If you’re convinced that VALORANT’s newest agent Deadlock’s cocoon ultimate is broken, think again. One player has discovered a quirky counter to Annihilation, and it involves the use of a trickster ability which is popular among one-tricks in the game.
Apparently, you can trick Deadlock with Yoru’s decoy, Fakeout. Her seemingly overpowered Nanowire Accelerator treats the clone as a real player, causing the nanowires to wrap the fake Yoru into the deadly cocoon.
As it happens, GODSENT content creator Ailincia discovered the mechanic, posting a clip on June 25 from her stream showcasing how it works.
You can also destroy the nanowires to free the decoy, but it’s a small mechanic that seems pretty useless. A decoy can’t die, so it’s better to save your bullets (there’s a shortage already) to break past other Deadlock abilities.
As of now, there seems to be no way for Deadlock and her allies to know whether Annihilation wrapped up the decoy or the real player. This can lead to miscommunication, giving the enemy Yoru a huge advantage to capitalize.
Yoru isn’t a popular agent in VALORANT’s ranked mode, nor is he a frequent pick in pro play. But, with Deadlock’s release and players discovering this counter against her seemingly terrifying ultimate, it’s natural for Yoru fans to expect a positive change in his underwhelming pick rate.
Related: Yoru player shows off devious VALORANT trick that will only work once per match
Unfortunately, Yoru’s pick rate is unlikely to increase just because his Fakeout has the potential to cancel Deadlock’s most potent power. Annihilation can also be countered by dodging the pulse of nanowires, a trick that any agent can master. To top it off, it isn’t easy to hit a target with the pulse in the first place.
So, while Annihilation has a possible counter in Yoru’s kit, it isn’t the only one that players can adopt. Be that as it may, if you are stuck in a sticky situation as Yoru with Deadlock unleashing her ultimate, you can always use your Fakeout to easily dodge the pulse and punish her aggression.
VALORANT’s fifth sentinel launches with Episode Seven on June 27.
