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Deadlock’s Yamato is one of the toughest heroes to master, as she relies heavily on skill shots and timed engagements, which are some of the key traits one can learn by spending hours in the game. Besides, her kit is tailored for aggressive plays, as she excels at flanking squishy targets in the enemy backline. Yamato can also deal with multiple opponents, asshe can heal herselfand turn invincible once her Ultimate is available.
Needless to say, her Spirit build yields the best result and scales better towards the end, as opposed to stacking Weapon items. Here are the most important things you need to make the most of Yamato’s kit inDeadlock.
Yamato isone of the close-rangeDeadlockheroesthat also scales exponentially in the late game. With the right build, she can eliminate a squishy target with a single charged-up slash from her katana. However, she could truly test your dedication, having a higher skill ceiling than any other character on the roster. You need to be precise with your skills, or else you lose out on the explosive damage from the hero.
Consider learning the true extent of her strength to execute successful flanks. More often than not, beginners shy away from chasing down enemies, but it is the risky engagements that highlight the potential of this indomitable combatant. It is true that Yamato isn’t as versatile asDeadlockheroes like Pocket, but her playstyle feels fresh once she starts to scale.
Ability Effects
Power Slash (1)
Channel to increase damage over 1.5 seconds, then release a fully-charged sword strike. Press 1 or left-click to trigger the strike early, dealing partial damage.
Cooldown: 8.5s
Flying Strike (2)
Throw a grappling hook to reel yourself towards an enemy, damaging and slowing the target when you arrive.
Range: 20m
Cooldown: 21s
Damage: 70 (x0.7 Spirit)
Crimson Slash (3)
Slash enemies in front of you, damaging them and slowing their fire rate. If any enemy heroes are hit, you heal.
Range: 13m
Cooldown: 11.5s
Damage: 60 (x0.4 Spirit)
Heal on hero hit: 70 (x1.1 Spirit)
Shadow Transformation (4)
Become infused with Yamato’s shadow soul. After an initial invincible transformation, your abilities are refreshed and are 60% faster, and you gain damage resistance and immunity to negative status effects. You are unable to die in this mode.
Cooldown: 106s
Duration: 4s
Deadlock Yamato Build
Yamato grows significantly stronger as you collect more souls to level up her abilities. Additionally, itemization in every game phase is key to winning those frequent lane engagements throughout the course of the battle. Since Yamato is a squishy hero, she does require extra care at the beginning.
Yamato Ability Progression
Withevery hero inDeadlock, your target should be to prioritize certain abilities in the early phase and eventually raise all of them at the end. While playing as Yamato, you must upgrade thePower Slashfirst to harass opponents in the lane using the ranged projectile. Rush this ability to 2 AP after unlocking theCrimson Slashto take advantage of the movement reduction passive.
Also, upgrade theFlying Striketo 2 AP, effectively increasing Yamato’s flanking potential with the extra 20m Cast Range. Having met these basic requirements, go ahead and allocate the rest of the points toCrimson SlashandShadow Transformationequally.
Yamato Item Build
Yamato scales exponentially towards the end-game with aSpirit build inDeadlockas her abilities deal massive damage as you level them up. But she also needs a few Weapon and Vitality items to survive in the early lanes. you may then stack most of the Spirit items, like Duration Extender and Improved Cooldown, making her abilities more reliable and effective.
Early game
Mid game
Late game
PurchaseHigh-Velocity Magto gain bullet velocity and weapon damage. Yamato’s basic attack is quite powerful at close range, and the item will make it effective at a distance. The extra bullet velocity will make it easier for her to get the last hit on the minions and their souls. TheHollow Point Wardis another solid item to get early to significantly boost the hero’s weapon damage.
Additionally, pick upExtra RegenandHealing Riteto improve Yamato’s survivability.Spirit LifestealandHealbaneare some of the essential Vitality items to get later on to boost her self-healing while reducing her opponent’s rejuvenation. For more offensive strength, purchaseDeadlockitems likeSoul Shredder BulletsandMystic Shot. The Soul Shredder Bullets in particular inflict a debuff on a target, amplifying the Spirit Damage they receive, so Power Slash and Crimson Slash after a basic attack will hit like a truck.
Since Yamato scales heavily on Spirit Damage, you might want to getSpirit StrikeandMystic Burstwithin the first few minutes into the lane. Then rush to build Refresher, which is an active item and a crucial one at that, as it resets every ability cooldown of a hero. Paired withSuperior Cooldown, she can quickly unleash multiple slashes within a few seconds.
By imbuing theDuration Extenderwith her Shadow Transformation, she becomes an unstoppable force, being able to stay in her Ultimate form longer than usual. Make sure to purchaseDebuff RemoverorSilence Glyphif there aremultiple crowd control effectson the opposing team.
How To Play Yamato In Deadlock
Deadlock’s Yamato is one of thebest heroes for farming souls, so push the lane and rotate toward the jungle spawns. The goal here is to play around her strength to quickly build as many items as possible. One of the underrated aspects of Yamato’s kit is her alternate fire, which can be used in combination with the Power Slash to poke enemies.
The combination of healing items and Crimson Slash prepares her for action. The Crimson Slash chips through the wall, restores HP, and deals AoE damage, which is everything she needs to secure those risky kills at the back.
