Yamato is a powerful late-game character in Deadlock, but mastering her requires patience, strategy, and the right timing. In this guide, we’ll break down the best ways to dominate as Yamato, focusing on farming, itemization, and leveraging her ultimate ability for maximum impact. Whether you’re looking to win 1v1 duels or take control of team fights, this guide will show you how to turn Yamato into an unstoppable force on the battlefield. Let’s get started with the ultimate guide on How to play as Yamato in Deadlock!
Movement is everything in Deadlock. Check out our Deadlock Advanced Movement Guide to understand everything related to movement.
Why Mastering Yamato Matters in Deadlock?
Yamato thrives as a late-game powerhouse in Deadlock, and while she may seem weak during early duels, her real potential shines after proper leveling and itemization.
The key to victory with Yamato lies in playing the long game—focusing on farming, denying resources, and outlasting your opponents with smart, calculated moves. With her unique abilities and ultimate power, Yamato can easily swing the tide of any match.
Yamato Early Game: Stay Patient, Focus on Farming
In the first 7-8 minutes of the game, avoid direct 1v1 duels with enemies. Most early-game opponents will out-damage you due to better poke and sustain.
Instead, focus on farming under your tower and denying enemy souls early-game with Yamato.
- Farm Safely: Stay behind your tower and focus on last-hitting minions. This minimizes risk and keeps you safe from early attacks.
- Prioritize Abilities: Level up Crimson Slash before any other ability. This ability allows you to trade damage and heal yourself, keeping you in the fight longer.
- Avoid Fighting: Until you’ve built up your item advantage, avoid unnecessary duels. Early in the game, your enemies will likely have a better chance of taking you down.
As your enemy pushes toward your tower, capitalize on their mistakes by trading with Crimson Slash for a healing advantage.
Melee minions close to the tower, preventing opponents from stealing your souls.
Yamato Ability Usage: Crimson Slash, Flying Strike, and Power Slash
Choosing the right abilities at the right time is critical for Yamato’s success.
- Crimson Slash (Priority): Your go-to ability for healing and trading damage early on. After upgrading, it becomes difficult for opponents to out-DPS you.
- Flying Strike (Secondary): Use this to slow fleeing enemies and punish them when they try to escape. If they back off, it gives you a free farm.
- Power Slash (Tertiary): Best used as a finisher for low-health enemies or those hiding under their towers. Only use Power Slash when you’re certain the enemy can’t escape.
Building the Right Items for Yamato in Deadlock
Your early game strategy revolves around building an economy advantage and denying souls to opponents.
Start with Ammo Scavenger to make sure you’re never short on ammo. Your goal is to last-hit minions and prevent enemies from gaining resources.
- Sprint Boots: Provides movement speed and helps with lane sustain.
- Glass Cannon: Maximizes your damage and helps you take down opponents in the late game.
- Frenzy: Perfect for Yamato’s high-damage, burst-playstyle, making you a dueling monster.
Denying resources will slowly build your advantage. You’re aiming for a snowball effect, where you farm more efficiently than your enemies and start gaining control of the game.
You can follow this Best Yamato Build to get the most out of your character.
Yamato Mid-Game: Becoming a Dueling Monster
By the 7-8 minute mark, you should have gathered enough souls and built your core items.
Now, Yamato transforms into a dueling monster, able to 1v1 most opponents with ease.
- Recognize Your Power Spike: Once you’ve built key items like Glass Cannon and Frenzy, engage in duels when you’re confident in your advantage.
- Use Your Ultimate Wisely: Yamato’s ultimate gives her immunity for a crucial 8-second window, allowing you to outplay opponents, even when at low health.
If you have a lead, continue pushing your advantage by farming efficiently, denying souls, and taking down objectives like towers and camps.
The key is to recognize when you’re ahead and capitalize on that momentum without getting overconfident.
Want to help your friends play Deadlock in Alpha? Check out: How to Play in the Deadlock Alpha Playtest NOW
Yamato Late Game: Team Fight Dominance
Yamato’s power shines in both 1v1 duels and team fights. By diving into enemy teams and focusing on high-DPS targets, you can change the tide of battle.
Use your ultimate for strategic moments, either to secure kills or create enough disruption for your team to win.
- Team Fight Tips: Stay close to your team, use Crimson Slash for sustain, and dive into the backline to take out key targets.
- Ultimate Timing: Activate your ultimate to buy time, disrupt enemies, or escape tough situations.
Patience is key—don’t rush into fights without knowing you have the upper hand. With a few kills and the right build, you’ll start to snowball and dominate the game.
Maintaining Your Lead with Yamato: Key Points
Once you’ve built a significant lead, it’s crucial to maintain it.
Careless mistakes can quickly throw away your advantage, so play smart and stick to these principles:
- Focus on Last-Hitting: Continue denying enemy minions and build your soul advantage.
- Avoid Overextending: Play safe and only engage in fights that guarantee a kill.
- Prioritize Objectives: Push towers, deny farm, and clear camps to keep building your lead.
- Avoid Unnecessary Ganks: Stay cautious when roaming. Missing shots or dying in ganks can quickly allow enemies to recover.
Smart decision-making is the key to snowballing. Don’t give the enemy team a chance to catch up by playing too aggressively or carelessly.
Endgame with Yamato in Deadlock
By now, you’re fully built and doing massive DPS. In team fights, you should focus on picking off high-DPS enemies while protecting your teammates.
Positioning is everything in the late game—stay safe, play smart, and know when to retreat if a fight isn’t going in your favor.
- Cooldown Reduction and Utility: Consider picking up utility items like cooldown reduction to make yourself even more of a threat in fights. Survivability is key here.
If you play carefully and continue to build on your lead, Yamato will carry you and your team to victory.
Check out this amazing Yamato Guide from More Mtashed:
Conclusion: Mastering Yamato
Mastering How to Play Yamato in Deadlock is all about patience, smart farming, and timing your abilities for maximum impact. By playing the long game, denying resources, and knowing when to strike, you’ll turn Yamato into an unstoppable force that dominates duels and team fights alike. Stick to the strategies in this guide, and soon you’ll be playing Yamato like a pro, snowballing every match to victory.
