you, you don't have time to pull out a map. You chuck the grenade. You can even right-click to make it bounce once before sticking, which has already led to some absolutely disgusting lineups on maps like Bind and Haven. People are already finding ways to bounce it off the teleporter doors or over the "back site" walls.
Why his Ultimate, Armageddon, is Terrifying
Tejo’s ultimate is basically a "Delete This Lane" button. You select a start and end point on the map, and a wave of explosions rolls through that path.
It’s not like a Brimstone ult that stays in one circle. It moves.
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This makes it arguably the best post-plant or anti-defuse tool in the game right now. If you’re trying to stick a defuse and an Armageddon is rolling toward you, you have two choices: leave the spike or die. Most people choose to live, which is why Tejo’s win rate in clutch scenarios is currently through the roof.
Is He Actually Broken?
The community is split. On Reddit, you’ll see some players calling him "busted" because he completely counters the Killjoy meta. One Guided Salvo can destroy a Lockdown through walls. That’s a huge shift.
But then you have the solo-queue perspective.
Tejo is weak in solo gunfights. He has no flash. No "get out of jail free" card like a Dash or a Dimiss. If you get caught with your targeting map out, you’re toast. He requires a level of team communication that you just don't find in Silver 2. You need a team that actually waits for your rockets to land before they peek.
How to Actually Win with Tejo
If you want to stop bottom-fragging with him, you need to change your mindset.
- Stop being the first one in. You are the brain, not the brawn. Stay alive so you can use your utility to help the retake.
- Combo with movement. Tejo pairs insanely well with Neon or Raze. Your rockets force the enemy to move; their speed catches them while they’re mid-animation.
- Learn the map targeting. You should know exactly where the common "cubbies" are on every site. You shouldn't be "guessing" where to put your rockets.
- Use the Drone for suppression, not just scouting. If you see a Sentinel setup, don't just ping it. Suppress it.
Tejo isn't a "braindead" agent. He’s a tactical tool that rewards players who actually use their brains and look at the mini-map. He’s already seeing high pick rates in pro play, especially on maps with tight chokepoints like Split and Sunset.
The learning curve is steep, but once you start landing those double-missile kills on people hiding in corners, you'll see why Riot added him. He’s not here to play fair; he’s here to flush them out.
Next Steps for Mastery
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To really get the most out of Tejo, you should jump into a custom game on Haven and practice bouncing Special Delivery grenades into the "default" plant spots. Understanding the bounce physics is the difference between a wasted cooldown and a round-winning play. Once you have the timing down, start practicing the "Guided Salvo" delay—learn exactly how long it takes for the missiles to land so you can call the exact moment your Duelist should peek. This coordination is what separates a Gold Tejo from an Immortal one.